Concert Memories 11: Kenji Ozawa, May 18, 2026
I attended my first Kenji Ozawa concert yesterday, after being introduced to the live information by Koipon, a contributor to note. To start with the conclusion, it was a wonderful concert that exceeded my expectations. After the best live performance, which lasted over three hours, I truly felt glad that I had come. Thank you, Koipon!
"Aru Hikari" (Some Light) - Kenji Ozawa
Before purchasing tickets for this concert, I had already scheduled a trip to Korea for the same day, so I headed to the concert venue, SGC Hall Ariake, from Narita Airport using the fastest method available to me. Unfortunately, I didn't make it in time for the start and entered midway through the first song.
As soon as the first song ended, dazzling lights suddenly began to spin around the venue, and my favorite song, "Aru Hikari," which I never expected to be performed live, began. At that moment, I was convinced that I was glad I had come to this concert today.
Coincidentally, when I whispered "Let's get on board!" at Nippori Station and got into a taxi to make it to the concert on time, "Aru Hikari" was playing in my head.
Unfortunately, the airport I landed at was NARITA, not "JFK".
"Shinpiteki" (Mysterious) - Kenji Ozawa
For this concert tour, there were carefully constructed gimmicks to delight fans, such as distributing special items to be used during the live show upon entry, and interspersing the performance with narration by Kenji Ozawa himself, reflecting on the "Ozaken" of the 90s from his current perspective. I generally accepted these attempts positively.
However, it was a little disappointing that the performance of "Shinpiteki," a hidden masterpiece that symbolizes the current Kenji Ozawa, was interrupted by these gimmicks.
The quality of this song in this live performance itself was absolutely wonderful, including the lighting and video production centered on green, which symbolizes nature, and the beautiful sound of the string instruments, so I would have liked to listen to it all the way through without interruption if possible.
"Tenshi-tachi no Scene" (Scene of the Angels) - Kenji Ozawa
SGC Hall Ariake was a new hall I had never been to before, and since I booked late, I was in the 4th-floor seats. However, I was in the 3rd row almost directly in front, and including the production that made full use of lighting and video, it might have been easier to see than the arena seats on the 1st floor.
The only problem was that while the audience on the 1st to 3rd floors were mostly standing and enjoying themselves, the people around me were mostly sitting the whole time.
However, when I heard the intro to the masterpiece "Tenshi-tachi no Scene," which is included on his first album and which I had hoped to hear most if possible, which began with Kenji Ozawa's announcement that "It might be okay to stand and listen to this song," I stood up without hesitation, swayed my body, and did not hesitate to sing along loudly with Kenji Ozawa. I was encouraged by Kenji Ozawa's words, "If you can sing, sing along!"
"Ryudoutai ni Tsuite" (About Fluidity) - Kenji Ozawa
After "Tenshi-tachi no Scene," the tumultuous development in the second half, centered on recent hits like "Suisei," "Ryusei Bop," and "Arpeggio," was a dreamlike time for me as I stood up, danced, and sang along. And when "Ryudoutai ni Tsuite," my current favorite, began, I felt like I was ascending to heaven. In particular, the scene where Kenji Ozawa played a distorted, incredibly pleasant guitar was the highlight of the show for me.
"Lovely" - Kenji Ozawa
The live show, which had ended once with "Ryudoutai ni Tsuite," entered an encore after a short interval. Surprisingly, they played 8 songs for the encore! According to information, perhaps because this was the final performance of this series, it seems there were 3 more songs than at other venues. The one-time-only extra songs were "Fukuro no Koe ga Kikoeru," "Cinnamon (Toshi to Katei)," and the song everyone loves, "Lovely."
I don't know if the Ozaken of the 90s was such a generous person. But the Kenji Ozawa I saw today was definitely a first-class entertainer.
In the first place, his ability to not only continue creating high-quality music even as he approaches 60, but also to think carefully about how to convey it to the audience in a cool way, including past works, and to think about the total composition including production, is unparalleled and wonderful.
In the 90s, Ozaken, who was called a prince and overflowed with talent, could not live at the same pace forever. Perhaps a long blank period was necessary until the current Kenji Ozawa, who has surpassed the Ozaken of the 90s, could be created.
But that is another story.
I had planned to post the "Concert Memories" series chronologically. However, I wanted to convey the wonder of Kenji Ozawa's live show yesterday, so I decided to ignore the order. Because if time passes, I will forget the excitement of the day.