ConcertReport OkamuraYasuyuki November 23,2022 Japan

At the beginning

I saw Okamura Yasuyuki’s autumn/winter tour “Apathy” in Sendai.

We left Aomori early in the morning and arrived at the hotel after a six-hour drive.

Unfortunately, it was raining and cold outside!

I heard that the lowest temperature was 4 degrees Celsius.

I went there with a down coat for midwinter.

The first thing to do was to sell things.

Although I was interested in a strap for my phone, I ended up selecting a safe, black tour T-shirt.

I sat down and waited for the DATE to start.

Oh, it’s pretty close.

I can even see Okamura Yasuyuki and her friends’ expressions clearly!

I’m not allowed to speak out loud today, so I clap my hands and dance to get into the groove.

Success and setbacks

The opening song from the latest album “Misao” started the show.

It is a calm mid-tempo song with a wonderful acrobatic melody that is typical of Okamura.

Okamura, who looked a bit thin, danced in a suit.

He looked energetic and happy.

Interior

This song is in the same vein as the album.

I was happy to see his perform this song, as it is one of my favorites.

The “Move the interior out of my way.” part was 5 times more powerful than the album.

The musicians were good, and the sound quality was clear.

I have a feeling that this will be the best live performance ever.

come baby

Collaboration with Ishino Takkyu.

This one was also very well done.

There is no clear border between Okamura and Takkyu, and their personalities are fused together without borders.

It was a pleasure to hear this rare collaboration between two artists with strong personalities who at first personalities seem to be fighting with each other.

Dog Days

Okamura kept saying “I’m going to play an old song” and “I missed it,” so he was probably the one who missed it the most.

The funs listen to a lot of old songs.

The female vocal part was played by a keyboardist.

She sang and played well, and was very energetic.

The subject of the lyrics was typical Okamura, which warmed up the audience.

Biscuit LOVE

This is a work from Okamura’s most uninhibited period.

The lyrics are quite extreme.

I could tell just by looking at the song title that it was an Okamura song, so I knew he was a very unique person.

Okamura sings with his tie off and his chest bare, and the audience is riveted to him.

Tarzan Boy

Maybe this tour has a lot of old songs.

He continues to break the rules with his songs, dances, show structure, etc., but this song was especially amazing.

The melody of “I was fighting with a cardboard box full of henchmen” was so unexpected that I was scared when I heard it for the first time.

Is it bad?

If asked to name a beautiful ballad by Okamura, many people would probably guess this song.

I think it is important for so-called “normal” singers to get the pitch right, but in his case, the emotion overflows so much that it becomes a cry from the heart that transcends pitch and rhythm.

I think it is this one-of-a-kind feeling that makes him Okamura.

Tutor

This song is already…unbridled to the limit, but it’s already amazing.

It’s hard to put into words.

It’s a little bit different from “wild”.

“Maybe she is 23,” “The Last Tutor,” “My High-Rise Building,” “The Reference Book is My Hip”…intense.

These songs are so strong that they cannot be described in words.

At this point, Okamura retreated and changed his tuxedo.

During the song, the band members were introduced without MC.

I like this kind of thing.

It is much more enjoyable to watch than just words.

?

I don’t know this song due to my ignorance.

Is it someone’s cover?

At the end of the song, a staff member came out from the stage wing a guitar and handed it to Okamura.

So the next song was…

What would she look like if I made a long shot?

Okamura sang while strumming his guitar, which was really cool.

Singing, dancing, and playing instruments.

He can play not only guitar but also bass guitar and keyboards.

Freddie Mercury of Queen once described himself as a “music whore,” and I feel that Okamura is close to that.

The song is a classic that needs no explanation and was very exciting.

I love you!

The great songs continue.

I’m sorry I can’t speak out.

I want to shout “Daisuki!”

I want to shout “Hepotyre!”

Covid, hurry up and go away.

Step up LOVE

I’ve been waiting for this!

I was really hoping to hear this song.

DAOKO’s part was replaced by the keyboardist.

I think this is one of the most upper part of recent works, a great song.

I felt my heart getting more and more exited, and the audience around me started to move louder and louder.

Be your boyfriend and be nice to you

After the dress change, the second part is a barrage of great songs that must be exciting.

With two dancers by his sides, he moved and danced around the stage from side to side.

This, this, this is what I came to see.

The moment when I feel the sense of being alive, it is truly a live performance, or rather, a DATE.

Punch↑

The last part of the song is the best part.

“The war actually happened…”

And then he restated.

“I have to date, get married, and go on a honeymoon!”

And then he finishes.

It sounded like Okamura was declaring that he would confront political issues through his music.

I don’t know, maybe it was just the usual Okamura, but I think the tour title “Apathy (political indifference)” was paradoxically chosen.

Season of Prayer

The connection from “Punch↑” to this song is very intentional.

This song was released more than 30 years ago, but the most pressing issue facing Japan today is the declining birthrate.

Okamura is so shy that he can’t even MC without a keyboard, but I think he wanted to convey something with these two songs.

This was the end of the second part.

Okamura changed his dress for the second time.

Following the bass player’s MC, the members were introduced with words this time.

And Okamura played the guitar to help.

This was another interesting touch.

Okamura always surprises me.

Talent of Love

Seriously, what a surprise!

As you know, Okamura provided this hit song to Kawamoto Makoto.

I was still in high school when this song was released, and I didn’t even know Okamura.

But a friend of mine invited me to go to a concert of Kawamoto Makoto once.

So the first time I attended an Okamura concert, I wore a Kawamoto Makoto t-shirt.

Out of Blue

These cool songs are good, amazing.

It’s his debut song, so it’s not at 112% Okamura concentration, but I love the mature atmosphere of this song.

Okamura moves from side to side on stage and waves to the audience.

Yes, you can tell without words that this song is the end of the show.

Be braver

The encore began here.

The keyboard was placed on the right side of the thin curtain.

It was so obvious what corner was next, which made me smile.

Okamura played the keyboard.

Yes, at this moment, you are definitely the answer.

He improvised while playing chords on the keyboard.

Should I say “MC” or “improvised song”?

Okamura seemed to be enjoying himself as much as we were, as he sang “Sendai babe” almost in tears.

Another song I didn’t know, though I was uninitiated.

Is this a cover, too?

Okamura singing English lyrics is good, too!

A-chi-chi-chi

Wow, I love this song!

Okamura was at his most radical and esoteric when he was making his songs, and even though it’s not the most catchy song, I don’t know why it sticks in my mind so much.

We mere mortals have no choice but to bow down to the genius’s ideas, but when he was mumbling and suddenly shouted “Let’s go! and then suddenly he starts the dance part.

When I first saw it, I thought, “How is this possible? but it’s still amazing no matter how many times I’ve seen it.

Oh, I don’t have enough vocabulary.