[Utada Hikaru] We're Intoxicated, Emancipated, Unapologetic in Hikki's 35th Thread~!

[Mirai Noah]

^ It was ymmwtbam

[amorphose]

Really? I thought it was The Bitter End. o.o

[Keiichi_JPU]

Originally Posted by amorphose

Really? I thought it was The Bitter End. o.o

No, it was at the end of YMMWTBAM.

That song has a very strong beat right? (like.. remember the Utada United transition from Kremlin Dusk to TMMWTBAM? That's the beat I mean).

She did that at the end, I'm pretty sure.

[amorphose]

^You're probably right. The Bitter End came right after YMMWTBAM and I thought she did it at the beginning of The Bitter End so it very well could've been the end of YMMWTBAM.

At points, it was hard to see for me. I was about 6 rows back from the stage and there was a guy like 2 rows in front of me with a big sign so I would have to stand on my tippy toes when he held it up.

[AyUta]

Originally Posted by amorphose

She did. But it wasn't like... rude. xD It was one person who kept yelling over and over and over everytime she started a sentence and she kind of chuckled and said "Stop talking!"and then chuckled some more. It was funny.

I see. The way that person worded it was bad, making it sound like she's mean or rude or something

[Polyrhythm]

Originally Posted by amorphose

At points, it was hard to see for me. I was about 6 rows back from the stage and there was a guy like 2 rows in front of me with a big sign so I would have to stand on my tippy toes when he held it up.

LOL....is that him?

[amorphose]

^YUP. LMAO.

A girl I met in line and was standing next to kept yelling at him to put it down when he held it up because it obstructed our view to no end. xD

[edit]

Apparently, there was a high demand for the NYC photos, because Island Records tweeted about how they finally put them up!

Originally Posted by IslandRecords Twitter

For those of you asking for the Utada NYC show photos, here you go: http://bit.ly/d88d28

Even that little mention from them about her makes me giddy.

[Polyrhythm]

LOL saw this at UBlog....can't help but comment. Utada Hikaru's First Love was released 11 years ago on this day and is still the highest selling album of all time in Japanese music history! Happy 11th anniversary First Love and may your amazing record never be broken!!!!

[jean-baptiste]

^woohoo! it must be so awesome holding that title.
and don't worry about the record being broken any time soon. the economy sucks and nothing sells the way it used to. i personally think she'll stay there forever.

[primavera♥]

i think it could be determined that that wouldnt be broken several years ago XD
its impossible. . .but its nice hikki has that title at least ^_____^

oh the nyc pics are pretty cool. . .god i wish i couldve gone T.T oh well
she looked so beautiful though

[AyUta]

I don't worry about anyone breaking that record either .

[jairohmsford03]

Originally Posted by DEEP RIVER

-Article from The Aquarian

http://www.theaquarian.com/2010/03/0...-irving-plaza/

A few comments from myself...first off, it bothers me a bit that the article lacks any literary style in a dead, i-write-because-it's-my-job sort of a way....but I guess it's just my opinion. If I were writing about Utada I suppose I would be more emotional. Anyway...
It kinda offended me. I mean aren't you offended? This author, she presents her personal opinions in as if they were facts calling Hikki's Japanese works far superior to her English works (which although I agree with, should not be said with such certainty)...commenting on Hikki's embarrasing (which again, some are) and such....breathing problems....pre recorded vocals? I dunno which concert Ms. Goldenberg attended but I don't think it was Utada In The Flesh....Ok....the concert was half-baked? No merchandise....uh....ever been to an intimate show? The show lacked cohesion....where'd you get that from? English songs. Japanese songs. English Songs. Japanese songs. It's honestly not that hard to comprehend. I also didn't like how she skewed comments from fans to make her article seem valid. However, all that is really just opinion.
What makes me MOST angry is her retarded interpretation of the MC's. Paraphrasing, "lyke omgosh, utada stood on da stage and said she had nothing to say and forgot and crap. and then she made some weird jokes about Whole Foods"...yeah that's what she basically said in a nutshell. Hikki had nothing to say because she was "completely happy" to be in her home town and that was one of the touching moments of the whole MC. She joked about the Whole Foods situation because she was honestly surprised and happy at how many people of so many different racial backgrounds went to see her show and how she felt normal and accepted amongst such a crowd (having come from a similar HS b.g). So who has a social understanding issue here? Hikki because she couldn't say anything and made "weird jokes" or this Goldenberg person who's only goal in writing this article was clearly to earn a paycheck? You tell me.

It's refreshing to know that I'm not the only one who feels this way about the extremely esteemed Utada Hikaru. Honestly, I was a fan of hers once, a long time a go when she was something of a true pop star whereby she produced quality songs and had a presence in the Japanese mainstream public via media outside her music alone.

In terms of being a pop star, I believe that title certainly doesn't befit Ms. Utada, considering she doesn't seem to enjoy doing live shows/performances (when was the last time she was on MUSIC STATION, etc.?), magazine interviews (when was the last time she shot a cover for any magazine?), etc. Pop stars encompass that overarching star quality, and to say that Hikaru lacks that would be a gross understatement.

She's an artist, and she's got a creative mind, I'll give her that, but I think this review of her performance was spot on and is highly reflective of her attitude as an artist both in the U.S. and Japanese markets. I appreciate that this author addressed her voice, since I've found that she is incapable of performing setlists longer than four before her vocal "prowess" starts to wane (pick a tour, you name it, she was pitchy, to put it nicely, by the tenth song).

As for her lack of commitment to the audience during the performance...well, I think that speaks to her work ethic reflected in her latest releases. ULTRA BLUE and HEART STATION, while entirely produced by her, sounded as if they had been finalized in Garageband. While she may still hold the record for the best-selling Japanese record of all time, it's a shame to see that her once-appropriate title of Japanese pop sensation has gone to waste.

Honestly, we all know that a million people would go out to buy a record of hers that was entitled "UTADA HIKARU," had twelve tracks comprised of silence, with a white, textless packaging frame to boot.

A pity, really.

[Polyrhythm]

Come back and make a proper judgment once you've seen her in person.

Originally Posted by amorphose

^
Apparently, there was a high demand for the NYC photos, because Island Records tweeted about how they finally put them up!



Even that little mention from them about her makes me giddy.

There's definitely demand for a DVD too. They'd better confirm it soon!

[Keiichi_JPU]

@jairohmsford03: I agree with a small part, which is her hardly doing any promo-work whatsoever. Her latest Magazine covers (With a new exclusive shoot) dates from Heart Station 2 years ago.

However, she is extremely commited to her audience during performances. I've been there, I've seen it and she is literally amazing. Also, Ultra Blue and Heart Station are both amazing albums and critics agree. They didn't just sell high, they're actually considered great albums by both fans and critics.

She might not be the "perfect attention-loving" artist who floods the media all the time.. but she does keep us in suspence, and releases incredible music.

[all imho]

[primavera♥]

^ suspense is right XD

i still want to see her live one day. i could care less if she commits or whatever . ..i know as a typical person and fan that if i go to a concert of one of my fav musicians it will be perfect as ever. . .XD

ah Ultra Blue > Heart Station by 1000x (for me)
its my love lol

[Andrenekoi]

IMO, she is not impressive live... If u r not a fan, u will most likelly get bored to death and suffer with her singing going off key... If u r a fan, u will love it cuz u love her (what is my case BTW, I find her a terrible performer, but would love to see her live cuz she is my favorite musician) There are singers that can impress even haters on a live performance, Hikki is not one of those...

BUT I find it stupid when people act like she should appear on tv and magazines everytime... It's working for her in japan, and japanese people expect her to promote the way she does... It can really **** her chances on US market even so, cuz u can not show up when u r already famous, what is not her case...


About albums... IMO Hikki music goes from "good" to "masterpiece", without any bad song recorded yet... She is more a musician than a performer after all, and work on studio it's her at her best! Heart Station received 5 stars from Rolling Stones (and getting 5 stars from RS is REALLY hard), and it's her best album to date IMO, a perfect pop music masterpiece =)

[amorphose]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

IMO, she is not impressive live... If u r not a fan, u will most likelly get bored to death and suffer with her singing going off key... If u r a fan, u will love it cuz u love her (what is my case BTW, I find her a terrible performer, but would love to see her live cuz she is my favorite musician) There are singers that can impress even haters on a live performance, Hikki is not one of those...

I still disagree with you about her live singing, sorry... Especially the bolded part. I was actually at In The Flesh NYC show in with two non-fans. They weren't haters, but they were only aware of Utada from their friends, and they both left that specific show totally impressed and awed by Hikki saying she's now one of their favorite performers. The one guy is mainly a fan of metal bands (a genre so far away from Hikki) and had gone to many, many concerts in the past. He still said she was the best artist/band he'd ever seen live. Of course, I was only with two people that didn't know her. But they ended up loving her so if what you say is true, then they're exceptions?

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by amorphose

I still disagree with you about her live singing, sorry... Especially the bolded part. I was actually at In The Flesh NYC show in with two non-fans. They weren't haters, but they were only aware of Utada from their friends, and they both left that specific show totally impressed and awed by Hikki saying she's now one of their favorite performers. The one guy is mainly a fan of metal bands (a genre so far away from Hikki) and had gone to many, many concerts in the past. He still said she was the best artist/band he'd ever seen live. Of course, I was only with two people that didn't know her. But they ended up loving her so if what you say is true, then they're exceptions?

Maybe they are cuz everytime i show my jpop concerts to non-jpop fans, they always find her really boring =)

Of course seeing someone live and on dvd is totally different, the only thing I can say about her USA tour that I didn't watch live and only a little on DVD is that she was singing better than her usual, but still wasn't impressive or perfect (something that it's harder to notice live cuz u r pumped by the show)

But as I said, it was an opinion, I can be wrong (even if I don't really think it's the case about Utada's live performances)

[amorphose]

Maybe they find the concerts boring cause she ins't theatric? Like if I watched Ayu's concerts on mute, they'd still be entertaining (well, at least mildly) just because of how theatric her performances are and how some of them even have a story.

Watching Utada on mute though would for the most part be really... boring. The most she's ever done was use a bit of background dancing but that was ages and ages ago. UU06 was sort of theatric cause of the stage and her outfits, but that only lasts for so long without the music, I guess.

I personally think there are too many people who think Utada is the absolute best vocalist or the absolute worst. I always thought her vocals were pretty good on the UU06 DVD. They were not too great during Be My Last and Dareka no, but the DVD was the finale and I think there were something like 30 stops? So her voice is bound to be strained by then.

I don't know. I think Utada is an excellent vocalist. She's obviously got her flaws like everyone but I honestly feel she's really, really great.

[Picaflor 7/4]

I've seen people complain that kpop is bad music, and they make up for it by making the album package design really artistic. maybe it's the same for artists when it comes to concerts. just saying :X If you have an amazing voice, why need all the glitter and lights and smoke and mirrors? why isn't their "amazing and talentful voice" all they need to execute an amazing concert? again...just saying...:X