VOL.124 live report“livescope 2005 〜I'm waiting 4 you & live〜”2005.2.3 Nakano Sunplaza

From music freak magazine Vol.124

GARNET CROW

*livescope 2005 〜I'm waiting 4 you & live〜*

February 3, 2005, Nakano Sunplaza

GARNET CROW's 2005 began with a concert. Carrying the album *I'm waiting 4 you*, released the previous December, the tour *livescope 2005 〜I'm waiting 4 you & live〜* traveled through Osaka and Nagoya before reaching its final show at Nakano Sunplaza on February 3.

Although spring was approaching, the weather was still cold that day. Inside the venue, however, the audience's excitement as they waited for the show to begin made it easy to forget the chill. A little after the scheduled time, the lights slowly dimmed. As the stage lit up, warm applause naturally erupted from the audience. The members gradually appeared through the peaceful background music, and their unforced entrance seemed to symbolize their attitude toward music.

The opening song was “この冬の白さに,” a perfect match for the season. From the intro, a solemn atmosphere spread through the venue, and Yuri Nakamura's commanding voice soon covered the entire hall. The audience seemed to hold its breath and gaze at the stage, as if receiving a baptism in GARNET CROW's music. Before anyone had time to catch their breath, the show moved into “夕月夜.” Against AZUKI Nana's fragile piano, the sound woven together by the members formed a great whirlpool around the audience. These two songs from the newest album quickly transformed the venue into a space filled with GARNET CROW's sound, with even a hint of frightening tension.

As in the past, a large screen stood in the center of the stage, showing images of the members and the lyrics of the songs being performed. The platforms beneath each member were raised slightly; viewed from the second floor, they looked like several small islands floating in the air, making GARNET CROW and the backing musicians stand out more clearly to the audience. The purpose was not to emphasize individual performances, but to let instruments and vocals coming from different positions merge into a single whole onstage.

It was Nakamura's greeting to the audience that eased the tension.

“Good evening. We are GARNET CROW. We would like to spend a happy time with everyone today.”

As the tour title suggested, GARNET CROW had been looking forward to coming to this place and performing in front of the people waiting for them. The fans surely felt the same way. When Nakamura frankly voiced those feelings, the audience answered with cheers and applause.

Next came “夏の幻.” Nakamura picked up a tambourine and set the rhythm, and clapping naturally arose from the audience as well, changing the atmosphere of the venue in an instant. The audience could hardly hide its delight that such a concert staple had appeared so early in the set. The members onstage were just as happy, smiling naturally as they played. During “忘れ咲き,” the screen showed the music video that had attracted attention for being made entirely from photographs, presenting the world of the lyrics beautifully onstage. “flying” followed, and Furui Hirohito's arrangement brought GARNET CROW's distinctive floating quality into even sharper relief.

Nakamura introduced “call my name” as a song “about pure love,” followed by “冷たい影,” in which she tenderly and passionately sang the sorrowful scene created by AZUKI. Both songs touched the heart in succession. But GARNET CROW's stage brought another new development here. A segment led by Hitoshi Okamoto, who had drawn considerable attention as a vocalist on the previous tour, appeared once again. This time it was “Last love song,” with Okamoto's sweet, mellow voice joined by Nakamura's harmony to delight the audience.

As the show gradually entered its second half, early songs from GARNET CROW's career appeared one after another: “水のない晴れた海へ,” which even took on a bewitching air under the red lights, and “in little time,” the coupling track from their second single. For a brief moment, the audience looked back over GARNET CROW's history.

This was the fifth anniversary of their debut, and the members regarded this memorable year as something important and shared it with the audience. After Nakamura said that they would “sing with feelings of gratitude,” “夢みたあとで” rang out. Its lyrics seemed to reflect both the path they had taken so far and the future ahead, and each listener surely overlapped them with their own feelings. At that moment, an invisible bond seemed to exist between the members and the audience.

In “Holy ground,” Nakamura's falsetto drew everyone's attention and once again revealed her strength as a vocalist. The stage shifted between stillness and movement before moving straight into “永遠を駆け抜ける一瞬の僕ら.” Nakamura sang along with the rhythm, while the members supporting her played with visible enjoyment. That sense of unity was released even further in “君 連れ去る時の訪れを,” as solid music and harmonies continued to expand the scale of the performance.

From music freak magazine Vol.124

After the member introductions woven into the show, the performance began racing toward the end of its main set. During “二人のロケット,” Nakamura walked toward both sides of the stage and enjoyed interacting with the audience. Behind her, Furui raised his hands to get the whole venue moving, Okamoto delivered an impassioned guitar performance, and AZUKI watched the scene happily while playing the keyboard.

The medley of “ブルーの森で” and “恋することしか出来ないみたいに” accelerated the momentum even further, after which the show rushed without pause into “Mysterious Eyes” and “僕らだけの未来.” The members and audience worked together with perfect understanding. Musicians creating the work and listeners receiving it shared a fulfilling moment through the songs in the same place; that is the greatest pleasure of a live performance.

When the encore arrived, the audience continued calling out “GARNET.” The backing musicians and Okamoto came onstage wearing purple tour T-shirts, while Furui and AZUKI had changed into black hoodies. Nakamura, who was invited out last, had tied up her loose hair again and returned to her usual style.

The first song was “君を飾る花を咲かそう.” Based on Nakamura's own experience, the song carried her soul, and her voice spread to every corner of the venue. In the solemn atmosphere, the audience was deeply moved, and then became even more emotional when the new song “「さよなら」とたった一言で...” followed. It seemed to weave together lonely and positive feelings, while also revealing a side of Nakamura's voice different from anything heard before.

With the venue already ablaze, “スパイラル” rang out once again and the audience's excitement continued to rise. Some people raised their fists, others clapped in response, and still others jumped up; the audience became a wave of heat. The members played with power all the way to the end. The final show came to a close at its highest point.

The applause continued for a long time, and the sight of the four members bowing and waving to the audience again and again remains unforgettable. The smiles on their faces showed how fulfilling this tour had been. GARNET CROW once again demonstrated its presence as a live act, making us look forward even more to their next release and everything still to come.

Setlist

1. この冬の白さに
2. 夕月夜
3. 夏の幻
4. 忘れ咲き
5. flying
6. call my name
7. 冷たい影
8. Last love song
9. 水のない晴れた海へ
10. in little time
11. 夢みたあとで
12. Holy ground
13. 永遠を駆け抜ける一瞬の僕ら
14. 君 連れ去る時の訪れを
15. 二人のロケット
16. ブルーの森で〜
17. 〜恋することしか出来ないみたいに
18. Mysterious Eyes
19. 僕らだけの未来

Tracks 16 and 17 were performed as a medley.

Encore:

1. 君を飾る花を咲かそう
2. 「さよなら」とたった一言で...
3. スパイラル

New song announcement

GARNET CROW will perform the opening theme for the anime *MÄR* (Märchen Awakens Romance), which will begin airing on the TV Tokyo network from April 3! The original is a popular manga serialized in *Weekly Shonen Sunday*. See the information page on p. 40 of this issue for broadcast times and other details.

Remix album planned for release this spring!

*Cool City Production vol.8 GARNET CROW REMIX*

A remix collection overseen by Hirohito Furui and Hitoshi Okamoto, who are responsible for producing GARNET CROW's sound. Both also personally participated in creating the tracks!

COOL CITY PRODUCTION website: www.cc-p.net

TCR-029 / TENT HOUSE / ¥2,800 (tax included)