1/28 スペースシャワー列伝 JAPAN TOUR 2011@赤坂BLITZ

Last night was the SPACE SHOWER 列伝 JAPAN TOUR 2011 TOUR FINAL in 赤坂BLITZ.  This year marked the 10th anniversary of the RETSUDEN tour, which is an annual event, sponsored by SPACE SHOWER TV, aimed at promoting up-and-coming Japanese bands.  This year’s tour, which featured [Champagne], plenty, cinema staff, and モーモールルギャバン (MowMowLuLuGyaban), was the largest to date, including sold-out shows in 8 major cities across Japan.  RETSUDEN is more of a showcase than it is an actual concert, audiences are given the opportunity to sample the live performances of 4 great artists in one night, but the operation is similar to what one would find at a very short music festival (30 min. sets with very quick turn around).  That said, I’m extremely fond of the artists chosen for this year’s lineup and I got to spend the night listening to great music, so I’m not complaining.  Here are some impressions:

モーモールルギャバン:  This was my first time seeing MowMow, and I was not at all prepared for the level of Gary.  I should have been, but I wasn’t (for example, when he started taking off his clothes, I should have been prepared for the underwear to come off as well, but I wasn’t).  They were lovely, though, and extremely entertaining, I will definitely see them again.

Setlist:
1. 細胞9
2. POP! 烏龍ハイ
3. ユキちゃん
4. ユキちゃんの遺伝子
5. サイケな恋人

cinema staff:  I like cinema staff, but they’ve disappointed me in the past (EMTG Music Rise).  I came away from that show feeling like I had just watched part of a high school talent show, so I honestly wasn’t expecting much from them this time around.  I was pleasantly surprised, however, to find that they’ve improved a lot in the last two months.  Last night they looked and sounded like a real band.  There were still plenty of antics to be had, like Tsuji’s impromptu stage dive, but they did away with a lot of the mock rockstar-ing that was such a turn-off for me at their previous shows.

Setlist:
1. AMK HOLLIC
2. 想像力
3. 第12感
4. daybreak Syndrome
5. 優しくしないで
6. KARAKURI in the skywalkers
7. Poltergeist

plenty:  I love plenty.  I just fucking love them.  They came on in the middle of a group of musicians who sound nothing like them and they were wonderful.  There is a place for awkward silence at every show and the best band to spend those pauses with is plenty.  Listen, please:

ねぇ、変わったのは君のほうだろ？

Setlist:
1. 理由
2. 最近どうなの？
3. 人との距離のはかりかた
4. 拝啓。皆さま
5. 枠

[Champagne]:  They were all business last night.  I believe that Yoohei may have actually been crowned the honorary King of Retsuden at some point during the tour, because he came out in a blazer and delivered the obligatory ‘support music’ speech.  They played with a somewhat lower volume of energy than I’ve seen from them in the past, but this didn’t stop fans from crowd surfing, etc.  It was a bit surprising when they ended their set with city (“a wonderful song for a wonderful city”), but they came back with “You’re So Sweet & I Love You” for their one-song encore.

Setlist:
1. For Freedom
2. Yeah Yeah Yeah
3. Rocknrolla!
4. Don’t Fuck With Yoohei Kawakami
5. city
Encore
6. You’re So Sweet & I Love You

Special encore:  All bands covering Oasis’ “Don’t Look Back in Anger”.   Champagne had their instruments, except for Yoohei, who took lead vocals (go figure) and abandoned his guitar, in favor of the tambourine.  T-Margherita (MowMow) had his bass, members of cinema staff added a 3rd bass, and electric and acoustic guitars, and Enuma-kun (plenty) brought his guitar on stage as well.  Everyone else was given tambourines, maracas, or egg shakers and Yuko-chan from MowMow also took full advantage of her close proximity to the gong.  Gary (MowMow) came out in his underwear with a tie around his head, and (I assume because he took his position as a role model for the young and impressionable junior-members of the tour so seriously) he convinced Tsuji-kun of cinema staff to do the same (minus the tie and toting a bottle of booze).  All in all it was the perfect end to a picture perfect evening.