okay... this is what I remember of the post I wrote last night. ;) Bear with me as I reconstruct...
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Wow -- what a night. DCT is incredible live; I'm so glad I got the chance to see this show!
The concert, given the fact that it was in a theater with assigned seats, meant that everyone began the show, well,
sitting... the crowd was actually fairly sedate, although clearly enthusiastic, for the first part of the show. People finally began to get out of their seats and dance, mostly around the edges of the crowd, during "Crystal Vine" and "Flowers". I seriously wanted to go for it during "24/7", but sadly seemed to be in the most reserved segment of the crowd, so I kept myself in the seat so I wouldn't block anyone behind me. Finally they started in on "Asa ga mata kuru" and EVERYONE leaped up.... so although we did a bit of the jack-in-the-box thing for the rest of the show (up, down, up, down, up again...) at least we got to move!
Before that point, Miwa did most of the moving, and she did it well. :) DCT's so much fun to watch onstage -- Miwa's so charismatic and charming, and Masa's a maniac over there with that bass! They wore the same clothes as previously described (somehow I'd missed the mention of The Leather Pants, which do deserve capitalization...!). They did a good job of connecting with the audience; both made a point of playing to the two balconies so as to not leave anyone out. I was in the seventh row of the ground floor's center section, so I got a good close-up view of everything -- I had fun watching the little signals the band members used amongst themselves, and the expressions on everyone's faces as they got into the music. Since I don't speak Japanese, I missed large parts of the banter, but I suspect the topics were largely similar to previous nights... Miwa dubbed us her Seattle babies for the night. ;)
The setlist also matched those in earlier reports, which was fine by me as it included several of my favorites. Oh BOY did they rock the hell out of "Flowers" and "24/7". I was so glad to hear "Shiawase na Karada"; "Snow Dance"; sounded wonderful; "Suki dake ja dame nan da" was lovely, and hey, gotta love "Crystal Vine" -- that sounded particularly good live. I think as a Disney cast member I'm contractually obligated to like it anyway. :
: (Now why couldn't I have won the _Japanese_ version of the Atlantis DVD at the Newsbreak meeting last Tuesday? ha!) I was glad to hear the new tracks as well ("It's All About Love" and "Say It", and the new English song no one seems to know the name of). In general, the performances were spot-on, and the energy level from the band was fantastic.
The energy level from the audience increased in stages. There were early signs that we had diehard fans in the audience -- one of which was an actual sign, held by a guy a few rows in front of me that he'd written on the inside of a FedEx box. People would cheer out to the band between songs, too, and got replies. :) But it took the crowd a while to really cut loose. Once people began dancing, everything seemed to rise up a notch. Everyone sang along enthusiastically with "Love Love Love", although I'd been singing along (in my best faking-my-way-through-the-language manner) for quite a while! :) Nearer the end of the set, people began to filter down to the front, and once the encore began, it became the full rush-the-stage effect, with people crowding up to shake Miwa's hand / get a high-five from Masa, and to give Miwa flowers and balloons.
I joined the crowd at that point; I didn't get to the immediate front, since I was trying to avoid being trampled, ;) but it was near enough to get the excitement and the emotion of the moment; right then it really felt like I was getting to be part of something special. "Sankyu" was particularly remarkable. And just when I thought the show was over, we got an extra little treat. Again, I didn't catch most of the spoken intro, but as soon as I heard the word "Sleepless" I knew what was coming. This is Seattle, after all!
Miwa sang a bit of "Yuki No Christmas"/"Winter Song" to us, solo, with the rest of the guys standing behind her. She finished the verse with a huge smile and enthusiastic cheers from the crowd -- then she whipped out a pen and started signing autographs for the people in the front row! Obviously she didn't have time for a large number of people, but those lucky few certainly got a terrific souvenier.
All totaled, it was a wonderful show. DCT seemed geniunely pleased that so many people had come, since as Miwa pointed out, they'd never been here before. Masa told us all that "we'll be back soon", and I certainly hope they will be!
- jenn, listening to "Asa ga mata kuru" as I sign off....
p.s. The opening act was a guy-with-guitar named Mike, whose act was dubbed Reclinerland. He was okay, if not particularly remarkable (a lot of "strum strum strum strum, change chord, strum strum strum strum again"). Although the crowd clapped politely enough, the nonstop audience chatter during the songs bothered me a bit. Still, he had a good quote with, "Dreams Come True are up next.. I don't know if you know about that... but look at the ticket, they're right there." ;)
: (Now why couldn't I have won the _Japanese_ version of the Atlantis DVD at the Newsbreak meeting last Tuesday? ha!) I was glad to hear the new tracks as well ("It's All About Love" and "Say It", and the new English song no one seems to know the name of). In general, the performances were spot-on, and the energy level from the band was fantastic.