After Alice Nine performed at Zepp Tokyo and disappeared behind the curtains, the video screen onstage showed future schedules from July onwards. Cheers and applauses from the fans filled the venue...a good number of them were gleefully screaming. That's because there was an announcement about a new concert tour titled 'Alice Nine Live Tour 10 "FLASH LIGHT from the past". Beginning from July 5th at Shibuya O-EAST (for club ALICE [fan club] members only!) to the concert at Zepp Sendai on October 17th, for the extensive tour they will put on 30 performances. If you look at the list of the music halls, you'll notice that they aren't especially huge venues. That provides a special opportunity for the fans to see the members up close.
It was also announced that the final concert of the special tour would be held at Nippon Budokan.
'Alice Nine Live Tour 10 "FLASH LIGHT from the past" FINAL "TOKYO GALAXY"'
Thursday, January 6th, 2011 Nippon Budokan
Their performance at Nippon Budokan will probably become their very first concert for 2011. Fans all over the world should go and witness the historic event. Be on the lookout for more information about tickets.
The Alice Nine concert at Zepp Tokyo was held on April 10th. Although it was April, the weather was a bit chilly. The concert was their final performance for their 'Alice Nine Tour 2010 '幾何学ノ理 / Kikagaku no Kotowari''. They hadn't performed at Zepp Tokyo for quite a while. So with 15 minutes to go until the start of the show, the venue was packed with fans. Some were donning punk and Lolita clothing, while others were simply wearing T-shirts and jeans. There were also fans with towels wrapped around their necks. All of them were obviously primed and ready for the final concert.
Onstage the video screen at the back was showing a dashing black and white image. It was the same one used in the band's latest artist photos, and it silently waited for the members to show themselves. Eventually each member's name appeared on the screen. The final concert began with Shou shouting, "Let's go, Tokyo!"
Although it was cold outside, the venue was filled with the warm melodies of the first two songs; '華【hæ・nə】 / HANA [hæ・nə]' and 'ヴェルヴェット / VELVET'. Each song afterward showed a slightly different style. The music seemed to sink into the audience.
During the MC Shou asked, "Tokyo, long time no see! Were you waiting for us to come back?" The audience shouted, "Yes we were!" From their large voices, it was evident how much the fans had been waiting for them to return. The members smiled at the crowd's response. Everyone was shouting and raising their fists. Shou said, "You guys are so intense!" He then continued, "We're going to play you this next song so we could fly together forever!" That signaled the beginning of 'TSUBASA'. ['Tsubasa; 翼' means 'wing(s)' in Japanese.] Zepp Tokyo is of course sturdily built, but as the audience moved left and right you could feel the venue shake.
The stage lights seductively lit up the members during 'Kiss twice, Kiss me deadly'. For the next song 'ハイカラなる輪舞曲 / HIGH COLLAR NARU RONDO' the audience shouted out each member's name. Saga's bass solo elicited cheers from the fans. The sheer force of Nao's drums added even more excitement to everyone inside the venue.
Saga slid his fingers across the keyboard placed next to him. The fleeting sounds created by the keyboard made the ferocity of a while ago disappear. Every single person in the hall instantly became silent. Shou's low voice intertwined with the piano and slowly rained down upon the audience. The deliberate pace didn't last long. As the other members left the stage, Saga and Nao started a bass and drum session. The crowd again started to clap their hands. After that the other members reappeared and together played a few more songs. Up until the very end of the main part of the show the band's performance made the fans go wild. The members ran to and fro onstage without caring to wipe the sweat off their faces.
During the encore each member talked about incidents that had happened during the tour. They also discussed some things they had experienced for the first time as Alice Nine. The audience seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the members' unique MCing. Shou said, "This is our first time in 3 years to hold a solo concert at Zepp Tokyo." His comment apparently surprised many in the crowd. That was because the members had seemed to be very much at ease performing at Zepp Tokyo, despite their 3-year hiatus. (On a side note, this is the first musicJAPANplus live report of an Alice Nine concert held at Zepp Tokyo.)
After warming up the crowd with their MC, Nao struck the drums. Shou hollered, "Next is our new song!" The band then played '閃光 / Senkou'. There is still a considerable amount of time until its release in August. Until then, fans that unfortunately couldn't participate in the concert should definitely look forward to it.
Then the members reappeared to perform a second encore. That wasn't written on the set list provided to the press beforehand. They played '春夏秋冬 / SHUNKA SHUTO [lit. 'Four Seasons']'; it was a perfect choice for a concert held during the beginning of spring. The band performed 'RAINBOWS' for the second time that night. The members and the audience enjoyed the show together by performing 'A jumps'. (Saga had come up with the idea. The 'A' comes from 'Alice Nine'. You raise your hands above your head, put your palms together and jump.) That brought the tour to an end.
As was mentioned at the beginning of the report, Alice Nine will commence a new tour from July. During the tour they will release a new single, so fans have a lot to look forward to in the coming months. Shou told the fans "We'll never let go of you!" Just like he said, 2010 is set to be another busy year for Alice Nine fans.
Also, fans by all means should go to their concert at Nippon Budokan on January 6th 2011. Don't miss the chance to enjoy with the members their first ever performance at Nippon Budokan.
If you're thinking of going to the Alice Nine Nippon Budokan concert, go to the forum and share your plans!
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