So without further ado - the LOVE concert
The Little Things
- The opening video is pretty cute and I like how what they showed ended up tying in with the videos they showed for the members solos as well.
- I love how they kind of start with the beginning lines of Ai wo Utao - I realized that in concert this song is actually so powerful and I absolutely loved how they began and ended with this song as well. It really gave the concert a very complete feel.
- The costumes that they wear though are hideous though - just saying (why are the opening costumes always absolutely hideous?)
- Also - are the costumes they change too starting from Waiha the same ones they wore for the closing of the Popcorn tour? (I'm too lazy to check, but seems like it..)
- Like I said, I was not a fan of the LOVE album but for some reason in this concert I just enjoyed all the songs a lot more - this goes for CONFUSION as well which I really disliked initially in the album just because it is such a loud and messy song... but I guess that's why it works in the concert? Somehow in concert this song just suddenly sounds so fun and awesome and I kind of find the lyrics hilarious with all the terrible English thrown in
- I LOVE how they played the opening video before Intergalactic - I wish they would show more of the videos they play on screen. Just saying.
- More about Intergalactic - hated this song. In fact I just really could not stand any of the B-sides from Endless Game but again, this concert really helped me enjoy a lot of songs I would not enjoy outside of it (looking at you Monochrome). Seriously though - in concert I love Intergalactic. It's not even the choreography for it so much as just... it's actually a very catchy song? So yeah - one of my most favourite performances of the concert and starting from Intergalactic until Nino's solo is hands down just... the best part of the concert overall in my opinion.
- Not much comment on Sayonara no Ato De - I still really like the song but in concert it's kind of meh. Apparently Ohno did the choreo for this? Nothing really stands out for me from it.
- What is that video before Rock Tonight? like honestly - so random but so hilarious.
- More on the performance of Rock Tonight - LOVE the outfits and I'm so sad they only wore it for one song. Also just the entire song was absolutely brilliant - it was so fun and amusing and entertaining to watch. Again, on the LOVE Album this was definitely not one of my favourites - if anything I thought it-like CONFUSION- was too loud,I think but in concert it works so much better. Not including Jun's solo is my most favourite performance in the concert.
- I was pleasantly surprised that they sang Kimi no Tame no Boku ga Iru - they also sang Eyes with Delight earlier as well which... I'm always happy when they sing their older stuff. So yay for this
- They've really been skimping out on the MC's in Arashi DVD's lately :| Did they really need to show all of Jun's explanation for the FUNKY dance? REALLY? I'm sure they talked about a lot more interesting stuff. /disappointed
- The segway from Jun's solo to Monochrome was brilliant. Quick story about Monochrome, I really like jazz so out of all the B-sides of Endless Game I had the highest hopes for this one but was not a fan... but again, it works a lot better in concert and part of this is because of the performance. Without the performance I really am not too big a fan of the song so it's not going to be appearing in my MP3 any time soon, which is sad because... so much potential.
- Dance segment.... eh, could have been better.
- And pretty much everything after Monochrome/Aiba's solo kind of... turns a bit meh to me
- Starlight Kiss and Funky were cute I guess
- I really, really love how they end with Ai wo Utao though - it just gives the concert a very complete feeling and it's kind of weird that it's the opening to the LOVE album but works so well as a closer to the concert because of how powerful it sounds.
- All the randomness when they're singing (Matsumiya, Sakuraiba, Sakumiya) during Tooku Made was really cute :)
- Just a comment on the centre stage - that's pretty crazy. The globe thing they did during Ai wo Utao and then all the flowers scattered everywhere.. like, wow. The were really trying to set up an atmosphere with all these props
- The fact that the entire last 30min of the DVD is the stupid video for the FUNKY choreo just makes me so annoyed.
- Sugar and Salt: I always really loved this song and recently I've actually been enjoying it more than Kono mama Motto precisely thanks to this concert. I kind of love what Sho is wearing - the sparkly blazer with a baseball cap and tie.. like a hella classy rapper which he is. How he did his solo is pretty much what I imagined - mostly just walking around and really simple turning and stuff just say he "danced" but you're never watching a Sho solo to see his awesome dancing in the first place. No super high rewatch value in his performance for this solo, but it sure as hell is a great song.
- Hit the Floor: Ugh. Ohno. Yes. So Good. Ohno is just so freakin fluid and half the time he looks like he's floating throughout this dance. I think I said in my review I was expecting his performance to be very slick and smooth, with lots of fluid movements rather than the sharp pinpoint movements and this is pretty much what was given. A very fluid and smooth dance where Ohno looks like he's made out of water. I was thoroughly satisfied and so freakin happy with this performance. I could rewatch this performance for ever both due to the song and how great his dance fit for it. Ohno just looks so cool and in his element throughout the whole performance - seriously dancing on air this man is.
- 20825日目の曲: I don't remember what I thought of Nino's solo originally, but I imagine it's that I wasn't a big fan of it. I'm still not a super big fan of it for the concert - I mean it was a nice performance and I like how he's playing the guitar with it but.. the song itself just doesn't really pique my interest very much and Nino playing a guitar isn't enough to raise my opinion. I think in a concert the song does sound a bit more powerful than just listening to it by itself - so that does make it better but yeah, not much to say about this.
- Dance in the Dark: I swear, I am not bias when I'm saying this - I swear... but I. Love. This. So much. It is my most favourite part of the concert hands down - I could rewatch this over and over and over and over and never get bored of it. And not because I find it hilarious like Shake It either. I could rewatch this because I think it was an amazing performance. I've always liked this song - I love how Jun sings it and the jazzy feel it gives and Jun did not disappoint with the performance. I love how he wears a tuxedo, hair slicked back, in a very Broadway style performance that was just so on the ball. Jun was so smooth and classy throughout this thing and the guy should wear full on tuxedos more often cause the way his shoulders fill out the suit just... hot damn Jun, how are you even real? His solo honestly exceeded all expectations I had and I am literally just.. in love with this whole thing. Beginning to end.
- 夜空への手紙: I don't think I was too big of a fan of this solo either considering half the time I don't ever remember it exists. I think the performance was surprisingly good though. I'm not used to Aiba having such subdued and quiet solos but I love how it starts off with him just sitting there, knee up, on stage wearing.... a really questionable yarn sweater - but anyway. The thing is Aiba never seemed like the type who would be able to perform a solo by himself just standing and singing, but somehow he managed it and it worked surprisingly well. I never really peg Aiba as having amazing vocals - and I'm not really blown away by his singing - but just the atmosphere of his solo and the way he pulled it off, with the backlighting, wearing simple-ish clothes and him just standing singing his heart out to what is admittingly a very heartfelt song just worked in a way I wouldn't have expected with Aiba. This one was a surprise for me but a good one. I was impressed.
I really like this concert - I think it had a great setlist and some of the most creative performances we've seen Arashi pull so far. I mean, generally Arashi likes to go all out with the special effects and what not - but I think this concert toned down on those and focused a lot more on the performances themselves and I think that really showed through. For a concert based on an album I felt quite lackluster about - I came out surprisingly (and happily) impressed with how all the songs from said album turned out live.
Now hopefully the same thing happens for The Digitalian because I am even less impressed by that album than I was for LOVE...
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