Yeah, if SpeXial isn't there, please don't do Sayonara.

^Definitely agree. It would not work.

People want her to move forward. If she went here to perform all new songs or songs only her dedicated fans know, she probably wouldn't have even been on the show. And if she had done that, the average person watching the TV probably wouldn't have even watched it if there were nothing to draw then in to at least be able to try one new song. Singing old songs to get attention towards a newer song is better than getting no attention at all. Like, there are different ways to promote, some of which aren't directed at her fans.

If ayu were to move on and not care about the public she probably wouldn't even be doing this so I don't really get why that's hard to understand.

And I also don't see a problem with her being able to reflect on how she thinks she messed up. and then expressing it to her fans. She should move on eventually, but she should definitely evaluate herself.

Queen singing her hit songs!
You let the public know that those fabulous songs still sleigh even in 2015.


In all seriousness I'm OK with the setlist.

I can't even believe people are defending this setlist, especially after there are legitimate meltdowns here when she performs the same songs on her tours (which I find a lot more understandable than this situation). For Christ's sake tho, she NEVER does TV performances. When I became a fan, this was the one thing everybody looked forward to! Her being on TV performing new songs! Not her going on TV to perform 15 year old winter ballads in the middle of summertime!

I hope everyone here knows that I fucking LOVE this woman to death and I'm always giving her the benefit of the doubt, but if this setlist is indeed true then... and it breaks my heart to say this... I think it really is a turning point in my fandom. There seems to not be a shred of spontaneity left in her. Ayumi Hamasaki is streamlined, rehearsed, navel-gazing, pandering, "kid-tested, mother-approved," overly apologetic, self-loathing, self-pitying, and gives entirely too much of a shit about what EVERYONE thinks of her.

I'd take the Colours-era Ayu that was supposedly "running away" over this shit any day.

Unfortunately, I think she's at the point where if she appears on TV it's going to always be medley-of-old-songs + one new song.

Ayu goes to a TV special dedicated to artists celebrating their own legacy. Ayu sings only new music, or music only people who bought her albums released after 2002 or so actually know. The random viewer that doesn't care about Ayu aside her hit songs changes channel. The promotion fails.

And this is exactly what would happen, the viewer that doesn't care about Ayu (AKA, most of japanese people right now) wouldn't bother sitting through a show staring a has been washed up grandma (to use the adjectives people apply to her) on a "desperate attempt of being cool and relevant". She is first reminding the public that she why they loved her to, after that, remind them that she still is alive.

There's a pretty clear logic Ayu uses to decide her setlists:

Tours: Tracks from the current album + biggest hits
Because the idea here is presenting and promoting the album to the audience. The public ranges from casual listeners with nothing better to do to hardcore fans.

Countdown: Fan favorites + obscure tracks
CDL is aimed at her fanbase, and because of that she has more freedom on picking tracks that she doesn't perform often or that didn't really get big.

A-Nation : Biggest summer hits + whatever she is promoting at the moment.
It's a festival and there are people there who didn't really went to the event to watch her, so she must be sure to sing stuff people who doesn't really gives two shits about her existence can recognize.

To what context this TV special from the public tv station is more similar? It's not a hard concept to get.

If the general public hyped this release (and there's no marketing strategy that can do that right now), if the general public was even a little bit curious to know how Sixxxxx sounds, that would be a whole different story... But the people who are actually curious about this release already saw previews of it on the tour.

TA tour should have a lot of hidden gems in it. Hopefully about as many as PCDL if not more.

Im sure she will sing everything she sang on SONGS too lol

But couldn't "singing the old hits" backfire?

SEASONS is one of those songs that only sounds good in her old voice. The last time she sang it well was Stadium Tour 2002, and it was even a bit rough there. It was AWFUL both times at FNS (the acapella and the most recent rendition), and the "magic" wasn't there at Power of Music, either. She could nail it technically this time, but it doesn't mean she'll nail it emotively.

M and evolution are OK in her current voice, but she sounds exactly the same each and every time she performs either one.

How in the world would Ayu come off "desperate" to be "cool" or "relevant" singing new songs like Step by step, Summer diary, Anything for You, Out of control, Story, NO FUTURE, The GIFT etc. etc.? These songs sound like they could've been released by Ayu in 2004, and not a single person would have thought otherwise. This setlist, on the contrary, is the epitome of desperate, because she's pandering to exactly what the "whitebread" nostalgia-obsessed Japanese audience want. What's worse? "Grandma" getting up to sing a brand new song or "Grandma" getting up to sing a well-known classic, except now it's apparent that she actually sounds like a grandma compared to the old way she used to sing it? Not buying the logic there.

^To a lot of people, the simple fact that Ayu is still breathing and releasing music is a sign of desperation in itself.

I mean, I'm kinda over it already.

All she has to do is slay me with the rest of sixxxxxx and I'll forgive her.

Setlist is real, I was surprised. Felt like a wasted opportunity to me. But her vocals were great for all of them. But granted I was watching it live, and when I watch it back it might sound differently. But I think she did them great. She recorded M and Seasons twice. She wasn't happy with the first time.

I was super close, and it was a really cool experience. Like a private concert for 600 people haha.

They asked us not to share the track list but someone else did so I don't feel so bad :-p

I was interviewed in the waiting area to give a message directly to Ayu. They interviewed me in japanese then asked for an English message. I told Ayu that she has lots of fans in western countries so if she has the chance please perform. You're welcome. Lol

^ you, sir, are the catalyst that has gotten the ball moving even faster!!!
I wonder what Ayu would think when she is reminded that she has fans not in Asia. "Oh shit maybe I should perform for them one day"?

I do remember there was some arguing with her manager about what she should perform at a-nation during 2011, I think. She likely has more say than most artists, but still has to do what she's told for the most part.

I think she's stuck as far as TV performances go and there's no way out for her other than to completely stop doing them since they will likely always be some older tracks coupled with maybe one or two new songs. When was the last time she performed a new track on its own?

Last minute was on MUSIC STATION, but only with M. Feel the love was also on MUSIC STATION, but with evolution and SURREAL. (she also had a BLUE BIRD/evolution performance that year)

So three years ago, back in 2012 before HEY!HEY!HEY! finished its run, we got Song 4 u on its own. That was the last time she was able to perform a new song without older material to accompany it. It's a bit sad, but I think it is very unlikely we'll ever see Ayu on TV without the 'classics' attached to her. Who knows though, many thought she might not show up on MUSIC STATION again after the beloved thing and then she popped up again out of nowhere.

Harsh ç-ç

I love you. :laugh

Of course she sang Step by step instead of another sixxxxx song. It's the theme song for a NHK drama for pete's sake...

The tracklist is to be expected. I think her current vocals are the best in years, so I'm actually curious to hear her sing old songs in her current voice.

as long as she sang well, im good to go :)

Since I'm not reading this bible complaining about the set list I don't know if anyone have asked for it, but when will we have any footage? Did someone record it? Thank you

Airing August 8th on NHK.