#a-x's

(Before I get started, I just wanted to mention that the overall concert-going experience in Japan is very different from what I’m used to in America, so I’m going to write a separate journal about how to attend concerts in Japan and what is common etiquette and behavior in live houses. This will mainly focus on the concert itself!)

Since this is Da-iCE blog, I want to focus on the Da-iCE portions of the show, but stay tuned for a later update showcasing the other groups because they were awesome and I want you all to love them, too.

In Japan, idol culture is centered of Johnny’s on one side and 48-project groups on the other. There are some outliers with mass appeal such as LDH and Hello!Project idols, but otherwise, idol groups can struggle to find their market and place in the spotlight separate from the big league idols the nation is automatically focused on through management reputation. The SWISH concert series is answer to that issue. It joins together both established and up-and-coming male/mixed gender groups, and unites the fandoms of the groups who don’t have the big league market recognition but still have a lot to offer the industry through their modern, more genre bending approach to J-pop. The event is the dream of the multi-fandom crowd, which perfectly defines me as a J-pop fan. I’m all for seeing J-pop evolve and branching out to support the new groups who give it unique color.

The venue, Tokyo Dome City Hall, was filled around 5:20 ahead of the scheduled 6:00 start, and by 5:30, the opening acts were already hitting the stage. We started off first with MADKID (MDKD), a dance and vocal unit from Tokyo which served up a powerful hip-hop performance to kick off the night. They were followed up by a-X’s (pronounced “A-Cross”), a mixed gender trainee unit from avex formed by the winners of their boys and girls dance and vocal auditions. On top of their standard group performance, they also performed a fantastic dance cover of The Weeknd’s “Rockin’”.

Next up was our “bonus opening act”. This changed depending on which location the SWISH event happened in, but TOKYO SWISH’s bonus was Yudai x Keisuke Murakami, Yudai’s former groupmate in his Fukkin Gakuen days. Usually the venue announced who was performing next via an overhead screen, but since Yudai and Keisuke were “the bonus,” they were presented in somewhat of a surprise fashion. The lights were dimmed too low to see the stage, but we could all hear Yudai’s voice in his microphone set, so everyone reacted to him immediately. The two performed an original acoustic ballad entitled “Futari dake no ai”. I really hope this song makes an appearance on Keisuke’s debut album because it was gorgeous and I want you all to hear it. Yudai and Keisuke also did the thing Sota and Yudai often do during “A WHOLE NEW WORLD” and “Boku no Kiseki”-- the intense staring at each other during the love ballad. After their performance was over, a member of the audience screamed out “YUDAI-KUN!” and Yudai responded by cutely going “Kei-chan~!”

Afterwards, the main acts quickly followed. Mixed gender avex group lol was the first performer of the night, and they were followed by my second favorite J-pop group FlowBack. Both groups really set the tone for the night, that this generation of groups isn’t about the stereotypical “cute and quirky” label J-pop usually gets from outside of observers. These groups have EDM, hip-hop, and trap influences which give them a Westernized feel, without even getting into how broad and diverse their dance skills are. Anyone who still thinks of J-pop as only “AKB48,” please point them in the direction of these groups.

Following FlowBack was Ebidan’s massively underrated but supremely infectious PrizmaX, then X4, who genuinely was X4 that day since member Shota was not there due to an injury. Here’s to hoping for his quick recovery in time for X4′s tour performance tomorrow! Next up was Tensai Bonjin, who delivered one of the night’s most diverse sets by going from comedic, pump-up hip-hop to a heart-wrenching ballad while slaying the performances of both. Next was BRIDGET, the underrated visual and dance kings of avex, and then WHITE JAM, the masterminds behind several of Da-iCE’s hit songs and the improv Kings and Queen. Gashima and Shirose chose an audience member at random, asked for her name, and came up with a totally amazing free style rap on the spot using her name as the starting theme. PrismaX’s Daiki also came back to join them on their song “OVERSIZE.”

Last up of the night was Da-iCE!! Even before they were announced on the big screen, the arena lit up with their lightsticks, which the majority of the arena seemed to have-- they were one of the biggest draws of the night by far! They came out wearing the red and black gear they’ve been sporting for their between NEXT PHASE and Tonikaku HEY! performances, as you can see below:

Their first song of the evening for Da-iCE was “NEXT PHASE,” which showcased their completely knock-out choreography at its finest. They wrote this song to replace “FIGHT BACK” as their tour opener anthem, and it does it’s job of hyping everyone up to perfection. The dance was explosive and the vocals just as dynamic as you would expect from Yudai and Sota.

To keep things energetic (and sexy), they moved right along to “Chocolate Sympathy.” Which, as they have mentioned in interviews, involves chair dancing. Yes. Chair dancing. I thought I had prepared myself, but I was not ready to witness this in person. When they call this the legendary song of their album, they are not lying.

The group did a short greeting for their MC, but naturally had a lot of charm points since they’re Da-iCE. Taiki started off by saying “I’m the leader, Taiki Kudo,” which Toru followed up with “I’m not the leader, Toru Iwaoka” and Yudai adding “I’m also not the leader, Yudai Ohno.” When it came to Sota, he was immediately trolled by the members per tradition, but brushed it off quickly to introduce himself. Hayate, naturally, received no trolling and remains the apple of the group’s eye.

Next up was my favorite performance of the night, “Koigokoro.” The music video leaves a heart-wrenching impression enough, but the in-person vocals and the way both Yudai and Sota portray them is almost physically painful in the most beautiful way. When Sota went for his high note, you could almost feel the raw agony coming from him. The dance line was also powerful during this performance, showcasing their high-flying turns during the song’s climax.

Keeping the atmosphere serious, they moved along into “TWO AS ONE,” their fan-dedicated anthem from their album. Once again, the emotions of this song carried over even stronger in person, especially thanks to the complex and interpretive choreography by the dance line. One of the point moves of the choreography involved putting their hands together in the shape of a dice, which was beautiful to see, especially since it perfectly matched the shape of their updated lightstick.

Last, they closed with their summer anthem and crowd pleaser “PARADIVE”. For this one, we were all waving our slogan towels and singing along with them, so I think this was one of the moments that best united all the many fandoms in the room. And I always thought the moment Hayate came to the center of the dance formation during the breakdown was iconic, and seeing it live just confirmed it. Everyone went wild for that part.

Of course, a concert isn’t a concert without an encore, but since there were so many groups, this one was unique. Sota, Yudai, Tensai Bonjin’s MiNE, WHITE JAM’s Shirose, and BRIDGET’s Shun, the night’s harmony masters, were selected to perform two original songs for the encore before inviting all the groups onstage again to do a final bow and take a commemorative photo. After a closing anthem from the DJ, the long concert came to a close.