Atarashii Gakko! Live in Chicago, 10.3.2024. An hour of footage and review by AJ Hartley. AG! #20
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- Опубликовано: 11 окт 2024
- Let joy be unconfined!
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Hi Professor. AG was just in Toronto on Sunday. My second time seeing them. Their popularity is growing immensely. This show was sold out at a much larger venue than the first one. I thought it was a great show. I will definitely go see them again. Love them. ❤
Me too!
Great video. You can tell they were touched and exhilarated by the much larger Chicago audience. You weren't sure what to focus on while Suzuka was in the audence for Nainainai! I've seen a few show videos where they and the audience were really crazy (Singapore maybe?), and at this point Suzuka has really grown into her lead role, and is doing a lot more crowd work and crowdsurfing.
As for their physicality, I think it's good for them to recognize as they hit their mid-20s that they need to pace their choreo and do less demanding work to protect themselves and their longevity. I've seen videos of Rin icing her neck immediately after shows, and I think they know they're one accident away from suspending their shows.
Toward the end they snuck in what seemed to me an oversentimental song or two, something they used to lean on heavily in Japan a few years ago. (Along with skits, and Rin's DJ spotlight.) As a group I personally think they've outgrown that as they've become more popular and more international, but it's clear they love it and don't mind going back to it.
Yeah, the quietest part of the show--surprisingly--was the last song, Quesera Sera, which I felt the audience didn't know as well as the rest of the set, but it was a sweet way to end the show, and I was pleased because I didn't think I'd get to hear that song live.
Hello from a fellow Chicago show attendee! Been a fan for close to a year and though I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing them before last week, what a pleasure it was. Comparing this to other live performances I’ve been to, AG has an attention to detail unlike anyone else. Their energy, charisma, and fun exploded through the building and it set the bar so high for the next concerts I attend. Feeling so grateful to be a fan of theirs! Hope you had a great time!
AG Ni Omakase!
As I commented over at FB (Jimmie Here), I was at the Seattle show and was completely blown away! And during our show Suzuka went rogue all the way to the back of the theater, and on her return to the stage she ran right up to me! I was zoomed in for the others on stage and was so surprised she appeared next to me that I didn’t zoom out, so my footage of the encounter is half her face and half mine in super close-up lol!
One of the best shows I’ve been to outside of Bowie!
The crowd/fans were awesome as well - very nice and polite and high energy.
So much fun!
Our venue was relatively small and I thought this is likely the last time we’ll see them in anything other than a stadium.
Thanks for the upload and commentary! I should upload my clips over on my other channel (Jimmie’s Japan)!
Cheers!
Very cool :) I had a similar experience in DC when she suddenly was in the crowd and I was too close to get a meaningful image! The only time there was a press in the audience in Chicago was when she came through the crowd and there was a scramble to get close to her :) Great show. Thanks for the comment!
Don't think I've seen or heard a more enthusiastic or heavily invested crowd than this one!. ❤❤❤
Yeah, they nailed the venue size perfectly. Just big enough to accommodate a lot of real fans. I always love to hear western audiences singing along in Japanese :)
It's nice we both got to see the songs we each missed last year at this show. I think the whole setlist was great, and both the girls and the crowd were on fire!
And I was so flustered from the sock 😁, (and a bit tired) I completely forgot to ask you to sign my copy of Hideki that I brought! Maybe next time.
You brought it! Oh, man. Next time. And congrats on the sock. That was awesome :)
Thank you so much for uploading this footage! I was at the show and want to see any and all footage so I can relive it!
My pleasure. I should probably have just recorded the whole show, but I didn't think my phone could handle it. I could have got better angles if I'd held it up more, but I was trying not to block other spectators...
Definitely one of the most energetic concerts I've experienced in quite a long time. I love how every show further down their tour schedule gets a bit wilder. Suzuka releasing those chains of Japanese inhibitions every time the girl are in North America is a sight to see.
That said, I've heard some people not feeling the saisyu jinrui/koi geba remix during the shows but I absolutely thought it was one of the more hype parts of the performance to be honest. I get people want the originals but I was having a blast watching them dance to that.
Great stuff, right?
Thank you for sharing! Always appreciate your content 🤘🏽😎
Thanks, man!
Thank you for posting this, Prof. Hartley! I have been waiting for someone to post an extended fancam of the Chicago show.
My wife and I were there, in the back of the room, and I agree with everything you said here. The performance was amazing of course. The crowd, as you said, was so welcoming not only to the group but to one another. We had a bit of open space in front of us, and people would wander in from the hall and stand in front of us...then turn to see that they were blocking my (5'2" tall) wife's view and immediately move out of the way without any prompting. So sweet!
I also agree about the sound balance, unfortunately. As you say, maybe if we were in the center of the room it would have been different. But even where we were, on the opposite end of the hall from you, the backing tracks often smothered the vocals. Especially Mizyu-san's mic. It was sad since literally the part we wanted to hear most was their singing! 😂
Still, the whole experience was magical, even for an old fuddy-duddy like me. Next time I really need to bring earplugs though. I'm already getting deaf, they didnt need to accelerate the process! 😂
Yeah, my wife is very small as well but people around us were very accommodating. Glad you had a good time. It felt like a party :)
A friend of mine told me they make more money on the concerts than the music. It was more an interactive experience. It had a theater experience as the last performances were raw. The best performance in the US was Crunchyroll Expo 22. It was seamlessly excellent.
That's true of most bands these days, since so many people get their music from streaming services which pay the artists next to nothing. Groups used to tour to promote the album. Now it's the other way round.
Traveled to this one all the way from Denver since it was one of the closest stops! So incredibly worth it.
It should also be said that negating travel costs, this show was one of the least expensive I've gone to in a very long time, and yet my partner and I agreed it was the best performance we've seen. Nobody can compete with the kind of preparation and polish they put into these shows.
The after show crowd outside was also more pleasant than others. I actually didnt mind hanging around with everyone waiting for a ride
Right? A wonderful evening.
アップロードありがとう、教授👍👍👍👍
どういたしまして！
Hi from England, thanks for uploading, I hoped you would go and see AG in their world tour part 2, we saw them in London, you have some different songs that we didn't get from Woo go the next 3 songs , Essa Hoisa I really like, like you say a strong powerful song, and the remix Saisyu Jinrui we didn't get in London, loved it happy you filmed it. Are you having fun,, we missed Change, oh and when Suzuka comes into the audience in Tokyo calling so much fun . Forever Sisters and Fantastico were your end of show , for us it was 2nd half. Thank you for your filming of the show.Yes que sera Sera was our last song to. We did the VIP meet and greet, was so worth it, on your recommendation. Cheers. I think it's amazing I found them on you tube shorts dancing the pineapple Kryptonite dance to tracking them down to full videos, seeing your filming at the Cat, finding your channel, and of course meeting them and seeing their show. I know follow Hitsujibungaku, and Otobokebeaver. Thanks again.
Thanks! Great to compare notes. Glad to have been a small part of your journey with these guys!
I always love hearing your review and analysis. It hits all the points that truly interest me, especially the comparative observation of what they've done previously, looking at both the evolution of the show performance and choices, and how they are evolving as performers and professionals. Thank you! (And happy to see you got what seems to be a better camera!)
Ha! Phone upgrade, yes :) Thanks!
AG = SMILE!. The Mexico concert was really wild. Thanks for posting. Perhaps the originals will continue in the Japan performances. I understand the need to change for live performances but I too like the originals.
Yeah, I think a lot of fans feel that way, but we'll take what we can get. It will be interesting to see where the next batch of new music goes in terms of feel.
Always a pleasure hearing your reflections on AG!. I was equally as fortunate to have seen the Seishun tour in 2023 in Brooklyn which for me was them testing the waters as solo artists out side of the Festival circuit... Last night I brought two friends who have never seen them, let alone heard much of them and we all left with smiles and in amazement.
I strategically positioned myself by one of the back bars at Terminal 5 and Suzuka popped up about 5 feet from me.
Nice! So glad you convinced your friends to go and that they had a good time.
Oh!
I’ll add that the “Dance Off” piece I’ve been calling Kyou Mo Dansu Dansu”, after that first line, and I think it’s a live-only bit!
Yeah, I haven't gone back through it to see how much of the lyric I can catch, but it was a lot of fun. It's nice to be surpised by something you don't already know.
I was there during their show in Chicago. I am still under great impression . ❤ It was the most magical night, hearing their voices and seeing AG girls ❤❤ love all their songs 🎉 Suzuka ,of course, couldn't help herself ,but to dance on the bartenders bar table 😂
Great night, right? Cheers!
Hi AJ - it's Karl, the guy whose book you signed at the concert. Many thanks again for that, it felt just as good as meeting AG in person! :D I absolutely loved rewatching your footage of the concert, it definitely took me back to last week. Aragon Ballroom was definitely a huge step up from their venue in Chicago last year (which is probably comparable in size to Black Cat) - it's a little bittersweet because there is a marked decrease in the intimacy of the show, but still a net positive for the group because they truly deserve this kind of recognition on the world stage.
Had a little bit of insight into the setlist prior to the show, but I have to admit that hearing Que Sera Sera in the encore still had me emotional. Not just from the song's encouraging message, but also connecting it to the incredible journey that AG has gone through in just a few years. Just a magnificent way to end the show. (I'm also hoping this inches us toward a Mayeoba Toutoshi encore stateside for the next tour... fingers crossed!)
Awesome video as always, and looking forward to the next one!
Totally agree on the show. It was really great to meet you. You weren't the only one who brought HIDEKI with you, apparently, but were the only one to get it signed. Very cool. I've nearly finished the first draft of book 2...
解説ありがとうございました。
私はAGを応援してます。
最近、XGという日本人女性グループが英語でラップしてアメリカで大人気と言われてます。
AGみたいに日本カルチャーを全面に出して日本語楽曲でやってるよりも英語でラップやってる方がアメリカでは人気出るのでしょうか？
英米市場では、英語以外の言語による音楽の伝統がほとんどないため、聴衆は常に英語の歌になじみやすい。同様に、スペイン語の曲は特にスペイン語圏の聴衆に向けられる傾向がある。これは世界的に変わりつつあるが、日本のバンドを欧米の音楽ファンに紹介すると、言葉が壁だとよく言われる。彼らは音楽とより深くつながるために、彼らの言っていることを理解したがる。それがこのチャンネルを始めた理由のひとつです。しかし、この問題は、人々が音楽に何を求めているかにも影響されている。多くの人は、たとえ理解できなくても、音だけで満足している。私の息子は最近、勉強しながら「ポルカドットスティングレイ」をよく聴いていると言っていた。日本語が話せないので、歌詞が勉強の邪魔にならないからだそうだ。
@@AndrewHartley
詳しい説明ありがとうございます。
勉強になりました。
Hi Proffessor what do you think about the MTH featuring AG collab with blows up at the moment. There were many expectations among fans that they would probably collab with BABYMETAL(you' re a fan of) perhaps they do in future.
Yes, I address that in this video :) ruclips.net/video/pRM63ngCOys/видео.html
@@AndrewHartley ok thank you!!
@@aurosan750AU Absolutely! There's some good music by some other bands in there too :)
You talked about her laid-back / mellowed performance. (The same observation can be made with Babymetal by the way.) I don't think it has to do with their (biological) age (even though their doctors might have given them this advice) but rather growing more into seriousness. As impressive as these high-energy moves are, they might prevent them from being remembered as serious, established artists rather than "those girls with the incredible dance moves".
When I first listened to "Piloti" (audio only) I imagined them standing on the stage almost motionless (which - in my opinion - would fit the song naturally due to its relaxed sound, actually perfect for being the last song in a concert (and it is in fact the last song of the album)). But when I watched a video with a stage performance of it (video by tofu kid) I was surprised how much exercise they did there, which - to my mind - quite distracted (me) from the beauty of this song.
I think I've seen a pretty static version of that song as well, but I take your point. For me, I love to listen to the lower energy songs but understand why they don't generally make the cut on the live shows where they are going for excitement, which is why Quesera Sera was a pleasant surprise this time. Touching way to close out the evening.
On such a hectic tour I think AG! have to be a little less frenetic just so they can get through all the dates. They have one or two days between shows and they have to look after themselves physically, so managing their effort is just another indication of their growing experience.
I would rather have the original jazzy versions of those songs that got the techno make over and it would add a bit of variation to the show that would make it even better. Koi Geba loses power in the remix, particularly the part where Suzuka punches Kanon. I love that they are doing Que Sera Sera in the encore as it really brings out the beauty of their voices and is a nice bitter sweet way to end.
Yes, I think we're off the same mind there.
19:35 Mizyu Flare a bit clumsy but so cute, (too bad the view is blocked by the smartphone); 20:10 I didn't want to be Kanon's brain at that moment. 20:45 Mizyucopter reloaded; she does it differently in some other shows, this is the one I like most.
Yeah, a few folks held their cameras up too high, which is tiresome. I try to keep mine no higher than my head so I don't block those around me, but the image sometimes suffers as a result.
@@AndrewHartley When I was in one of their concerts I stood halfway in the depth of the room so I was well before the speakers to capture audio pretty excellent but also stood next to the side wall so I wasn't obstructing anyones view when I stretched my arms up into the air for filming over the heads of the crowd (arms started hurting soon). I even had a special headband with me (for fixing a smartphone on one's forehead) but I didn't use it because the viewpoint was yet too low and you couldn't actually see what is being filmed (I practised at home and the smartphone frequently tilted).
@@artex98 I wish everyone was so considerate! Last year Suzuka made a point of asking people to not view everything through their phones and be in the moment, so to speak, with the band, but she didn't this time. Maybe an adjustment for the US crowd. When I have seen bands in Japan there isn't a phone insight because they'll throw you out and block you from future concerts.