To commemorate the big event that is their 5th Anniversary, Sakurakza46 will be holding “5th YEAR ANNIVERSARY LIVE” at MUFG Stadium. How did the members think of their largest-scale concert to date?
Yamasaki: At first, it felt so unreal, like something out of a prank. And my biggest worry was whether or not we could fill that venue.
Matsuda: Of course I felt happy about it, but at the same time I had thought, “Can we fill it in? Isn’t it too soon for us?”. There was a gap in time between when we were told about it and when it was announced, and I think that was a big reason why it didn’t feel quite real for me. But after the announcement and we started receiving congratulations from many people, it slowly changed my feelings to determination, and I resolved to make us into a group worthy of performing at the National Stadium.
Sakurazaka had the experience of performing a song in that same venue for a music show.
Matsuda: I remembered being surprised at how vast it was, when I looked at the audience seats from the pitch. But at the time, I had never imagined that we would return to the National Stadium for our own group concert a few years later!
Yamasaki: That’s right, it is truly such a big venue, even the outer peripher is really long. I was impressed that there is such a big venue in Japan, but at the time it didn’t feel realistic at all to even imagine us holding our own concert there.
Sakurazaka46 officially began their concert activities in 2021, right in the middle of the COVID pandemic. Although various restrictions were put in place at the time, they still managed to solidify the image of “Sakurazaka46 = Concerts” with their overwhelming performance skills, dances that conveys a sense of narrative, and immersive staging among others to the point that it is said “See their performance once, and you’ll fall in love”.
Yamasaki: We’ve been especially concious of this in the past 2~3 years. To make more people know about us, we want to showcase our individualities and charms through concerts. To captivate those who watch us even once… If we are able to make concerts Sakurazaka46's greatest weapon to that point, we’d be able to perform with confidence and have no worries regarding it.
Matsuda: Many Sakurazaka46 members are actively working in variety shows and other shows, but those activities are approached with the hope of “I hope this will ultimately lead people to come to our concerts”. In order to get people to come to our concerts, first we need to make them know about us. So other than concerts, we hope that people could become interested in us through our usual individual activities or variety shows, and then come to attend our concert. That is just how much importance we put in our concerts, and we pour our everything in every activity for that purpose. Of course, we really enjoy the variety shows on itself, though (laughs).
Yamasaki: Truth is, Sakurazaka46 is full of interesting girls
Matsuda: You’re one too, Ten-chan (laughs). Everyone messes around to the fullest and are hilarious in variety shows, but when it comes the time for concerts, everyone delivers sharp and intense performances with cool expressions. I love the contrast of the members, and so if possible, I want people to know both sides of them. From watching variety shows to concerts, from concerts to watching variety shows, I think that doing that will convey the charm of the members even more.
We asked the two of them when is the turning point in Sakurazaka46’s concerts
Yamasaki: For me, it is when we have the song “Mou Ikkyoku Hoshiinokai?”. Ever since this song is included in concerts, I think that Sakurazaka46’s rock side has really blossomed
Matsuda: I felt that we finally found our identity as Sakurazaka46 during the national tour in 2022, “2nd TOUR 2022 ‘As you know?’”. It was also the moment when the group added more diverse types of songs, and for the first time we also did the stage directing where we requested the audience to turn off their penlights for the first five songs and focus on watching. There were other elements such as the lighting, the performance of the members, the moving stage and many others, but I felt that we had finally created a world that is unique to Sakurazaka46. I don’t know how the audience felt about it, but personally, I felt that we had managed to draw them in.
Sakurazaka46 concerts are often held in arena-class and dome-class venues, but this time it is expected that more than 100.000 people will attend the two-day stadium performance. What do the girls keep in mind when performing in such an environment?
Yamasaki: Personally, I focus on dancing with big movements, to sing loudly, and to wave my arms with all my might toward even the furthest seats to convey that I can see them as well. I believe that by doing so, regardless where they are seated, I am sure that everyone will understand my desire to not leave anyone behind. If there are people who feel they can’t fully enjoy the concert because their seats are too far away, I want to deliver a performance that will dispel those feelings.
Matsuda: Dancing in big movements is a given to me, and I will also make sure to wave with all my might toward the upper seats in the stand. And since some people might have a hard time seeing the stage depending on where they are seated, I always keep in mind the mindset of “looking at everyone properly”. I don’t know if my feelings are getting across, but I want everyone in the audience to have fun even for just a little.
Then, what kind of mindset do you think a first-timer should have in mind when attending a Sakurazaka46 concert? We asked the the two of them to share some important keys to fully enjoy Sakurazaka46 concert
Yamasaki: I am sure that a first-timer will face a lot of unfamiliar things, such as “This is how to do the calls for this song” or “This is the penlight colors”. While it is certainly possible to prepare beforehand, I think that the most important thing is to freely and sincerely enjoy yourself.
Matsuda: If you doesn’t have penlight, then clappings are fine, and of course it’s also okay if you choose to watch quietly without making any noise. As long as you follow the rules and manners, we’d be happy if you could watch it in the way you enjoy the most.
The 14th single “The growing up train” is on sale starting from 11th March. And moreover, it has also been decided that they will fill in the OP theme song for “Yozakura Family” that will air in April. It seems that Sakurazaka46 will be making even more headlines this Spring.
Yamasaki: Now that we reached the milestone of our 5th anniversary, we’d like to show the new Sakurazaka46 to even more people, so please look forward to what’s to come!
Matsuda: This will be our first single since celebrating our 5th anniversary, so we’d like to bring out an even bigger impact, and we’d also like to deliver activities that will make people even more excited about our future after the National Stadium concert!
Komentar
Posting Komentar