Michishige Sayumi(Morning Musume) graduation concert

Well early up of holiday had ended up buying ticket for this when it looked like I couldn't get tickets for the ones I know at least bit more. Well got to those anyway so this was bit of a "whoops" purchase. I know very little of the Morning Musume(and even had to check wikipedia for full name of the graduate. Didn't even remember first name but at least that I picked up fast on the concert). About only thing I knew of her was that a) member colour pink b) she's oldest of the morning musume(Morning Musume '14 being their current full name. They decided that name will get from now on year number so next year it's Morning Musume '15) and hello project idols as a whole making her leader of both MM and HP(not that it carries more than ceremonial meaning). Few songs I could recognize but whether they would be played I had no idea.

I got bored waiting at home so despite rain and coldness figured I'll head there early up and see what I can do to kill time. Took up new volume of uchuu kyoudai manga just in case. First stop was however kaiten sushi for the lunch. Forgot to take pictures of 2 plates including most expensive one with big thick red slices of fish on top of rice. That was good but with 3.5e or so for plate those get expensive to eat.

 There's the concert venue modelled after madison square arena and capable of hosting 17,000 person. And I think today was pretty close to the maximum capacity on use.

The promotion picture. I'm FAIRLY sure I can now recognize the girl on center of bottom row as the graduating(and makes sense to be the center of picture). Good luck me for trying to guess who the rest of them are.

I had arrived early up but seems I was still late compared to whole lot of guys(and surprisingly large number of girls). I saw what I figured was concert good line and started to follow it to see how long it was. LONG! Ridiculously long. Well I didn't have much of idea of any other places to go and I had book so I figured I'll join the end and see how long it takes for this queue to end. Time was about 13:30 with doors opening 17:00 so I figured plenty of time. So I open up book, start read, walk along when line moves. First hour goes up okay. Then I start to feel bit chilly(it's raining and temperature probably <10). Reading becomes bit tougher with fingers starting to be bit stiff. Particularly phone usage(dictionary) is getting hard. And some female fans are here with mini-skirts leaving legs from knees down bare. I KNOW Japanese females love miniskirts but sheesh I'm only baring my head and fists and I'm freezing!

2nd hour passes and I'm almost through the manga. Sheesh! I realize I should have brought more reading material.

3rd hour over and I'm starting to realize we won't be in time but I waited until it was 16:50 at which point goal line(entrance to where actual shop stands were) was still far away.

Lol.

Rough drawing of the line I took though of course distances are hard to cauge. Red line was one line advance, then on black line we were in 2 lines going through stairs first up and then back down. Blue line marks the approximation of the remaining part I didn't even try to wait any more.

Line to indoor was also pretty long but they started to take us in bit sooner than stated and with only ticket showing line moved fast so I was soon in the warm interior. Verified my seat location and decided to do "line waiting part #2" to the indoor goods store. I waited, waited...And around 17:45 announce came of show starting(so preliminary performances. Main concert begins at 18:00) so I skip the line and head to seat. HAHAHA! Even if I had wanted to buy something wouldn't have been able without skipping start of concert. Ridiculous long lines :D

Well there were 2 opening performances.

juice=juice, senobi. They are latest HP group whom I did see last year twice performing their first single at the start of 2 concerts.

Then s/mileage performed eighteen emotion. With the 3rd generation members(3 of them) in. Didn't see the new members who will start their career soonish in the s/mileage concert before. Name of the group even is going to change soonish though to what no idea.

With this short wait(and listening standard "don't run around, don't throw around, don't drink alcohol etc messages).

 My seat wasn't all that good(then again I had chosen pretty much cheapest ticket I could find on the principle this is the group I'm least interested on). Was hard to see the girls except from the screens.

Blame the google that you'll now get list of all the songs performed :D Out of the 25 or so songs I could even recognize having heard of total of about 5...

Seemed I had ended up in area where most of the fans were actually girls. Weird coincidence or MM attracts more female fans than other HP groups? One fan right in front of me was having good time with her dancing along on most songs. Wonder how much she trains to know all the dance moves?

"TIKI BUN". First set of clothing was...well could be actually pretty much those? Bottom of skirts were at least red/black and white jacket.

Wagamama Ki no Mama Ai no Joke. This one I have actually heard once before. For this white jackets were removed revealing red/black dresses with some having mostly red and others mostly black.

What is LOVE?

Following this is introduction video with arena colour changing constantly when audience changes the light sticks to match member colours.

Next song and again new clothing and this was my favourite set. These pale blue dresses, slightly gauzy dresses. One arm(left or right depending on girls) it was long sleeve allowing some dramatic swings be done with it. Very feminine looking without going tasteless.

Toki wo Koe Sora wo Koe.(And no I don't think those dresses are same though could be wrong)

Do it! Now

After this time there was speech time where next generation(who start next year properly) were introduced (4 girls aged 12-15) so next year Morning Musume '15 will have(short of quick graduations following) whopping 13 members. This is btw one reason never catched up with MM. Too many members, too much changes. They also announced next leader and 2 sub leaders now with Sayumi graduating.

Next set of clothing was green or purple(again roughly half-half) short top and real short miniskirt leaving midrift and arms(and legs) bare. Would have been pretty good eye candy except for a) couldn't see much b) youngest are like 15 I think and short of Sayumi no bloody hope of recognizing other 18+ member(s). (come to think of do they HAVE 18+ members except Sayumi left?).

 Asu wo Tsukuru no wa Kimi

Fantasy ga Hajimaru

I WISH (updated)

This was followed by VCR(Sayumi related which didn't surprise me). Followed by Saymi doing solo song with this red dress with yellow dots.

Shaba Daba Doo

.
Hell I think that's same clothes and certainly same singer. That's odd. Didn't expect them to recycle things like this for graduation concert.

 Rest of girls joined in with others having various blue, purple, turquise etc dresses(multiples visible) so Sayumi kind of stood out having brightest coloured dress of them all. Which kinda is the point. It IS her final concert in the MM.

Egao no Kimi wa Taiyou sa. Wow. Song I could actually remember hearing before. Rarity!

Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai! Another song I have actually heard before.

 That actually DID happen. Don't think I have seen kiss done in any HP concert before. Needless to say crowd went WILD.

Next up came yet another speech part where came 3 guests. Somebody I had no idea who was(but wikipedia search revealed she's one of the original 4 girls that started up the Morning Musume in...Ummm....1998? Last year was 15h anniversary I think) so guess that explains why audience went crazy with her coming up. Second was Maimi Yajima from C-ute(whom I saw at Budokan) who will be taking title of hello project leader next and 3rd guest was Tanaka Reina who graduated from MM last year(went to her graduation tour though not graduation concert that took about month later from my departure). Then came standard mutual thanks, admiration speeches, flower giving etc you can expect from this sort of situation.

Next came medley so lots of songs but only short piece(generally the catch part of  the song). First song was 3 girl song. For next clothing it was mainly white dresses with grey/black lines and grids here and there with wide black belt.

 

Silver no Udedokei

 

Help me!!

Renai Revolution 21

Renai Hunter

 

ABCD E-cha E-cha Shitai

Wakuteka Take a chance (updated). Again song I actually remembered. Saw this last year too which gave me bit of moral problem with the leg shaking part combined with the young age of the performers. At least this time had less issue by sheer fact I could hardly see the girls so despite that leg shaking part being part chosen for meddley it was "no problem". Simply don't look at the monitors. (and angle from my side wasn't "ideal" anyway)

Brainstorming (updated)

Suki da na Kimi ga

Kono Chikyuu no Heiwa wo Honki de Negatterun da yo. Another song I have heard before. Now somewhere around this time or bit later they managed to change to yet another clothing. Again mini-top plus miniskirt(this time pink+black) with black leather piece covering one arm(making me think "where's the rest of leather jacket?"). Midrift+other arm+legs bare.

Seishun Collection

LOVE Machine

Give me Love

With this medley was over. Keep in mind we only heard pieces of each song.

Shabondama

Maybe heard this before but not sure. Start feels bit familiar.

One・Two・Three. Last song I could recognize.

Password is 0

Be Alive

With this singers left and encore waiting began. Unsurprisingly it was "SA-YU-MI! SA-YU-MI!" shouting that went along. I broke rules a bit and took one photo(sorry!).

That's...Pink! Whole arena was pink. Also was same before when there was the guests, Sayumi solo song and generally always lots of pink which was to be expected on graduation concert of member with pink colour for band colour. Oh and huge % of audience were wearing pink t-shirts as well. Pink pink, pink. I see pink!

For this the new members even came and while rest were wearing white dresses(knee length or so) Sayumi(who didn't sing. Pre-song this was annouced to be song showing rest of members gratitude for Sayumi) had this nice red kimono. They had also made up her hair up nicely(no wonder encore waiting took longer than usual). She walked into center of arena and back during the song.

Looking at the video seems to have same idea. Sayumi walking(9 girls in blue/yellow clothes, one kimono cladded. Could very well be same kimono).

This I liked. Felt appropriate for graduation concert.

After this there was time for "congratuations for graduation" speeches by the 13 girls. Now can't say how much of this was pre-planned and how much real but if all that crying/near crying/faltering was acted then bloody hell they need to start career as actresses and not singers :D Fairly sure at least some of it was real emotions. Can't work together for year(s) without having some sort of emotive response when parting away.

Now there was some odd at the start where Sayumi suddenly collapsed and had asked lights off. Somebody also had rushed from sidelines to her place. Rest of members were encouraging audience to shout "SA-YU-MI!". Now on web site I copied set list from there was mention that she would have actually twisted her ankle? If true then what follows is just amazing. As after all those speeches(and I'll admit that despite not having any particular emotional ties for either band or the Sayumi was feeling bit watery at eye corners. I can get emotional easily!) there was "double encore" so yet more shouting of "SA-YU-MI!".

Then finally she came with this long, long, white-red dress that was wide as hell(on above photo before concert see the black walkway? Thats about width of 2 girls walking but she covered it alone with that dress). Lots and lots of talking including how she wanted to join MM(not because she loved singing or wanted to dance but because she loved morning musume). How that love of MM carried her through beginnings despite not having much solo lines and feeling she wasn't needed. Also commenting there's lots of weird fans as they like her when there's better singers and dancers in MM(generating lots of "not so!" from fans. Especially when she continued "today either wasn't able to do anything". Typical Japanese self-downplaying to the extreme).

Next she song, and walked to the center, the song that had made her part of MM so I guess that's song she performed in auditions? So like 13+ year old song probably.

Akai Freesia

Aruiteru and rest of the girls(bar new members) joined up for the song.

For last song Sayumi got rid of that wide dress and had similar white clothing. Where the dress went though? Missed that one. Guess near stage was staff member whom she handed it over.

Happy Daisakusen!

After this they circled through the arena. So if Sayumi DID indeed sprain her ankle then nice gesture of giving fans one last walk through despite some level of pains. Unsurprisingly she was last member to leave the hall.

So there. Out of all the concerts I have been maybe least interesting though at least it was somewhat interesting to see graduation concert in live. But not knowing many songs nor having idea of members sort of make it "bleh" At least last year MM concert I had ONE member(the one that graduated after that tour) I could at least recognize. Distant seat also made feel bit more separated from the happenings. Audio wise it was still quite a different experience compared to say youtube but visually the screens were neccessary. Well you get what you pay and I had paid about the bare minimum ;)

But this one is definitely group I have least interest. Somewhat telling story. Week or two ago I had went to HP official store to see what it's like(and okay did buy couple photos). There was actually another foreign fan who seeing me asked if I'm here for the Sayumi graduation concert. I was bit like "huh" at which point he guesses I'm more into other groups(well that's true). I said I'm not sure if I'm going there or not(honest answer) to which he was bit puzzled. I asked when is it and he mentioned the date at which point I go like "ok I'll be going then". I had the ticket but I had no idea it was the final day. I did know she would be graduating but hadn't checked the day of final concert. And ticket was selected by basis of: a) cheap b) in Tokyo when I'm in Tokyo. I knew I had bought myself ticket to her graduation tour but hadn't realized I had bought to final show.

(had I realized that I MAYBE might have invested bit more for bit better place but IIRC prices HAD been pretty damn high so maybe not after all. Which now makes sense with this being her graduation concert)