Southern All Stars Live 3

Tue, 03 Jan 2006 11:15:16 +0000

It seems every other post here is about the Southern All Stars. Well, on December 30th (2005), we went to see them again at the Yokohama Arena, and again, they were absolutely fantastic. So, from having never seen them before, in the the second half of 2005, we saw them three times, each time in different settings: Rock in Japan Festival, the Tokyo Dome, and now at the Yokohama Arena.

Whilst the songs for the latter two were pretty similar, it was great (again) seeing them in a smaller venue, and from a different angle, to really appreciate the live show, and really, there aren’t many bands nowadays who can keep a place moving for three hours solid.

The question then might be why we saw two stadium gigs in a months, and the answer is because we applied for both dates in a kind of raffle, and their tickets sell out within a day usually, and so we were really pleased we actually got allotted two sets of tickets. Also, as I understand it, they often do their live shows at the end of the year.

Southern All Stars Live

Thu, 08 Dec 2005 21:35:29 +0000

OK, I admit this is a bit late, but last week (Dec. 1st), we went to the Tokyo Dome to see Southern All Stars live, and really, it was probably the best live gig I’ve seen - ever.

Almost three hours of continuous music, by probably Japan’s best band. Complete with an amazing light show, screens, dancers, fireworks and balloons big enough to be out of ’ The Prisoner’, the whole night was just amazing.

For me, it was great that they included a lot of my favourite songs, including the single ‘Bohbo No.5’, complete with hilarious animations running around the back screens, ‘Rock and Roll Superman’, and ‘Yellow Man’, which is the first time I’d seen that live, and it really is a great live track. That made up for a lack of ‘Manpi no G-spot’ in the set though!

Compared to the previous live show at ‘Rock in Japan’, and despite it’s length and the size of the hall, this seemed a little bit more ‘for the fans’, with Kuwata, the lead singer, showing why he’s not only a good vocalist, but also a consumate showman, chatting with the crowd and generally setting the mood. It also let the band put some stunning visuals on some moving video walls, from patterns, to animations to photos, illustrating each song, and doing some of their slower, more melodic songs.

Fortunately for us, we’ll see them *again* on Dec. 30th in Yokohama, but it seems that generally, it’s really hard to get tickets, because they don’t tour that often anymore - indeed Kuwata lamented that at 49 and a smoker, he’s not sure how much longer he can do it (Though as he runs around the stage dressed as a schoolboy, you’d never guess his age!).

For those who have no idea who these people are, I really recommend buying or renting the new double CD “Killer Street”, which is a combination of some reworked old songs, and a lot of new tracks.

Personally, I’ve been really impressed with them, and it’s great to see a band who can put tens of thousands of fans in an arena and do a long, fantastic show. Roll on Dec. 30th!

Southern-All-Stars on Nanikore

Southern All Stars Live 3

Southern All Stars Live