This week on 28th and 29th June (Sat & Sun), 4-man girls band SCANDAL is the second group to achieve a 2 days live at the Yokohama Arena since PRINCESS PRINCESS, since 23 years ago. Last year in Year 2013, they sold out their Osaka-Jo Hall live in 5 minutes (which was a huge success), a dream of theirs since their indie days doing lives on the roads of Shiroten. With these enthusiastic words, “The previous time it’d been a place which all of the fans brought us to. This round, we’ll bring everyone there!”, the band held their second Osaka-Jo live. There came the『SCANDAL ARENA LIVE 2014 「360°」』. As said in the title「360°」, on this time’s 360 degree stage, you can see for the first time ever the backs of the members of SCANDAL as they perform.
In the opening, there was a live vision of the SCANDAL members going towards the stage from the dressing room, which had all in the Osaka-Jo Hall breaking out in cheers at this unexpected surprise. Walking near the audience seats, the members arrived at the stage safely and checked their instruments each before starting with the first song, which was also their debut tune, “DOLL”. There were strong thoughts weaved into their debut song, and all at the once the venue was hyped up.
Following on, HARUNA (Vo, Gt) yelled encouragingly, “Osaka―!”, before unveiling for the first time “Osaka LOVER”. It was a tune which they covers during the 25th Anniversary of DREAMS COME TRUE, in the cover album,『Watashi to Dorikamu -DREAMS COME TRUE 25th ANNIVERSARY BEST COVERS-』. Before personally covering DREAMS COME TRUE’s “Osaka LOVER”, the members had come to watch the song play at the very same Osaka-Jo Hall as if it were fate. For the band that was formed on these grounds in Osaka, they did a version filled with SCANDAL-like Kansai dialect, which sent the crowd into maximum tension quickly! After that, they continued with “Welcome home”, a song perfectly fit for Osaka.
RINA (Dr, Vo) spoke to the crowd, “Is there anyone that came from America today!?" HARUNA followed with, "Everyone that’s gathered here, let’s get rid of all that daily stress and make this the best night everー!" They then begun with some speedy numbers, "Runners high" and "LOVE SURVIVE”, following on with “EVERYBODY SAY YEAH”, in which you can feel the band’s strong sessions continuing on.
On this day, a new surprise was that MAMI (Gt, Vo) played and sang a solo acoustic of “Koe”. Normally, this girl is the guitar player and in charge of the harmony of the band. Just one person in the enormous venue of the Osaka-Jo, she sang with just one guitar emotionally and the audience’s hot energy from previously quickly turned quiet. RINA said, “MAMI-chan’s ‘Koe’ was good~. I got all these goose bumps!" MAMI reacted with, "I sang while watching each and everyone’s faces! How was it everyone?" The venue responded with a, "It was the best~!" in a loud volume.
Bathing in the afterglow, RINA proposed, “Speaking of which, when we came to watch DREAMS COME TRUE’s Osaka-Jo Hall (live), there was a really beautiful wave done. So please, may everyone here do it!" At this, the entire venue did a wave right till the guy at the very end! Wild enthusiasm broke out as a BIG WAVE was done, bringing the entire venue together as one. HARUNA then says, "Today, the Osaka staff surprised us at the backstage by bringing out man-made grass and it turned out like a representation of Japan’s soccer (laughs). May this big wave be conveyed from Osaka and that Japan will move on safely (in the matches)!”
After that, RINA signalled, “Drum stand, rotate!" With the drums turning a 180 degrees, all of the members sang "Let it Go" in acapella! (laughs). RINA said in the MC, "…And with that, we’ll like to show you all just the way we are!”, before bringing on a strong drumming number in an unexpected mini-skirt. MAMI then begun her memorable guitar rift and they all performed “Awanai Tsumori no, Genki de ne”, “Rainy”, “Namida yo Hikare" and such up-tempo tunes, bringing the crowd’s enthusiasm up a notch. The vigorous numbers came rapidly, and the members’ performance hyped up the hall as like they do in a live house.
As the encore came, the members once again reappeared. They met with a continuous call for encore, and HARUNA said kindly to the fans, “We’ll do it again! Osaka-Jo Hall. From now on, we’ll like to do this every year. We will work hard as we call this our home" She continued on in a straightforward manner, "This is our second time standing on the Osaka-Jo Hall today, however this has always been our dream stage. It is embarrassing to talk about dreams but….it’s an amazing thing isn’t it? Everyone that came here today, may your dreams all come true." They then brought on "one piece”, which was written with lots of memories. These figures of the girls at the second time standing on the Osaka-Jo Hall, there is absolute strong will in them.
Next on, they brought on a song that made their fans happy. They unveiled “Yoake no Ryuuseigun" for the first time, which is the theme song to the movie「Pokemon • The • Movie XY Hakai no Mayu to Dianshi」, which will be released in theatres on 19th July. With the same Kameda Seiji as the sound producer on their previous heartful work “Departure”, TOMOMI has also written the lyrics for this one. SCANDAL sang of going forth towards achieving dreams and creating miracles, in the adventure and growth during the occurrence of one summer in this tune.
“This is our very last song! Osaka―!" HARUNA screamed towards the audience as they wrapped the venue in a whole with "Taiyou to Kimi ga Egaku STORY”, celebrating the end of their 2nd time at the Osaka-Jo Hall.
To add on, the visuals for this time’s “Yoake no Ryuuseigun" have arrived. As for the jacket covers, the members had posed lying on chalk drawings, bringing on a challenging cover artwork.
Original article at excite
HERE, translated and edited slightly by
FYSB.
