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CDL 11/12 opinions thread
So how did everybody like CDL11-12 ~HOTEL Love Songs~? :D
I gotta say in contrast to what people said about the first two nights it was incredible, one of my favorite Ayumi concerts! The staging was beautiful and Ayumi's vocals great, I did not like the way they performed Love Song though. Might write a proper review later when I'm watching a few clips of it I took again :) |
just finished watching on ustream. i must say its definitely better than expected considering it's a countdown concert. I love all her outfits except the wig. november was stunning with the outfit and fountain. she look realli good with her hair and her voice is great =) loving the stage and the 2 new tracks is sooo nice too! a new single soon pls
The not so good parts - don like the way MOON and fated are being performed :x as well as love song. the flow of the songs are abit weird. i hope major changes will be made to the upcoming arena tour |
It was my first full concert (i've watched some songs performed live but that's it)
And i gotta say that it was absolutely amazing, i enjoyed every little bit of it. I didn't really have any problems with it, i thought the new Interludes was a tad boring but everything else was great, especially her vocals. The outfits were stunning, the energy was there.. and she certainly made me smile. Such a great way to start off the New Year, i can't wait to blast Party Queen :P |
It was amazing, I watched the live stream, enjoyed a lot, great vocals, Ayu sitting most of the time wasn't bad we joke about it, Tim was hilarious, a pity GO-Mi wasn't there.
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i just can't see why fans were giving such bad reviews unless the other shows were very different. this show was amazing!!! i enjoyed it so much and freaking cried like a baby during RAINBOW/the countdown.
the two new songs are GREAT. i really love Party queen! Her vocals were amazing thru the whole CDL and honestly she sat down a little bit, but not much at all. it was just part of the staging. people reallllly over reacted i think hahhaha! |
I am so happy that i watched it! .. it was so amazing and fun..Ayu looks so pretty ..love all her outfits
and aftar watching this i can say i love ~Happening Here O.O" she did really amazing job and make the song realy fun and cool! I just loved everything about this CDL I recorded some parts of the concert.. but the quality is not so good + voice is a bit low will cheak if i found some parts are okay i will share it with u guys |
I really liked it! After reading the reviews it's definitely not what I was expecting, but so much better. For me, I don't think the tracklist flowed very well, but I liked all the songs - especially the new ones! I'm addicted to Party queen right now, and HBYA is a really pretty song.
She didn't sit as much as I thought she would either, and even though she did sit at some parts it's not like she sat still, she still moved about (like Sparkle + MOON). aaand I think the outfits were cute. I've never been blown away by the costumes at a CDL but these were nice, nothing spectacular (however I would have liked a different costume for Love song, but hey, it's not a big deal). |
I was blown away by everything. The stage, the props, Ayu's vocals, the dancers, TIMMY!!!, the new songs, absolutely everything. I'm so freaking happy right now.
Next time I need to remind myself of my own advice and not pay attention to any negative feedback I hear about Ayu,. Because in all honesty, Ayu can never, ever disappoint me. Everything she does is a blessing to me so I could never look down my nose at anything she does. That's just me, I'm a glass half full kinda gal. :D SEKAI WA KIRA KIRA!!! :luv2:luv2 |
I didn't get to watch it (we're still broke from Christmas T___T), but I did download the new songs and I must say...
PARTY QUEEN IS THE SHIZNIT. Seriously. I had this insane urge to fist pump while listening to it. It's definitely going into my iTunes, which is a big deal because NOTHING goes into my iTunes before being physically ripped from a CD. As for how beautiful you are, I LOVE the melody, but the harmony was a little much. Maybe it's because I have to get used to the new background singers, but it seemed they overtook a rather nice ballad, not to mention Ayu towards the end. I'll wait for the single/album version before I make my final judgement. |
from what i hear so far...her vocal is fantastic!!!
can't wait to watch it |
It was... WOW!
Even brought me to tears twice. Happy tears first that I was able to watch it and that it was my first live 'live' concert of hers (event though it was via ustream) and the second time during MY ALL because of the song itself and the thought the concert is just about to end. November and how beautiful you are were my fav performances of the night, and evolution, Trauma and Boys & Girls made me dance and jump like crazy :D. The only thing I disliked was the extra instrumental they put before the last part of NEVER EVER. But definitely one of the best New Year experiences so far! ^^ |
I saw it live at Ustream. I think the opening is pretty cool, and reminds me of the time last year when I was personally there at Yoyogi. I like MOON and November a lot, but I wish (as always) she could take away Boys & Girls and Humming 7/4 (haha). Overall I like last year's CDL better, but don't think this is as bad as the reviews said about the 29th and 30th shows. The only thing that bothers me is her outfits. :P
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I'm still wondering if the bad reviews was meant to be to this show... xD
Seriously, it was my first live show with Ayu (even though with UStream) and was awesome. I never expected the CDL to be as grand as a usual AT, but this one made it quite well. The props, the costumes, her voice, they were in a higher level than the others years. I don't remember enjoying a CDL since PCDL from 2008. The fact that she started sitting with the ballads, the strange flow of the setlist and the repetitive musics like Humming 7/4, evolution, Boys&Girls didn't mean a lot to me. They are common problems in all CDLs so, I'm quite used to them, after all, she has little time to prepare and rehearse, and this year it was even less! The highlights prevails with her incredible voice in November, sending mail, how beautiful you are and fated. I loved Happening Here performed live as well. The new dancers and back-vocals made many things sound so fresh, I loved all of them, this mini-choir ♥ To sum up, I'm pretty satisfied with this CDL, levels above of what I was expecting ^_^ PS: sorry for the english =3 |
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PS: her english surprised me. It was very good in a overall view
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Yeah vocally she seemed to get better and better each night. Of all 3 nights she sounded worse on the 29th. Im really surprised at all the very positive reviews.... I feel it must have come across very differently on broadcast... Or maybe we had dampened your expectations.
I definitely felt like before the 29th I wanted my socks to be blown off my feet with a LOT of Ls songs, and after 29th I felt so disappointed. I didnt buy my ticket for the 31st until 3 hours before the show started, and if I didnt get a ticket I wouldnt have been devastated because the show just didnt make me feel much... if it were CDL 09-10 or something I wouldve bought a good ticket as soon as I couldve. |
From what I heard in the reviews of people attended the problem(or one of them) seemed to be the show being messy, without clear direction and without focus. But on the broadcast we were constantly GIVEN focus by the camera, when Ayumi may have been lost in the stage for people that were there, we ustream watchers had her nicely zoomed up and saw HER first, then the rest. Messy? We were only shown small parts of what's going on on stage. Stuff doesn't work well together? We don't see the things together in one image all the time. And so on...
The one thing I read I certainly do NOT agree with though is her sitting too much, I didn't think it was too much. She was never sitting there like a lifeless doll and never through an entire song. It worked for me most of the time and I think it had a positive effect on her vocals. |
It was my first time watching her LIVE!
and gosh the whole experience was too awesome. I bought tickets 30mins before the event because I figured...Ah heck it. VOCALS: She was so good. Really really good all round. Yea some parts may have been a bit shouty but I'm glad she lowered the pitch for NEVER EVER because that could have killed. I understand how Ayu's voice has deepened but i'd rather her to deliver it nicely than force it. STAGE: I actually LOVE the whole old-motel/hotel-ish design? It's very early 90s (or like truehappiness said, 1930s). It seemed that the show had that theme going on. From the dancers costumes to even the simplistic props. The beds, doors and even those border-like things in Love song. Kinda cool. PERFORMANCES: I adored November, sending mail (though I am confused with the story LOL), how beautiful you are, Party queen, fated (I really love the choreo), Love song and actually Happening Here was really fun and lively. i felt like a festival going on. In the beginning up till sending mail. the whole CDL honestly felt a lil sad. Like, this HOTEL is really depressing. and the fact that she ended with Love song, which isnt a HIGH song kinda..made the mood less festive in a way. But I LOVE the arrangement Love song got in the end. the music and orchestra was so good!!! (and i believe after this CDL, we fans learnt to judge for ourselves :) ) |
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yes..and she was really small when they zoomed out..so its so easy to lose her in that myriad of colours and crazy amount of people on stage..
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I sooooooo loved it!!!! :heart Her vocals were amazing! I'm so glad I watched it!
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I really enjoyed watching it. Her voice was really good.. and the show also.
But.. she sat more than usualy.. I think. But.. I think it is ok. Maybee it is because of she can sing better, when she don't walk around the whole time? Party Queen and How beautiful you are are really good songs. So.. it was a really really greate show, in my Opinion. |
I've just started watching it, and I love the stage.
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However, I don't like the silver dress--Ayu's cleavage draws too much attention. |
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It seems for some reason this show really does come across better on screen then actually in the arena. It probably is because of camera angles and closeups; you don't get to see the whole stage, you can focus just on Ayu - but if you were seeing the whole stage from the audiences perspective, she kinda got lost up there. I'm actually looking forward to seeing the broadcast of the show more, because I think I'll enjoy it more. :) |
The way I saw it, it was kind of like Ayu was narrating the stories being told by the dancers ... but that is probably a big no-no in a SOLO concert for a SOLO artist. I wonder if that's what HOTEL Love songs was going to be like to begin with?
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I absolutely hated this concert, and for the first time I couldn't wait for it to be over. Idk if it was because I disappointed with the show/costumes before even watching or what, but I just know and that Ayu can - and has - done better than this. The costumes weren't all that impressive, and although Ayu's singing was decent, it was overshadowed most of the time by her background singers and lack of energy.
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Highlights: -I never thought I'd say this, but Happening Here! -MOON -November -how beautiful you are and encore |
I do not see this 'lack of energy' at all. I thought she was the same perky overly dramatic-at-times Ayu that she always is.
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^ Yeah, I thought that during the concert too. If you are going to highlight the dancers so much, they need to have amazing choreography and it's just not.
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First of all, this stage is AWESOME.
My full review: Spoiler:
Overall I think this will become one of my favorite CDL's that I'll continue to watch again and again because seriously, her energy was amazing and she really didn't have many vocal problems. I also love this setlist. Her outfits/hair were a lot better than the last few years. I can tell there was a lot more thought behind performances this time as well. I really enjoyed this concert and will definitely be looking forward to the DVD release! :D |
:luv2 loooove the stage~! It looks so fun, but Ayu does blend in with all of the dancers lol
I'm beginning to think she's sitting down so much because the choreographers didn't do their job, but oh well~ |
I liked it!
the only things I didn't like: Timmy should stay behind the scenes tbqh Love Songs was too out of place the female outfits for Party Queen were ugly Never Ever little play was random,I didn't like it retire the circus act everything else was fantastic :) Party Queen,Sending Mail and November:luv2 |
This countdown is amazing!
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I thought it was a pretty good countdown, could see the hotel theme throughout and she had a lot of energy, but at times there were just too many dancers. Also, I don't know if she really needs all 4 backup singers. Loved the ballad performances!
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I have the feeling that there are a lot of positive reviews suddenly emerging on here is due to all the negative comments from people who saw the shows on the 29th and 30th, and we all just naturally lowered our expectations. It wasn't her best show, but it was still incredible.
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I wasn't able to stream because I was celebrating New Year with friends and family so I had to download and watch it. (Made possible because of Aderianu, thanks again!)
Positive: Her voice (I LOVED her voice in fated), her appearance, some costumes, she brought her lively song sparkle back, she actively went in a few dance sequences and the stage was awesome! Negative: Timmy (wtf, is he doing there? I can understand that he was a part of 'Happening Here' but did he really need to contribute his voice to songs as Moon and Sparkle? NO, I really did not like that the camera concentrated on him sometimes as if he was the only backup singer...), too much backup singers (I felt like they overpowered ayu. I loved them during 'do it again' though), her short hair and the poor tracklist. I would love to hear songs as M, Surreal, Depend on You etc. I didn't mind that she sat during 'Sparkle'. I really got demotivated because of the reviews posted in the other thread. I'm never going to read reviews again lol. I think that this year's CDL and previous year's were the most disappointing CDL's, to be very honest. |
I may not like the show really much but what is the most important for me is artist's vocals. Ayu managed to surprise me and did very well this time - her vocals were pretty decent. That's what made me very happy about this CDL :-) So I've got only few complaints:
All that random dancing in Love Song was a great way to ruin this very special song. Happening Here looked more like a gay parade which was hillarious, weird and OK at the same time LOL. And it also made me finally realize that Timmy was that "woman" from Brillante (I'm still in doubts though :-)). Too much sitting was strange for Ayu concert, but at least it was OK to see her like that for a change :-) Weird costume choices...well, I guess it's easy to get used to, watching other Ayu concerts. |
I'm pretty impressed with the concert. To be honest I feel like the dynamics of this concert isn't FULLY Ayu-ish, but it's kinda refreshing and entertaining. I thought the amount of dancers were really too much though, and the choreography's a mess at times. But, her vocals, the theatrics, and the stage was pretty good! And Ayu really need to stop using the clowns. They are not working for me, and it's getting pretty annoying. It's not like the clowns fit the whole theme of HOTEL Love songs too. I could understand for Rock'n'Roll Circus (even though I didn't like them from there either).
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About the back-up singers overpowering Ayumi thing: This was a live broadcast, the sound wasn't properly mixed. Actually this year Ayumi's voice was louder and clearer than in the live broadcasts of CDL0910 and CDL1011, we heard her better despite more back-up singers.
4 back-up singers are, given they have the right voice types and it seems they do, the perfect support for a singer and I think we will notice that on the DVD/Bluray, they won't overpower her anymore when properly mixed, instead she will sound a million times better by finally having some male harmonies thrown in.(The deepest harmonies support high voices best and Ayumi as mezzo-soprano is quite high - it's the reason Peco was a very good back-up singer, her voice went very well with Ayumi's no matter if people like her or not) |
I've seen CDL and I have contradictory feelings about it
- Although do it again is one of my favorites songs in Love Songs, the performance os it seemed boring and toooooo much repetitive for me - Happening Here (so crazy XD), NEVER EVER and sending mail were my favorite ones. - Ladies Night's concept were good, but I didn't like her voice there. - Why Timmy in Sparkle? Sparkle is one of my favorite songs of all time and I don't understand the performance. Ayu is seated too much time... And it seems a performance of the dancers rather than Ayu's! - Rainbow was so emotive, I loved it. At least one Rainbow performance that I love! - The new songs are so good! Speacilly Hbya is one of the best ballads since Curtain Call IMO. - I saw more the dancers and backup singers than Ayumi. That annoys me XDDD To sum up, a really good CDL (ayu's voice is improving and a lot of my favorite songs) but too much presence of dancers! |
I must say it was ok but it didn't shock me.
I think that in some parts of the show there were too many people on stage. Too many dancers that I couldn't see and pay attention to Ayu. Her outfits are not the same as previous years. I think she may consider hire another designer. She used to have better outfits. (Have a look at CDL 2005-2006 for example) I really LOVE "PARTY QUEEN". She needed a techno song. I think that was the climax of the show. All in all, I liked it but I think she can do better shows. LOVE YOU AYU!!! |
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I didn't like CDL10-11 at all
I wonder if this one is better? |
Compared to last year's CDL, PoM and RnRC Tour, this one lacked so many things.
The focus on the dancers was too much, her voice wasn't as strong as I thought it would be... But I really liked it. The setlist is really good, lots of great songs! I must say I cried during how beautiful you are! I didn't like the NEVER EVER performance (well, vocally it was good, but the dancing...), but that acapella part with the new backing vocal, WOW! And the new backing vocal looks sooooo much like Aika from Momusu. LOL The Love Song performance was so out of place to me. It should've been on the encore imo. Timmy... What can I say about him? With make-up, he looks really bizarre (in a very good way), but without make-up... HE'S SO CUTE! I think I'm in love. xD I also liked Michi (is it his name?) and Peco was missed. The fountain on November was one of the highlights of the show! Soooo pretty. And Shu-ya didn't annoy me this time. I just forgot to say... Boys & Girls was soooo great, those moments she forgets the lyrics... Always the best parts of her shows! XD |
I just finished watching it.
I have to agree its too much sitting, I felt like something is wrong when third song came up and she's still sitting. I dont like the flow of the setlist either nor how Love song is kinda ruined. Its such an incredible song...you can't do that! I was very pleased with her vocals and outfits. My fav performances were MOON, fated, November and how beautiful you are. |
I watched the CDL again and I found Timmy's appearance to be less annoying. He's actually a little bit cool! It was nice having someone on stage talking English XD. Though, I feel bad for the awkward introduction he gave.
Voted for 2 btw. |
I pretty enjoy with this show the first thing came into my mind is, It was like after the tsunami she has PoM that start with nothing it's like everyone start from 0 including Ayu too. And then CDL2011-2012 when I saw it, It was like I see a next step from the zero thing it's remind me of "Ayumi Hamasaki Concert Tour 2000 Vol.1" the moving circle stage, the colorful outfit, the weird show, etc. So IMO maybe It's just the beginning the Arena tour 2012 Hotel Love songs would be "Ayumi Hamasaki Concert Tour 2000 Vol.2" because If it go this way it's really makes sense that why she makes songs like her earlier year. I would be glad to see that again cuz it mean the WOW thing will coming back by little to little.
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Yeah:shakehead...using it in a song about (presumably) adult women going out and having fun REALLY didn't work. I liked the cutesy voice...way back when HONEY came out, but HONEY is the ONLY song the cutesy voice actually fits. In anything else, it just sounds terrible. |
I think Ladies Night will never be a 'cool' song to Ayu. She's NEVER going to sing it in a non-cutesy voice because in her head, the song is just like HONEY or something. Think about all of the performances of the song... they're ALL very 'adorable' and she uses that nasal voice for all of them. The best performance of the song was the first one she did at AT06 which IMO should've been the last. UNLESS she starts performing ~another night~ which would be amazing.
Also... I don't think people are being overwhelmingly positive because of negative reviews. And who is to say that people who said nice things about the concert even read other comments before watching the show? If you take the reviews from the first show or two out of the equation, I don't think it would have affected opinions in the slightest. |
Violet fur is awesome.
I don't think people are being crazy positive either. I'm actually surprised we had negative reviews at all from anyone who's never seen her before. The positive reactions are how AHS normally loves all her crap :shrug The show might be crappy, but people are still going to love it, because of Ayu and all the theatrics. And if the stage is elaborate enough, which apparently it is. It's not rocket science. Ayu + Good visuals = A good show for most people around here. Feel free to not agree. |
^ Well this show also features what probably are the best vocals we have heard in Ayumi's live broadcasts.
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I'm normally pretty ambivalent about her CDLs. I get excited but once I watch them they usually impress me but then when they're done, I shrug them off -- no big deal. Even PCDL wasn't that interesting to me save for a few performances. Same with Future Classics: just a few songs. But this CDL impressed me from start to end. I almost forgot that it *wasn't* a show from a tour. The production for it was all very sleek and carefully done.
Plus Timmy's voice blends in so well with Princess and Ayu's. The combination of Princess, Ayu and Peco creates this stagnant sound to my ears -- Timmy was a nice change of pace. I hope she cycles between back up singers. |
^^Then the positive reviews should be even more anticipated, I'd think.
I haven't seen it yet, so I'm not going to throw any opinions on the show around. But I like reading opinions before, and peoples' conclusions about the show. Like, now I think I'll pay more attention to the choreography, and feel less wtf about Ayu sitting down a lot. Or I won't be so off put by Ayu's cutesy voice in Ladies Night, because maybe she sees it as one of those songs...idk. The show certainly looks and sounds interesting. |
I loved it.. her vocals were way better, the setlist was actually pretty good and I loved the stage. Despite the negative reviews, I think it was a pretty damn good concert :)
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Just watched the Ustream broadcast, it definitely comes across better than being at the actual show....
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I enjoyed it. But it wasn't even close to last year's amazing CDL.
Once again there was far too much focus on the dancers (last year we got a whole ballad section with barely any distractions). And is it just me or were the interludes VERY frequent and put on more than usual? I find it very annoying when there's a 5-7 minute interlude and she just comes out in some silky nightwear... I dunno, maybe it's just me. The setlist was fine (Party queen and how beautiful you are were brilliant :P) and vocally she was fine (bar some cutesy parts... which needs to stop). Ayu also seriously needs to stop making the show about her dancers and theatrics because it's getting to the point where I'm actually moving my head around as if I can see around them. I'm not taking time out of my life to see guys throw themselves the place... Like I said; It was still enjoyable but last year's was so much better by a loooonnggg shot. |
So, I'm writing my comments as I watch this...so...this review is ungodly long :laugh I doubt anyone will read it. But oh well. I like commenting while watching.
Beginning - Countdown Spoiler:
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Favorites: RAINBOW :heart November :heart Love Song (cause her vocals :D) how beautiful you are :heart Worst Performance: Ladies Night...DIS-GUS-TING. I don't think I could bold, or upscale, or put in red how much this performance sucked. Conclusions - 8/10 I actually kinda enjoyed this one. And her vocals. There were no cringing moments from me, so, that is just...wow. Wonderful. Dancers are so so bad and not utilized properly. I don't think there's anything good about them here. They even looked hideous. LOVE the backup singers. Such a fuller sound with the males back there. Wonderful. She doesn't know when to sit, and when to stand. But I didn't feel there was TOO MUCH sitting. In fact, I could have used more during certain ballads. I think it was just bad timing. I didn't think I was going to like the setlist at all, but I was quite entertained by it. And I'm hard to entertain tbh lol I didn't think there were too many things out of place, and it flowed really well for me. So, I'm just gonna add myself to the list of people who liked this show and thought it was good. I don't think it was crappy, though some things were really quite bad :laugh...I'd watch this again. And I'll definitely be watching the DVD. I am quite pleasantly surprised :) I don't have a judgement on whether people are being too positive or not. Maybe we are, but I think her vocals being really good has a lot to do with why I liked it, and let other things slide, like how bad stuff looked. I don't let her dancers slide though. That **** has got to go :laugh Bad bad direction imo. |
emiko.........that was one hilarious review xD
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:laugh awww cool you read it :) I know it was long and ramble-y~
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emiko: I liked your review and running commentary, lol. Most of it mirrored my thoughts while watching the show.
I'm still looking forward to watching the tv broadcast version to see if it really is better than actually being there live was. |
^:D :shughug
Im gonna go ahead and assume that this is one concert I actually wouldn't want to be at unless I was in some kind of awesome seating position, because seriously, with all those people on stage....damn. I mean, I didn't know where she was at in some times, or there were a lot of times where she was just overshadowed. It's like, you'd have needed to be up in a balcony close to the stage...like Opera seating or something :laugh |
I feel like November was playback.
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boring *yawn* I skipped em all. RnRC is still the best so far.
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it was good.
I almost cried during "how beautiful you are" :heart |
with such awesome stage, i think i would be stunned if i was really there to watch the concert~
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The show was a hot mess. >,< I don't understand why she does anything she does anymore.
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mmm...no don't think November was a playback, it sounded purely live for me *shrugs*
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I think it's so crazy to compare an AT with a CDL, they're produced in so different moments...
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my biggest complaint is her dancers. oh how i hate the extremely elaborate dancing that's in every show. it's just flailing around imo. :laugh what's with the clowns again?
i think Ayu's voice sounded great through the entire show. she was really energetic, too. i actually expected her voice to start struggling towards the middle of the show, especially after moving around so much. it wasn't her best but i still really enjoyed it. :yes |
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I've seen more than enough playback, especially from Ayumi, and I'm amongst the first to point it out(stuff like CAROLS at AT05...did people seriously believe that was live? Her mouth was so disconnected, the sound was clearly recorded by a different type of microphone. It was either playback or overdubbed.) and really, this was not it. I think she could have done better on the song and had she sung playback she would have. Her movements were very controlled(and possibly seemed off to you) because her breathing, posture and support needed to be controlled to achieve the right dynamics. |
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If it was playback, I'm pretty sure she'd have it in the original key. |
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I went to the 31st and I am pretty sure she sang everything live, noticed imperfections in every song, as you do with Ayu.
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yeah, personally, there wasn't anything that was so good I thought it was playback. As wonderful as her vocals were, there were mistakes all over, and a lot of struggling for her to keep her pitch up.
I never thought she was doing much of anything to warrant playback either lol Even when she did her little dancing bits, but who knows. |
imo, she didn't use any playback at all, i could hear the off tune in few little parts when she sang November. her vocal in each songs were almost 100% perfect, much much much much better than the previous CDLs.
i enjoyed CDL1112 a lot. and i don't really mind of the HUGE crowd of the dancers haha XD |
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Anyway.... While yes the show is very importaint I think the most importaint is the performing itself, if there are good vocals, good representation of the song from artist hersels show doesn't need to be too overwhelming to make you enjoy it. Personally on this years CDL I really enjoyed her vocals like a lot, I thought the stage was great, some of the performances lacked a bit of creativity but it wasn't all that bad. True, Ayu was sitting around a lot, but it wasn't that much of a problem to me, tho i love seeing her dancing. The back vocals were absolutelly ok too. The only thing I thought was absolutelly out of the place was those three clowny persons running around. I didn't really get the point of them being there, so they kinda annoyed me lol I can understand the frustration of some fans who were there, tho. When you are seated in one place and the artist just stay in one part of the stage a lot, u can't really see them as much as u would want. Also u always get the view from the same angle so it makes things slightly borring if there's not much going on on stage plot-wise. I think the most of the action was concentrated on the main stage that's why it wasn't more exciting, cuz there's simply no surprises. also I think comparing CDL with AT is a bit not fair too. Cuz they put much more planning and rehersing into that one than they put into CDL, and they probably start planning months and months before the actual tour even starts...just my thoghts tho.... |
Am I the only one who thinks that the 3 clowns had a meaning in the concert? xD
I mean, I think their roles were to be the manager of the Hotel in the middle and the chambermaids... It makes sense to me since they prepare the beds for the perfomance of MOON and they were usually walking around the stage to "inspect" all the events that occur in the Hotel |
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Ok, just saw the tv broadcast and yeah, it does come across a bit better than being there did. But still, I wouldn't give it a glowing review like so many did here. It still looked like a mess up on stage most of the time.
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I thought the concert was good but not her best. It was way tooo messy. I did enjoy MOON/fated (minus the dancers parts), November and NEVER EVER really much. Party Queen will have to grow on me. So far I enjoy the verses and bridge but I'm not too found of the chours. Yet. :) how beautiful you are is pretty but nothing special to me.
In comparison with CDL's this was good but not her best. I'm still in love with 09-10 so much. And if this is how the AT might look like, it's not gonna beat many of the past AT's either. R'n'RC will be hard to beat I think. As someone else said, in past concerts (and especially R'n'RC) she used alot of dancers, but in a good way. This concert was just overkill. It's like someone exploded dancers on the stage. Sometimes it felt like it was the dancers show and Ayu was just assisting their show with some vocals. I already miss it when she alone brings out her band and sing it out like in is this LOVE?/Memorial Address/About You performances. |
I'm about to watch it now, and it's my first time hearing "Happening Here" or whatever! I hope it's not as bad as everyone thinks it is, but I haven't even bothered downloading it. I'm a virgin to it! So excited, my birthday is January 2nd, so getting to see CDL every year is an awesome present, and I always look forward to it! >3
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Hi all! I'm not a regular poster to the forums but I am a massive ayu fan and felt reasonably incensed to join in the conversation surrounding CDL11-12.
I've watched every arena tour and CDL since AT03-04 and to me she's never done a below-average show before now. In fact, most if not all of her shows have been way above-average. I'll also be the first to admit that I hated CDL10-11 when I saw the Ustream rip, I thought it was very poorly shot, but I was pleasantly surprised by the DVD. This time, I felt the Ustream was far better but the show itself was absolutely terrible. I saw the set-list first of all and was distinctly unimpressed. Apart from Sparkle and sending mail I wasn't especially looking forward to seeing any of the songs performed, particularly evolution and Humming, which seem to crop up year after year after year after year. :no The stage looked cluttered and was designed in such a way that was never going to fit in with some of the themes used later in the show. Despite not being visually pleasing to me, it worked fine with the doom-and-gloom numbers in the first half but seeing performances like Ladies Night with the rainbow-feathers and brightly-coloured lighting against a backdrop of a dark, creepy hotel just didn't gel. I also didn't like the platform the band and chorus were positioned on and the fact it stayed lit the whole time. I thought the chorus in particular looked awkward in the numbers where they weren't used, whereas Princess and PECO quite often used to disappear into the background. The choreography was shocking. Once we'd seen Shuya flailing and flinging himself around the stage to an ayu power-ballad once we never needed to see it again. Unfortunately we've seen it a thousand times by now and now he appears to be choreographing entire shows, as the other dancers seem to be doing it. Maro for instance has buckets of talent as a dancer, far more than Shuya, but he was reduced to random "expressive" dance with no real direction. But my main issue with this show was the lack of cohesion with theme. For a start, most CDL shows haven't had a particular theme or narrative at all, just being a simple concert performing a selection of songs. Now all of a sudden we have a CDL show with three or four themes and stories running at once, sometimes more than one on stage at the same time. As I mentioned before, the stage didn't fit in with some of these themes, which made them look awkward. Between the clowns, the chimney sweeps, the neon PJ's and the rainbow feathers it was just total nonsense from beginning to end. :thud Despite ayu's vocals being very impressive, for me there was absolutely nothing to like about this show and I didn't feel at any point that she was enjoying herself. Sadly, I don't think the properly filmed and engineered DVD is going to do anything to change my mind this time. :( |
I enjoyed certain parts of the concert, but I REALLY miss just classic ayu performances. NO background singers, just ayu and the band. Smh even the dancers kinda get on my nerves sometimes. They're OK for some upbeat songs
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I went to CDL this year on December 29th, so I am basing everything off of that concert, not the Ustream one from the 31st. Honestly, it was my first Ayu concert live (and I hope to see more!) and it was REALLY fun. I have seen most of her CDL's and AT's so I was kinda sad that the costumes weren't as elaborate or that there wasn't as much dancing as usual, but honestly, it was awesome! As far as the song choice, I felt there could have been more pop/rock stuff and maybe a few less ballads, but that's just me. She didn't do my favourite songs, but she has a HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE discography, so she certainly can't please everyone! The energy in there...WOW! When she did Evolution the crowd went CRAZY!!! It was so fun during the WOAH YEAH! WOAH YEAH! parts. I had great seats and could see her very well and honestly, she looked great too!
Overall, I was very impressed with the performance and she sang great, I just wish there could have been a little more energy, but other than that, it was awesome! I hope I will be able to see another CDL or perhaps an AT! |
I was quite surprised when I've finished to watch CDL 11/12, because it really wasn't like people said. I was expecting something messy, but.. it turned out really good and enjoyable.
I think they kept some ideas from the original HLS setting though, but they added new things as well that could fits with CDL concert. I mean, something Hotel related but with more parties because of new year's eve. The only thing that made me cringe was.. those damn clowns. Clowns are cute and funny, but I think she's overusing them. Along with tissue dance. Please Ayu stop it :thud and do something different for once. So overall: Yes, I liked. A lot! |
I honestly thought this was a lot better than the past two CDLS, vocally and performance-wise. Not gonna go super in depth, but the Hotel theme worked really well and definitely came across as well-planned imo. The best performances were, for me, do it again, Happening Here, fated, November, Ladies Night, and Party Queen.
Love song was weird as an ending song and didn't really work, MY ALL was a welcome comeback, and Peco was sorely missed :( Seriously it didn't feel complete without a high-kick from her :no |
It was better than the other three that i have watched so, yes it was pretty good...
It was all over the place, but I think thats because the camera people were stupid... lol But besides that, it was pretty good... and I don't want to start on the timmy stuff, but still blah... lol |
Please explain to me - Timmy's involvement in Sparkle. He came down, sat on a chair next to Ayu, sang badly and went back to his little podium. I don't understand the purpose of that. Don't really understand why he was there at all - the other male backup singer had far better vocal ability and he added nothing except being an annoying distraction from Ayu.
I still enjoyed the concert. The biggest disappointment for me was that Ayu had so many 'overseer' roles in the performances. Where dancers would take up most of the stage and Ayu just stood (or sat) and sang looking over them. She was hardly involved. It just seemed like the concert was planned without her, she came into rehearsals at the last minute and was 'added'. You can just tell the whole thing is mostly planned without her now. Hope the Arena Tour doesn't turn out like this. Still, an average CDL and far from her worst. |
^Yeah, I felt that a little bit too, but overall I did enjoy it. There was just something 'missing' from it, and I think that was energy. She gets soooooooooo into her performances usually and she didn't this time. Oh well! :(
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Vocally she did very well, there were hardly any cringe-worthy moments. I don't think she lip synced any of it, you could tell it was live as she went off the regular key in many songs. (not always a bad thing)
The staples were really good here too - the crowd went nuts for them. How cool was the podium/water fountain thing for November? Simple prop by her standard but used so well. Reminded me of AT05. ALL of the love songs tracks were amazing live, especially sending mail. She needs to perform this album in its entirety in the one show. It's too good to split up. |
^I agree!!! I LOVED Sending Mail! She needs to perform that again either in a tour or another CDL! Such a fun song live!
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I think everything I thought has been mentioned already.... But was anyone else surprised at how much makeup the male dancers wore? Baahaha I was surprised how most of them wore eyeliner looool.
Oh yeaaah I know there's a bit of Timmy hate going on already...but SERIOUSLLLY what is up with him in this show? O_____o...? I don't get it at alll. |
It was good but not amazing.
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It was an OK CDL but I don't love it and Timmy ruined sparkle.
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