On April 20th, SUGIZO held his second online concert SUGIZO LIVE STREAMING FROM TOKYO EPISODE II ~ VOICE OF LEMURIA ~ at Studio W (WOMB LIVE). Although It was originally scheduled to be held in January 2021, it had to be postponed due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The show saw SUGIZO perform the songs from his latest original album LOVE & TRANQUILITY, which was released in December 2020, live for the first time. The basic line-up for this performance was the COSMIC DANCE QUARTET, which consisted of the same members from the first live streaming event SUGIZO held in October 2020. In addition to manipulator and synthesizer player MaZDA, percussionist Kenji Yoshiura, and VJ ZAKROCK, the genius trumpeter Shinpei Ruike and the mysterious and bewitching belly dancer Nourah took part in the show as special guests.
Along with the music, video and lighting have always played an important role in SUGIZO's live performances, and in the case of his live streaming performances, the filming, switching, and video processing are also carefully calculated to maximize the appeal of the show on the screen. The mix for the online version was done by Dub Master X, who SUGIZO respects as a "sound alchemist", in the hopes of delivering the highest level of sound quality.
The show opened with Nova Terra, a song that embodies the "healing music" sound of the LOVE & TRANQUILITY album. The green of the forest on Yakushima Island, the light shining in, and the water full of life, which were all sources of inspiration for the album, were mysteriously expressed with the trinity of music, video, and lighting. As the lights turned bright red and FINAL OF THE MESSIAH started, the title of the show appeared on the screen. SUGIZO projected a rock star aura, looking like a different person from the first song, provocatively beckoning to the audience through the screen. Both SUGIZO's guitar and Ruike's trumpet sounded frenetic, echoing like the sounds of wood spirits. They continued with NO MORE NUKES PLAY THE GUITAR and ended with a shout of "NO MORE!" with the words "NO NUKES" behind them. After the impassioned anti-war message, they went to Raummusic, an electronic piece created under the influence of the German contemporary musician Stockhausen. Surrounded by blue light, SUGIZO repeatedly plucked the strings of his guitar with a soft touch, and it was as if the attacking feeling from the previous song was completely erased. Yoshiura slammed the metal chain on the snare to make a dull sound, and the initially calm sound of Ruike's trumpet was gradually lifted up.
The next song FATIMA is an essential part of SUGIZO's live performances, and the motifs of the sea and a belly dancer have been repeatedly expressed in the videos used for this track for some time. This time, Nourah, a live belly dancer, appeared on stage. The scene where she danced in a white costume with a veil fluttering, illuminated by a laser beam, seeming to jump out from the screen, brought a feeling of fantastical beauty to the show. Furthermore, images of the sea and other elements were overlapped on the screen, adding depth. During ENOLA GAY RELOADED, which started with a video of a woman wearing a hijab and praying, SUGIZO once again unleashed his passion against the background of a dramatic crimson world. Most "SGZ MUSIC" is instrumental, but the images of the mushroom cloud from nuclear tests and the threat of nuclear power plants conveyed important questions to the audience. He waved a large flag with the message "NO NUKES" written on it. Gripping his guitar with the same hand, he produced a lustrous tone that sounded like an outpouring of strong feelings. It is a song that makes it clear that, for SUGIZO, confronting social issues is just as important as playing music. The well-synchronized lighting and vivid camera work, which made full use of zoom, conveyed an impressive sense of dynamism even through the screen.
SUGIZO's live performance was basically non-stop, with no singing or MC. During Decaying, which was featured in the final part of the set list, SUGIZO and Ruike alternated playing in an improvisation battle. The band members were in a circle formation facing inward, and SUGIZO and Ruike faced each other as they performed. Although they were apart, the switching of the images allowed fans watching from home to feel the power of the two men being close together. During Misogi, Yoshiura and SUGIZO came out to center stage with djembes and battled like two samurais in a sword fight. The two thrilling songs highlighted the band's fierce, wild playing and the controlled balance between the members. The eccentric music that goes back and forth between these two extremes may be an expression of SUGIZO's personality, which combines passion and intelligence. In DO-FUNK DANCE, for the last song of the main part, SUGIZO played in a psychedelic space with colored laser beams flying around, shaking his hair and physically approaching Ruike as if for a battle. The music the band members played was emotional, including moments of improvisation that could not be captured in notes on a score.
After thanking the audience and introducing the other performers, SUGIZO left the stage. Soon after, he returned with a tablet and introduced some comments from the audience that were shared using a Twitter hashtag. This was an essential aspect of the show for SUGIZO, who always emphasizes the importance of connection with his fans, whether in front of an audience or online. He explained that the show was postponed and was now able to happen, and expressed his joy at being able to hold it. He also read out messages in English from overseas, and touched on how this kind of global participation is one of the merits of the streaming shows that have taken root during the coronavirus pandemic. With everyone's financial and emotional pain caused by the pandemic in mind, SUGIZO told his fans emphatically, "The time of darkness will still continue, but it's always darkest before the dawn."
CHARON-Shichi Bongo from LOVE & TRANQUILITY was chosen for the encore as, in his words, "a prayer to overcome this difficult time". The sound of insects accentuated the tranquility of the track. On the screen, motifs such as the sky at dusk, water lilies with buds, the peach-colored sun, shadows of trees and five-story pagodas were projected. The sound of monks chanting the Nembutsu echoed solemnly, spreading through the space and giving it a mysterious atmosphere. SUGIZO's arpeggios seemed to be filled with love and compassion, and Ruike's trumpet brought an air of nostalgia. Nourah reappeared wearing an earthy and organic dress. All of the dancer's movements up to the form of her fingertips were beautiful, and she expressed the essence of prayers contained in this song with her whole body.
After the song was finished, SUGIZO introduced the performers again and a curtain call was made. SUGIZO put his arms around the shoulders of the band members on both sides of him, and they all took a long and deep bow. The hour and a half flew by, and the second live streaming show was ended.
"LEMURIA", the title of the show, refers to the Lemurian civilization, which some say is the root of the Jomon civilization, an important motif in LOVE & TRANQUILITY and one that is also at the heart of SUGIZO's philosophy. Love, not hatred; harmony, not conflict; altruism, not selfishness. This show, which presented an attempt at creating a comprehensive piece of art that transcends all barriers of music genres, nationality, race, religion, and culture, is an example of SUGIZO's ideal. It was a meaningful show that highlighted the power of music and entertainment during a time when it has been deemed "non-essential" due to the ongoing pandemic.
While the live stream has ended, tickets to watch the archive of the performance are available for purchase here until 21:00 (JST) on April 23rd, and ticket holders can rewatch the show on-demand until 23:59 (JST) on the same day.
In addition, SUGIZO's psychedelic jam band SHAG, which recently restarted activities, will be playing an online show titled LIVE STREAMING FROM TOKYO EPISODE III ~THE SHAG STRIKES BACK~ on May 20th. More details on this performance will be revealed at a later date.
The show saw SUGIZO perform the songs from his latest original album LOVE & TRANQUILITY, which was released in December 2020, live for the first time. The basic line-up for this performance was the COSMIC DANCE QUARTET, which consisted of the same members from the first live streaming event SUGIZO held in October 2020. In addition to manipulator and synthesizer player MaZDA, percussionist Kenji Yoshiura, and VJ ZAKROCK, the genius trumpeter Shinpei Ruike and the mysterious and bewitching belly dancer Nourah took part in the show as special guests.
Along with the music, video and lighting have always played an important role in SUGIZO's live performances, and in the case of his live streaming performances, the filming, switching, and video processing are also carefully calculated to maximize the appeal of the show on the screen. The mix for the online version was done by Dub Master X, who SUGIZO respects as a "sound alchemist", in the hopes of delivering the highest level of sound quality.
The show opened with Nova Terra, a song that embodies the "healing music" sound of the LOVE & TRANQUILITY album. The green of the forest on Yakushima Island, the light shining in, and the water full of life, which were all sources of inspiration for the album, were mysteriously expressed with the trinity of music, video, and lighting. As the lights turned bright red and FINAL OF THE MESSIAH started, the title of the show appeared on the screen. SUGIZO projected a rock star aura, looking like a different person from the first song, provocatively beckoning to the audience through the screen. Both SUGIZO's guitar and Ruike's trumpet sounded frenetic, echoing like the sounds of wood spirits. They continued with NO MORE NUKES PLAY THE GUITAR and ended with a shout of "NO MORE!" with the words "NO NUKES" behind them. After the impassioned anti-war message, they went to Raummusic, an electronic piece created under the influence of the German contemporary musician Stockhausen. Surrounded by blue light, SUGIZO repeatedly plucked the strings of his guitar with a soft touch, and it was as if the attacking feeling from the previous song was completely erased. Yoshiura slammed the metal chain on the snare to make a dull sound, and the initially calm sound of Ruike's trumpet was gradually lifted up.
The next song FATIMA is an essential part of SUGIZO's live performances, and the motifs of the sea and a belly dancer have been repeatedly expressed in the videos used for this track for some time. This time, Nourah, a live belly dancer, appeared on stage. The scene where she danced in a white costume with a veil fluttering, illuminated by a laser beam, seeming to jump out from the screen, brought a feeling of fantastical beauty to the show. Furthermore, images of the sea and other elements were overlapped on the screen, adding depth. During ENOLA GAY RELOADED, which started with a video of a woman wearing a hijab and praying, SUGIZO once again unleashed his passion against the background of a dramatic crimson world. Most "SGZ MUSIC" is instrumental, but the images of the mushroom cloud from nuclear tests and the threat of nuclear power plants conveyed important questions to the audience. He waved a large flag with the message "NO NUKES" written on it. Gripping his guitar with the same hand, he produced a lustrous tone that sounded like an outpouring of strong feelings. It is a song that makes it clear that, for SUGIZO, confronting social issues is just as important as playing music. The well-synchronized lighting and vivid camera work, which made full use of zoom, conveyed an impressive sense of dynamism even through the screen.
SUGIZO's live performance was basically non-stop, with no singing or MC. During Decaying, which was featured in the final part of the set list, SUGIZO and Ruike alternated playing in an improvisation battle. The band members were in a circle formation facing inward, and SUGIZO and Ruike faced each other as they performed. Although they were apart, the switching of the images allowed fans watching from home to feel the power of the two men being close together. During Misogi, Yoshiura and SUGIZO came out to center stage with djembes and battled like two samurais in a sword fight. The two thrilling songs highlighted the band's fierce, wild playing and the controlled balance between the members. The eccentric music that goes back and forth between these two extremes may be an expression of SUGIZO's personality, which combines passion and intelligence. In DO-FUNK DANCE, for the last song of the main part, SUGIZO played in a psychedelic space with colored laser beams flying around, shaking his hair and physically approaching Ruike as if for a battle. The music the band members played was emotional, including moments of improvisation that could not be captured in notes on a score.
After thanking the audience and introducing the other performers, SUGIZO left the stage. Soon after, he returned with a tablet and introduced some comments from the audience that were shared using a Twitter hashtag. This was an essential aspect of the show for SUGIZO, who always emphasizes the importance of connection with his fans, whether in front of an audience or online. He explained that the show was postponed and was now able to happen, and expressed his joy at being able to hold it. He also read out messages in English from overseas, and touched on how this kind of global participation is one of the merits of the streaming shows that have taken root during the coronavirus pandemic. With everyone's financial and emotional pain caused by the pandemic in mind, SUGIZO told his fans emphatically, "The time of darkness will still continue, but it's always darkest before the dawn."
CHARON-Shichi Bongo from LOVE & TRANQUILITY was chosen for the encore as, in his words, "a prayer to overcome this difficult time". The sound of insects accentuated the tranquility of the track. On the screen, motifs such as the sky at dusk, water lilies with buds, the peach-colored sun, shadows of trees and five-story pagodas were projected. The sound of monks chanting the Nembutsu echoed solemnly, spreading through the space and giving it a mysterious atmosphere. SUGIZO's arpeggios seemed to be filled with love and compassion, and Ruike's trumpet brought an air of nostalgia. Nourah reappeared wearing an earthy and organic dress. All of the dancer's movements up to the form of her fingertips were beautiful, and she expressed the essence of prayers contained in this song with her whole body.
After the song was finished, SUGIZO introduced the performers again and a curtain call was made. SUGIZO put his arms around the shoulders of the band members on both sides of him, and they all took a long and deep bow. The hour and a half flew by, and the second live streaming show was ended.
"LEMURIA", the title of the show, refers to the Lemurian civilization, which some say is the root of the Jomon civilization, an important motif in LOVE & TRANQUILITY and one that is also at the heart of SUGIZO's philosophy. Love, not hatred; harmony, not conflict; altruism, not selfishness. This show, which presented an attempt at creating a comprehensive piece of art that transcends all barriers of music genres, nationality, race, religion, and culture, is an example of SUGIZO's ideal. It was a meaningful show that highlighted the power of music and entertainment during a time when it has been deemed "non-essential" due to the ongoing pandemic.
While the live stream has ended, tickets to watch the archive of the performance are available for purchase here until 21:00 (JST) on April 23rd, and ticket holders can rewatch the show on-demand until 23:59 (JST) on the same day.
In addition, SUGIZO's psychedelic jam band SHAG, which recently restarted activities, will be playing an online show titled LIVE STREAMING FROM TOKYO EPISODE III ~THE SHAG STRIKES BACK~ on May 20th. More details on this performance will be revealed at a later date.
Zdroj:https://www.jame-world.com/en/article/157357-sugizo-live-streaming-from-tokyo-episode-ii-voice-of-lemuria.html?fbclid=IwAR11PQkjaGIpAmfEX-6EyMN9TnkkZ0lyjo6AjDIVTA6mb2jBzmlhrvKWV7k
Žádné komentáře:
Okomentovat