ConcertReport NingenIsu April 22,2018 Japan

In the beginning

I went to the one-man show of “Ningen Isu”.

The title is Odoro Mandala Spring 2018 One-man Tour.

I’m glad they included Aomori in the tour every time.

My number is 103, so I guess it’s not so bad.

It’s time for the doors to open, I pay for my drinks and stuff my unnecessary things into a locker.

I swap my drink ticket for a beer and relax and enjoy the time until the show starts.

I was wearing a “Slayer” hoodie, and to my surprise, I found two other people wearing “Slayer” hoodies.

I heard a stranger say, “Isn’t that a high percentage of ‘Slayer’ people?”.

I also saw a couple wearing “Metallica” T-shirts and others wearing “Black Sabbath” and “The Stalin” T-shirts.

All of these bands are my favorites, so I was kind of happy to see them.

Wearing shirts of bands other than the ones I’m about to see is also quaint in this way.

Of course, it is also fun to wear a “Ningen Isu” shirt out of respect.

At any rate, I wait for the show while drinking beer.

Halfway through the beer, the lights went out.

What the hell, I’ll watch the show while drinking.

Shigan-Goeika  Song of This World

The usual entrance song.

A dignified atmosphere filled the hall.

It’s always an excellent opening song that heightens the sense of anticipation.

I usually have all my music files on my iPod and play it at random while driving.

When this song came on on the day of the concert, I praised my iPod, saying, “Well, you know what you’re doing.”

Cho-Shizen-Gensho  Supernatural Phenomenon

The live show opened with a powerful song from their latest album.

New fans must have been taken aback by the odd beat of the song.

The audience was in a great groove and cheered loudly.

Suzuki and Wajima were moving lively and seemed to be in the groove.

Ringo-no-Namida  Apple’s Tear

Wow, I feel like I haven’t heard this song for a long time.

A great song without any complaints.

The volume of the vocals is a little low.

It could be higher.

The audience was quite excited.

Wajima’s solo before the narration was quite long.

“Rin-go, rin-go, rin-go.”

Yurei-Ressha  Ghost Train

I haven’t heard this song for a long time.

This is a standard song often performed at live concerts because of its high level of perfection.

I remember hearing this song at the concert of “20seiki-Sosokyoku.”

At that time, a nearby audience member was singing in a loud voice, and I remembered feeling a little disturbed.

The riff that imitates the sound of a train whistle and running sound is unquestionably perfect.

Sakura-no-Mori-no-Mankai-no-Shita  In the Forest, Under Cherries in Full Bloom

An early masterpiece.

Hirosaki is in the cherry blossom festival season, so I knew they would definitely play a song related to cherry blossoms!

It was funny to hear the MC talk about the cherry blossom festival.

They said that the cherry blossom festival is a good place where time has stood still since the Showa period.

The haunted house, the motorcycle circus (Wajima had seen it the day before), the signboard of “Sanchu Shokudo,” and so on, were really wonderful.

You have to be a local to know what I’m talking about, haha!

Kaijin-20menso  The Phantom with Twenty Faces

I missed this one too!

I thought at the time of the album’s release that it was a really catchy piece of work.

I can feel the love for Edogawa Rampo.

I have loved Rampo since I was in elementary school, so I was very happy.

The riff that imitates a siren is also great.

Yashagaike

If Wajima had a double-neck guitar, this would be the one.

Instead of the lowered version, Nobu sings the higher key parts of the song.

Yes, this is a better fit.

I heard that Wajima bought a new double-neck guitar this time.

Unfortunately, the only song that uses a double-neck guitar is “Yashagaike,” and Wajima says he will make a song with a double-neck guitar for the next album.

Suzuki says he wants him to play a solo on a 12-string guitar.

Inochi-Urimasu  Life for Sale

This song was the theme song for a TV drama and is very well done.

The development is so complex and intense that it is hard to believe it is a tie-in song.

Yes, yes, this is how “Ningen Isu” should be.

I had never heard the latter half of the song before, but I got the impression that it was carefully crafted.

Senrei  Baptism

This song is often played, but it is not one of my favorites.

The first song on the album is naturally in the same direction, but that first song was selected a lot in this show, and I think it made the show a little boring.

Suzuki played it with a lot of intensity, as if it was his favorite song.

Kyohu-no-Daiou  Great King of Terror

The riff incorporating the theme from Star Wars was excellent.

The development of the song was profound, as is typical of “Ningen Isu,” and I never got tired of listening to it.

This is probably the masterpiece of their recent works.

Toyo-no-Majo  Oriental Witches

When the riff started, I couldn’t remember the name of the song for a moment.

Then, this song is nostalgic.

I remember hearing it at the “Shurabayashi” concert and Wajima was dressed as a courtesan at that time.

I like this song because it is very typical of “Ningen Isu.”

Suibotsu Toshi  Submerged City

It seems that this song is played often these days.

Of course, I love this song, so I welcome it.

The development and atmosphere of this song are from the days when Wajima was a god, and the degree of gravity of this song is different from his recent works.

Although “Ningen Isu” has recently been leaning toward a simple style, I wish they would make a piece like this once in a while that throws off the audience at first glance.

The quiet part, in which the audience feels as if they are floating in the water, is also excellent.

Akumu-no-Tenjoin  Nightmare Tour Guide

Nobu Corner presents this song from his latest work.

It was a pop song, as is typical of his recent works, and Nobu’s voice is well suited to such pop songs.

The audience was in high spirits.

Yes, it’s always a good idea to nudge from the Nobu corner into the excitement of the last half of the show.

Jigoku-no-HeavyRider  Heavy Rider in Hell

When Wajima played the sound of a motorcycle engine, Suzuki and Nobu posed astride their bikes to get the audience excited.

Oh, this engine sound and goodness, he is gimmick geniuses.

The Suzuki thrash from the latest production, “Rollin’ Rollin’!” is fun.

The first riff sounds a bit like “Recycle” from “Sex Machineguns.”

The chorus doesn’t come out in Suzuki’s key, but the crowd goes wild!

Meishin  Superstition

Yeah, yeah, I knew this song would survive as a regular.

It’s probably one of the simpler songs in “Ningen Isu”‘s repertoire, but it looks great live.

As I mentioned before, there are two parts where the audience can shout, which is great.

Hari-no-Yama  Hell Mountain of Needles

As usual, the main part of the concert ended with “Hari-no-Yama.”

Hmmm, the tempo is a little slow.

I guess there are days like this because they don’t use clicks.

Wajima’s tooth guitar also jumped out, and the excitement was at its peak.

Roman-ha-Sengen  Declaration of Romanticism

Encore from here.

Oh, it’s been a while since I’ve heard this song.

I haven’t heard it since the record release concert.

I like this song because it has a certain flavor.

It has a melodious passage and is pleasant.

It could have been included in a recent album.

Dynamite

I haven’t heard this one in a while.

The audience around me seemed to be enjoying themselves with their fists in the air.

A great song without any complaints.

My neck hurts from the headbanging.

But this kind of thrash song reminds me of Masuhiro’s drumming.

Dotto-Harai  The End

The second encore.

Somehow I had a feeling that the last song of the day would be this one, not “Namahage.”

I love this song with its profound structure.

Haha, I finally understand the progressive section!

The guests who have recently become fans should be freaked out by this part.

At the end

So, as Wajima said in his MC, it was a great show in the last half of the tour.

Apparently, they are going to start another tour in the summer, and it looks like they will come to Aomori again.

It seems like the hometown-loving “Ningen Isu.”

Before that, they are going to play a two-man show with “NoGoD,” so let’s look forward to that first.

May 6,2018　Freakz

(Postscript)

I think I finally understood the progressive part of “Dotto-Harai” in 2018.

It’s a twisted structure.

The odd time signature part of “Jinmenso” that I heard when I was in junior high school was a real shocker.

It was probably the first moment I was exposed to something called “progressive”.

And I still don’t understand “Kurai-Nichiyobi”.

Will I be able to understand it someday?

February 1,2023　Freakz