GARNET CROW premium live 5th Anniversary Live Report

〜happy 5th anniversary〜

2005.12.17

at Osaka City Central Public Hall

LIVE REPORT!!

On December 16 and 17, 2005, GARNET CROW held a fully invitation-only live at Osaka City Central Public Hall as the final wrap-up to the fifth anniversary of their debut. Here is our magazine report on that brilliant live! (TEXT BY SAI SAIDA)

It took place on a December night with a bitter wind blowing. A completely invitation-only GARNET CROW live: 800 people per day over two days, only 1,600 in all. The venue was Osaka City Central Public Hall, a historic Neo-Renaissance building constructed in the Taisho era. With the surrounding area decorated in Christmas illuminations and the premium feeling heightened, the first thing handed over on arrival was a gorgeous seat ticket. Once inside, it truly was a captivating space far removed from everyday life. Marble columns stood in rows on both sides, with chandeliers overhead. A red velvet curtain hung over the stage. The BGM was chamber music. The retro exterior, interior, and atmosphere were all fitting for the image of Garnet's live tonight.

Unlike the usual hall, the live began exactly at 6 p.m. amid a deep murmur in which even whispers echoed. David C. Brown's drum count rang out, and beyond the curtain as it rose smoothly I expected to see the familiar Garnet and band members, but instead the first thing that caught my eyes was their dazzling appearance. The men were all in black suits (keyboardist Hirohito Furui in a black suit and white shirt, guitarist Hitoshi Okamoto in a white shirt, black tie, and stylish hunting cap), while among the women, center vocalist Yuri Nakamura wore a black velour jacket and pink flared skirt, her hair set in large curls. AZUKI Nana on keyboard appeared in a low-cut black long dress. Their attire seemed to evoke medieval royalty and nobility. Picked out by the brilliant lights, they were beautiful enough to draw a sigh.

With every eye held fast by the stage, what came through was “Mysterious Eyes.” They closed the early masterpiece with a composed performance, and now the mysterious stage was at last beginning.

“Everyone, welcome to GARNET CROW's premium live. We are truly happy that we can hold a live like this at the close of the milestone year of our fifth anniversary since debut. Tonight we will do our very best too, so please enjoy yourselves to the fullest until the very end.”

Following Nakamura's words came “flying,” which drew the audience still farther into another world, and the acoustic resonance of “夏の幻” carried intoxication with it. Then the MC deepened the atmosphere even more. “On the way back from recording, we came to look at this building, and the contrast with the moon floating there was so mysterious. I wanted everyone to share that image too, so we have several fantastical songs...” With that preface, they continued with “Timeless Sleep,” “夕月夜,” and “未完成な音色,” three representative songs from Garnet's dark side. From the first half onward, many in the audience stood stunned, swallowed by this heavy, pessimistic texture. It was the kind of force that made you either stand frozen or want to crouch down. Every word of the lyrics projected on the screen made emotions tremble. From there, we sank deeply into “水のない晴れた海へ,” and then “Holy ground.” For the dozen-plus minutes until Nakamura's sublime falsetto at the end seemed to carry us upward, a somewhat divinely charged flow of time ruled the venue.

To soften that current, in the middle section guitarist Hitoshi Okamoto, who had reached his fifth anniversary as a solo artist, said, “If you'll accept this humble offering...” and sang “Crystal Gauge” with an easy openness. The next three songs, from “call my name” through “永遠を駆け抜ける一瞬の僕ら,” presented GARNET CROW's pastoral, gentle worldview. This block was something like the second movement of an orchestra. Even so, the range of light and shadow in Garnet's songs really is broad. It is almost as if they are depicting a human life. With those thoughts in mind, the live headed into its latter half.

The MC corner where each member answered Nakamura's question, “What kind of year was this year for you?” was a precious moment that revealed each person's individuality. In the four members' earnest responses, one could glimpse the origin of GARNET CROW's sincere musicality.

Then came “夢みたあとで,” one of the most popular songs in their catalog. The lighting effect from the mirror ball as it began to turn was beautiful enough to steal the eye, but then, somehow, Nakamura's singing stopped for an instant in the middle of the song, overcome with emotion! The performance continued, warmly wrapping around her as tears welled in her eyes. That accident instead felt like a moving scene that showed GARNET CROW's unity as a band.

From the following “千以上の言葉を並べても...,” Nakamura's voice made a splendid return. The latest song “晴れ時計,” the powerful “二人のロケット,” the passionate “僕らだけの未来,” and “君の思い描いた夢 集メル HEAVEN,” which suggested infinite possibility, pulled the voltage all the way up and kept the climax running through to the end of the main set. That flow sounded exactly like fortissimo; it was overwhelming. And at the end, Nakamura called out “thank you very much” to the audience over and over, while the members answered with smiles. Their fresh, clear presence made it a moment when the audience could sincerely feel glad they had kept supporting this band for five years.

Guided by Garnet calls loud enough to split the hall, the screen showed footage of their single history... While it was playing, the members appeared again and performed a song unfamiliar to the ear. It was “春待つ花のように,” a new song created for this night. This song, too, will surely grow someday into one of their classics.

“Schiller said, ‘Life is long if it is tedious, and short if it is fulfilled.’ Tonight, somehow, the time passed in an instant. ... We have come this far because all of you have kept encouraging us over these five years. Please continue to support us from next year onward!”

After Nakamura's words came “Last love song,” and then, at the very very end, “Spiral” was performed carefully and with force. The last phrase was repeated again and again as if regretting the farewell. When everything was over, the hall was filled with glittering light. The curtain once hid the members, then rose again with the applause for the curtain call; the happiness felt in the instant it fell again must surely have poured down on every person gathered there.

On that day, I learned that a “midwinter night's dream” could exist.