Ringo News 2015 - Page 35

TeslaGuy · 2015.03.24, 07:07 AM

Originally Posted by FadedSun

What's to dislike?

Well... I did think the pixel density on the LED display screens was on the low side. 10mm pixel pitch would have been nice.

I really enjoyed this concert. Going to hold off on my second viewing until a 1080p file shows up somewhere.

thefro · 2015.03.24, 11:49 AM

I watched it last night as well:

I thought SR was pretty good overall, but somewhat inconsistent. There were some songs where she absolutely destroyed it, hitting some notes with power that I don't think I've heard from her before. On the other hand, there were some songs like Nippon and Jiyu e Michizure (even though I liked the staging) where she got way-off key. Yattsuke Shigoto was on the edge. It generally seemed like she got more off-key when she tried to use her "rock voice" and was more active in moving around.

Staging was incredible, as has been mentioned, and Ringo's costumes were cool and stylish. Didn't mind the dancers. Liked the video screens with clips and thought having credits for the band members was a nice way to cover the costume breaks. Obviously a lot of money was spent on the concert. Liked the little fake-out before the Encore.

Souretsu was absolutely killer and was the musical highlight that I can think off of a first watch. Ringo should do the whole KZK album one day with this backing band. I think everything else kind of blurs together as to whether it was on Reimport or Sunny for me, or a SG song that sounds like those two. Crowd was awesomely into it.

The Mighty Galactic Empire is probably the best backing band name yet. I didn't check the credits to see who all was playing or how many of the Soil & Pimp Sessions guys were in the brass section, but you basically had a full orchestra + big band on stage. I could have done without the accordion player. At times it was too busy, but as far as talent level this was probably the best of the SR concerts I've heard.

Really liked that Ukigumo & HZM were featured with a few solos, more like it was a Tokyo Jihen concert than Ringo Expo 08 on that front. Ukigumo butchered the rap on Vogue but was good besides that.

It was nice that there was a little bit of everything... some flat-out rockers (with Ringo's guitar audible on the couple songs she played), some Jihen-esque songs, most of the Soil & Pimp songs. I guess there was a heck of a lot of Saito Neko. The actual songs aren't as strong as some of the other great SR concerts but Neko does a fantastic job arranging.

deadgrandma · 2015.03.24, 03:24 PM

The not Uki guitar player has absolutely no charisma whatsoever. I suppose that's why he didn't get to shoot the confetti cannon.

Midorin is still the coolest person on that stage. Pity the drums are pushed so far back in the mix.

Originally Posted by TeslaGuy

Going to hold off on my second viewing until a 1080p file shows up somewhere.

You're gonna be waiting for a long time then, cause the blu ray is only 1080i :-p

Actually, the only full 1080p Blu Ray I can think of featuring Ringo is the reissue of Expo 08. Therefore it's better, naturally.

EDIT, regarding shirts:

The L is quite larger than I assumed, not too bad but yeah, only slightly smaller than a standard L here. Probably would be an XL in Japan normally.

gekokujyo · 2015.03.24, 05:37 PM

^you're right about sizing, I compared it with Uniqlo's size chart and it's about there. I'm wondering if I should attend Fuji Rock Festival. Unnfff.

mrnarse · 2015.03.24, 08:05 PM

The Academic version DVD of Ringo Expo 14 is on sale now from Ringo's web site.

I was able to place an order for it through my Ringohan account with a foreign credit card. No international shipping obviously, but I use the JShoppers mail forwarding service. Hopefully the foreign credit card doesn't cause an error and order cancellation when they try to ship it to the forwarding service. That happened when I tried to order SWITCH magazine directly from SWITCH.

Came out to ~$19 USD for the DVD + two Ringo Expo flags + Japanese shipping. Then there will be the 150 yen forwarding service fee and the EMS shipping cost. Not too bad.

deadgrandma · 2015.03.24, 08:24 PM

I wonder if anyone would (seriously) actually sit through that in it's entirety? It's kinda painful just watching the samples :-p

Sure it would be nice to have as a collector's item though, but I dunno, I've already forked out enough on this show.

deadgrandma · 2015.03.25, 05:05 AM

So a friend has bailed on one of the tshirts (last time I'm doing this I swear). I have a spare LARGE shirt of the Sunny design in white. I am willing to sell for US $25 plus whatever shipping it is.

PM me if interested. Been on here long enough for people to feel confident buying from me- also can provide photos if need be.

If I don't get a PM soon, it will be on eBay.

EDIT: SOLD.

zeroryouko · 2015.03.25, 10:56 AM

Finally got my copy last night, after a few days' hold up in customs.

First impression: AWESOME. She absolutely killed it. Putting aside all the visuals, the dancers, the audience, the costumes, and even the band, her voice sounded AMAZING. She clearly went to some special effort to train for this.

The highlight: Souretsu. Ever since seeing the set list, I was super hyped about Souretsu being included. I expected greatness, but I worried that the reality would not live up to expectations. Instead, she absolutely blew those expectations out of the water. IMHO this is the definitive live performance of that song - and again, I'm talking about her singing. By the end I was literally sitting on the edge of my seat, mouth agape with wonderment.

There were also some real surprises here. First and foremost, Arikitari na Onna. She showed terrific control of her voice, giving it some real power with just exactly the right amount of "edge." Another definitive live performance, and IMHO better than the studio version. Also Chichinpuipui; I was a bit lukewarm on this based on the studio version, but she really brought it to life here. Kinjirareta Asobi and Noudouteki Sanpunkan also had a great energy that made these seem almost like new songs.

Runners-up: Hashire wa Number, Sounan, JL005-bin de, Seikdou o Koetara, Ima, Meisai, Koroshiya Kiki Ippatsu, Shuen no Onna...virtually all of them, really. I loved this version of Kachuu no Otoko also, though it seemed like that one was probably pre-recorded due to the costume change occurring at the same time.

The not-so-good: No, the concert was not "perfect" in an absolute sense. thefro's comments about NIPPON, Jiyuu e Michizure, and Yattsuke Shigoto are right on the money. (Although I suspect Jiyuu e Michizure was mostly collateral damage after overdoing it a bit on NIPPON.) NIPPON seems to be a very difficult song to sing, although I'm puzzled by the fact that she doesn't seem to struggle with the notes that I would have thought would be difficult (e.g. the really high ones). Then again I am not a singer, so what do I know?

In a way though, I'm kind of glad there were a couple of imperfections, because so many of the other songs were so good, it's reassuring to know that she really was singing live.

deadgrandma · 2015.03.25, 05:08 PM

Seems I'm missing the ball on my focus towards this show.

All the positive comments are from people who tend to focus more on her voice above any other elements. Interesting. Never thought I'd see the day when talking about Shiina Ringo. Maybe she has gone full Ayumi.

zeroryouko · 2015.03.25, 06:34 PM

Well, there are a lot of different aspects of the human voice that one might appreciate. IMHO, with regard to what constitutes a "good voice," there's a gross over-emphasis these days on melisma, vibrato, and absolute range - as if these are the only aspects that matter. The poster woman for this would be Mariah Carey, though Ayumi certainly qualifies.

Ringo will never be that kind of singer, and thank goodness for it. Instead she has a much rarer gift - an *interesting* voice. Instead of conforming to some artificial, academic ideal of the "perfect" voice, Ringo's voice is refreshingly genuine, unencumbered, and expressive. She is voice acting as much as she is singing. The joy in her live shows, for me at least, is just being swept away listening to the nuances of her performance.

This isn't to say that she is incapable of "technically" good singing. Were she to sing a little more conservatively I think she could easily avoid the very few vocal issues that have been pointed out. But that would make her ordinary - the fact that she pushes herself is what makes her extraordinary.

2015.03.24, 08:24 PM	#346
deadgrandma Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 4,764	I wonder if anyone would (seriously) actually sit through that in it's entirety? It's kinda painful just watching the samples :-p Sure it would be nice to have as a collector's item though, but I dunno, I've already forked out enough on this show. __________________ Disco! Life is dead

2015.03.25, 05:05 AM	#347
deadgrandma Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 4,764	So a friend has bailed on one of the tshirts (last time I'm doing this I swear). I have a spare LARGE shirt of the Sunny design in white. I am willing to sell for US $25 plus whatever shipping it is. PM me if interested. Been on here long enough for people to feel confident buying from me- also can provide photos if need be. If I don't get a PM soon, it will be on eBay. EDIT: SOLD. __________________ Disco! Life is dead Last edited by deadgrandma : 2015.03.25 at 05:54 PM.

2015.03.25, 05:08 PM	#349
deadgrandma Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 4,764	Seems I'm missing the ball on my focus towards this show. All the positive comments are from people who tend to focus more on her voice above any other elements. Interesting. Never thought I'd see the day when talking about Shiina Ringo. Maybe she has gone full Ayumi. __________________ Disco! Life is dead

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2015.03.24, 11:49 AM	#342
thefro Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 190	I watched it last night as well: I thought SR was pretty good overall, but somewhat inconsistent. There were some songs where she absolutely destroyed it, hitting some notes with power that I don't think I've heard from her before. On the other hand, there were some songs like Nippon and Jiyu e Michizure (even though I liked the staging) where she got way-off key. Yattsuke Shigoto was on the edge. It generally seemed like she got more off-key when she tried to use her "rock voice" and was more active in moving around. Staging was incredible, as has been mentioned, and Ringo's costumes were cool and stylish. Didn't mind the dancers. Liked the video screens with clips and thought having credits for the band members was a nice way to cover the costume breaks. Obviously a lot of money was spent on the concert. Liked the little fake-out before the Encore. Souretsu was absolutely killer and was the musical highlight that I can think off of a first watch. Ringo should do the whole KZK album one day with this backing band. I think everything else kind of blurs together as to whether it was on Reimport or Sunny for me, or a SG song that sounds like those two. Crowd was awesomely into it. The Mighty Galactic Empire is probably the best backing band name yet. I didn't check the credits to see who all was playing or how many of the Soil & Pimp Sessions guys were in the brass section, but you basically had a full orchestra + big band on stage. I could have done without the accordion player. At times it was too busy, but as far as talent level this was probably the best of the SR concerts I've heard. Really liked that Ukigumo & HZM were featured with a few solos, more like it was a Tokyo Jihen concert than Ringo Expo 08 on that front. Ukigumo butchered the rap on Vogue but was good besides that. It was nice that there was a little bit of everything... some flat-out rockers (with Ringo's guitar audible on the couple songs she played), some Jihen-esque songs, most of the Soil & Pimp songs. I guess there was a heck of a lot of Saito Neko. The actual songs aren't as strong as some of the other great SR concerts but Neko does a fantastic job arranging.

2015.03.24, 05:37 PM	#344
gekokujyo Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 683	^you're right about sizing, I compared it with Uniqlo's size chart and it's about there. I'm wondering if I should attend Fuji Rock Festival. Unnfff.

2015.03.24, 08:05 PM	#345
mrnarse Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Posts: 288	The Academic version DVD of Ringo Expo 14 is on sale now from Ringo's web site. I was able to place an order for it through my Ringohan account with a foreign credit card. No international shipping obviously, but I use the JShoppers mail forwarding service. Hopefully the foreign credit card doesn't cause an error and order cancellation when they try to ship it to the forwarding service. That happened when I tried to order SWITCH magazine directly from SWITCH. Came out to ~$19 USD for the DVD + two Ringo Expo flags + Japanese shipping. Then there will be the 150 yen forwarding service fee and the EMS shipping cost. Not too bad.

2015.03.25, 10:56 AM	#348
zeroryouko Ringophile Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: La La Land Posts: 629	Finally got my copy last night, after a few days' hold up in customs. First impression: AWESOME. She absolutely killed it. Putting aside all the visuals, the dancers, the audience, the costumes, and even the band, her voice sounded AMAZING. She clearly went to some special effort to train for this. The highlight: Souretsu. Ever since seeing the set list, I was super hyped about Souretsu being included. I expected greatness, but I worried that the reality would not live up to expectations. Instead, she absolutely blew those expectations out of the water. IMHO this is the definitive live performance of that song - and again, I'm talking about her singing. By the end I was literally sitting on the edge of my seat, mouth agape with wonderment. There were also some real surprises here. First and foremost, Arikitari na Onna. She showed terrific control of her voice, giving it some real power with just exactly the right amount of "edge." Another definitive live performance, and IMHO better than the studio version. Also Chichinpuipui; I was a bit lukewarm on this based on the studio version, but she really brought it to life here. Kinjirareta Asobi and Noudouteki Sanpunkan also had a great energy that made these seem almost like new songs. Runners-up: Hashire wa Number, Sounan, JL005-bin de, Seikdou o Koetara, Ima, Meisai, Koroshiya Kiki Ippatsu, Shuen no Onna...virtually all of them, really. I loved this version of Kachuu no Otoko also, though it seemed like that one was probably pre-recorded due to the costume change occurring at the same time. The not-so-good: No, the concert was not "perfect" in an absolute sense. thefro's comments about NIPPON, Jiyuu e Michizure, and Yattsuke Shigoto are right on the money. (Although I suspect Jiyuu e Michizure was mostly collateral damage after overdoing it a bit on NIPPON.) NIPPON seems to be a very difficult song to sing, although I'm puzzled by the fact that she doesn't seem to struggle with the notes that I would have thought would be difficult (e.g. the really high ones). Then again I am not a singer, so what do I know? In a way though, I'm kind of glad there were a couple of imperfections, because so many of the other songs were so good, it's reassuring to know that she really was singing live.

2015.03.25, 06:34 PM	#350
zeroryouko Ringophile Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: La La Land Posts: 629	Well, there are a lot of different aspects of the human voice that one might appreciate. IMHO, with regard to what constitutes a "good voice," there's a gross over-emphasis these days on melisma, vibrato, and absolute range - as if these are the only aspects that matter. The poster woman for this would be Mariah Carey, though Ayumi certainly qualifies. Ringo will never be that kind of singer, and thank goodness for it. Instead she has a much rarer gift - an interesting voice. Instead of conforming to some artificial, academic ideal of the "perfect" voice, Ringo's voice is refreshingly genuine, unencumbered, and expressive. She is voice acting as much as she is singing. The joy in her live shows, for me at least, is just being swept away listening to the nuances of her performance. This isn't to say that she is incapable of "technically" good singing. Were she to sing a little more conservatively I think she could easily avoid the very few vocal issues that have been pointed out. But that would make her ordinary - the fact that she pushes herself is what makes her extraordinary.