Review: 中森明菜 - Akina Nakamori Special Live 2005 Empress at CLUB eX -

I am now in my second and last leg of my unplanned Winter holiday, in cloudy Singapore. My experience in Tokyo has been another memorable one but made more special because of my 21 year dream come true of finally seeing Akina live.

It is an experience that is inexplicably exhilarating, and it was more than I could ever bargain for. I was relatively relaxed on the day but I started experiencing the jitters when I was outside Club eX and looking at all the fans gathering outside, waiting to enter the small concert hall. It was the 16th July (Sat) and I paced around, waiting for the others to arrive. I took out my camera and started taking photos of the venue and the fans. Most of them were around my age group and more (40s, 50s and even 60s), and like what Daniel had speculated, many of them were gay. There was even a lady carrying a walking stick with her family and it is so nice to see that Akina has a wide appeal for almost all age groups.

We arranged to meet around 9-9.15 pm for the 9.30 pm session and as the guys were a little late, I did my wandering and photo-taking till they arrived. They were still selling some last minute tickets (the final 2 performances were sold out) and also her CDs, DVDs and some concert special items. We were later escorted and examined for cameras in our bags, but I managed to hide mine in my pocket without them noticing.

The concert started with a two man band playing a drummed up version of 私は風 from the Utahime I album. It is not one of my favourite songs but Akina did quite a good job of it. She walked through the curtain, onto the runway, and then to the seat in the middle of the round stage, to cheers from the crowd. Tien said that since it was a rather special and upper class concert, not many fans chose to wolf whistle or scream, like they would do in most other concert halls.

I felt a lump in my throat when she sang the first few verses, but since our seats were on the 5th row (last row) and her back was facing us, I didn't feel the nerves that John told me I would experience when he watched Barbra Streisand for the first time. She proceeded on to sing more songs and explained the origins of the songs (as in why she picked them). I enjoyed my first concert of hers and though her voice was rather hoarse, she managed to project it well. However, one could tell that she was holding back, because there were two more final performances the next day and I was going to the final performance at 9.30 pm.



On the 17th (Sun), I brought my aunt, who is blind, to the concert and I will never regret doing that. She is not a fan of Akina and the only song that she has heard of Akina's was "Desire" in 1986, when she first arrived. We attracted quite a few stares from other fans when I escorted her to the front row this time. I was naturally very delighted to have such wonderful seats. When Akina appeared this time, it was to wild cheers. The crowd was ready for a great time because we all knew there would be no going back, and were we in for a treat. Akina sang so beautifully I had goosebumps on most of the songs. I also wolf-whistled and screamed my "tits" off because it is the only time Akina will hear me scream "Akina"!! I can do it at home too but it will not be the same!

Here is the song list and my review:

(1) 私は風 - She really projected her voice so well on the final performance night. She showcased her singing prowess and she hit all the high notes so well. Kakoii!! Even my aunt who dislikes rock songs cheered on wildly, as did all of the fans.

(2) 傘がない - Another chilling rendition

－MC－ This is where Akina said Hi to all and explains the origins of the songs. For the first night, it was relatively quiet and routine talk but we had a transvestite sit right in front of Akina and she was wonderful in interacting with Akina. My aunt also shouted a few times that she was pretty and wonderful. Akina acknowledged her with Thanks. Akina explained that she usually gets quite anxious during concerts, so the fans (and my aunt) included shouted that she was great to make her feel more at home.

(3) 別れの予感 - The stage rotates during this song and I get to see Akina face-on. It is an unforgettable moment.

(4) アデュー - Not one of my favourite songs but she performed it better than the album cut.

(5) 踊り子 - I preferred the album's arrangement to this, but Akina sang it in a jazzy manner which was refreshing.

－MC－Another round of interaction with fans. Again the transvestite and my aunt did the lion's share of chatting with Akina. Akina said that she felt that time passed very slowly when she had to perform the 11 days straight but now that she was on the final night, she felt a little sad and lonely. We all screamed that we were too, and she kept prompting all of us to say "Sabishii" with the gentle movement of "come on" with her wrist and then she added in the coolest fashion "Then, please come and see the dinner show" to raptuous laughter from all". She showed off her quick wit and there was great laughter from the interaction with the transvestite.

Then came the moment I will never forget. My aunt shouted that we were fans from Singapore who had come specially to see her concert. She turned around, faced us, said "Thanks" and then waved to us. I waved back and then I froze there. It was such a special moment that I could have died. The guys congratulated me later and said that I would probably not be able to sleep tonight, which I managed, but with the greatest smile ...

(6) 接吻 Originally by オリジナル・ラヴ (Original Love) - A new song for Akina. The guys didn't like it, but Akina and I did. It's not an outstanding track but it had a sweet melody and I liked it.

(7) アサイラム - The first non cover song. It was from Akina's 6th album "Anniversary" and chosen because it was "summery". All fans sang along and swayed. My aunt and I shouted "We love you too" at the end.

(8) サザン・ウィンド - The first single song with a Bossa Nova remix. Akina explained that this was a mature treatment of the song and she flirted with the entire audience with many sexy poses throughout.

－MC－During this chat, Akina imitated the tranvestite to wild laughter and applause and she said that she was enjoying herself so much, which was what she wanted to achieve with this smaller series of concerts. She also said that it was good to be able to finally place a face to the name and the voice. Love her for that!!!

(9) 窓 - I liked the album version better than this remix, but Akina sang well.

(10) リバーサイド･ホテル 井上陽水 - Another special new song for the concert. It is obvious that Akina loves this song and it shows. It is the best performance of the second evening.

(11) 飾りじゃないのよ涙は - Another favourite of Akina's. During the first evening, she left halfway through the song, and when she came back, the song was over. She asked why didn't the audience sing along like in karaoke because that was her purpose. She then resung the whole song, which was her best performance of the first night that I watched. It was also interesting to notice that there were a few fans who dressed up like her during her latest Kohaku performance in 2002. There are some rumors that since NHK is going to change this year's Kohaku to one that features "famous songs of the past", the fans are debating if she will be invited again this year.

- MC - It was during this that the best news for a long time arrived for Akina's fans. The transvestite commented that Akina's version of "Riverside Hotel" (song 10) was better than the original singer, to which Akina quickly hushed her, saying that we had better not let him hear that because he is currently writing her a new song. It looks like it was a slip of the tongue and there is no current date as to when it will be ready but we will all be eagerly anticipating. Finally, someone famous writing for her again, and we have more confidence if it does fulfill, it has more potential to create publicity and be a hit!

(12) 赤い花 - Her newest single She is famous for crouching down to the floor, climb up the chair (like she did on the 16th) or lie on the floor when singing this difficult song because the chorus doesn 't allow much room for breathing. She paced herself so well the last night, it was one of her greatest performances ever for this song.

After she finished the last song, she rushed off the stage, ready to take her bow and bid goodbye to all, like she did on the 16th, but then something happened. In the dark, I saw a shadow jump onto the stage, and I initially thought it was security, but it turned out to be a crazy fan. The fan he sat next to said he noticed him shivering during her final number, and he just jumped through the barricades onto the stage. He had no intentions of hurting her because he paused when she turned around, and he seemed to want to shake her hand, but the security got to him. He started pushing, kicking, shoving and then punching. Akina kept her cool while watching and at one point, when he was pushed off the stage, looked concerned for the fan's welfare. She was then quickly ushered backstage.

We were all dumbfounded and we felt robbed because no matter how much we cheered, and it was for about 10 minutes or so, she never came back onto the stage. Some fans were seen sobbing and we all left to gather again outside to sing praises and lament about the lost encore.

It was a night to remember, even for my aunt who was not a fan. I could tell that she was impressed and I was happy that she had given me the best present ... a wave from Akina, specially for me ... what more can one ask for.

I would also like to once again thank Eugin and John for making this possible. Thank you for making my wildest dream come true. Hope to see you again soon, Akina (I know I will) and thank you for the best memories ...