thank you for this Aderianu! the high notes were a struggle but she nails it otherwise! and holy fuck she looks amazing

thank you so much for this ayuinh.k?! :luv2

Thank you for the link!
It was apparent from the very first song that high notes were out of reach for Ayu that day. As usual, I enjoyed mostly the verses where she tends to sing calmly and there aren't many difficult notes. Whenever it comes to the chorus she starts screaming and sounding so forced and strained. IMO she really sounds the best in verses with lower notes, probably it's her natural range and comfortable zone.
I liked the music of the interlude after Microphone. It could've been better without backup singers talking and harassing the dancer though. The second dance interlude was cool too.
The ending of Walking Proud looked as she was like "ok, I really can't hit those notes, let's pretend I got emotional so that I can catch a break". Loved the choir, the drums, the strings. Too bad Ayu's vocal form kinda ruined all the efforts.

Ayu’s execution of themes has been pretty wonky for a few years. It’s a grab bag of different things.

I’m guessing it was a mix of east meets west. But, it wasn’t obvious to know if that was the theme, or if it was just coincidence lol.

Also, my friend mentioned that the poll they did with TA was most likely used for the little movie used reflecting on her career. (As they used clips from varying concerts.) I’m guessing this is true, but I wish they made it a bit more explicit lol.

I watched up to Na Na Na... I don't like Ayu's voice at all. She sounds terrible tired. She doesn't even sing parts of some songs. She just need to take a rest. PLEASE!!!

On the other side, Am I the only one who find the outfits and stage very Namie Amuroish????? Specially the Versace's one.

I know this is just the TV version and that the DVD will be better, but... I don't know... It's the first time that I haven't finished watching the whole show...

I undestand how you feel, even though we've seen worse vocals from her over the years. I agree, she skipped singing certain parts or gave them to the audience.

I haven't watched it yet, but I've read a lot of the comments...it seems very weird to me that she would have live Taiko and live Strings but not the band. It's very confusing and kind of upsetting and hard to wrap my mind around that one. POM 20 at least had the strings with the band...kind of essential imho, maybe cut back on some of the dancers. Cutting out the live band is a major disappointment for me, for any artist not just Ayu.

Again, I haven't seen the show yet or even the full setlist, but it looks like most people who were there enjoyed (seems day 1 was better than day 2, but her voice has been pretty ragged and exhausted on filming days for years now). Despite this, it seems like most people enjoyed it, so I can't really judge until I see it for myself.

The vocals are specially bad this time around. The visuals are nice. I was going to bet, would say the concept was losely reproducing classic performances with a current pop aesthetic. Kinda like ABL, but better executed.

^ That's really a shame, especially because she was doing better vocally in 2018.

I've been to her other concerts in Saitama and for some reason she doesn't perform as well there. I wonder if the acoustics there are not friendly to her - even with the headphones.

When I see her outside of Saitama she does really well!

this is how I feel too. somehow this sounds to me better than the Jtb CDL. I wonder, did she also sound hoarse on the first day of A^3?

also, do you guys think her throat just needs proper rest or is it simply that she cannot reach those high notes anymore? :(

She just need a FULL REST!! For Gods sake! This woman will damage her vocal chords if she doesn't stop now.

I noticed she was adjusting her left and right earphones alot during Duty

Interesting theory. Acoustics certainly CAN play a role, but they really shouldn't. It's what in-ear monitors are for, to block out the loud instruments and acoustics so you can only hear the instrumental and room mix that was dialled in during the soundcheck. I saw her in Okinawa convention center and Fukuoka Marine Messe and she sounded ok for most of the shows. It may be her ears acting up again though. And don't forget that she will sound worse directly from the mixing board (which goes to the broadcast) than she will in the venue specifically because venue acoustics will help cover some of the flaws, but that only works when you're there in person.

Truthfully, it could be one or the other with her, but most likely it's a combination of both. Rest certainly will help, and the voice can be rehabilitated to hit the high notes again, as far as I'm aware, but that will take work, healing and changing her singing technique to be less reliant on shouting to hit the notes and move toward a method that won't strain her vocal chords as much. It's definitely possible, it's just very very hard to change habits, and her ear problems don't make it any easier.

You can download videos from the first show and hear that she didn't sound as hoarse. I personally think that many of the notes she's trying to hit are out of her range in the first place, but the biggest problems are lack of proper singing technique and that she's constatly screaming, both when she tries to sing and to thank the audience, and it affects her vocal chords.

Since 2015, she's had alot of concerts where her voice sounded hoarse and tired (ex. CDL15-16, TA16, CDL16-17, JTB 1-3). After watching POA3, she sounded like she needed drink some warm honey water and throat lozenges

Interesting that I didn't pay much attention to the band missing...until there was no Yo-chan solo in evolution and no band introduction in Boys & Girls! Such a strange feeling!

The chorus in Walking Proud was lovely.

for those who wanna dl from bilibili:
>> https://www.parsevideo.com/bilibili/

just enter the link (https://www.bilibili.com/video/av48647584), click on arrow icon, the dl link will appear, then click the dl icon.

i dl-ed this show in 1920x1080, size just around 3 GB+...

It's also up on JPS :)

Thanks for the links, I loved it :yes

I’m disappointed with the costume change in the beginning. I suspect it was a wardrobe malfunction with the schoolgirl outfit. I really dislike that she reused the blue and black feathery outfit (which again, I’m not keen on the outfit period because she recycled it yet again from a previous tour just with blue instead of white) when she had it in the finale before the encore. She should’ve just whipped out her ‘Microphone’ ballgown and short dress from AT2010 instead if that was the case. That would been amazing to see her perform Duty in. If she’s going to do the recycled costumes, I highly encourage her to do number on stage wear she has a few of her female dancers wearing her most iconic costumes and looks standing on stage together on different areas of the stage and Ayu walking by each of them in her current look as if she’s walking in a museum and honoring her past. She could also put her costumes on display for a temporary (museum) exhibition during one of her shows/tours or as a pop up for a weekend exhibit at an art gallery or something.
Although the show was amazing, I was really saddened by her vocals. She was hoarse for sure. She can still hit some high notes (which she did in some songs in the show) but I feel she’s just performing too much period and wearing out her voice. She needs to rest period. It’s constantly back to back tours lately. She’ll collapse if they keep working her like this.i also noticed that she kept adjusting her ear piece. I think there was also a technical problem going on and could be another reason for the start delay. I’ve noticed that she sounded louder when she was stand at the end of the runway. But yeah her vocal volume seemed pretty quiet along with her backup singer.
Btw, has anyone noticed that Princess Yoko is missing. Did she retire or was this only for A^3?

I think this concert is superb in every way.

So she was the most commented topic on girlschannel yesterday and a lot of people mentioned how the blue outfit and styling looked like Namie and the Versace looked like Kumi's lately fashion. I have to agree that I felt that, sometimes, she really looked like Namie. I was shocked at times.

And, yes, she was adjusting the earplugs during the whole concert. So I'm pretty sure she was facing a lot of troubles to hear herself. Also during walking proud it felt like she was faking crying to make up for the fact she couldn't reach the notes/sing properly. During the last "shiritakunakattanda" part of Duty we can hear how hoarse her voice is right in the first song of the concert.

Watching this concert live made me really worried about her voice health situation and wonder if she'll be okay starting such a long tour just next month...

She has been styling her hair that way and those kind of blue outfit since a longgg time ago. I think since 2010 Do it again. Those hoodie, she has been using that kind of style since 2002 back on real me era. I don't think there is any ORIGINALITY in fashion anymore.

I don't think she is faking it. Thats why she rarely sing walking proud because she knows is she sings it she would cry.

I went to the Saturday show. Her vocals were definitely better there. I was very pleasantly surprised since I walked in with very low expectations for her vocals, and for the show in general... I went to one of the Trouble hall tours and it seemed very low budget. This one felt more like a show she'd have pulled off 5-10 years ago.

I recorded Walking proud, Part of me, and Heaven (full songs). Idk how to upload though... There were a few places where she went a little bit off key, but they were forgivable. There's definitely a clear difference in the side-to-side comparison of Walking proud, she did not sound hoarse on Saturday. Even in Who, the last song, she sounded fine. She did get emotional in the exact same place in Walking proud, but she was kind of crying in the lyrics before and after, so I do actually believe her there. And there were tougher notes that she didn't skip. Maybe the second day was a fake... idk

I was very very happy with the playlist. Heaven's one of my favorites, and one of the only ones that I could actually sing with my current level of Japanese proficiency. Part of me, Walking proud, Surreal, Pride... were all very nice surprises. I would have preferred Startin to Energize, and I wish she sang My all instead of Who, and when she came on stage in that kimono I was 100% expecting Moments and was a little let down when she just sang Brilliante and Flower... but overall I went home very satisfied. I guess the lesson here is always buy the first day if it's a 2 day show. XD

I rarely comment on here (just a lurker..) but having watched A^3 I must say that I was touched beyond words.

I have been following Ayu for the past 12 years, and I must say that for the past 5 - 6 years she has become incredibly distant. For the past 3 years, to me, it felt like many of the shows she did just did not scream the "Ayumi Hamasaki" that I knew.

However, having watched A^3, I felt a renewed sense of love and support for her. Having watched the entire show, I know finally understand what she means by the stage is where she belongs. She felt incredibly close this time round, and I could feel her emotions and her having fun. Despite her struggling towards the end of the show, despite me wanting her to take care of herself better, I could finally understand why she continues to sing and perform.

I haven't been listening to her as often these days but something about A^3 makes me want to relisten to all her songs again :)

I noticed this as well. I hope she still with the troupe. Also Yon-chan. Because no band.

I haven't watched it yet but it's sad to hear that apparently her vocals are that bad.. visually the show seemed so great. Well, I will see how I like it once I watched it..

someone has a downloadable version of these? my youtube download website recently always triggers my kaspersky ><

Her voice was sadly... worn out. I guess it's really time for her to rest :(

I'm watching it now and there are times I flinch my face because it sounds too painful to hear.

I did not watch the whole show yet, just a few songs here and there and the vocals are a hit or miss, for some songs I think she did great (like Microphone, Startin') so it means that during songs where she can keep a low voice and doesn't have to reach high notes she's doing fine.

Duty is amazing but I think that the dancers outfits and ayu's don't match the song lol I'm very impressed by the BRILLANTE performance, I'm amazed by the fact that she can come up with such cool performances for that song.

I actually kind of glad they got rid of some of the songs.
Shes a bit old to still be doing the cuties stuff.

She was actually singing "You & Me" on Saturday unlike mostly not singing it on Sunday:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv-26bblLmU/

Thank you so much angelayumi, these are great!

Some professional photos are up on model press https://mdpr.jp/photo/detail/6857889

Is it edited or just like in broadcast?

Now I've seen good photos of the gold outfit, I am sad it didn't stay :(

OK I just watched the 4.7 show. Her vocals on 4.6 were definitely better. I almost wanted to cry during the show cuz it really felt like we went a bit back in time. There were a few off key moments at high notes (really just a few, too bad they happened during Heaven...), but not this sorry cringy torture. Anyway anybody care to tell me how to upload videos? I got proof. I got 3 full songs.

Btw I think she might have had to reuse the blue dress because something happened to the gold outfit. Maybe it got soaked in water and they had to do something impromptu.

You can upload your files to https://www.mediafire.com or to https://mega.nz/ for example.

Alright. Avex will probably kill me... I was really gonna just keep this to myself as a souvenir, but I felt like I needed to show you guys how she sounded on 4.6...

Walking proud: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1eg...SFeHtH97MJzhfC

Part of Me (probably the best performance of the 3): https://drive.google.com/open?id=1fW...JemyXGa4aqnnBL

Heaven: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1nm...x_r1hoFI06L2WM

Lemme know if the links work

thank you for these, ddggcw! watching walking proud right now and—while she does struggle a bit during the choruses—she definitely isn't as hoarse as the 7 April show.

EDIT: wow she definitely sounds much better here; not even hoarse at times—she even hits the high notes while she was crying.

Thank you for sharing! Your links work fine. Don't worry about AVEX - a lot of people posted videos on Instagram and we've also shared videos here before.

https://ent.ltn.com.tw/news/breakingnews/2752382

oops.. this is on the news.



https://mdpr.jp/photo/detail/6857890 <--- Ariana Grande!

thanks for sharing! looks like for walking proud - the high pitch / cry similar to 7 April show?

Yeah I know right. When the show started and she was singing Duty/Microphone/Pride I was really going "omg what year is this!!!"

Yeah but the crying on 4.6 sounded genuine. and the notes she skipped weren't the hardest. So I believed her

Reading with google translate was amusing. "suspected of wearing a short skirt" LOL

Thanks !! It’s like night and day how her voice is hoarse compared to Saturday... she sounded really good in your videos.

Too bad that people get to see the performance of Sunday ...It was so sad too see a good concert like this somewhat ruined by the hoarseness of her vocals...
honestly everything was on point the stage was great and fresh, her look was on point with flattering costumes etc... I don’t know what happened ? She constantly adjusted her ear plugs !

Well, adjusting in ear monitors and hoarse voice can't be connected. She also adjusted them on a first date as seen in some videos.

Sometimes I love Google Translate. It knows how to create drama.

It could be the echo sound that she received. This tour does not have live band. She did get used to and kept adjusting.

^
Yes I know hoarseness has to do with her vocal chords certainly due to a lack of rest but if she was constantly adjusting her ear monitors it means she has difficulties to hear her voice and it didn’t helped to stay on pitch I think.

Yeah, very likely, but it also could be that they just didn't fit comfortably/were falling out (I'm not entirely sure it's possible though, since they're custom made).
Singers usually make signals to their technicians to increase or lower the volume, but I don't remember Ayu ever doing this, which is kinda weird.

Wow her vocals took a turn during the WOWOW broadcast huh. The 4.6 show sounded so much better. It's honestly a really good show if not for the bad vocals. Solid piece of entertainment.

She sounded much much better during the 4.6 show. Im glad I attended it. The impact of the opening with the Versace outfit is even better than 4.7 show. Also really not sure why she changed EnergizE as she danced really well there that sometimes I cant even believe its her :yes

About the late start perhaps one of the reason was waiting for people to come into the arena. The lines outside for the goods and TeamAyu booth was very long that I skipped them as I dont want to risk being late :shakehead

I wish this tour would continue instead of the Trouble tour but who knows maybe she will do it again in the future :mischief

This tour definitely one of her best in recent years.

Yeah I think I happened to stumble across her best show in recent years... The song list was very satisfying, the stage was befitting, her vocals were very good for her current condition... I think Heaven was actually one of the weaker performances of the night, there were a few notes that were obviously off (most of the night was very, very solid), but it's one of my fav songs from her I was happy to hear it live no matter what

I was actually debating whether to attend this show or not. I already saw her 4 months ago in Kyoto and I felt like I just did it to "cross it off my to-do list of this lifetime". Then I decided to visit a friend in Tokyo and why not. Man I'm so happy now. It feels like I attended one of her shows in 2010.

thanks to everyone who uploaded video!

https://yadi.sk/d/7XAvD2D-zeo2-A

I feel like this tour the music / sound equipment setting are bad. I guess the delay was because of the failure of music / sound equipment setup?

Yeah, large, large delay. Maybe there were set up problems, but there were obvious problems with her voice. Maybe she was really nervous to come out knowing that her voice was not in good shape? I don't know.

So I'm not quite done with the concert, but I'm mostly through it. There are a lot of great things about this concert and one very large negative:

Pros:

Fantastic, not super ordinary setlist.
Great stage. It looks like more budget went into this than a lot of her recent concerts.
Great outfits except for maybe the one for Startin'/Step You because she looked like she was going to fall out of her dress at any moment.
Ayu looked great.

Con:
The vocals. There's just really no way around this one. You can see her constantly fiddling with her ear monitors, but I'm not sure how much the ears are to blame for this one. It just sounded like her voice simply was not there to come out. The backup singers all sounded and came through just fine, so I don't think it was an audio issue.

Her voice sounds decent on a lot of the verses, but I would say she sounded like she was seriously struggling on just about all choruses of every song. I had such high hopes when she came out for Duty too because the verse sounded pretty good, but then it all went downhill. There were several songs were she just stopped singing at all and let the back track take over because I think she didn't even want to try to hit those notes because she knew she'd miss them. :(

Really unfortunate because the rest of the concert is awesome. I hope maybe they will go back and edit the vocals when her voice is in better condition (or maybe she sounded better on the first night and they can use that audio instead) because this is a show worth releasing on dvd/bluray.

I strongly felt this as well, but feel it's a good choice.

Thanks Aderianu :love

Agreed!

Just to offer a bit of insight into this, most if not all big name performers and their audio engineers use a redundancy system for running the audio, so if system A fails it automatically switches to system B and nobody hears the difference. The trigger for the switch is when audio levels drop out or drop below a certain threshold. So for example, Lana Del Rey’s audio engineer said their redundancy system uses a program called Ableton live as the main audio source (system A) for whatever backing tracks or non live instruments, as well as for recording the live audio feed from all the mics, as well the lighting and screen video cues. System B is running in parallel with the exact same setup, except the program they use is called Mainstage. If system A fails it will automatically switch to system B.

Sorry for all the technical stuff, but my main point is that while they could have been fiddling with their systems before the show, if it just isn’t working they do have a redundancy and the can start the show closer to the scheduled time instead of being in crisis mode, though this mainly applies to the audio and lighting/video systems.

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Just watched the broadcast. There was obviously something wrong with her voice as she couldn't yell nor scream and she is good at that. You can see that she struggled even with songs she generally has no problems with and that she relied on the back-track much more than she ever has before. I don't think it's the ears nor that there were tech issues, her voice was simply strained from either a cold, a night of drinking and singing or something worse. She was really trying her best, but it wasn't coming out the way it was supposed to. To an extent part of Me and HEAVEN benefitted from this as she couldn't scream through the chorus, but she hit none of the high notes during these 2 hours.

For me it feels like ayu didn't hear herself, didn't know at what part of song she is now and what words with need to sing. The worst part (for now, I'm at the part of me) is MOWY

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Repost from @kyohiiru 【#浜崎あゆみ ／モデルプレス＝4月8日】アーティストの浜崎あゆみが6日と7日にさいたまスーパーアリーナにてコンサー ト「ayumi hamasaki 21st anniversary -POWER of A^3-」を行った。ここでは、7日のファイナル公演のライブレポートを届ける。
↓↓詳しいライブレポはモデルプレスさんへ↓↓
https://mdpr.jp/music/detail/1831970 @modelpress ↑↑↑↑
#エーキューブ
#ayumihamasaki

I am not in love with her vocals, she is forcing herself too much. They will correct this in re-broadcast version of concert. Costumes and stage look great. When she was in that blue dress she looked like Namie Amuro.

Can someone upload to youtube :)

I don’t think there is a lot they can actually repair this time...

Unless they recorded first day vocals (but I doubt there'll be a replacement of the voice) and use those, it'll probably be drenched in autotune. I'd still prefer that tbh, I used to think differently about it but when the vocals sound like that..

They could replace it with the audio from the first day. Or maybe they even recorded video of the first day as well. When they did the power of music 2018 broadcast, it looked like they edited two days together (in the Mad World performance in some shots her hair is flat-ironed and in others it's not.)

I really liked this concert, somehow I felt her more close and present than on past concerts. The voice didn't bothered me that much, I already knew before starting to watch that she wouldn't reach the high notes.

After watching Startin' I feel like rewatching Crucified PV by Army Of Lovers, for some reason...

Providing they recorded the first day that’s about the only thing they can do, no amount of auto-tune can fix her not singing over the back-track and trying to shout words when you can barely hear stuff coming out of her mouth XD

The good thing is when she is actually healthy she doesn’t sound like this, so I look at this performance as an exception. She did great back in January in Osaka with all the upbeat songs while she was her usual self with No Way to Say and aeternal which was still a lot better than this!

Was the 2nd day vocals not good? I felt like her first day was pretty good. Some bad parts, but most of my complaints are the shouting that doesnt really need to be done.

You got a microphone girl, use it.

construction workers uniform..

^ Exactly lmao.

Don’t know how big of a thing this is, but I’ve heard of artists re-recording bad shows vocals in post. I don’t know if Ayu ever has or ever will, and hopefully they can salvage this audio

There were definitely many parts where she couldn't scream, especially towards the end, but there still were other parts where she did scream, like bits of Brillante.

I agree with your points here.

Unfortunately they never do that, no matter how awful she sounds they edit what they've got and don't replace the vocals. I only remember several cases when they fixed wrong lyrics mistakes.

If that were really the case, she would be singing off-beat, which didn't happen.

Yeah, remember Made in Tokyo CDL? It had similar problems, she sounded like a robot after they fixed it.

I was going to post a lengthy review of the show but there really isn't much to comment on. But I think this was a good show. It felt more like a normal concert that she would have done before 2017.
I liked the stage and the screens and lights. This show felt like it had a higher production value. The setlist was really great and I actually enjoyed having less classic songs for a change. Her vocals in my opinion were not quite as bad as some others are saying. She definitely was sounding a bit rough and struggled on some parts. I also thought that when she cried towards the end of walking proud it was genuine. The orchestra section was really nice and I loved the poker face tribute. I wish that Ayu would ditch the showgirl aesthetic but she still look great.:luv2
Are we all going to pretend that opening/intro didn't happen?:laugh
I have to say what the hell was that opening? It felt so out of place, like it didn't belong. I didn't get it at all. It just came across as bizarre and slightly creepy. Was that like Ayu's occult illuminati ritual for the new Reiwa era? They even walked together covering one eye.:confused
Also that part when Timmy came out and was looking for "sexy boys" was so cringe. It made me facepalm. The whole skit. It didn't even feel relevant to the show.:no
But to end on a positive note, overall this show made me happy and I felt it was better than some previous concerts.:)

^ I agree, except I kinda liked the opening, was it relevant to the show? Maybe not, but I actually really liked the dark creepy feel it had. I thought it was a good show overall, minus the vocals (which is actually the main focus of the show, but it is what is). I have to give her major props for making the show fresh and fun. Also she looked amazing, even better than usual, and she totally did look like Namie in that blue dress!

What I liked:
- Most of the setlist
- Live Taiko, Strings and Choir
- YongAe
- The visuals
- Most of the song instrumental arrangements (Brillante and Walking Proud were especially good, but really most of the arrangements were a bit different and really good)

- The interludes that featured the live musicians. Timmy's voice went surprisingly well with the dark interludes
- The pokerface video tribute
- The feeling of grandness

What I didn't like:
-Lack of main band. It was really obvious with the way they mixed the backing tracks with the live ones, and it was super weird to me not to have them there (budget constraints?)

-Most of the vocals, though they were not as bad as CDL2015-16, CDL2016-17 and CDL2018-19, and she did have some really good vocal moments. The only song that actually hurt my ears was Born to be Free. Mostly she was more hoarse than wildly off key.

- Timmy's weird skit

- The electronic interludes and the Sparkle Medley.

I would totally buy this on dvd if they can get her vocals to sound good (and I'm really not a fan of autotune or fixing vocals in post, but this show was really good overall)

Was a bit disappointing to find out the voting didn't count for anything except the video, but it was a nice tribute. I'm sure some people would've complained about recycling a concept if she pulled a CDL2006-07, though it would've been cool. You can't please everyone. This show kind of felt like a mix between Future Classics, A Best Live, PoM 20

Well... that's a way to spend a lot of money on very average costumes

Honestly I think the 2nd day in general was a disaster compared to the 1st. Something must have happened. Using the same outfit twice in one concert is pretty weird. Our feelings aside, that thing must be covered in sweat. The show being delayed by an hour is also pretty telling. Maybe setting up the broadcast video was a challenge. Changing the setlist was probably a crisis management move, as well as deciding which clothes to wear. Ayu's voice was way too hoarse I couldn't even believe it, she sounded fine even at the final songs on day 1. I don't think she'd sound like that if she rested her throat even if that was a 2nd night. They were probably screaming and yelling a lot behind the curtains right before the show.

I'm pretty sad that you guys had to watch that instead of what I saw on day 1. A lot of ppl were clapping at the end of some songs. I think we all felt the same: that was way beyond expectation, we thought we were just seeing a legacy singer's last days and she turned back the clock. I honestly think the only save is if they recorded the 1st day and put that to DVD instead.

When did the 'wardrobe malfunction' happen on the WOWOW broadcast?

I skipped Brilliante as I knew she would have butchered it this time as her voice seemed pretty dead and the song is usually a hit or miss. I remember in 2016 during the first Osaka date she’s done it well, on the 2nd there was more screaming and it was the same last year in Saitama, where during the 2nd date she sang it a lot better than the first.

What I do appreciate is that she tried her best, like a pro and that she had a good attitude throughout the whole show even though she must have felt pretty bad.

To be honest, had the intro argued into BRILLANTE as the first song it would have made way more sense. I really didn’t understand why they opened with this theme, discarded it for whatever theming Duty and Microphone had, and then came back to it later in the show.

BRILLANTE into Flower would have SLAYED as an opening number, but I guess she really wanted Duty and Microphone to open the show :/

^ I was very uncomfortable with the intro. Even last year right before BRILLANTE it was just awkward and made a lot of people around me cringe, myself included.

Probably...
(1) Designing merch cost > buying luxury shirts
(2) Materialist team agree to spend more money
(3) Ayu wants that

The be honnest, this show needed more rest before the stage. Her voice is bad from the beginning to the end.... :( I am really sad of it. I was really waiting for Brillante : the idea was really good to make a new music, but all we want is the end of the song...She doesn't sing anymore : she screams, shouts !
It will really be better to make just a few date tour insteed of such a lot of representation...Even concerning "walking proud", she perfers to cry but not trying to sing in high scale...
She has to celebrate her anniversary in good conditions with "quality shows". For the moment, people can feel just pain to hear her sing (scream)

Unfortunately she's been like that for at least 8 years. It makes me sad that I never got to hear in person how she used to sound like pre-screaming, since my first show was in 2012. Even when I was lucky to hear her nearly pitch-perfect, it was still not singing, but screaming most of the time.

I felt uncomfortable during A Best Live, because all interludes and themes were depressing as hell. This year's opening sounded beautiful at least.

My first was also in 2012! I don’t even remember any of the interludes from A Best Live! Lol.

They were surprisingly sad for a show that was supposed to be a celebration of career.

I honestly think she sounds great and contrlled most of the time here.

but I just dont get the HEAVEN performance aesthetic. I dont get the costume choice, I dont get the whole Triangle floating stage with the seat LOL. It doesnt seem to suit the song.

Thanks for the link, do you btw recorded brillante?i almost shocked when she's nearly fall down.

That was the show where the dancers “died” in the interludes, right? Definitely depressing. She’s done it a few times though, like for Tears interlude in CDL2014-15 and AT2015

Sorry I didn't. The show's more enjoyable when you're not holding your phone in front of your face, so I only recorded a few ballads that I loved. I was ready to film Moments when she came out in that kimono, I was so excited, but she didn't sing that so this is all I got.

I can understand the triangle since she was trying to go with a pyramid theme? But the seat was weird I agree.

I also don't get why she got on that podium with that male dancer during Surreal. That song's better if she's just standing alone, and the guy mouthing the lyrics was soooooo awkward... Timmy's nipple covers were less awkward in comparison.

She picks her setlists not onlt based on sound, but also on lyrics, and usually order them to form a narrative on each section, even if this doesn't translate on visuals everytime. Duty ~ Microphone forms a very self aware commentary on her career, while BRILLANTE~Flower doesn't.

About the guy with her on the elevated plataform, she has balance issues cuz of her hearing problems. The dancer most likely was there simply to hold her.

Yes, that's the one.

She can't be that bad at balancing... She was walking on her own in heels, dancing, riding a scooter... I don't believe that she's that unhealthy

some thoughts from the parts that I watched (until walking proud)
-the pop/electro interludes were cool
-I don't think that there were any additional hearing issues; she probably got a cold as her voice here reminded me a lot of CDL 2002-2003 where she was also ill
- I liked the strings emphasis in Duty and Microphone, the sound was really cool; her voice was good in the verses and prechorus
- the section NaNaNa - rollin' - Ladies' Night - Sparkle sounded good vocally
- MOWY should have been ditched as she struggled a lot with it, probably the worst moment from what I watched
- I like her newer male dancers better, I was never a fan of her older ones

This was an enjoyable show overall!
Though some songs are a bit strange concept-wise, but they pretty much put performances of the past randomly together anyway (except some song pairs).
But her voice was really sooooo damn thin throughout the show, it wasn't fun to listen to.
She really has to rest, cause this has nothing to do with her deafness or not hitting notes, especially cause she sounded better the night before.
If she'd had a cold that bad that it affects her vocals in that manner, the concert on 04.06. would have sounded worse vocally as well.

If she had to pay for them... It's obviously a sponsorship as Ayu have posted and used this brand for years now. I don't know if most people is aware of that but Ayu has a HUGE influence with brands that she wears. Once Ayu wear something, all the Japanese fans starts wearing the same brands. It's crazy the amount of people wearing the mirror9 red hoodie - that Ayu often wears on her Instagram - on her concerts.

There's a lot of differences between hiding a scooter or dancing in heels and being elevated several meters above the ground on a moving plataform. The most obvious one being that she has a bigger chance of worst or fatal injures if she falls from the later one.