Sunday 7 June 2015

NANA MIZUKI LIVE THEATER 2015 -ACOUSTIC-, Night 2

Live Theater 2015 -Acoustic- Night 2, catch the sunnnn!
Soooooo, at least I got this out before the BD/DVD release. >.>; Been doing some overtime at work and consequently been quite tired, so yeah. I won't ramble on much more before getting to the report itself, just a few words about what to expect next.

Sadly, I was not able to attend the fan club event in April, as I had too much work to do so I can't be providing any reports about that. However, on the bright side, I will be heading to Japan this summer to attend a few LIVE ADVENTURE concerts,  so you can expect me to write about those! .... eventually. :3



Before concert
Made a trip to Akiba to see the Nana Mizuki Live Flight exhibition! I was so stoked to see the GUILTY outfit up close.... though, it ended up being pretty hilarious as the English on it seemed like someone had just chucked the lyrics in google translate - they made no sense whatsoever.... except you could tell that the idea had been to have the lyrics there in English. They should have just used my translation from my blog, I wouldn't have minded if they'd used it without any credit to me. xD


Inside Saitama Super Arena
Man, our seats today were very close to the main stage today! And so close to where Nana would later be going by with her gondola, waahhhhh! I am so happy! A lot of people seemed to get not so good seats for tonight, so I can't believe I was this lucky. Thank you Nana. :3


The concert
Sutaartoooooo! Same deal as yesterday, Nana in a church singing by herself and magical things happen.... and then....



SET LIST:
01. Trinity Cross
02. Phantom Minds
MC1
03. You have a dream
04. Lovely Fruit
05. ストロボシネマ
Wonderland video
06. パノラマ -Panorama-
07. 終末のラブソング
08. SCARLET KNIGHT
MC2
09. Necessary
10. 深愛 feat. Suara
The Bar video
11. 哀愁トワイライト
12. Ladyspiker
13. Maria&Joker feat. Show Hayami
MC3
14. 大好きな君へ
Tap Dancer interlude
15. Orchestral Fantasia
MC4
16. Crystal Letter
17. BRIGHT STREAM
18. SUPER GENERATION
19. Song Communication
20. Blue
Encore:
21. 禁断のレジスタンス
MC5
22. エデン
23. 星屑シンフォニー
Encore II:
24. New Sensation



Outfit #1 - Simple White Dress
Makes Nana look like such a little girl xD well, she is little in size, but still...



01. Trinity Cross
I was secretly hoping for another opening song tonight, but when I do think about it - I suppose Trinity Cross is the best choice regarding the organ. :3 I really do like the way it sounds, the organ makes the familiar Trinity Cross melodies so grand. It really is a shame it's only used in this one song, but that's what this night is all about - all these fleeting new experiences that come in, enthrall you and then vanishing, leaving  you savoring the taste for the next songs to come. 


02. Phantom Minds
The piano only PHANTOM MINDS makes a return tonight as well! Since a couple of years ago I made an AMV of Darker than Black using this song, hearing it always reminds me of Hei and Misaki now... I guess that's blasphemy though since this is a Nanoha song. :3 Anyway tonight I did reflect the message of the song to my own life as well, I mean me being here for the concerts is just me trying to live by 「今ここにある小さな幸せを守りたい 」 (= I want to protect this small happiness I have here now).


MC1
Welcome! This MC was pretty much the same as the first night, except that she also talked about her birthday and how she will be turning 35. She makes the usual joke about Yukarin and being forever 17 and ends with saying that tonight she will be shoujo Nana.


03. You have a dream
Well this I wasn't expecting! I mean, the atmosphere is pretty different from Ray of Change. Surprisingly, it did fit the Nana on gondola with Snufkin Kenny quite well. This arrangement did actually change the usual You have a dream mood a little bit, making it seem a bit more serious. Quite interesting!


Outfit #1 - Revamped
I guess Cherry Boys might have actually used LIVE CIRCUS outfits here too?




04. Lovely Fruit
Oh my god yesssssss! Nana listened to my wishes. :3 I am so happy to get Lovely Fruit tonight and with good cause - this acoustic version rocks (yep I am probably gonna say this about all the new songs she dishes out tonight, plus the ones I was already saying it about in my previous entry)!! As much as I loved the orchestral version that Nana gave to us previously, I think this one topped it. I am not sure though, so once this is out on bluray I will have to do a thorough comparison (aka listen to both back to back multiple times), in the name of science of course.


05. ストロボシネマ
I've always wanted to hear Strobe Cinema and Lovely Fruit together like this, the songs just have the similar kind of feel to them. They make a good combo. I found myself thinking of my first Nana live again and it's pretty crazy how much has happened since then and all the things I have done to be here today.  Kanpai for many more years like that to come! I'll reminiscence again when I hear Strobe Cinema the next time, or some other song that I have so far exclusively heard at LIVE JOURNEY.


Wonderland video
So, this was exactly the same as yesterday; if you want to see a thorough description of it you can check out my [report on the 1st night]. The friend I went with tonight was just as confused and amused about those unnecessary butt close ups. Still dunno what the point of doing those was. xD



Outfit #2 - Madhatter
By far my fav :3




06. パノラマ -Panorama-
Thank you for keeping Panorama for tonight Nana!!! I am so going to loop this a lot when the live comes out on bluray (this and a lot of other songs too that is), I am so happy! I still find it incredible how different this is from the original Panorama, just like Replay Machine -Custom- in orchestral form. Nana really is so good at creating songs and then recreating them later, it will never cease to amaze me.


07. 終末のラブソング
Yep, it's official - Shuumatsu no Love Song is my favorite song from the new single. And this slower acoustic version makes it even better. It gives it a kind of dreamy feel.. hard to explain. In any case it changes the feeling of desperation in the song slightly, in an interesting way. I am saddened by the fact that I will probably forget how this rendition went until I hear it again, as it is pretty different from the original. Luckily, there is this [small clip] of it available so that I won't have to live completely without it till the bluray comes out. Also worth to mention, when Nana returned to the main stage from the little side stage during this song, she went past me and my friend from really close with her gondola \o/ sooooo happy! Still can't believe I scored so good tickets for tonight.



Outfit #3 - Gorgeous Red Dress
Don't have another pic of this, but can see it in the vid I linked to down below!



08. SCARLET KNIGHT
I was so ready for this and the thousands of shivers it sends down my spine. This is definitely the most incredible thing in Live Theater hands down. I used to think there was no way that SCARLET KNIGHT could be more majestic than it is already normally, but this gospel aspect just adds to its grandeur.  You can here a bit of this majestic piece in [this clip].


MC2
Nana talks about the gondola she used to move about and she said that going through the blue penlights really made her feel like she was sailing in Venice. Except that she has actually never been there so she doesn't know what it is really like. xD But still she is sure this is 'poi 'poi! The gondola itself though was a real one from Venice! Whoa! She mentions her parents and how her dad always wanted a boat.

She then explains again what an acoustic live means as many people have wondered what it was going to be. She mentions how there are no electric instruments and everything is very simplistic and how she has applied the implications of acoustic in many different ways for this live. She then tells us that the lead of the gospel choir is Itaruvich's wife, Eri-san. Nana is so excited about that and makes a comment on how love has brought people together to make LIVE THEATER happen in all its grandeur. She then goes on to talk about the story of tonight's live and how Shoujo Nana met a lot of interesting people on her trip - Obacchi, Shio-nii etc.

Nana also talks about Cross Ange and asks what people think of the series. She does a cute demonstration of her Dog Days voice vs. Ange voice (kokiburiii!!) and of course we asked her to do it again... and she did! So awesome... and such a difference. xD

(On a fun side note, I actually recently stumbled upon [Eri-san's blog], which is, in addition to Japanese, available in English (rejoice!) and is just so cute. You can even find an entry about LIVE THEATER and see how thrilled she was to be part of Nana's thing.)


09. Necessary
I already forgot that this song would be coming up at this song. I think my brain activity only went as far as SCARLET KNIGHT and then everything after that became irrelevant. xD I am sorry for neglecting you so much, Necessary. Maybe there is a limit to how much Ange related stuff I can absorb. :p Still a very pretty song though.


10. 深愛 feat. Suara
I was wondering if we'd get a different person for this collaboration tonight, but nope Suara is back. Which suits me just fine. The collabo was good like last night. Though, when I think about it, I do kinda prefer Nana singing this alone because of how personal the song is for her. All dem feels. :3


The Bar video
Exact same thing as last night, again for description you can refer to my [report on the 1st night]. I still can't shake off the strong feeling of this being very similar to Michael Jackson's Moonwalker. Maybe I should watch it again soon. :)



Outfit #4 - Tube Dress
such perfect combination of atmosphere :3




11. 哀愁トワイライト
Aishuu Twilight made a return tonight, of course. The one song that fits this section of the live sooo well. It envelops me into a bittersweet melancholic calmness. It's not a feeling you get often, or need to get often, but I like how this song and Thermidor manage to do create those feels even if you necessarily don't understand the lyrics at all. Of course it's stronger when you do because then you can be like shit, I was right to feel this way! xD Though I have to say, I kinda prefer feeling that way on my own and not with thousands of people... though I do also love getting to experience this live. Contradiction!


12. Ladyspiker
I was hoping for Ladyspiker in LIVE THEATER since we didn't get it last summer and was so stoked when it came up..... until I realized it replaced Maria&Joker. This gave me really mixed feelings, but in the end I decided to just enjoy Ladyspiker because it is an awesome song and was made even more awesome with all dem horn instruments. Can never get enough of Nana and mic stand action for this song.


13. Maria&Joker feat. Show Hayami
Since Suara made a return tonight, I was expecting Hoshi-san to show up again, but instead we get Show Hayami (lol he only makes me think of Tenzen from Basilisk.. xD)! He enters the bar and then throws the dart into the dart board like Nana did last night... wait does this mean...? Yeesssssss, Maria&Joker is back! I do admit I would have preferred Nana to be singing this by herself again, but I did enjoy this collaboration more than last night's. Sorry Jesus Yamato. :3


MC3
Nana talks with tonight's guest, Show-san. Apparently he practiced a long time for Maria&Joker, since it's such a hard song. Actually since he heard Nana in Kouhaku it seems. He gives Nana a coaster and a rose, just like Hoshi-san last night, except he does it more tactfully. xD After he leaves, Nana goes to bug.... Yutapon! Who actually shouldn't even be here. For this section he had sneaked in and was sitting at the bar counter. Nana didn't know and only saw him when she entered from the door and she was very surprised. She talks to Obacchi too, who's job incidentally for LIVE THEATER was to be Yutapon's substitute. They poke fun at Nana for this and she says she is sorry she didn't read the mood properly. Then Fire's turn. He introduces his horn team. Andy came all the way from Canada for this. Woop!


14. 大好きな君へ
I was kinda hoping this would change tonight, since I wanted to hear more epic renditions of old songs but no such luck. Guess for that I will need to wait for the next special concert, be it orchestral, acoustic or something else. :o I guess this is just too nice of a chill song that it remained part of both nights; Nana doesn't have that many songs that are like this.


Tap Dance interlude
We get the same tap dance prelude as last night. I think I didn't pay as much attention to it tonight though, as I knew what was coming next and I was very excited to see that again. Sorry boys, I did appreciate your performance a lot though! :3



Outfit #5 - Tap Dancer
Don't have another pic of this apart from what I posted in the previous LIVE THEATER entry :3



15. Orchestral Fantasia
I was really looking forward to seeing this again tonight, Nana's tap dancing face of cuteness is too adorable. She used to make this super concentrated face during normal dance routines as well, though lately in her lives it's not so prominent anymore. Thus I am happy to see it in full bloom here with the tap dance. :3


MC4
Nana of course talks about the tap dancing and how she practiced and practiced for it. She was thinking of how else she could utilize the term acoustic in addition to all she had already done tonight and she ended up with tap dance since LIVE THEATER was like a musical and it could serve as a percussion instrument in a way.



Outfit #6 - Short Blue




16. Crystal Letter
Crystal Letter makes a return tonight as well! Even though it is a very pretty song, I think it got kinda overpowered by all the epic surprises that Nana had cooked up for LIVE THEATER that it didn't really leave any strong imprint on me.


17. BRIGHT STREAM
I was expecting BRIGHT STREAM to be replaced with ETERNAL BLAZE tonight, but nope. Are we going to get EtaBure tonight at all? I don't really see what other song it could replace, unless it appears in some special second encore. Quite a surprising turn of events! While I was thinking about this so intently, I missed most of BRIGHT STREAM. orz I don't know why, but it keeps happening to me very often during this particular song. Maybe it just has that something that automatically makes me pensive.


18. SUPER GENERATION
Then for the fun joyful section, starting with SUPER GENERATION! Maybe in the next acoustic we could see Nana gracefully hammering the piano for this like she does in the PV? One can only hope (in vain). xD I have noticed that every time I hear this song live, which happens a lot since it is a special song for Nana, I remember what happened in LIVE CIRCUS Seibu Dome concert (me seeming to be the only girl singing along at the end). Now I always think, how will it be this time? Must have caused me quite a trauma, haha.


19. Song Communication
Interestingly enough, this section stayed exactly the same as yesterday, that's rare. :3 I'm glad though, since it is a fun happy song to sing together. Somehow I feel I've heard this live surprisingly often. Even though it's not THAT often. How strange. Maybe all the times I have heard it are somehow very strongly imprinted onto my brain..


20. Blue
I forgot to mention this yesterday, but before Blue began, the text 「いつも君が幸せでありますように…」(=For you to be always happy / So that you'll always be happy) appeared on the big screens. I didn't think about it too much yesterday, but today it hit me hard. I mean, that's exactly the reason why I am still doing what I can to attend Nana lives - to keep myself happy. Having this part of Blue being emphasized made me cry and I was so grateful that I had been able to come attend LIVE THEATER. I kept being pretty emotional all through the song (doesn't help that the song ends with that exact line).


Encore
Naa-naaaaaaaanananana!



Outfit #7 - Encore
Skirt and live shirt of course~



21. 禁断のレジスタンス
Can't get enough of Kindan no Resistance live! It has such boosted impact. I hope we'll get this again next tour. >:3 And even though I wouldn't really have minded to have LIVE THEATER be acoustic only all the way, I do admit it's nice getting songs like this with full kick, even if it wasn't such a new song and didn't have a "proper excuse" to go back to electric instruments.


MC5
Shassuuuuu! She made the Cherry Boys do the shout as well. Electric instruments are back because this is an encore and there should be a bit of an aggressive feeling! xD Announcement of her appearing on Smap's TV show as a music guest, wohoo! She was very excited about that. Next up, is a song she hasn't sang tonight yet....


22. エデン
I've liked this song ever since I heard it, but I didn't realize how much I actually really liked it until hearing it these two nights. I also hadn't really paid attention to how sad it is until now. It probably would have been better if I hadn't noticed that, because now I am gonna feel sad every time I hear it. orz

For the next song, acoustic setup is back! Nana wanted to choose a wintery song and this time from all her wintery songs she chose a happy one! What could it be? It's Hoshikuzu Symphony!


23. 星屑シンフォニー
Well this was a surprise! Even if this is a wintery song, I really didn't see it coming at all. I was actually just expecting Tears' Night to come again, but it is nice to get a bit of variety even here in the encore. I honestly thought this would be one of those songs that pop up for one live and then you'll never hear them again (or if you do, it'll be years later), but instead this song got treated to two different special renditions woah!


Encore II
I had initially been expecting a 2nd encore tonight, but I started doubting myself pretty bad because the tell-tale signs of another encore seemed to be missing. She rushes out and says that she has another announcement that she just heard about back stage! There will be a summer tour!!! Yesssssss!! It's what I have been waiting for all night!! Finally! Banzai, banzai, banzai!! \o/ Nana says she will definitely go to all the places she had to skip last time because of getting sick. She goes on to say how it's been 15 years since her debut. She says she will continue doing new things this year too and since it's an acoustic live, for the 2nd encore let's all sing together!


24. New Sensation
Well not sure how well this counts as a 2nd encore, since it pretty much was just Nana coming back and making us sing the first verse of New Sensation with her and that was it. xD Not that it disappointed me or anything, all I wanted was for her to show herself once more and announce the next live... which is exactly what happened.



And thus ends the saga of LIVE THEATER. Was great and Nana really pulled it off much more amazingly than I ever could have expected!! Can't wait to watch it on BD again soon!!! 

3 comments:

  1. Hi rjokami~~

    Just finished reading your article in live theather, i gotta said i really like the setlist in this concert especially blue

    Btw i got favour to ask, can help translating the "blue" lyric . I really like the song and wanna the song translation. My japanese isnt that god and i could only understand some part ot his song


    Thank you~~

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Heya!

      Thanks for the comment. Blue is indeed a very beautiful song, so I don't mind doing a translation for it. I'm finishing up a couple of other entries first, and then I will get to it. (^-^)

      Delete
  2. I'm planning to buy the DVD for my birthday which is coming soon! <3

    ReplyDelete