Miyaji Music Presents Tenma Kawakami x Kana Koike Double Electone Live (Sunday, May 7, 2023, @ Moritown Akishima)

On Sunday, May 7, the 'Miyaji Music Presents Tenma Kawakami x Kana Koike Double Electone Live' was held at the Hikari no Hiroba (Light Plaza) on the 1st floor of the East Building of Moritown, a large shopping mall in Akishima City, Tokyo.

This event was held as one of the celebrations to express gratitude to everyone as Moritown celebrates its 39th anniversary.

This report provides a brief look at the 12:30 session.

The seating area prepared in front of the event stage was quickly filled with people who appeared to be Electone students, fans of the performers, and families who happened to be passing by while shopping, creating such a lively atmosphere that some people were even standing.

Furthermore, there were people watching from the open-ceiling second floor and from directly above the Electone, with a total of over a hundred people waiting in anticipation for the performance to begin.

After an introduction by the MC, the double Electone live began. Electone player Tenma Kawakami and Electone/piano performer and composer Kana Koike took the stage (hereinafter referred to as Tenma-san and Kana-san, respectively).

They immediately began with an ensemble performance of 'My Neighbor Totoro' using the two Yamaha Electone STAGEA ELS-02C units prepared for the event.

After the performance, Kana-san, who was in charge of the ensemble arrangement, explained the key points of the arrangement. Following that, she performed a solo of 'Disney's Fantillusion!' to excite the audience.

Next was a performance of 'Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1.' I thought it was my first time hearing this piece performed live, but looking at Kana-san's tweet later, it seems it was her first time performing it live as well.

The second half featured a solo performance by Tenma-san. It started with a cool performance of 'Gurenge' from Demon Slayer. During his performance of his original song 'J.O.Y.', he encouraged the audience to clap along.

There were several patterns for the clapping, which were difficult to get used to at first, but Tenma-san, with a relaxed expression, encouraged even those watching from the second-floor balcony to clap along, further energizing the venue.

Also, in the performance of SMAP's 'SHAKE', the rapid-fire pedal keyboard work was breathtaking...

The live concluded with an ensemble performance of 'Throne Room and End Title' from Star Wars. The audience gave them a big round of applause.

It was a fleeting 40 minutes, but it was a lot of fun to hear the two of them perform live for the first time in a while, and photography was also allowed. Thank you very much for your performance at the event! And I think we were able to celebrate Moritown's 39th anniversary through music.

Additionally, some wonderful images taken from the second floor by attendees were posted on Instagram, so I will provide the link here.

Furthermore, Tenma-san and Kana-san are planning a live stream next month, so I will post that information as well.

*The progress of the event and the order of the photos do not match.

(Text/Photography by Electone Performance Video Lover)