ASIA TOUR 2008 ~10th Anniversary~ setlists and pictures [V]

[Melrose]

Originally Posted by SunshineSlayer

Ah, yes, you are right. I tend to associate the years with the year that the album came out, so yeah it should be the tours from 05 and 06.

Okay, cool. ^^

Originally Posted by SunshineSlayer

Well, for me, some of my favorite Ayu performances have been the ones where it is just her and the band and the audience. Like with A Song for Xx, Surreal, Unite performances etc. Or the performances of Duty and Never Ever at Dome Tour 01. Stuff like that really grabs me emotionally. I like the big over the top production stuff too, but in moderation. Too much of it and I think the audience starts feeling more of a distance with the artist. Also some of her stage gimmicks she just keeps using over and over again anyways. (the cages on stage anyone? How many times has it been?)

Hmm, yea, I agree. I find decision from CDL07-08 very awesome, more than, say, until that Day and decision from AT08. Lol @ the cages. I've recently been downloading TV performances and such and it turns out she's used it a ton of times. XD Personally, I think alterna is the most visually stunning performance pre-AT08 (can't judge a tour I haven't seen HQ). NEVER EVER/Duty were kinda show-y, though, right? With the soldiers. I would'a preferred it without them. XD

BTW may I ask where you live? Not Asia, right? You're so lucky to have gone to see her live at AT08 and CDL06-07. ^^ (If I remember correctly where you went to go see her.) It must have cost a ton. Do you think that she's too distanced from the audience? Like, even in show songs, does she at least connect with the audience by looking and pointing, etc. at them? It's kind of hard to judge on the DVD, but AT05 my name's WOMEN was at least very audience connected for a show song. ^^

Originally Posted by SunshineSlayer

The point isn't whether she is singing bad or good. (the vocals on the songs in debate aren't that great) The point is, that in a live show, songs should not sound the same from one day to the next.

Because if you are really singing IT WILL sound different at every concert - there is just no way around that.

And its mostly because I hate seeing people in such denial over it.

THANK YOU! (Especially the last two sentences. :3) XD

[SunshineSlayer]

Originally Posted by Melrose

Hmm, yea, I agree. I find decision from CDL07-08 very awesome, more than, say, until that Day and decision from AT08. Lol @ the cages. I've recently been downloading TV performances and such and it turns out she's used it a ton of times. XD Personally, I think alterna is the most visually stunning performance pre-AT08 (can't judge a tour I haven't seen HQ). NEVER EVER/Duty were kinda show-y, though, right? With the soldiers. I would'a preferred it without them. XD

Yeah, I could have done without the soldiers too, but it didn't really bother me that much because the song was still primarily just Ayu w/ emotion pouring out of her.^_^

Originally Posted by Melrose

BTW may I ask where you live? Not Asia, right? You're so lucky to have gone to see her live at AT08 and CDL06-07. ^^ (If I remember correctly where you went to go see her.) It must have cost a ton. Do you think that she's too distanced from the audience? Like, even in show songs, does she at least connect with the audience by looking and pointing, etc. at them? It's kind of hard to judge on the DVD, but AT05 my name's WOMEN was at least very audience connected for a show song. ^^

Right now I live in California, but I used to live in Japan on one of the US military bases. (I partially grew up there) Tokyo has a hotel in it owned by the US military that is strictly for the use of military members and their families. (Olivia apparently has stayed there a lot) It is very cheap for military families to stay at, so my Mom and I (she is also a big fan of J-Pop) often go back to visit.

A little side story that people may find interesting: The hotel is located in a very rich section of Tokyo where a lot of foreigners live - because of that, many many Japanese celebrities live there to. (They can get around much easier living in a place w/ a majority of foreigners I suppose) I once ran into Akanishi Jin of KAT-TUN on the street and Namie apparently lives almost right around the corner of the hotel as I've heard several people mention seeing her either in the park or at the supermarket. (Everyone says that she is extremely nice and down to earth) Ayumi supposedly lives in the area too, but I haven't heard any stories about her yet.

As for the distance from the audience thing. I do think she connects more with the audience on performances like a song for xx and what not. But then at the same time, there are some people (especially on this forum^_^) that love big spectacle more than anything else. I will note though that my Mother (big Ayu fan that has seen her live numerous times as well), said after the show (AT08) that it seemed like Ayu interacted less with the audience than usual.

Originally Posted by erin1m

Have you ever seen a Broadway show? Once you've sung a song so many times, it starts to sound pretty much identical night after night. And, if she did record the vocals previously, why wouldn't they be a lot closer to perfect? My point is that (IMO) the criteria people use to accuse her of lip-synching aren't very reliable (IMO).

My answer to that would be: Ever seen a lot of live concerts? Songs always sound different from night to night, even if in just small ways, but usually in very noticeable ways.

And actually when I went to London, I saw Phantom of the Opera (some of my favorite songs) multiple times and even then I still wouldn't say that each time they sounded exactly the same...

Originally Posted by Melrose

^

BTW I'm wondering, Sunshine, are you sure AT06 Ladies Night wasn't lip synched?

In the DVD it certainly appears that way, but I remember that live it sounded different. (Avex Magic haha)

[Melrose]

Originally Posted by SunshineSlayer

Yeah, I could have done without the soldiers too, but it didn't really bother me that much because the song was still primarily just Ayu w/ emotion pouring out of her.^_^

Okay. ^^

Originally Posted by SunshineSlayer

Right now I live in California, but I used to live in Japan on one of the US military bases. (I partially grew up there) Tokyo has a hotel in it owned by the US military that is strictly for the use of military members and their families. (Olivia apparently has stayed there a lot) It is very cheap for military families to stay at, so my Mom and I (she is also a big fan of J-Pop) often go back to visit.

A little side story that people may find interesting: The hotel is located in a very rich section of Tokyo where a lot of foreigners live - because of that, many many Japanese celebrities live there to. (They can get around much easier living in a place w/ a majority of foreigners I suppose) I once ran into Akanishi Jin of KAT-TUN on the street and Namie apparently lives almost right around the corner of the hotel as I've heard several people mention seeing her either in the park or at the supermarket. (Everyone says that she is extremely nice and down to earth) Ayumi supposedly lives in the area too, but I haven't heard any stories about her yet.

Ah, okay. :3 Lol Namie, that's awesome. Why don't you go look for her? XD

Originally Posted by SunshineSlayer

As for the distance from the audience thing. I do think she connects more with the audience on performances like a song for xx and what not. But then at the same time, there are some people (especially on this forum^_^) that love big spectacle more than anything else. I will note though that my Mother (big Ayu fan that has seen her live numerous times as well), said after the show (AT08) that it seemed like Ayu interacted less with the audience than usual.

Hmm, ok. =3

Originally Posted by SunshineSlayer

My answer to that would be: Ever seen a lot of live concerts? Songs always sound different from night to night, even if in just small ways, but usually in very noticeable ways.

And actually when I went to London, I saw Phantom of the Opera (some of my favorite songs) multiple times and even then I still wouldn't say that each time they sounded exactly the same...

Yea, of course they don't sound exactly the same. It's humanly IMPOSSIBLE to time the ending of sung sentences down to the milisecond the same. XD Actually, I'm 100% sure too that at least Marionette is lip synched so all the denial they're doing is kinda lol. XD

Originally Posted by SunshineSlayer

In the DVD it certainly appears that way, but I remember that live it sounded different. (Avex Magic haha)

Oh, that's good to hear. ^^ I would like it more if she used backing tracks like Kuu instead of lip synching, but I guess that would just sound weird for her songs like Marionette and (don't) Leave me alone. I gotta say that (d)Lma has an EXCELLENT vocal track, don't you think? You can really hear her sarcasm and such. ^^ I'd love to get a studio quality version of (D)Lma with the live vocal track. (I don't think Marionette is bad either, but OK! It would still make sense, though. It's hard to sing with the jerking around like you said, so it's better she just rest her voice that song. ^^)

BTW, did you know kiss 'o kill from AT07 was sung live? From the DVD I always thought it was lip synched, but it's not. : O