In the eye of the UP UP GIRLS kakko KARI storm: “5 to the 5th Power Sokonashi no Ichi taikan” Live Report
On October 27th 2019 was held UP UP GIRLS kakko KARI‘s concert, “5 to the 5th Power Sokonashi no Ichi taikan”, at Shinjuku BLAZE in Tokyo. They performed for the very first time “HAPPY NAKED!!”, one of the songs on their new single set for release on December 10th.
Using their secondary “Ichi taikan zone” (t/n proximity zone) stage in the middle of the venue, they offered a high energy performance as close to their audience as possible, setting the starting point of their “Ichi taikan” (t/n harmonious feeling of unity) movement. They also announced a concert that will close their activities for 2019, on December 28th at Akabane ReNY alpha. It is with new outfits worn for the first time that day that they started the live with “5 to the 5th Power”. The group followed up with “Appare”, a song they usually keep for the second part of their performances, so they could get everyone’s spirits as high as possible right away!
During the MC, Arai Manami shouted: “Welcome to UP UP GIRLS kakko KARI’s ‘5 to the 5th Power Sokonashi no Ichi taikan’ concert!”, followed by Sekine Azusa: “Just like the title says, we are sure that with you all, we can create a harmonious performance tonight. Show us this feeling of unity that we all created together, and let’s do even better!”, proving that they wish to deepen this tight and joyful bond that they are used to share.
They followed up with the dynamic “Party People Alien” and “Zenryoku! Pump Up” and, just like a proof that their concerts are like a never ending summer, kept going with “Summer beam!”.
It was right after that Mori Saki announced their new single “HAPPY NAKED!!”, to be released on December 10th: “We will perform our new song! (Furukawa) Konatsu-chan worked on the choreography, and the keyword is ‘Peace’. We think that the people who will listen to the song will feel happy and peaceful, so let’s all make ‘peace’ together!”.
“HAPPY NAKED!!” is a happy song that mixes up dance beat and ethnic melodies. A song that can only be performed by the current line-up of UP UP GIRLS, speaking about their future with enthusiasm and dancing with energy. After this new song, they kept going without a break with “Heat Beat Island”, “Uppercut!”, “Up Up Typhoon” and “Upper disco”.
While the atmosphere was reaching its climax, Furukawa Konatsu announced: “You are all incredible tonight! But in order to be even closer to you all, we will now use the ‘ichi taikan zone’ !”, and the members moved to the stage in the middle of the audience. We were able to hear the fans voicing out their pleased surprise: “It’s so close!”. After yelling “Ichi taikan! Ichi taikan!” in unison, it’s in a storm of energy that the entire venue had fun on “Chopper☆Chopper”. Seeing these fans cheering on their members all around the stage was almost like watching a wrestling game in the middle of the venue. They jumped together on “Jumper!!”, and everyone did they very best during “Ai Ai Fire!!”. Saho Akari let out some screams, as powerful as those of a professional athlete.
Finally, during “FOREVER YOUNG”, a song full of memories, tous les fans se tiennent par l’épaule et sans aucun effort supplémentaire, naît le sentiment d’harmonie qui les lie. À l’origine, la première partie du concert devait se terminer ici, mais la salle ne refroidit pas. Les membres profitent du rappel des fans si près d’elles, et décident de continuer le reste du concert à ce même endroit.
all the fans held each other by the shoulder and with no extra effort, this feeling of harmony tying them together was born. The first part of the concert was initially supposed to end there, but the audience did not cool down. The members took advantage of their fans being so close to them to keep going with the concert in the middle of the venue.
Before closing on this concert, the members took a small break to drink and breathe a little, all while sharing their feelings about this performance:
Furukawa Konatsu
“It was the first time that I could experiment an encore call from up close. We always say that us being close to our fans is the best part about UP UP GIRLS concerts, but it’s not something we can achieve by ourselves, and it is also thanks to the strength that you give us. You really are part of the group (laugh). It’s thanks to you that we were able to do our best until the end of today’s concert. It was really fun. I really want this proximity feeling to be even stronger, so please keep on supporting and coming to see us live!”
Mori Saki
“To be honest, this concert was so aggressive that I thought I was going to pass out at some point, but I managed to do our best when I saw your faces. I felt supported by this close feeling. It’s been 9 years since I joined UP UP GIRLS, and all my heart and soul were wrapped by this feeling of sharing, it’s pure happiness. I want to keep giving you energy through my smile, my singing, my dancing and my words.”
Saho Akari
“When I heard the title of the concert, ‘Sokonashi no ichi taikan’ (t/n a proximity without boundaries), I thought that we could never do more than what we were already doing. But today, I realized that we can deepen this bond with you. I want to keep having fun with everyone. The more the merrier. But it>s also something we cannot achieve on our own. It’s not very common to go ‘Yay!’ and jump around by ourselves, is it? (laugh) But it’s a side of my personality that I can show when I am with you. I want to turn UP UP GIRLS concerts into a place where I can show this facet of myself, that I cannot show outside. So I would like us to keep on pursuing our dreams together, please keep supporting us!”
After promoting their December 28th Akabane ReNY alpha concert once again, she kept going: “I found out today that there were many other ways to have fun on songs we’ve been performing for years now. I want to perform in lives where together, we can make both our older and latest songs grow.”
They performed “Watashitachi (with friend)” during the encore call. A song that expresses the feeling of never wanting to lose, sung by the fans in the audience. Mori, overwhelmed by her emotions, could not contain her tears. The concert ended on a happy feeling, the entire venue singing the “Lalala〜” of the last part of the song together.
UP UP GIRLS kakko KARI achieved the challenge to create this new feeling of unity with their fans. Their activities keep going with their next concert on December 28th, but also in 2020. Don’t hesitate to show up and experiment this closeness with them!
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Photos by YU-M Entertainment.
Press release translated to French by Angélique, to English by Melody