Report from AT08 Osaka Jo Hall -6th Row-

[Zeke.]

Where do I even begin...? I have to say, seeing Ayu's show was above spectacular. I can't even put the feelings into true words but somewhere around "sheer amazement" and "utterly profound" seem to fit quite well.

So here's the deal: I stayed in Tokyo for six nights at the Hotel Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku, arriving around 6:00PM I'd say on Thursday June 19th. What an absolute disaster getting out of the JR Shinjuku Station was. I had two bags to lug around and there were so many exit signs to follow that I just picked one and followed the signs. In the exit areas they had like gates that you had to go through and people were just running through like a stampede. I tried to go through and these little gates closed and blocked me in from getting out and I wondered how everyone else was getting through. I stepped back and saw that the were scanning cards right before walking through and I didn't have a card like that. So I walked around, sweating the entire time, trying to find different exits. After an hour or two of standing around scratching my head and walking around the station, I found a picture that showed me I had to go through the manned ticket gate since I had a Japan Rail Pass. After carrying my bags to my hotel and checking in, I went out around Shinjuku to explore the area.

I won't report fully on my escapades and shopping/getting lost, etc. so I will skip a few days to the day of the Osaka showing.

Sunday 6/22: AT08 @ Osaka Jo-Hall
I got up around 6:30am/7:00am to give myself enough time to get ready for the concert and to give myself lead-way for getting lost as I was bound to when traveling 4 hours away from my place of stay. I wore a plain yellow t-shirt which I stuck glittery block letters to, spelling out "I LOVE AYU" across the front. I had printed out a JR Transfer Guide and reserved a Shinkansen Seat the day before to help me find my way around the different stations I'd be stopping at. My first trip was from JR Shinkjuku to JR Shinagawa which was about 20-25 minutes. I got off and followed the signs to the Shinkansen Trains and boarded around 10:00am-11:00am. The train ride was long as hell. It was dark, muggy, and cloudy out as well.

Upon arrival at Osaka, I got off and found an exit, planning to walk around the city and stumble across the arena. After walking around a block of large buildings I knew I had to find a better solution in order to find the Osaka Jo-Hall. I found a map finally and found Osaka Jo Hall and I had to get on the JR Osaka Loop Line and go to another station closer to the hall. I got to the Hall around 1:00pm. I wanted to get there early (show didn't start until 4:00pm) because I wanted to buy my goods and find someone to sell my ticket to. I had printed out pictures of all the items I wanted with quantity numbers written next to each item and handed my packet of papers to the staff clerk who rang up all my items for a total of about 59,800 Yen (I got a ton of stuff).

I went to sit down away from the Hall where I saw two different women holding signs which I presumed read that they were looking for seats. I went up to a younger girl and asked if she spoke English and we had language difficulties as she only knew a few words. She only offered the ground ticket price of 7,800 Yen which I declined being that I payed 130,000 Yen for my two tickets. She kept going on her cell phone and rose her amount to 18,000 which she shortly moved back down to 7,800 Yen and I declined. She then went up to 10,000 which I gave in to, thinking that I probably wouldn't find anyone else. She said thank you and left.

I went to buy an A pendant necklace, an Ayu lighter, and an Ayu mousepad from the unofficial sales stands. It started raining and I had no umbrella so I put one of my Ayu towels over my bag of goodies, one towel over my shoulders and one towel over my head and waited to line up. When the doors opened I showed my tickets to different staff members and eventually was guided to my seat. My jaw dropped as I was escorted closer and closer to the stage and set in the 6th row right next to the catwalk! The stage was glorious with a giant pentagram on the screen with the A symbol in the middle. Curtains were draped over behind the drums/band members area with the pentagram thing showing on the curtains as well.

I put on my Ayu goods (necklace, armband, t-shirt) and took out my A FAN and my A GLOW STICK. A boy came and sat next to me and I guess the girl I sold the ticket to was buying it for him, which I have to say he was extremely ugly and smelt like a wet dog! After waiting a long time the lights finally dimmed and the show began...

01. reBiRTH
I shot out of my seat and watched the screen as it showed the discography of singles/albums (including remix albums) and dvd collection of Ayu's career thus far. Tears immediately came to my eyes - I had dreamed of this moment for 8 years and it was finally taking place.

02. The Judgement Day
The flying ship was shown on screen soaring through the stars with Ayu on board. It was a pirate ship that reminded me of Peter Pan; how Captain Hook's ship flies through the stars. The ships flags all shown the A symbol. Dancers ran out twirling flags with the A symbol on them as the ran all over the stage swining the flags overhead. They circled around the middle where the waved the flags and smoke stirred as Ayu arose from underneath.

03. talkin' 2 myself
Ayu shown on stage and I was floared. There was the goddess that we all love! She was absolutely gorgeous with her long hair in golden curls. Her voice boomed as she sang the opening lines to talkin' 2 myself acapella. Then she paused and did a jump back/pull-back with her arm/elbow and flames shot out from the end of the stage and the show had begun. It was a great performance full of energy.

04. is this LOVE?
It was a smooth transition into this song and I was looking forward to this performance. Vocals were spectacular and so hard and rockish. Ayu falls back underneath the stage after the song is over.

05. Depend on you
On the center screen, Ayu appears peaking out and looking around and then looks out and makes a cute face. She holds her hand up and moves her lips saying "1,2,3,4" but the robot voice from STEP you counts the numbers. Then the camera angle zooms out and Ayu is very lovely with her sexy pink school girl costume on. The dancers are all trying to compete for her attention and she kind of teases them. Eventually she grabs Shu-ya but throws him to the ground and walks away. When the song begins Ayu is on stage and everything is very girly and pink. This Depend on you is very poppish - not like the rock-influenced version on the Mirrorcle World single. It's kind of a mesh between the Depend on you from the A BEST album and the Mirrorcle World singles 10th Anniversary Version. The stage behind the band members still has like curtains but pink squares and designs are shown on them. I didn't pay a lot of attention to the "storyline" going on during the show because I was so pre-occupied just watching Ayu but the dancers are trying to impress Ayu.

06. Fly high
Fly high flows smoothly from Depend on you. Very fun performance. Ayu sinks back under stage at the end.

07. (don't) Leave me alone
The video is very good and has great musical instrumentation - very rock and hard sounding. It shows Ayu being locked up/chained to a wall in which she breaks free of and the whole time she is trying to sneak away and get past the gaurds/female dancers without them seeing her escape. Eventually the catch Ayu and lock her up very tightly. The song begins with female dancers on each end of the stage in outfits similar to the PV. She arises from underneath the stage chained to a round table that spins around 360 degrees as she sings (like those round spinning tables you see that people are chained to in like roman times/carnivals and get knives thrown at them). A dancer breaks her free and she comes down the catwalk I believe here. I was frantically jumping off the ground and screaming "AYU!" as she walked past. Literally, I had the best seats in the house I mean she was only like 2-5 feet away from me! When in the center stage one of the dancers tears her bottoms off and you can see part of the next outfit for my name's WOMEN.

08. decision
Great rock influenced performance. Flashing lights for the rock solos.

09. my name's WOMEN
Sexy performance just like AT05. She stands on a chair and brings the chair to the middle of the catwalk pretty much RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME and dances/does a routine with the dancers on it.

Marionette -prelude-
This video was entertaining and extended from the version on the album. It shown Ayu in the same setting as the PV but her hair was kind of different and reminded me of the blonde hair/wig she has in the rainy day PV. Ayu is looking at small doll figures of her dancers and as she turns a key in the carousel for each doll they turn into the dancers and fall to the ground. The video fades to black.

11. Marionette
Just like the PV but I couldn't see much since it was at the end of the stage and all I really saw was Ayu's back but a carousel rises out of the stage around Ayu and her dancers as the perform. Ayu wore the same outfit and a blond wig just like her hair in the PV. Everyone falls back under stage.

12. HANABI
The intro video to this is of Ayu with a long sparkly slim dress and long blonde hair wearing a crown standing on the top of a very tall stairway in the clouds, like it's supposed to be Heaven or something and she has kind of a sad look on her face. Shu-ya appears at the bottom of the stairs and he slowly makes his way up the stairs reaching for Ayu as she holds her hand out. Just as he is getting close one of the steps crumbles beneath his feet as he steps on it and he falls backwards and Ayu starts to cry as she reaches her arm down as he falls. Shu-ya appears on stage dancing and what not and he sees Ayu on the screen and reaches out for her and then he disappears I think or moves over to the side of the stage. Ayu appears and the wig was just ugly for this because it was attached to the crown and you could just totally tell it was a wig because it was so much higher than where her head started but a very good performance. She eventually sees Shu-ya dancing next to her and at the end they reach out for each other and the lights fade before they touch.

13. End roll
Ayu sang in the same costume as HANABI and very beautiful vocals as always.

14. SURREAL～evolution～SURREAL
Very energetic performance with her running around the stage and walking down and pausing on the catwalk right in front of me frequently. Flows very nicely.

15. Mirrorcle World
Suberb. The video on the screens shows Ayu on board the ship again that was shown during The Judgement Day and she is wearing a captain's outfit. A giant flag/white curtain falls down in the middle of the stage showing the A symbol and the dancers march to the beat as the come out and the curtain falls to show the GIANT space ship in the middle of the stage with a black starry background behind Ayu and the boat. It really looked like something from Disney World or something just so put together and it turned around and everything. VERY ENERGETIC and the song was just so amazing LIVE. It sounded perfect and really made me want to buy the single afterwards. Ayu comes down from the ship and dances and what not coming down the catwalk and then back up to the ship and down again and then does her bow and stuff and one of the dancers/marching men/sailors in silver costume/jacket escorts her offstage.

ENCORE

16. Dearest
Very cute Ayu comes out waving her hands up and putting out her ear to here us make noise for her. Very lovely performance with lovely vocals.

MC
I don't remember if the MC came here or after Voyage but anyways, I don't understand Japanese but I think one of the questions Yo-chan had was something like "who makes the best Ayu impression of your dancers?" or something and Ayu called out for one of the girls and she came out and they would play like a very small clip of an Ayu song and cut it off and the girl would like dramatically flail her hands and hang on the mic as she wailed out the song. Very funny, ha ha. Then Yo-chan did an impression with NEVER EVER. The special request/acapella was teddy bear and it was accompanied by piano. Ayu had to run up to Kobayashi Shingo [her music director now] who played the piano to go over the lyrics quick and what part of the song she was going to sing and what not. Then as Ayu was about to start singing Voyage after teddy bear and another one of her dancers (male) pops up from the end of the stage doing his own Ayu impression and Ayu is totally shocked and falls on the floor laughing. Then we learn the dance to MY ALL from him and Ayu.

17. Voyage
Very calming and Ayu waved her hand in the air so we could follow the flowing music.

18. independent
So this was very energetic and Ayu ran all over stage. Then they started throwing out the balls and the girl next to me (the row behind me, her seat was also next to the catwalk) got a ball thrown from one of the dancers. I'm screaming and jumping and just when I think it's done I look and Ayu is coming around again and I jump up and down and she tosses a ball and I jump for it but the BOY THAT I SOLD MY EXTRA TICKET TO CAUGHT IT AND HE WAS IN MY SPOT WHEN HE CAUGHT IT TOO!!! I fell on the ground too because I was hoping I fell on him and he would drop the ball but he caught it and I was so angry cause Ayu threw it for me! He like went in front of me and was trying to squeeze in next to the catwalk so I had to move back a bit and that's where he caught the A BALL!

19. Boys & Girl
Just as usual in all her tours that she performs this.

20. MY ALL
Very good performance and so heartfelt. During this song when Ayu came down the catwalk I was jumping up and down and caught her attention probably because I was the most energetic of everyone (seriously, I was jumping off the ground the whole time pounding my fan to the beats and I look around and all the other fans are just smiling and waving their fans and I'm thinking "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!?! THIS IS AYU!!!!" Lol) and she stops directly in front of me and sings into my eyes for about 6-7 good seconds and it just was the most amazing experience of my life. It's so cheesy but for that moment in time we connected and I was smiling and Ayu was smiling and we both were just very happy. I was so happy that this was my dream and Ayu was singing to me and she was smiling and just so happy that she can have the power to bring so much joy and happiness to someone like me - to all of her fans and I was a perfect example of why she does these shows for all of us. It's just so amazing and Ayu is truly such a wonderful person and has such a good heart and soul. She truly does love us all and I totally got that from her when she sang to me and she knew that I loved her so much!

When the song ends Ayu sits in the middle of the stage with her head in her laps and her arms covering her face because she gets so overwhelmed by everyone and starts crying (as she mentioned in her TeamAyu Message No. 233). She stands up and looks around at all of us and then puts her finger to her mouth and shouts and then throws her armbands to the other side of the catwalk and runs off.

Afterwards I stood there and as Ayu ran away... I cried. No, I didn't just cry, I bawled - for a good 15 minutes at least. I was just so overwhelmed at everything that had just happened and how I worked SO HARD to get the seats that I got and at the moment that I shared with Ayu when she sang to me. I didn't want it to be over and it was. I truly realized that Ayu does love us with all of her heart and soul and WE ARE THE REASON SHE GETS UP EACH AND EVERY DAY. She looks forward to seeing all of us at her shows and I really do love her for everything that she does. Seriously, everything about the show was how I had hoped it would be - it was better in fact. I mean, perfect seating and perfect moments - the only thing I wish that was different was that I didn't sell my extra ticket and I could have caught that BALL! But I got to share that moment with Ayu so that was great!

I urge everyone to work hard to go and see Ayu and if you can, get seats like I did. It was a truly heavenly experience and I tried to work like 40 hours each week at my job to make this dream a reality this year and I did it.

I was thinking and feeling sooooooo many things, and was so overcome that I couldn't help but cry at the very end of it.

Today's concert attendees were absolutely the best!!!!!!!

The memories I have of so many different people are just overflowing

I think Ayu was thinking of me there because she could see how energetic and happy I was during the whole show and when she sang to me, ha ha. But yeah, totally f-ing AMAZING!

I shall post a few pictures later. I did manage to get one of the special "GOLDEN" A BALLS that came with one of my tour goods that I bought. ... I'd still rather have that autograph, lol.

[prussian blue]

wow thx for the reporet! its totally amazing!!

[freedreamer]

YAY! ANOTHER REPORT...
OMG MIRRORCLE WORLD SOUNDS SUPERB FROM THE WAY U SAY IT...
i cant wait to watch it!!!

i get this feeling im gonna hate that wig she wears for Marionette. glad to hear "GOOD vocals"

[Zeke.]

^ Yeah I could only see it from behind but I was like "WTF?". Her hair looked amazing in the PV but I don't think the wig will look good. It looked so "shiny" and just too "wig-like".

EDIT -PICTURES- :














This isn't everything I got but most of it. I also got 2 of the black towels and one of the white ones, another hoodie sweatshirt, a few more glowsticks, and another phone strap. The unofficial goods I got are pictured above as well (A necklace, two laminated Ayu posters, an Ayu lighter, and a Mirrorcle World mouse pad). I bought some of the AYU CHIPS too but I had so much stuff that the lady forgot to give me the chips and I didn't realize until I left the arena.

PANASONIC BOOKLET I GOT FROM A DIGI CAM STORE:




EXTRA PICTURES (NOTEPADS I MADE IN GRAPHIC ARTS):

[majrakun]

I love reports! Did this Fly High performance look like the CDL 06-07 one? Where they danced in pairs? And Depend on You too?

[Zeke.]

^ I don't quite recall but Depend on you was mainly Ayu dancing around teasing the boys and they were trying to impress her but I think she did dance with Shu-ya and in pair son Fly high.

I forgot to mention that the stage theme kind of changes with each song and I don't remember what song it happens in but the curtains behind the band members finally fall down and the stage is all golden with like big futuristic towers with the A symbol on them and during SURREAL~evolution~SURREAL the stage lights are all rainbow colors with a big glowing ARENA TOUR 2008 symbol on the screen.

[alternarist]

The Depend on You video sounds so much like STEP you video in AT06. ayu appears peeking and then teasing with her dancers.. that's kinda anti climax lol

yes i agree with what he said. everybody shld strive to watch ayu perform in person!! in a concert!!

work as hard as you can just to see your idol is all worth it.. the feeling is all phenomenal and it will truly be one of the best moment in ur life..

(feeling a bit emo here). but yeah.. dont say no. work for it XD

[TakaSama]

That sounds so amazing! I completely understand what you mean about the power of having someone sing for you like that too, I felt the same way when I got to see HYDE live and he was staring at me for a good few seconds during Perfect Moment...

I wanna see Ayu too! Why won't she come to Hokkaido! We're Japan too...

[Zeke.]

Originally Posted by alternarist

The Depend on You video sounds so much like STEP you video in AT06. ayu appears peeking and then teasing with her dancers.. that's kinda anti climax lol

It sounds similiar but it actually is different, lol. Hard to describe but it was very cute and actually a lot better than the AT06 video for STEP you. It's just much more entertaining and has very good instrumentation along with the video.

[majrakun]

Originally Posted by all.night.raver

^ I don't quite recall but Depend on you was mainly Ayu dancing around teasing the boys and they were trying to impress her but I think she did dance with Shu-ya and in pair son Fly high.

Really? I was wondering how she could do that since she has 6 female and 6 male dancers now.

Anyway, your report is so inspiring. I love the way you described it from the bottom of your heart <3

[chocopockymaster]

Sounds like you had an absolutely amazing time!!! I'm trying to let it sink in; the fact that I'll be seeing her in less than 48 hours. *__* I'm sorry I had to skip over a lot of your report, but I'll come back to it and read it when I've seen the show myself.

YAY! I'm glad you got to go. Really!
LOL, I would've have bawled too.

[minna]

it sounds so awesome
you are so lucky

gosh that guy I hate him ~ he stole you the ball!


well at least ayu sang in front of you


aww you are so lucky
thank you so much for this report <333

[tenshi no hane]

thanks for the report, your excited writing made me smile while reading it, looks like you had an unforgettable time ^.^

[Zeke.]

Ha ha, well your all welcome for the report. Yeah, I try to block it out that I missed that ball but I keep coming back to it. It just made me angry because if anyone deserved that ball it was someone who spent about $600 on tour goods and over $1,300 getting tickets and flying 7,000 miles to see her (ME). When the show was over too he ran out right away and I'm like "how the hell can you just run away?" I stood there for a long time just look at the amazing stage and thinking of it all and taking it all in. I mean, please.

[AyuHamasaki01]

Thanks for the report.
i can't wait to see the tour.

[ayuzlove]

Thanks alot for the report...can really feel the emotions and feelings from your report

[Lanz16]

WOW!

Your report was SO amazing especially Ayu was looking and singing for you a while!
I felt I want to go there next year for her next tours!

Thanks for sharing your amazing experience in AT08!

[AyuGAME]

REALLY NICE REPORT!!!
i can feel, the way you feel...ayu is...so...SPECIAL
CONGRATS!!! You have achieved your dream...

post some pics please...

i want to ask you about the giant ship, it can turning?

[Zeke.]

I don't have too many pics, just of like the goods area mainly. But I'm gonna take pictures of all my goods and stuff when my shirts and towels are out of the washer and dryer. The ship turns around in all directions - it really is kind of magical cause it looks like it really is just floating there!