VOL.97／98 第 16 回 AZUKI 七／第 17 回 Yuri Nakamura

From music freak magazine Vol.97 / Vol.98

GARNET CROW's *word scope in M.F.M* (Vol.16)

On November 10, GARNET CROW made its first campus-festival appearance at Kobe University's “Rokko Festival.” The wind was apparently biting that day, and the temperature was more like December, yet 7,000 people gathered—and no one left before the very end. That alone shows how wonderful GARNET CROW's live performances are. Their first tour, *GARNET CROW LIVE TOUR 2002 〜first live scope〜*, for which additional shows have already been confirmed, is finally nearing its conclusion, and the new single “クリスタル・ゲージ” will be released on December 11 (pp. 12–13). You will not want to miss a moment of what they do through the end of 2002! This time AZUKI Nana takes the stage.

Photo caption: Onstage!

Summer's end arrived, and before I knew it the four performances originally planned had all finished. Autumn, too, had passed.

“What! I haven't enjoyed autumn properly yet! I saw the autumn leaves and ate persimmons, but it wasn't nearly enough!” So I lit a mosquito coil in my room, planning to read quietly and savor the last little bit of autumn.

At the same time, I decided to pit it against the air purifier that had arrived at my home a few days earlier and see how powerful the purifier really was. It is quite capable: even the smell of dinner makes it react. The green light means “the air is clean, resting,” orange means “working a little,” and red means “running at full power!” It works away very diligently.

If it purifies the smoke from the mosquito coil too, then the coil becomes pointless. But the purifier has to purify smoke. So, mosquito coil versus air purifier—which one will win? Stopwatch ready, and go!

And so... this is how I spend my time between performances, doing things at my leisure. But... it was not particularly exciting. When I thought about it carefully, a mosquito coil is really “the symbol of summer,” after all... It left me feeling a little deflated... I think that is about the right length, so I will stop here ^ ^!!

GARNET CROW's *word scope in M.F.M* (Vol.17)

On December 16, 2002, GARNET CROW completed its first tour, *GARNET CROW LIVE TOUR 2002 〜first live scope〜*, at Namba Hatch. A DVD of the tour will be released soon, on February 5! In addition, they are confirmed to appear alongside Mai Kuraki, Rina Aiuchi, and others at the “GIZA studio Valentine's Concert” in February (p. 52)! There is no doubt that they will be even more active in 2003. This time Yuri Nakamura tells us about what she experienced firsthand at a live performance.

How did everyone spend New Year's? Did you listen to “クリスタル・ゲージ”?

Yuri Nakamura's handwritten message!

Celebrating the End of the First Tour: GO→GO→GO→ Edition

Happy New Year, everyone.

The first tour that began last October came to a successful end at Namba Hatch on December 16!! To everyone who came to a show, and to those who could not make it, thank you very much!

The first thing I thought after it ended was how happy I was, in a way I cannot quite put into words, to have spent such wonderful times together. I truly felt, “So this is what a live performance is,” and “So this is the sense of fulfillment you feel afterward.”

Looking back, I was genuinely nervous at first. But once I stepped onto the stage, saw the faces of everyone who had come to the show, heard their warm support, and saw the staff throughout the venue, I strongly felt that everyone there wanted to enjoy the performance together. It made me feel that I was being supported so much.

It may sound exaggerated, but when people come together, face the same direction, and share one strong wish—in this case, the wish for the performance to make people happy—I think it is rare to be able to take part in such a scene and be present at such a live event. I want to keep experiencing this feeling (this thrill?) in the future, while also realizing that there is still a great deal I need to do in order to make it possible. I understood very clearly that this is what gives me the strength to keep moving forward.

Perhaps this sounds exaggerated too, but everything I thought and felt during these performances has become an extremely precious treasure to me. I want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart. Next year, too, I will hold on to this feeling, remember how I felt at the beginning, and keep taking things one step at a time! I hope we can meet again at a live performance.

I look forward to your continued support this year as well!