Olivia News + Concert Review

[SunshineSlayer]

Just got back from PMX (literally^_^)

The little bit of news that Olivia gave out is that she is still working on her upcoming mini album and that now it will be released in early 2007.

Overall the show was great. Both of the opening bands were very good. I had never heard of either Dig Jelly or UchiSentai NOIZ, but I am now a new fan of both bands.
Olivia didn't take the stage until about 10pm because both opening bands played pretty long sets. She has an amazing live voice. So perfect that one would almost think she is lip synching but she isn't, which was proven when her mike went out for a little bit in Alone in Our Castle. I really don't think her tv show performances that I have seen do her voice justice - I always thought her voice sounded just a little bit thin and weak on tv lives, but hearing her in person it doesn't sound that way.

I do think that she lacks a bit in stage presence and didn't have much audience interaction but I pretty much knew that going in from the performances I had watched on video, so I wasn't suprised. You can tell that even when she is talking she just seems very timid and shy. What makes it worthwhile though is her voice and the music. She also seemed to loosen up and get into it more as the set went on.

The only real disappointments were the following:
1. She only played for an hour (one of the opening bands played longer than that) and for tickets that cost as much as $70, that is really short - makes me wonder if that is the reason why they added two other bands at the last minute.
2. She didn't play any songs from the Synchonicity album, which is where most of her hits are.

I suppose Avex was probably thinking that this audience would only know the Nana songs and that it would be best to have the rest of the set filled with songs from her second album?(which is mostly in English) But durring the encore, you could tell people were dissapointed not to hear Dekinai, My Dear Angel, Dress Me Up, ReAct etc. Someone even shouted for Into the Stars to be played. I DID like the songs that were played, I just would have liked to hear some of the old favorites too.

Set list to the best of my recollection:
1. Sea Me
2. Fake Flowers
3. A Little Pain
4. Tears and Rainbows
5. Alone in Our Castle
6. Celestial Delinquent
7. Blind Unicorn
8. Starless Night
9. I forget which song was played here (it may have been butterfly)
10. Wish (she incorrectly introduced this as Spider Spins)
11. Spider Spins (I really think she should open w/ this song since it is always the one she gets into the most)
Encore -
12. Devil in Me.

[Keishi]

Risky Lotus gonna love this.

[HELVENEUE]

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGG! !!


OH MY GOD~~~


T_T

[SunshineSlayer]

Originally Posted by Keishi

Risky Lotus gonna love this.

hehe, just to praise Olivia's voice a little more, she really is one of the best female vocalists I have heard live, ever. (including Ayumi. Ayu wins for the overall package, but Olivia wins for the voice.)

No, actually. I'm not even going to read it because I might cry

zomgemokuriLOLZxs1

[Partino]

that's right ... olivia has the voice ... wonder if there would be a live dvd in future. anyone heared a rumor or something to hold on??

[SunshineSlayer]

Originally Posted by Partino

that's right ... olivia has the voice ... wonder if there would be a live dvd in future. anyone heared a rumor or something to hold on??

There were cameras filming this concert, but I'd be suprised if Avex released this because surely she can draw a larger crowd in Japan?

Also, little more tidbits: Avex was there with a booth selling Olivia t-shirts, towels, the 2 latest singles, and two posters.

Also, Olivia did an autograph session after the show which was done by the seating assignments. I didn't stick around, though I would have liked to, but I was just too tired and still had to drive back home (takes over an hour). Plus, from where I was they said there was no guarantee that I would get an autograph since she would only be signing for 40 minutes. Cool for the people that did get one though.

[ImpactBreaker]

You're lucky!

Anyway, about her older songs, I don't think they suit OLIVIA anymore. Re-Act was clearly a transition OLIVIA was having from pop to rock, and Dekinai is too overly synthetized for a stage performance. I guess she feels more comfortable playing her newest songs, since they indeed sound more like her REAL productions. And well, at least she did sing Sea me, which is an older song than "Into The Stars".
Anyway, was Jeff Lufkin on stage? I wonder if Caroline was around the show somewhere LOL

[SunshineSlayer]

Originally Posted by ImpactBreaker

You're lucky!

Anyway, about her older songs, I don't think they suit OLIVIA anymore. Re-Act was clearly a transition OLIVIA was having from pop to rock, and Dekinai is too overly synthetized for a stage performance. I guess she feels more comfortable playing her newest songs, since they indeed sound more like her REAL productions. And well, at least she did sing Sea me, which is an older song than "Into The Stars".
Anyway, was Jeff Lufkin on stage? I wonder if Caroline was around the show somewhere LOL

None of them are too "overly synthesized" to be played live. All of her newer songs contain non-band elements to the music that are played onstage by a programmer. And yes, her whole family was there from what I understand - no one was up on stage with her though.

[ImpactBreaker]

I was expecting Jeff to be on the guitar, since he usually plays the guitar on her live performances!
For dekinai, just a programmer wouldnt help. OLIVIA would have to await the programmer to put her recorded voice saying "dekinai", and then she would sing something, and await for him to play it again. It would be very annoying for a stage performance, the pauses and breaks would make the flow very slow if she were to sing everything by herself. (dekinai is one of my favorite songs from her, but I think it was just meant to be a studio song).
Re-Act, Dear Angel, Dress Me Up and a few more just dont suit OLIVIA at this moment of her career anymore imo.

[Mirai Noah]

Ooo, I wish I could have been there! Thanks for the report!

[sexysaucestar]

Wow, that's so awesome! I would have loved to go to that concert Thanks for sharing your report

[SunshineSlayer]

Originally Posted by ImpactBreaker

I was expecting Jeff to be on the guitar, since he usually plays the guitar on her live performances!
For dekinai, just a programmer wouldnt help. OLIVIA would have to await the programmer to put her recorded voice saying "dekinai", and then she would sing something, and await for him to play it again. It would be very annoying for a stage performance, the pauses and breaks would make the flow very slow if she were to sing everything by herself. (dekinai is one of my favorite songs from her, but I think it was just meant to be a studio song).

But pretty much all of her songs have vocals like that that are played on stage by a programer. He is part of the band and was introduced on stage. And I'm sure you wouldn't have to press a button every time that the word "dekinai" is heard, just one at the start. I just simply would have prefered those songs to a couple of the Lost Lolli ones is all.

edit: also, yes no Jeff on guitar. It was an all Japanese band. She introduced the guitarist and drummer as being from the band "wrench."

[ImpactBreaker]

Originally Posted by SunshineSlayer

But pretty much all of her songs have vocals like that that are played on stage by a programer. He is part of the band and was introduced on stage. And I'm sure you wouldn't have to press a button every time that the word "dekinai" is heard, just one at the start.

LOL That's true.

Oh well, I wonder if anyone from AHS who went to this performance spotted nmskalmn in the crowd there ahhah

[kaue_]

That's SO nice! I love OLIVIA, really really love her!
She's the reason I got to know Ayu in the first place. haha

I so envy people that were there.


thanks for the news though!
new mini-album? neat

[ohsixthirty]

i'm so jealous! but i'm really happy to hear that she is still working on the mini album!

[mi|kshake]

Alone In Our Castle & Spiderspins! <333 It sounds like it was a great concert!

mi|kshake~

[SunshineSlayer]

Originally Posted by ImpactBreaker

Oh well, I wonder if anyone from AHS who went to this performance spotted nmskalmn in the crowd there ahhah

Ahhhhh, we should have met up!

[XFER]

I think a song like "Walk on by" very much resembles to her more recent stuff, she should have played that, it really rocks!
Thanks for the review, I bet you had the most amazing time!

[MorbidBarbie]

I WENT!

OMG I had B1 SEATS>
dfauosdhfasd

She was amazing.

XD What do you look like, maybe I saw you?

I went up and moshed during Uchuu Sentai NOIZ

they were
AMAZING.
I didn't really like Dig Jelly, but I talked to the Bass guitarist after the show, and I met Mechanical Panda in the elevator and bought their CD, and I sorta met Random Ninjas. (more celebrity/band news lower)
I couldn't stick around for tonight's concert though, cause my plane left at 4:50..
but

I went to the Nana costume contest, the concert, the panel, and the signing after the concert.

Omg
my
'a little pain' single smudged.
and
i cried.
seriously.
it's like ruined.
but you can tell.

OKAY

SO
Here's the news:
Caroline and Jeff were sitting next to eachother and next to Caroline was none other than Shogun, or in easier terms the really hot guy from Koda Kumi's LIES music video.

YES.
IT WAS HIM.

AND I GOT HIS AUTOGRAPH AND CAROLINE'S ANDDDDDDDD I TOOK A PICTURE WITH BOTH OF THEM.
Oh jesus he is so hot. XD

-credit to the asian wiki.

Olivia also confirmed that the mini album will be majorly influenced by TRAPNEST and um she said a lot about Reira and the NANA process of making the song and stuff. Oh god she was so cute. XD I took some videos of the panel on my cellphone so I'll upload those later.

and finally
last but not least.

my hotel room was next to the 3 or 4 rooms of the band Uchuu Sentai NOIZ.

and yes, I took pictures with them.
i got all the band members to sign a cd, and yeah. XD i hugged the singer, angel-taka.

n____n best weekend ever.