This live show will consist of two parts: a daytime performance with acoustic music (=ACOUSTIC DAY), and a night performance with electropop as the main focus (=SWEET POP NIGHT). This article introduces the official report.
Mr. Uchida also tried to separate the live concept for the day and night performances at “AYA UCHIDA Early Summer Party ~SUMILE SMILE~ / ~Everlasting Parade~” held in June 2017, and at that time only a few songs such as “Haruka Kanata” were performed. performed in acoustic format. During the performance and subsequent interviews, she has often mentioned that she would like to hold an acoustic live performance of the entire performance, and her wish has finally come true.
The footage from the day of the live performance will be archived on Niconico Live Broadcasting until May 12th (*ticket purchase required to view). Since it is still in the public release period, I will focus on the main points as much as possible so as not to deprive readers of the enjoyment of watching the broadcast from now on.
Immediately after the opening of the afternoon performance, the first surprise of the day came. Uchida, who appeared in the song Which is better, kick or punch?'', had an off-white acoustic guitar hanging on his shoulder, in keeping with the live title ACOUSTIC DAY”. If you look closely, that guitar looks familiar somewhere? Yes, it was a gift from the music director during the 5th anniversary special broadcast in August 2020. I couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement in my heart, wondering if the plan that had been in place for about 3 years and 8 months would be repaid at such an unexpected time…
He grips the frets, puts his hands on the strings, and waits for the moment when the sound will be heard, but somehow he just puts the guitar down and places it behind him. Needless to say, when the song began, the song I don't care, I don't care, I don't care,'' and the entire venue erupted in laughter and applause. From there, I sat down and was about to be moved by Uchida's cute singing voice and the ensemble of Eiji Kawai (Banmas, Key) and Makoto Katayama (Gt), when I heard Uchida say, What’s over is over.” That's what it is'', he said apologetically, pointing his hand at the guitar he was renting on stage and laughing out loud with the Tendon”.
Is it resignation or compassion? “Calendula, swaying with a quiet sigh” at the end of the chorus, with the sigh-filled singing and the crescendo of the acoustic guitar just before it, swayed my heart just as the song’s title suggests. “Inferior Mirage” has a distinct bass and vocal edge that makes you think it’s being sung by a different person than the previous song. Given the slogan “ACOUSTIC DAY,” I expected it to be filled with laid-back songs, but when I opened the lid, I found that in the early stages of the show, there were songs that made me struggle in the dark. Once again, I am reminded that he is not an easy artist.
In the middle block, he played a warm and light arrangement of the upper tune, which is popular in everyday live performances. I’m not going to reveal the title of the song because I’d like people to check it out in the archive, but it’s a song sung with a nostalgic look at the time spent spinning stories, as if to foreshadow the upcoming 10th anniversary of the artist’s debut. Or there were songs where he sat on a chair, stretched out his legs over and over, proudly showing off the sneakers on his feet, and performing small steps. In particular, the vocals for these two songs seemed to focus on giving the lyrics a chilled, wavy feel, with a slightly distorted pronunciation of the lyrics, allowing the vocals to gradually permeate the performance. .
Overall, the songs in the daytime performance had a slower tempo than the original songs, and the number of notes was simpler, so looking back, there were many moments when I was able to appreciate the meaning of the lyrics more than usual. Along with the performance, Uchida’s vocals either scurry forward or lay back, creating a full charge. The way they played with the rhythm and moved their bodies freely symbolized what “ACOUSTIC DAY” is all about.
Toward the end of the show, after the first live performance of It Wasn't Destiny,'' Uchida finally said, I know, this is it,” during the encore. The punch line'' at the beginning was also a foreshadowing. The acoustic guitar that everyone was curious about is finally getting a plug. From there, he grabbed his guitar, sat down in the chair provided, and began playing the guitar live for the first time in his life, saying, Please burn this moment into your memory.” Moreover, the support members are just watching over them. The song he chose for the big stage was “Matame Genki.”
During the performance, the guitar was played along with the song, matching the timing with a silent voice, and in the second half of the chorus, there was a difficult part where it was difficult for one person to sing the chorus of the original song, but the vocals were the best. It seems that Uchida didn’t waver at all. When he played the single chorus with all his might, the support members joined in for the full chorus. In the end, when he successfully communicated with the audience to “let me hear your voice,” he formed a big flower circle with his arms and smiled broadly. I really want this moment to last forever. It was a happy ending to the daytime performance that made me wish so.
対する夜公演は、衣装やステージセットをがらりと変えて、雰囲気を一新。特に後者は、ステージの上にさらに階段付きのステージを設けたりと、クラブをイメージしたサイバー感ある空間となっていた。ライブの幕開けを飾ったのは「with you」。続けて「Party Hour Surprise!」から「Candy Flavor」にかけては、曲間でキックの重みが徐々に増していき、楽曲がシームレスに繋がるDJ的な演出で会場を沸かせていた。
この夜公演に限っては、過去のライブ以上にダンスに比重に置かれていた気がするのだが、特に「Candy Flavor」では、身体のラインをなぞったり、客席に背を向けながら艶っぽく振り向いてみせたり。間奏でのパフォーマンスにおいて、大人っぽさが前面に押し出されていたことも付け加えておこう。
ライブ中盤には、新曲「with me」を初披露。同楽曲は、4月1日に配信リリースをしたばかりで、前述の「with you」と対になる、いわば“アンサーソング”のようなもの。歌唱前には内田の緊張する様子も見られたが、最後には“やりきった〜”と、目を閉じてほわ〜っと顔を緩ませながら、「大好きだよー！」のフレーズを会場中に響き渡らせてくれた。
夜公演のピークタイムを迎えたのは「What you want!」。内田自身、底なしのスタミナで終始ジャンプをしながら、客席を楽しそうに煽り倒したこの楽曲。内田のマイクは配信映像を視聴するファン一人ひとりに向けられていたはずだし、彼女のバイブスは画面越しでも届いていたに違いない。たとえ会場にいなかったとしても、現地に負けないくらいに盛り上がってしまうはずだと信じたい。そして会場にいる誰よりも、ステージ上の本人がはしゃいでいるーー。これぞ、内田彩が贈る“MUSIC”なのだ。
アンコールでは、群馬県のマスコットぐんまちゃんのシルエットに隠れた内田が「∞リボンをギュッと∞ (ぐんまちゃんダンス)」を歌い出し登場。間奏からさらに、ぐんまちゃんのお友達のあおま、みーみが駆け付け、みんなでキュートなダンスを披露した。その後はライブ本編で披露した“とある楽曲”を“おかわり”したり、予定されていた告知パートをすっかり忘れてしまったり、彼女らしい笑顔いっぱいのステージで一日を締めくくった。
内田彩は、9月21日に東京オペラシティ コンサートホール タケミツ メモリアルにて、昼夜異なるセットリストで『AYA UCHIDA Symphonic Concert 2024 ～Daydream～ / ～Moonnight～』を開催。また4月29日より、デビューアルバム『アップルミント』から最新アルバム『MUSIC』まで、全73曲のインスト音源を一挙配信中。YouTubeでは、この73曲をすべて繋いだ5時間超えの映像も公開されている。
TEXT：一条皓太
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