Tamaki Koji"JUNK LAND" Concert Tour 1997


[Teruyuki Mihashi's Report Part 1] [Teruyuki Mihashi's Report Part 2] [Duke Sasaji's Report]

Teruyuki Mihashi's Report Part 2


  • And here is the run-down of the program....

    # Songs#Songs
    1
    		 Taiyou San
    13
    		Yami o Romance ni Shite
    2
    		 NO GAME
    14
    		Hey! Hey!
    3
    		 Honeybee
    15
    		Sui Sui
    4
    		 Kanemochi Sanchi no Binbounin
    16
    		Blues Instrumental
    5
    		 CAFE JAPAN
    17
    		Ai no Sanka
    6
    		 Karinto Kouba no Entotsu no Ueni
    18
    		Medley
    7
    		 Wa ga Itoshi no Flag (Instrumental)
    19
    		Den'en
    8
    		 Akogare
    20
    		JUNK LAND
    9
    		 Roman
    ---
    		Encore
    10
    		 Oyasumi Chachi (Instrumental)
    21
    		MR. LONELY
    11
    		 Shiawase no Lamp
    22
    		Melody
    12
    		 Genki na Machi

  • 1. Taiyou San
    As the percussion sounds the introduction, the curtain slowly rises. Crowd is on their feet already. The stage is filled with orange lights and a smoke, building a very mysterious ambience. Koji was playing a guitar, but toward the end of the song, he moved to the percussions, hitting the crash cymbals and cups in sync with Yuji Tanaka.

  • 2. NO GAME
    Crowd remains standing. He immediately starts his next song. In this song, there is a part where the lyric says "take off your panty and bra..." When he got to this part, he slowed down. He stopped the music, and suddenly, someone in row 3 threw a pair of panty and a bra. Koji stops, stares at them in shock. "Omigosh, someone really threw them here," he sings. He didn't pick them up at this time, though. According to Tomoko, Koji has 'complained' that "nobody is taking the bra and panty off" during the concert on the 22nd (day earlier). Hmm...

  • 3. Honeybee
    Each musicians were introduced. As usual, he introduced Yuji, Haruyoshi, and Wataru as "such-and-such of Anzenchitai". In the Jpnz ML, this has caused some controversy as to whether Koji considers him a part of Anzenchitai, but that's off the topic here. There has also been a post to the Jpnz ML that in other day, Koji has declared in the concert that "the Anzenchitai will resume its production and activities in 1998." We'll see if that will be the case, as well as whether Yutaka Takezawa will be involved as well.

  • 4. Kanemochi Sanchi no Binbounin
    Literally translated, it means, "A poor-boy of the rich family." "I wonder what this title really means," Koji mumbles.

  • 5. CAFE JAPAN
    When he started to sing, he started the song with the following lyrics: Good Time...Tokyo days...

  • 6. Karinto Kouba no Entotsu no Ueni
    Finally people take their seat. After he finishes this song, he started to take off his jacket. "This jacket is 'too hot'. Excuse me while I take this thing off." Then, looking at the panty and bra that were thrown in earlier, he says, "I'll also remove this totally inappropriate items off stage." He passes them off to the stage crew. He takes a big gulp of water. "Geez, it's really dry in this hall," as he pours water onto the stage floor. "Oh, by the way, did you guys know that Takanoumi won the Sumo tournament tonight." Quite a lot of talking today (or maybe all those chats are removed when the videos come out).

  • 7. Wa ga Itoshi no Flag (Instrumental)
    Koji and and the keyboardist Satoko Andoh played this piece. Before the song, he talked a little about this song. "I am dedicating this song for something really small but very very important in our lives, like families, friends, etc. As for me, I'm dedicating this song to my cats who passed away really early in their lives." According to a Jpnz ML member, he had two cats named Chachi and Flag, and they both died really young. You can see their photos on the new album.

  • 8. Akogare
    Haruyoshi and Satoko performed this song. Koji works on the percussions.

  • 9. Roman
    Quiet pieces continue. In this concert, unlike the previous tour, Koji sang quite a lot of songs from the previous albums. It was good that the song selection was not favoring too much on "Junk Land" album.

  • 10. Oyasumi Chachi (Instrumental)
    This is the other song for his beloved cats. Wataru and Koji performs a duet of guitars while Takeuchi Strings add a beautiful strings over their melody.

  • 11. Shiawase no Lamp
    Other musicians reconvene on the stage. "For our prosperity and happiness..." Koji smiles. As he sings the final refrain of this song, many small lights come on above Koji's head, as if they were singing in a star-lit sky. Very very beautiful effects, perfectly matched to the nature of the song.

  • 12. Genki na Machi
    Koji encourages the crowd to join in on the "Lalala" chorus.

  • 13. Yami o Romance ni Shite
    "Let's dance, everyone! Let's do the mambo!" Several people stands up and starts dancing to the beat.

  • 14. Hey! Hey!
    In the interlude section, Koji runs to the left side of the stage, all the way to the 15th row. Then after that, he runs across the stage and to the right side of the stage, passing right by me. Wow, a couple of yards from him, and nothing between me and Koji. Of course, he was on this elevated platform, but still, it was quite memorable.
    He used to invite women with mini-skirts to come up to the stage and dance, but he has stopped doing that, I guess; he didn't ask them to come up to the stage. Now, imagine that! Dancing with Koji on a stage!! Oh, bummer, guys were not invited.. ;-)

  • 15. Suisui

  • 16. Blues Instrumental
    Wataru and Koji plays this song.

  • 17. Ai no Sanka (public domain?)
    "This is my mom's favorite song," says Koji. I didn't know this song.

  • 18. Medley to Jirettai
    "Well, let me sing some old Anzenchitai songs..." Yes, I was waiting for that. He starts to sing "Aoi Hitomi no Ellis". Hmm...something doesn't sound right. The key is totally different, and I think he's singing in a major key instead. He stops within 10 seconds. "I can't sing this song with this rhythm!" Then he starts to sing "Wine Red no Kokoro". He still is singing in a wrong key. He quits in another 5 or 10 seconds and then moves onto "Kanashimi ni Sayonara", but singing in a very joyous tempo! All musicians are laughing but performing, adjusting to all Koji is doing. He stops again, and says, "You know, singing this song with this kind of tempo is a no-no. It just ruins the whole ambience of the song. This tempo has nothing to do with sadness!" Finally, he starts to sing in more "suited" key and rhythm. It was "Jirettai", but a different version: a lot quicker and more rugged kind of feeling.
    After the song, he takes out a bat. Yes, since the last concert tour, he bats souvenier balls into the stands. He used to play baseball in the TV drama he used to star in. He wears a Yomiuri Giants uniform, wearing the same number as his favorite player. He hit about 10 balls into the crowd, but none of them came toward me. It turns out that a person two seats away from Tomoko caught the ball, so she had a chance to look at it. On a ball, there was a character "Tama" written. Boy, that could have been quite a souvenier to bring home! He hit someone in the 2nd row early on (and the ball hit this person directly), and he felt so sorry that he pointed at this person and gave it to him/her, making sure he/she was OK. He also repeatedly asked the people on the 2nd floor seats NOT to reach out for the balls. Someone might have fallen in the past.

  • 19. Den'en
    A couple of seconds is all it took for the crowd to recognize the song and stand up. This song was probably the most popular song of the night. A huge chorus rang throughout the hall, as people sang along with the musicians.

  • 20. JUNK LAND
    After the song, all musicians leave the stage. But the curtain wouldn't come down, and the lights are still dim. That must mean that there can be an encore, and everyone continues to applaud. Soon, Koji comes out to the stage. He takes a guitar from the staff, and the crowd relieves its applause. Not liking the applause to subside, he turns around and gives the guitar back to the staff; crowd suddenly gives a loud applause, trying to have Koji pick up his guitar. He did this a couple of times.

    Encore

  • 21. MR. LONELY
    He sang this song with his guitar accompliment. At the last refrain, he comes to the front of the stage without a microphone and sang. His voice resonates throughout the hall.

  • 22. Melody
    Other musicians appear on the stage. Strings introduce the song. The tempo of the song sounded a little slower than the album version.

  • With a music box arrangement of "Melody" playing in the background, all musicians come to the front of the stage after the song, holding hands and bowing. After all other musicians disappear to the backstage, Koji remained on the rim of the stage, bowing. Curtain slowly came down, and only after the curtain recahed the floor did Koji rose his head. He bowed one last time and went off stage. The lights came on with an PA announcement "this concludes today's performance...thank you for coming..."


    Concluding Remarks

  • And that does it for my concert report. After missing two concerts (even though I had tickets), I just had to attend this concert. It certainly was worth it.

  • My trip to Japan included other highlights. I was able to get together with several members of Jpnz ML and went to karaoke and a dinner in Tokyo, as well as renting a studio and playing Anzenchitai songs in Osaka. I would like to thank the Jpnz ML members as well as Koji Tamaki for making my trip to Japan a memorable one. As I was flying back to Seattle, WA, one song echoed in my mind: Dorehodo kisetsu ga, dorehodo megurikitemo, tanoshikatta hibi wo wasurenai (No matter how many seasons pass me by, I'll never forget the joyous time I had) -- from "Yume no Tsuzuki". I thought I now understood the meaning of that lyrics.


    [Teruyuki Mihashi's Report Part 1] [Teruyuki Mihashi's Report Part 2] [Duke Sasaji's Report]

    Written by Teruyuki Mihashi
    Organized by Kelvin Tsang
    Last update: January 10,1998
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