This is a MEGA concert report brought to you by XDantheManX Online in collaboration with Nakitty Channel. Many thanks to SOZO for the media invite and of course, SCANDAL for the unforgettable night!
Japanese pop-rock girl band SCANDAL スキャンダル
returned to the shores of sunny Singapore for a one-night concert at The
Coliseum as a stop on their jam-packed 「HELLO WORLD」 World Tour 2015 ヘローワールドワールドツアー. The
girls are no stranger to the country, having performed thrice in the
past- including at AFA X's I Love Anisong アニソン大好き concert and their last solo
concert, ENCORE SHOW アンコールショー two years back. Unlike their previous lives, there
was little promotion for their latest show and a press conference was
not organised this time around.
It was a quieter affair as they landed in Singapore under the radar the day before the concert and spent much of the next day reveling in the tranquility and vivacity of Sentosa. In fact, it felt like a remarkably heartwarming reunion with the fans as the ever-charismatic HARUNA greeted the fans with "久しぶり、シンガポール！ (Long time no see, Singapore!) Let's have fun together!" and launched into a rousing performance of "love in action", an vibrant and upbeat track from their new album "HELLO WORLD" to fervent cheers from the crowd.
It was a quieter affair as they landed in Singapore under the radar the day before the concert and spent much of the next day reveling in the tranquility and vivacity of Sentosa. In fact, it felt like a remarkably heartwarming reunion with the fans as the ever-charismatic HARUNA greeted the fans with "久しぶり、シンガポール！ (Long time no see, Singapore!) Let's have fun together!" and launched into a rousing performance of "love in action", an vibrant and upbeat track from their new album "HELLO WORLD" to fervent cheers from the crowd.
MV for Satisfaction with scenes shot in Singapore!
THANK YOU LAH!
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| TOMOMI playing the bass in her cute scorching red and black outfit |
There was some time for the crowd to catch their breath as the first MC segment of the night came up next. HARUNA introduced the different members of the band- bassist TOMOMI, clad in a scorching red and black outfit, the youngest member, drummer RINA and guitarist MAMI, sporting her signature golden-blue hairstyle. Every member commented that it had no doubt been a long time since their last visit and professed their love for Singapore to the crowd, eliciting animated squeals and screams from the fans. Especially striking was TOMOMI, who if in her eye-catching dress was not already outstanding enough, had to express her deep gratitude for the audience by replying with "Thank you lah!" in true Singaporean guest artist fashion when the public responded unanimously to her question of "Do you love me?"
EXUBERANT ROCKET BUNNIES
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| The ever-charismatic leader of SCANDAL, HARUNA! |
SCANDAL dived into their second set next, comprising mostly of fan favourites which marked their rise to international fame, with an electrifying performance of "Shunkan Sentimental 瞬間センチメンタル", the ever-invigorating Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood ending theme and the indefatigable audience ascended into SCANDAL Heaven. Shunkan Sentimental is my favourite SCANDAL song of all time and I am sure many others felt likewise too, from the way they were bouncing up and down like exuberant rocket bunnies. Without sparing a second, the girls rocketed immediately into their next hit single, "SCANDAL BABY", the first track from their debut album, and topped off their energised second set with another recent crowd favourite, "Kagen no Tsuki 下弦の月". The reaction of the crowd was as you would expect, beyond words. To use words like unparallelled, vehement and fervid would be a hefty understatement.
RINA SOLO ON GUITAR
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| A photo of RINA on drums because we do not have a photo of her playing the guitar |
After another brief interaction with the audience, HARUNA announced that they would be playing a few new songs from their new album, HELLO WORLD and thus, the next act began. SCANDAL broke into the heavy and powerful "Onegai Navigation お願いナビゲーション" the next moment, what could be best described as a fast-paced eclectic mix of rock, dance and vocal prowess that would be sure to get you off your feet, if you had not already been livened by the previous sets. Their new album songs are not weak; that would be one thing you would go home feeling assured for the night. The next few songs, solos by each member, lightened up the mood a little, with MAMI's "Hon wo Yomu 本を読む", albeit one of the slower numbers of the night, drawing much ardor from the crowd. TOMOMI's "Canned Beer 缶ビール" struck an uncanny consonance with my surroundings as I caught sight of a middle-aged man sipping from guess what- a cup of draft beer as the song played. Rounding off the quaternity was the serene and easygoing number, "Oyasumi おやすみ", with RINA solo on vocals and guitar to much glee from the crowd. As much as it might be a slow song, no SCANDAL song is actually slow.
FIREWORKS
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| Lead guitarist MAMI sporting her signature golden-blue hairstyle |
It was time for the final set. The last songs. "This is a song is very special to us. Departure." As the girls plucked their guitars on stage and RINA drummed with all her might, it dawned upon the audience that the concert was nearing its end but it was not time yet. Another wave of ecstasy gushed over the concertgoers and everyone was in high spirits, soaking in the lively atmosphere, which spilled over into "Taiyou Kimi ga Egaku Story 太陽と君が描くSTORY". The moment of intimacy with the crowd really took off with "Yoake no Ryuuseigun 夜明けの流星群", the hit theme song to last year's Pokemon movie, as everyone mouthed "Oh oh oh oh Oh oh oh oh" in unison as they waved their hands and lightsticks in the air. In what was the most serendipitous highlight of the night, perfectly-timed fireworks set the night sky alight in synergy with the chorus, much to the delight and awe of the concertgoers. It happened to be so that Resorts World Sentosa has a fireworks display taking place at the same time every weekend.
MY FIRST SCANDAL CONCERT
The crowd continued to surge with a boundless supply of verve as every second passed until the concert kicked into high gear with an extended version of "Your Song", an especially meaningful song, one that was written by SCANDAL, together with their fans, and one that had every band member singing in turns with the fans. Afterwards, the stage erupted erupted into an explosion of heart and song as the collective energy of every concert attendee was liberated with "Image", the "final song" of the night. Everyone was having a blast-TOMOMI, RINA, HARUNA, MAMI, the fans- it was a great night to behold, it was a riveting performance, it was one night to remember. My first SCANDAL concert and I loved it!
PINHEEL SURFER
DOES THIS HAPPEN USUALLY
TAKKYU ISHINO
"Do
you want to dance?" HARUNA called out to the crowd as electronic beats
started pulsating around the coliseum. "Is there going to be some
surprise SCANDAL concert after-party or are they going to play a remix?"
I did not think to myself. The audience whooped in unison as the
throbbing party bass morphed into the drum and guitar intro of
"EVERYBODY SAY YEAH!" HARUNA took the lead from the start, playing her
guitar with finesse as she sang the first lines of the song. Then, it
was she who penned the lyrics to the song and most of SCANDAL's songs, TOMOMI's turn to sing. And it was HARUNA's turn again, and this went on
for the first part of the song, just as it had been throughout most of the entire
hour-and-forty-five-minutes concert.
MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN
HARUNA's deep, sublime and powerful voice, juxtaposed with TOMOMI's sweet and rich voice, is a match made in heaven. To have two distinct yet complementary voices paired together- they have gotten everything right, from the mix of instruments to their individuality down to their vocals, which is undeniably one of the most difficult to nail-this must be why I love SCANDAL so much despite attending their concert for the first time. After all, you can have a remarkable composition, a fitting arrangement and impactful lyrics but the vocals, the human voice, the soul of the music which brings it to life still plays a very quintessential and pivotal role.
"EVERYBODY SAY YEAH! EVERYBODY SAY YEAH!" the crowd echoed frenetically as they leapt into the air in sync with the band member. The ebullient TOMOMI rousing the crowd while MAMI and HARUNA expended every quantum of energy left to play their guitars as best as they could with RINA, drumming home from behind, as buoyant and effervescent as ever.
MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN
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| HARUNA and TOMOMI are a force to be reckoned with together |
HARUNA's deep, sublime and powerful voice, juxtaposed with TOMOMI's sweet and rich voice, is a match made in heaven. To have two distinct yet complementary voices paired together- they have gotten everything right, from the mix of instruments to their individuality down to their vocals, which is undeniably one of the most difficult to nail-this must be why I love SCANDAL so much despite attending their concert for the first time. After all, you can have a remarkable composition, a fitting arrangement and impactful lyrics but the vocals, the human voice, the soul of the music which brings it to life still plays a very quintessential and pivotal role.
"EVERYBODY SAY YEAH! EVERYBODY SAY YEAH!" the crowd echoed frenetically as they leapt into the air in sync with the band member. The ebullient TOMOMI rousing the crowd while MAMI and HARUNA expended every quantum of energy left to play their guitars as best as they could with RINA, drumming home from behind, as buoyant and effervescent as ever.
人生で一度見れるか見れないかの雨。雨にうたれた地面から煙みたいな水蒸気が上がる。シンガポール公演、一生の思い出になりそうな予感。ザァーッ
— SCANDAL★TOMOMI (@scandal_tomomi) May 8, 2015
"One
last time! EVERYBODY SAY YEAH!" It was farewell. It was heartfelt
gratitude for an amazing night. They loved each other deeply, they hoped
to see each other again. They might be reunited in a year, or maybe two,
again. No one knows. Only time will tell (and only your support can make it happen). Nonetheless, this was an unforgettable
night and wonderful memories were made. Memories that would be cherished
and treasured dearly. As TOMOMI tweeted later, "シンガポール公演、一生の思い出になりそうな予感。 (A
feeling that the Singapore performance will be a memory of a lifetime)."
SCANDAL was in top form all night, delivering a stupendous performance
worthy of a world-class act. The intensity and vivacity of the crowd was a living testament to that. Until we meet again, let this not be the final goodbye.
AFTER-SHOW THOUGHTS
Time for some thoughts about the concert. Collaborating with me on the concert report this time is Nakitty from Nakitty Channel, a longtime fan of SCANDAL since 2009. Do head over to his blog too.
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| SCANDAL posing in front of the concert venue the day before the concert |
Time for some thoughts about the concert. Collaborating with me on the concert report this time is Nakitty from Nakitty Channel, a longtime fan of SCANDAL since 2009. Do head over to his blog too.
Nakitty:
It’s been quite some time since I’ve last attended a SCANDAL concert.
The last one was their concert held in SCAPE around 2-3 years back. I
got my first exposure to SCANDAL when I was introduced to their MV way
back in 2009. It’s quite new for me to see an all-female group doing
rock songs. And they’re musically talented too! The members themselves
composed most of the songs, notably their bassist TOMOMI. They pen their
own lyrics and also have the looks and charm to boot. They kind of
rubbed onto me and got my first taste of their live performance during
AFA 2009.
WIDE SONG APPEAL
Coming
into my first concert and having some knowledge on the team's
background, history and songs, I felt that this concert was a pretty
excellent one, appealing to both old and new fans alike with a mix of
older fan favourites such as "DOLL" and "Shunkan Sentimental", to songs
from the new album for the most die-hard fans who listen to every
single, be it A-side, B-side or unreleased and even, recent popular
singles of last year such as "image" and "Departure". From what I
gathered from some of the fans, the setlist for this concert was
definitely more balanced compared to that of the ENCORE SHOW concert two
years back, which featured many lesser-heard B-side singles. If given a
chance, I would definitely return for a Scandal concert again. As I had
gushed plenty about OLDCODEX in my previous post on Lantis Festival,
rock never dies and J-ROCK is the best there is! Add to that the fact
that SCANDAL's girls are alluring and very much likable and we have a
clear winner for Best Rock Group here.
Nakitty:
For this concert, they played some classics such as Shunkan
Sentimental, DOLL and SCANDAL BABY. They included songs from their Hello
World album too! A first for this concert was that each member took
turns to sing solos. And Rina Suzuki (my own personal fave member!) took
a reprieve from the drums and played the guitar! Crowd interaction was
there. DOLL is most fun performance as it's the only one you can twirl
your towels in the air. A sea of lightsticks illuminated the venue and
fans were notably high on the music being dished out. VIP fans who
attended the hi-touch event, gave good response. There's a difference in
atmosphere for this concert. Perhaps due to HARUNA interacting with the
crowd in English. And during their performance of
Yoake no Ryuuseigun
Yoake no Ryuuseigun
Yoake
no Ryuuseigun, fireworks were found shooting in the sky nearby. Though
they were very likely fireworks for another event altogether, it does
complement the song well.
ALMOST THERE
My
sole gripe and what I gathered from several other concertgoers was that
the sound system did not do justice to SCANDAL's fantastic performance.
Some concertgoers were dissatisfied with the sound system as it was
"sub-par for such a world-class venue" and that the sound was too
muffled for the song lyrics or MC segments to be heard. In addition,
feedback was received that there was poor instrument separation and the
guitars, drums and bass could not be distinguished clearly over the
speakers. Personally, I felt that the night started off slightly weak,
but gained traction as discernible adjustments were made over
time. The sound was overly loud and sharp in the early stages, with TOMOMI's naturally high voice approaching ear-piercing levels.
As "love in action" played on, the sound quality picked up and I found myself enjoying SCANDAL's performance of "DOLL".
If the technical and perhaps, venue-dependent issue, could be resolved well, the concert would be an impeccably executed and flawless one.
If the technical and perhaps, venue-dependent issue, could be resolved well, the concert would be an impeccably executed and flawless one.
Nakitty: Due to the
venue, there was some sound feedback but that did not deter the crowd
from enjoying the good music.The only sad part that I’ve still yet to
hear them perform Namida No Regret live. But otherwise, the concert is
different from the others due to the solos sung.
THE GIRLS
TOMOMI and MAMI shared most of the vocals for the night. As mentioned earlier,
I like how they alternated between HARUNA's smooth vocals and TOMOMI's
cuter, sharper vocals. TOMOMI was really happy, smiling, waving, jumping
and looking into the crowd all night. I was also perpetually leaping into the air from where I was standing at the back and I wonder if she could see me. I
thought she looked in my direction a couple of times. RINA was as cute as ever, playing the drums with
her best, it wasn't easy but she sure did a great job. I could not
really see MAMI from where I was standing (had to jump to catch a glimpse
of her standing at the far right of the stage) but nevertheless, she played the guitar with great finesse and HARUNA was the ever charismatic leader of the group.
Nakitty:
Each member has their own charm points. HARUNA (lead guitarist)
improved her usage of the English language this time. She still has it
in her to rally the crowd around. MAMI (guitarist) has the aura of
attraction. She can show off her skills on the guitar! Though there was a
part when MAMI forgot part of her lyrics, all is fine as she still can
enchant the crowd. Based on accounts from the crowd, Mami was known to
be charming during the post-concert Hi-touch event. TOMOMI (bassist) or
Timo as her fans affectionately call her, has a unique voice. There was
quite a legion of Timo fans too. During the introduction, she greeted
the crowd with a tinge of singlish with “thank you lah”. Lastly RINA
(drummer), ahhhh she’s such a cutie there. As mentioned earlier, her
talents were not just restricted to the drums, she went down to do her
solo with the guitar too.
VENUE-WISE
I
feel that The Coliseum is an appropriate venue for medium to large
standing crowds. Even though I was standing at the back with a few other
members of the media, we could still see the girls on stage from a
distance and if we wanted an even better view, from an angle as the
coliseum is shaped in a circle so no one gets blocked from the
back, unlike a typical rectangular/square set-up. It was also sheltered
overhead but open at the sides. Wind was blowing in and it felt pretty
breezy, chilly and relaxing. Concertgoers could relax at the back if
needed and the venue was not hot and stuffy.
As with standing concerts,
in order to get the best view, one would have to purchase VIP tickets
and get to the venue really early to queue and get front-standing
positions. Those who are able to secure them deserve so because
admission is strictly and fairly on a first-come-first-serve basis after
all. If one is not such a hardcore fan, the middle to even the back
rows have a pretty decent view and the tickets are more affordably
priced too. It is not bad for trying out or experimenting with bands for
the first time and for those who want to have some breathing space.
NEW SINGLES AND ALBUM FOR 2015?
Looking at past trends, SCANDAL tends to release at least 3 singles and an album per year, with the first single dropping around March to May. With mid-May fast approaching and June around the corner, we should see SCANDAL announcing a new single, their first of 2015 in the coming weeks. The song has reportedly been performed in the Japan leg of their world tour. Do look out for it despite their jam-packed schedule for their 「HELLO WORLD」 World Tour, their heaviest tour to date, having already completed a staggering 31 concerts in Japan and 4 on their world tour with 6 more concerts to go in USA, Taiwan, Mexico and Hong Kong. In fact, I am guessing those lucky fans in the stops after Taiwan will get to hear them perform their new single live.
That
sums up XDantheManX Online's coverage of the SCANDAL WORLD TOUR 2015
[HELLO WORLD] in Singapore. Thank you for hanging in there with us. We
hope that you have enjoyed reading our coverage and see you again at the
next event!
COMING UP NEXT IN THE JAPAN MUSIC FESTIVAL
If
you haven't heard already, four-time AFA alumnus LiSA will be
performing her first solo concert, LiVE is Smile Always on Sat, 18 July
at the Resorts World Theatre, Resorts World Sentosa. VIP tickets are
sold out but if you haven't grabbed your tickets, CAT 2 tickets are
still going for $98.
SCANDAL World Tour 2015 「HELLO WORLD」 in Singapore setlist:
スキャンダルのヘローワールドシンガポールコンサートセットリスト：
1. love in action
2. サティスファクション
3. DOLL
4. 瞬間センチメンタル
5. SCANDAL BABY
6. 下弦の月
7. お願いナビゲーション
8. 本を読む
9. 缶ビール
10. おやすみ
11. Departure
12. 太陽と君が描くSTORY
13. 夜明けの流星群
14. Your song
15. image
16. Rainy
17. EVERYBODY SAY YEAH!
2. サティスファクション
3. DOLL
4. 瞬間センチメンタル
5. SCANDAL BABY
6. 下弦の月
7. お願いナビゲーション
8. 本を読む
9. 缶ビール
10. おやすみ
11. Departure
12. 太陽と君が描くSTORY
13. 夜明けの流星群
14. Your song
15. image
16. Rainy
17. EVERYBODY SAY YEAH!
Pictures Copyright 2015 © Kenneth Lim, SOZO | Japan Music Festival and Mediacorp | Toogle.
