GARNET CROW “first live scope” Live Report — Flash (Akasaka BLITZ)

10.21 at Akasaka BLITZ

LIVE REPORT “GARNET CROW LIVE TOUR 2002 〜first live scope〜”

10.21 at Akasaka BLITZ

Whenever this magazine runs a survey about songs, GARNET CROW always has several tracks ranked near the top; their works themselves have a deeply rooted fanbase. Now they have carried out their first live show! Tickets for this live sold out in no time. On stage, they created a worldview that went even beyond their recorded works, letting the audience listen closely and drawing them in. Here is our report on the Akasaka BLITZ show held on October 21 as part of their first live tour, “GARNET CROW LIVE TOUR 2002 〜first live scope〜”!

When you hear of a “band” live show at Akasaka BLITZ, you imagine an all-standing floor. This time, however, seats had been set up on the first floor for GARNET CROW’s live. Maybe this suggested that the show would take a form where people could really listen; might it be a slightly different kind of live? That expectation was already rising the moment we entered the venue.

A little after 6:30 p.m., almost exactly on schedule, the venue BGM was turned up, and the audience began to stir as if the moment had finally come. Then the hall went dark, and the members quietly appeared on stage. Cheers and applause rose at the sight of their silhouettes.

Each of them took their position, and a gentle guitar phrase began to play. In the venue, wrapped in a refreshing atmosphere, Nakamura’s lustrous voice spread out, and the lyrics and sound slowly seeped in. By this point in the very first song, almost everyone had risen from their seats, and the floor had become all-standing.

On the stage, where vivid red cloth immediately caught the eye, the members stood dressed in outfits based in black. Vocalist Yuri Nakamura was at the center; to the audience’s left were keyboardist Hirohito Furui and guitarist Hitoshi Okamoto. At the back center was drummer David C.Brown, while at the rear left stood guitar support Yoshinobu Ohga and acoustic guitarist Yuichiro Iwai. To the audience’s right was keyboardist AZUKI Nana, with bassist Masato Ohashi and the three-member chorus team (Kazuki Fukuda, Saki Hyugaji, Ryoko Matsumoto) positioned behind her. Furui and AZUKI stood as if facing each other across Nakamura.

GARNET CROW has an image of producing delicate sounds, but here they kept the atmosphere of the original songs while transforming them through the band into thicker sounds, approaching them with a new charm that had even greater depth. Above the center of the stage was an irregular screen shaped somewhat like a diamond. It gave the impression of light shining in. Within that light, that screen, GARNET CROW projected all kinds of stories... The screen showed not only the members and image footage, but also the lyrics throughout every song, a touch that revealed their attention to detail.

The roughly ninety-minute stage, including the encore, left behind a feeling of reluctance for it to end and a desire to hear more. But there was also a level of satisfaction that could not be measured by time alone. That their first live could give this much fulfillment speaks to the high quality of GARNET CROW’s works, and from the great cheers and applause that rose after each song, you could sense both the excellence of their stage and just how eagerly it had been awaited. Experiencing the songs’ appeal directly, you were drawn into the waves of sound released from the stage, almost as if some kind of gravity were at work. Once you see their stage, you will surely want the “next” one. That was the kind of live it was.

*Details about the live show have been withheld until after the final day on December 16, for the sake of those who will be seeing it from now on. A detailed live report and set list are planned for the January issue.

★Additional performances confirmed!

“GARNET CROW LIVE TOUR 2002 〜first live scope〜”

・Wednesday, December 11　SHIBUYA-AX　Doors 18:00 / Start 18:30

Info.) H.I.P: 03-3475-9999

・Monday, December 16　Namba Hatch　Doors 18:00 / Start 18:30

Info.) Sound Creator: 06-6357-4400

*General ticket sales begin Saturday, November 23. All seats reserved ¥5,000 (tax included)

★Nagoya performance confirmed!

“MITSUBISHI MOTORS ‘COLT’ presents

FM Festival ’02 GARNET CROW Special Live”

・Monday, November 25　Nagoya Club Quattro

Doors 18:00 / Start 18:30

Info.) SUNDAY FOLK: 052-320-9100

Standing ¥5,250 (tax included)

That song that was playing after the live ended is becoming a CD!!

A medium pop number following “Spiral”!

★New Single “Crystal Gauge”

Release set for December 11!★

c/w “Crier Girl & Crier Boy 〜ice cold sky〜”

GZCA-7006 ¥1,000 (tax in) GIZA studio