~As the Spring Breeze Blows on a Day of Cherry Blossom Petals~ ukka Major Debut Spring Tour 2023 Shinagawa Performance [Impressions]

Sunday, April 16, 2023, near the Shinagawa Prince Hotel. Under a clear sky that made the cloudy weather until yesterday feel like a lie. The glaring early summer sun was shining, and it was hot in a sweatshirt.

This day was the final Shinagawa Stellar Ball performance of ukka's 2023 spring tour. It was a place where idols who are my roots, such as Momoiro Clover Z and 9nine, had also once carved their history.

Setlist

Before the curtain / 1st block (M.1–M.3)

The narration for the youth novel was by A-Piyo-chan, Ayame Kawase. Personally, it was deeply moving to hear her read out the catchphrase for ukka that a 9nine fan had thought of at Stellar Ball.
And since I was worried about the time, I wasn't mentally prepared ()

The first song was “Afternoon Graffiti”!
Before I knew it, it had become a song I absolutely love. The calls during the B-melody and such were fresh.

2nd song “Fanfare”. It left a very deep impression in Fukuoka.

3rd song “Fantasy Travel”. I love the song itself, so I end up swaying to it.
Since I was positioned towards the stage left, I watched the Riju-Ruri kiss clearly. I couldn't see Riju-chan's face, but in a way, that made it feel like I was watching the kiss, which made my heart race (?).
During Riju-chan's part, I held up my blue wristband-style penlight and the Stardust Planet Fes penlight firmly.

For the self-introductions, Ruri-chan and Riju-chan raised their arms and called out their names.

2nd block (M.4–M.7)

4th song “Killer Lips”! I responded by turning my penlight white. While the sound was subdued at Drum Be-1 in Fukuoka, at Stellar Ball, the sound resonated from the marrow of my brain through my whole body, which felt great.
Since I have a body that can't live without consuming my favorite Eurobeat at full volume, I was able to survive (?).
It's my super favorite song since Watashi Romance, so I want to listen to it many times before it becomes a song that gets neglected...

I was finally able to do the spinning kecha during Ruri-chan's falling chorus.

The 5th song was “MORE!×3”, which was a bit of a while for me. Although I felt a little hesitant about the 'moo-moo-moo' call, I was able to keep up.
Ruri-chan was making a pouting face, and I managed to keep my consciousness and endure it while thinking, 'Azato-Ruri is in top form again today.' ()

6th song “Hey, Loafer”. This song, listened to on a calm spring afternoon, is truly irresistible... Ruri-chan's new part...

7th song “Can't Go Home!” is definitely Nana-chan's new part... I like the boyish yet cool way of singing, like the protagonist of an evening anime...
I was happy to be able to say the 'Seishun' call in the D-melody.

3rd block (M.8–M.11)

8th song “Lies and Lilacs” is indeed pure, and it's very nice and comfortable on a calm spring afternoon. I tend to end up focusing on Riju-chan.

9th song “Coriolis” had Riju-chan's vocals sounding incredibly cool.
Riju-chan posted the scene of the falling chorus on her Instagram story later, and she was too handsome. The phrase 'the more you listen, the deeper you fall into it' was literally true, and I held my head in my hands.

The 10th song was “Girls Night”.
The “If you dance, you’re invincible” part was newly taken over by Ruri-chan, and she was incredibly cool and handsome. It’s like her voice has a certain depth (?), but anyway, she was just cool (lacking the vocabulary to describe it).

The 11th song “Cosmic Float” was so exciting! So much fun!!! The “swing swing yey” part is so fun~

During the MC, there was a cheering battle with the audience. We were roughly divided into left and right sides to cheer, and the left side won.
In that flow, Ayame-chan got hyped up like “Arena~!” and then said “Staff seats~!”, and when I turned around, there were people holding RURI towels, which made my eyes well up.

4th Block (M.12–M.14)

The 12th song “Kirakira”!!! It always feels like a victory from the intro, but I was deeply moved to be able to reunite with the sense of unity in the venue during the “Wo-wo-wo-wo-wo-wo Wo-wo-wo-wo-wo-wo” call in the intro and interlude.

The way the members sing the falling chorus in succession and Sora-chan’s invincible long tone really gives me chills.

The 13th song was “Sore wa Getsuyoubi no 9-ji no You ni”!
Ruri-chan was pouting, and it was so cunning. Ruri-chan in the “I want to kiss your profile” part was just too cute.
I think Riju-chan standing on the riser was incredibly cute.

The 14th song “Viva La Vida”!!

Riju-chan’s sharpness in the B-melody was cool this time too.
Regarding the calls that were reviewed in Ayame-chan’s stream a few days before this day, “Thank you so much for meeting me” -> “KOCHIRA KOSO!” and “The forms of happiness are diverse” -> “SORE NA!”, I was able to handle the former, but I was careless with the latter, so I want to get revenge.

The climactic feel of this song is truly hot, and personally, it releases excitement chemicals from my brain like when a limited form appears in a tokusatsu hero movie, so it’s really irresistible.

RinaRuri’s Local LOVE Investigation Team - 5th Block

Next is the RinaRuri’s Local LOVE Investigation Team corner!

When Ruri-chan mispronounced something, Rina-chan’s sharp retort, as if to say “Are you serious even though it’s the last performance of the tour!?”, was funny. lol

Tokyo’s local LOVE was Seppuku Manju. It seems it was actually presented as an apology gift in the past, and since I like bean paste Japanese sweets, I was extremely curious about it.

The older members, who had changed into bright red all-tour T-shirts, appeared early, probably due to a misunderstanding.

The older members explained the illustrations drawn on the scripts that Rina-chan and Ruri-chan were holding in the Local LOVE Investigation Team corner. It was funny that Moa-chan said “Bread...?” when it was actually Fukuoka’s mentaiko.

I was also happy that Sora-chan said Fukuoka was the hottest on the spring tour.

RinaRuri, who had changed into bright red all-tour T-shirts, joined in, and they performed “Tarirurira”. It had been a while for me, so it was incredibly fun! And the call! I was happy to be able to say “You’re number one! You’re number one! Ayame!” for the first time in a while.
I also heard the Gachi-koi call in the final stages, but I felt the karma of having increased my favorites during the period without cheering.

“Ebi Buddy Wanna Be” was also the first time after the cheering ban was lifted! I was happy to be able to say the “ORE NO!” call to Moa-chan’s “I want to be a bride.” And! Being able to say “Dome! Arena! New National Stadium!” together is really hot! I felt once again that live concerts with cheering have returned.

And just when I thought the last song would be Love Parade, it was “Boku Yell”!!!! I really love the part in the B-melody where it becomes fast-paced like a rap, and the lyrics are really good because they give energy and courage, and it’s refreshing and beautiful, so I really thought I love it.

And RinaRuri sing the falling chorus in succession. It was a part that had a strong impression of Mippi, but thinking about the path up to this point, including joining and last year’s spring tour, my heart felt warm.

Then the members left the stage for the encore.
This spring tour didn't have encores, but this time we were able to have one. The vocal encore was great, as my throat was already warmed up from B.O.L.T the day before. (?)
It felt like the left and right sides of the audience were taking turns calling for an encore. (So what?)

Encore

When the encore call successfully reached them and the members reappeared, they were wearing pure white costumes...!!!!!

And a new song TAiLE WiND!!!!!

I already loved the intro and the first verse, which sounded like a theme song for a Saturday or Sunday morning anime from the early 2000s.

I also love the refreshing, spring-like melody that suits the word "Kunpu" (fragrant breeze).
The pure white costumes and lyrics remind me of WINGS, and it's a song that feels like it would really cheer you up with the line "Ganbare" (Do your best). I was happy to be present for the first performance of such a masterpiece with maximum expectations.

The line "The path we chose was a little different, but I'll always be on your side, do your best, do your best" made me think of Mizuha and Mippi, lingering from the afterglow of Boku Yell.

The second encore song was AM0805 no Kousaten! I was satisfied to get my revenge on the circular kecha during Ruri-chan's part in the second verse of ALLOUT SECOND. I was reminded once again that the facial expressions of the SoraRiju duo are truly cool and handsome.

Then, for the photo session, we were divided into blocks: right, center, and left.

Announcement of a single, including the new song "TAiLE WiND"!

With expectations for the future of ukka at their peak, the true final song was Love Parade...!

Even among the words of the "story," I thought it was a song that suited the grand word "saga," but it felt like I was in the middle of a massive, grand finale, as if I were witnessing a myth.

The members left the stage filled with euphoria and a sense of fulfillment. I was also happy to be able to reply "Baibiroon" to Moa-chan's "Baibiroon."

Finally, there was almost a double encore, but it didn't happen.

With the final sentence of the youth novel, "The story continues to resonate," spoken in Ayame-chan's voice, the book of the story that was the ukka 2023 Spring Tour was closed.

Special Event

The special event was held in the order of talk session -> 2-shot photo session -> talk session.

I lined up for the 2-shot session first because I had a flight to catch.
From the 2-shot line, we split into lanes for each member inside the venue.
Sora-chan appeared first, followed by the other members. Principal Fujii was there, and it seemed like he was explaining to the new staff members how to receive the special event tickets and take the photos.

○ Riju Murahoshi 2-shot

○ Ruri Aoi 2-shot

In conclusion

I barely made it to the train for my flight home, and the security line at the airport was incredibly long, but I was lucky enough to be directed to a priority line (?) for the next flight. It was a long way to the gate at the far end, but I made it just in time.

I was so happy to have the chance to talk with several people from my hometown this time. Feeling the circle of friends grow since last year's spring tour, I realized that even someone as shy as I was five years ago when I first started going to shows has grown quite a bit. To everyone who is kind to me, thank you so much...

As for the live performance, the new parts that inherited Rina, Ruri, Mizuha, and Mippi's roles really showed off each member's individuality and evolved even further, which was amazing. It was so much fun that, as always, I lost track of most of it. It was the same with last year's spring tour—or rather, it's always like this—it's so fun that I realize it's over before I know it.

The tour's live concept was structured like a novel, mirroring their major debut mini-album, "Seishun Shousetsu" (Youth Novel).
The narration before and after the show and the setlist were presented like a single novel, which personally reminded me of SHE IS SUMMER's final live show, and I thought it was wonderful. (I took the title of this report from the novel "Hazakura no Hi ni" by Moe Sagisawa, as it fit the timing.)

The members mentioned during their encore greetings that they weren't able to sell out the venue, but it was truly a great show.

Suzu-Ryo from the Radio NIKKEI program Radio iNEWS has written another wonderful report this time as well, and since it's reaching people like the president of Iwashita's New Ginger, who is known for loving idols, and announcer Hisanori Yoshida, I strongly hope it spreads even further.

↑ The reliable Natalie

ukka will be holding release events for their major 1st single, which includes "TAiLE WiND" (performed for the first time in Shinagawa), so if you have time during Golden Week and are nearby, please come check them out!!