#saw the 20th anniversary concert yesterday | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

hotarutranslations · 3 years

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Lying Every Day

Evening Its Ishida Ayumi

Juice=Juice, Tsubaki Factory, had new members join!

here

Member introductions are here

here

Many new people meeting again

From now on, I look forward to looking with you!

All of the new members, with the new girls in the new Hello Pro Kenshuusei group announced the other day, will be performing at the summer concert

Hello! Project 2021 Summer Sapphire & Ruby

Look forward to it

The tickets are now on sale, only for Aichi↓

TicketPia

2021/7/24 (Sat) 25th (Sun) Nagoya Convention Center Century Hall (Aichi)

→ general tickets deadline is until the 24th at 11:59PM

Lawson Tickets

2021/7/24 (Sat) 25th (Sun) Nagoya Convention Center Century Hall (Aichi)

→ general tickets go on sale on the 20th at 10:00PM

I'm sorry for the many days of just announcements but,

Updating daily, with this, those that didn't see it yesterday will see it today, that that didn't see it today may have seen it yesterday, I thought it would increase the amount of people who saw it, so I write it for the blog every day!

Thank you to everyone who reads it everyday--

For the time being, look at this today!!!

here

July 10th (Sat) Daytime 10:25~ Sendai Broadcast "Ara Ara Kashiko"

its a preview of the show I'll be on but,

The talk is limited to YouTube, digest about the full story, as it was released enthusiastically,

since you can't see the full story,

Nah I wont say anything just watch it-- ok! lol

This time location shoot was,

Learning about Tomiya post station

We introduce historical, and new and popular places

Nice looking spots too! lol

July 10th (Sat) Daytime 10:25AM~ Sendai Broadcast "Ara Ara Kashiko"

Please watch it~

Also that day at night,

July 10th (Sat) late night 1:45AM~ TV Tokyo "God Tongue"

On the next next night,

July 12th (Mon) Late night 3:20AM~ TV Tokyo "AniRecoTV"

I'll talk about Fruits Basket

Kya <3 lol

I have something I want to give to BEYOOOOONDS's Hirai Miyo-chan,

and for 4 days, Ah--! I forgot it! I'll bring it tomorrow ok! In the end I couldn't give it to her←

Oh my goodness, I've been lying every day!

I'm the worst!

lol

Tomorrow...Tomorrow...

If I was in the opposite position,

I try to pretend that I didn't forget it, it was just a bad to give it to her...?

maybe she'll think that lol

Its diffferent!! I'm different!! Tomorrow...Tomorrow...

Has everyone done something like that~

Hello Pro Dance Academy

In Season 5 we challenged tap dancing for the first time and, had a collab with s**t kingz-san

Here

This year, held for the 10th anniversary of the earthquake, With the slogan “Do your best Tohoku”, It’s a Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles event

I also got to participate with a comment

♪Preorders are being accepted for the new model “TE-D01q” from AVIOT-san

AVIOT Official Store

See you ayumin <3

https://ameblo.jp/morningmusume-10ki/entry-12685266031.html

#Ishida Ayumi #Morning Musume '21 #Morning Musume #Hello! Project #Translation #Blog

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x--daughters-of-darkness--x · 4 years

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KITTIE's MORGAN LANDER Teases WINTERLVST Project

KITTIE vocalist/guitarist Morgan Lander has shared a teaser for new project WINTERLVST, tentatively due this summer. Check it out below.

Morgan apparently discussed the project in a 2018 interview with CrypticRock.com. She stated at the time; "It is with a few members of BLACKGUARD from Montreal. We toured with them back in 2012. With Justine 'Juice' Ethier (drummer) and Jonathan Lefrancois-Leduc, who used to play keyboards in the band, we are working on a project together. I was just in Montreal recording some final vocals. It is definitely on the spectrum that is the complete opposite of KITTIE, but it is still dark, very emotional. It is just very different. I hope people are not too surprised. It's very dark and different."

Last August, Lander joined the Quebec metal band KARKAOS. The group is working on its next full-length album, due later in the year.

KITTIE released a concert film titled "Kittie: Live At The London Music Hall" in March 2019. It features footage of the Canadian metal band's October 27, 2017 20th-anniversary hometown show at the London Music Hall in London, Ontario. The event, which also served as a screening of the long-in-the-making documentary "Kittie: Origins/Evolutions", saw KITTIE mainstays Morgan Lander (guitar, vocals) and Mercedes Lander (drums) take the stage with a number of their former bandmates to perform songs from the group's entire repertoire.

KITTIE was formed in 1996 by Mercedes and Morgan, lead guitarist Fallon Bowman and bassist Tanya Candler. Tanya left KITTIE soon after recording of its debut album, "Spit", which has sold more than 1.2 million copies. Bowman exited the group in 2001. Guitarist Tara McLeod and bass player Trish Doan joined the band in 2005. Although Doan left for health reasons in 2008, she returned three years later. Other musicians who have played with KITTIE during the years include Talena Atfield, Lisa Marx, Jennifer Arroyo and Ivana "Ivy" Vujic.

The band has released five albums since "Spit": "Oracle" (2001), "Until The End" (2004), "Funeral For Yesterday" (2007), "In The Black" (2009) and "I've Failed You" (2011).

#Morgan Lander #Kittie #WINTERLVST #2020 news

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sinceileftyoublog · 6 years

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Live Picks: 6/22

Kacy & Clayton

BY JORDAN MAINZER

SEVEN shows tonight--and some of them start early!

6/22: Sondre Lerche, Schubas

Two weird things about tonight’s Sondre Lerche show at Schubas: One, it’s billed as “an evening of solo pleasure”. (It refers to the album Solo Pleasure, a stripped-down version of last year’s Pleasure.) Two, it starts at 7 P.M. to make time for Erin Rae at 10. The Solo Pleasure songs sound exactly like you think they would--dude and a guitar with the same arrangements as Pleasure--but that doesn’t stop me from recommending the gifted artist, whose songs occupy that sweet middle ground between pop and indie rock.

6/22: Erin Rae, Schubas

We interviewed Nashville singer-songwriter Erin Rae about her new album Putting On Airs earlier this week. On adapting to the stage and playing the new songs live, she said, “That’s the fun part of getting ready to enter in to this touring season for me–discovering how we want to perform the songs and experimenting with how we want to translate it. These next couple weeks, we have keys, bass, guitar, guitar, and drums, plus some nice background vocals from the guys. Its fun.”

Good Buddy, the project of Nashville-based artist Jason Staebler, opens.

6/22: Thursday, Lincoln Hall

Tonight, twice tomorrow (6:00 P.M. and 10:00 P.M.), and Sunday, Thursday celebrate their 20th anniversary as a band. They perform Full Collapse in full tonight and early tomorrow and War All The Time in full tomorrow night and Sunday. While sound issues plagued their Riot Fest 2016 comeback set, the band should thrive in Lincoln Hall.

6/22: Kacy & Clayton, Hideout

Kacy & Clayton play an early show at the Hideout outside as part of Picnics on the Porch, a Friday evening summer concert series now in its third year. The Canadian country folk duo broke out in late 2015 with Strange Country, landing them on a touring bill with Wilco. That led to Jeff Tweedy producing their latest, last year’s great The Siren’s Song, which sounds classic and warm but also much bigger, the band having added a drummer and bassist. Still, the band is named after their singer and guitarist, respectively, and the vocals and inventive guitar chops remain the band’s selling point. The show starts at 6:00 P.M., so get there early!

6/22: Big Head Todd & The Monsters, Gallagher Way

Rocky Mountain jammers Big Head Todd & The Monsters play Gallagher Way as part of a summer concert series at the new Wrigley Field venue. Here’s what we wrote when we previewed their Vic Theatre show back in January:

“The Colorado jam band that saw mainstream success in the 90′s is touring fresh off of last year’s heavy New World Arisin’. In 2016, as Big Head Blues Club (the band’s project with a wide array of blues legends like Cedric Burnside and Charlie Musselwhite), they released Way Down Inside. But for the full potential of Big Head Todd and the Monsters, go a few years back and try 2014′s Black Beehive, a rawer, more diverse blues record than you’d expect from the band who recorded “Bittersweet”. What’s for sure is that live, they’ll lean heavily on the new material while not forgoing their more beloved classics.”

Blues hero Shemekia Copeland opens.

6/22: The New Pornographers, Temperance Beer Co.

After playing Thalia Hall last night, The New Pornographers headline the second Out of Space event that celebrates SPACE’s tenth anniversary. Here’s what we wrote to preview the TH show yesterday:

“We caught The New Pornographers, too, at Pitchfork 2015. Since then, they’ve released Whiteout Conditions, an album that slides by the synth sheen of Brill Bruisers to return to what the band does best: sing about depressing topics over bright power pop. Still, nothing matches the band’s unparalleled first three records. They know it, too, saving the sky high “Bleeding Heart Show”, “Mass Romantic”, “Testament For Youth and Verse”, and “Use It” for the end of the set. Without Neko Case or Dan Bejar, AC Newman, Kathryn Calder, and company have to fill in some serious shoes but always do it admirably.”

Split Single, who we profiled last year, opens.

6/22: Jill Scott & The Roots, Ravinia

The Roots have been one of the best live hip hop bands around for a long time now. (Revisit our review of their Taste of Chicago set in 2016 for evidence.) So why aren’t they headlining? Because neo-soul singer Jill Scott is one of a kind. Discovered by Questlove after being a spoken word artist, Scott broke out in 2000 with her debut album Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1, which included spoken elements but really allowed Scott to show off her quiet storm singing voice. She followed that up with the equally great Beautifully Human: Words and Sounds Vol. 2. While she hasn’t been at that level since, she pops up once in a while to deliver the goods, whether stealing the show on a Lupe Fiasco track, modeling, or acting. She’s the ultimate performer.

And of course, you get to see The Roots as an added bonus. While they should release a new album this year, live, they tend to heavily favor their 90′s output and the hits. They also want you to have a good time--don’t expect anything from the amazing, death-obsessed, avant-garde Undun. The most recent tracks will be from the uplifting How I Got Over.

Lastly, Scott’s got history of performing with The Roots, first taking over for Erykah Badu for live performances of “You Got Me” upon the tour behind Things Fall Apart. Don’t be surprised if there’s collaboration.

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karen-kk · 7 years

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After a long flight home, I'm finally ready to sit down and write about my experience during L'Arc~en~Ciel 25th Anniversary event. This is more of my personal experience than a live report, sharing what I enjoyed and what I didn't. Shockingly it has turned out quite long, so you are warned.

First of all I must say I was very impressed by their Japanese management team and staff members. The scope of the operation was incredible with 110k people attending, and yet everything was well organised and well prepared for. I'll use the example of the goods store. The store opened at 9am each day, I was told people started queuing as early as 4am. I joined the queue around noon, by that time it had already taken over both side of the pedestrian paths and then some. I couldn't even see the store. There were security guards and staff everywhere making sure everyone knew where the end of line was (yes, it was that confusing. It took me 15 minutes to find it because I didn't speak Japanese), we were not blocking the path and obstructing other tourists in the Tokyo Dome City, and we were moving on quickly and efficiently. The store had total of 24 booths, so it didn't take as long as I thought it would. Even with the language barrier, the transaction was very smooth. All my interaction with the staff members had been extremely pleasant. From security check to being shown to my seats they were always there when I needed help. They had always been courteous and helpful even though most people I spoke to knew very little English.

Japanese Laruku fans were very interesting to observe. They seemed to be from all age groups and occupations. I had seen teenagers, young adults, people around my age, my parents' age and older even. It never ceases to amaze me how big their male fan base is in Japan. I would say about 35-40%? In contrast VAMPS hard rock style, their split was like 5-95 with female fans completely dominating the scene when I saw them back in 2009, but I think the ratio has shifted a bit nowadays. And I don't mean guys being dragged there by their girlfriends etc. A lot of them either came by themselves or in groups. The 2 guys next to me in day 1 were dancing hyde's signature moves throughout the entire live, and they were talking about how they admired the band since primary school. At lease third of the hyde cosplayers that I spotted were male. There were many families that brought their kids with them as well (I hope Ken-chan's MCs were not too r-rated). One of the cutest hyde cosplayer was this little girl about 10 years old dressing up as hyde in the 20th L'Annivesary period. She was so adorable with the braids and jacket and everything. On my way out in day 1, I overheard another little girl babbling about haido haido excitedly to her mother, so cute! The fans were so friendly as well. I had a yuki fan coming to me and giving me a present including a Japanese traditional dessert with her hand drawing of yuki. I had another girl coming to me when she realised that I didn't have a LED wristband, and she helped me to speak to the staff to get one. Then with her broken English and my non-existed Japanese we squealed over how "cute-handsome-kawaii-kagoii" hyde was lol

The tour goods are worth mentioning as well. They are such good quality comparing to what I bought during the VAMPS tour years back. My favorites include the expensive as hell handbag and the teddy. The handbag has all the staff access passes stitched on from all of their past tours. It is like carrying a piece of Laruku history whenever I use them. The denim material is thick and strong, the only downside is it is quite heavy. I personally think it looks so much better the 20th Anniversary version. When I went sightseeing yesterday I still saw a lot of people carrying it around Tokyo. The tour book is great too, with much better English. I only wish they would stop repeating the same paragraphs over and over though. And it also reminds me of the good old days when hyde still had our beloved eyebrows...

I was very impressed with the stage design. One of the reasons why I had always wanted to see Laruku in their home land was because they would have the budget and resources to go all out. And I was not disappointed. As soon as the screens lit up, I was in awe. It was so beautiful! The theme of the concert was locating pieces of Laruku's history and it was very well incorporated into the setup. They also integrated past live footages with the current live broadcast on the giant screens. The front part of the stage was detachable, it moved during Revolution and carried the members to the smaller stage at the other side. Everything was very well thought out and visually stunning. Not to mention there were real flames and mini fireworks. The Dome looked incredible with all the LED wristband, which were being manipulated as a giant LED screen.

This was why I found hyde's outfits so incredibly jarring. I know I've complained about this numerous times in the last 2 days, I just can't let it go. His first 2 outfits made him stood out like a sore thumb for half of the concert. I literally laughed out loud when I saw what he was wearing, and it was during Niji. I felt so bad about this. It is a song that means the world to the band and its fans because of what it represents. And there I was, laughing while he sang his heart out... ==|||

The other complaint that I have is the set list, with 2 days and only 4 songs being changed. I may have been spoiled by the 20th Anniversary where 2 days had completely different set list. The thing I really love about Laruku is their ability to make their older songs shine during lives. I haven't been a fan of their older studio albums for some reason. But their more recent lives always managed to make me realize how great they were even back in the days. I fell in love with songs like In the Air, Shutting in the Sky, As If in a Dream, Garasu Dama, Floods of Tears, Dune, White Feathers etc. this way. And I was hoping because it was an Anniversary event, older songs would have been performed. But no. And my all time favorite songs such as Metropolis, Jojoushi, Bless, Ibara no Namida, New World, Hoshizora, Umibe were not played as well. I was also secretly hoping for an appearance of P'unk-en-Ciel as well... I guess they are no longer doing it?

Given my first day's seat being really bad, being on the far right hand, I can't really say much because I could barely see anything. To make the matter worse, the bass sounded really loud and distorted, and it kept bled into the vocal. It was difficult to hear at the times so I can only share my favorite moments from day 2.

During Revolution, we all went crazy when we saw hyde and ken-chan on the drum, yuki and te-chan played the bass and guitar respectively, then the stage started to separate and carried them over to the other side of arena. At the end of that session, when the stage started moving back everyone had a basket of balls that they were supposed to threw to the crowd. Yuki, on the other hand decided to take a shortcut and just dumped his entire basket of balls along with his basket. He was clearly channeling his Acid Android persona. Unfortunately, it didn't get him out of his job, he was immediately handed another basket. Then ken-chan decided to get creative as well, he tried to balance one of his balls on the edge of stage and starting to blow at it to make it fall. During one of the MCs, hyde played Fullmetal Alchemist a few times by clapping his hands and slapped them onto the ground a few times to make us create human waves. We did, and we also did it in reverse while he screamed in fake horror. The staff then blew air or dry ice on him as the waves approached his side. During second half of Blurry Eyes, he forgot that he already threw his whistle to the crowd and he had to make a mad dash toward the back to get the second one. He never made it in time and we all laughed. Did I mention how hot leader-sama was in his stylish white suit and white Alexander McQueen scarf? OMG! I had never considered him good looking until now (gomenasai, leader-sama, your array of way too colorful outfits usually blinds me). It probably helped with hyde being such stark contrast.

Edit 1: Hyde did a member introduction during day 2, even though I doubted there was a soul in the Dome who didn’t knowing who they were. It went like “drum - yuki~, guitar - ken~, bass - tetsuya, and vocal~“ and we called out HAIDO~~~~!!! He looked so proud! It was so cute!

Ken-chan had sunglasses on the entire time during day 2. At the end of the concert, right before he went off the stage he was wiping his eyes with his hand. Was he crying? I couldn't tell. Leader-sama came back to the stage with his basket of bananas and asking "mina genki, genki desuka" as usual. Only this time, he took off his Alexander McQueen scarf and wrapped around one of the bananas and threw it to the crowd. We all went eh~?

My most memorable moment was definitely during My Heart Draws A Dream. When hyde took off his earphone to hear us sing the chorus and our voices echoed throughout the Dome, I cried. The open tenderness on his (eyebrowless) face was so beautiful. It was the perfect moment that I will treasure forever.

Overall, the concerts were not what I expected, but I don't regret spending an arm and leg to participate in this important milestone in their career. As a fan, I already had so many regrets, like not seeing their AYR and their Theater of Kiss tours, and of course missing out on the 20th Anniversary. I didn't want this to be a regret as well. Leader-sama mentioned 30th Anniversary already and I do hope I would have the privilege of being there.

Happy anniversary, L’Arc~en~Ciel.

#l'arc~en~ciel #25th l'anniversary

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utanotranslations · 5 years

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Blog Post Translation: April 20th, 2019: 109* First Day of the Event <3

Enjoy. and please don’t repost without credit!

BEYOOOOONDS This is Satoyoshi Utano! <3

Thank you for all the comments and likes yesterday as well! * Today, I read all of them while I was on the way to Makuhari Messe

Today was Hello Pro All Stars Single Commemorative Event ~Spring Individual Handshakes~ And ~Hello! Project 20th Anniversary!! After Party~"

Day 1 in Makuhari Messe~!!!!!!!!!!

Yaaaaaaaay!!!!

Koko-chan <3

First, the mini concert!!! There really, really, was a lot of people who were there, it was reallllly fun ***** I also saw the medium blue penlights~ <3 <3 <3

And, We helped out at various corners~ At the Real Escape Game, We also experienced it in advance, and though I thought it was super hard, I was surprised by how many groups of people were able to escape successfully!!! Amazing! :O :O :O

I was able to help you with a lot of cheer balls BEYOOOOONDS*******

And!! It was my first handshake event!!!

Hirai Miyo-chan <3 Kobayashi Honoka-chan <3 Satoyoshi Utano <3 It was our first handshake, and we were able to talk a lot with everyone~!!!!

The play "Fushigino Kuni no Alice-tachi" and today's mini concert, and impressions from Hina Fest, I was happy to be able to hear a lot of impressions, It was really fun to be able to talk with everyone a lot!!!

It was over in the blink of an eye...... T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T

Since there aren't many chances to talk with you up close, Talking with everyone a lot today made me once again Feel the large power from everyone cheering me on :') <3

Everyone who came to today's event! Truly, thank you very much <3

Let's talk again, okay~

The T-shirt is super duper cute <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Tomorrow, too, I'm really excited to be able to meet a lot of people There are tickets available on the day If you're still undecided at this point...... please definitely come by all means *

Everyone who is coming! Let's have a fun day tomorrow, okay <3 <3

Well then! Thank you very much for coming today! Let's have fun at the second day of the event! And! Those who are like, unfortunately, I can't go to the event~. I'll do my best tomorrow, too! Okay! <3

See ya!

#satoyoshi utano #beyooooonds #hello project #blog post translation #april 2019

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makinomariasama · 5 years

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Translation: Blog Post: March 19th, 2019

Enjoy, and please don’t repost without credit!

Morning Musume '19's best album, released on March 20th "Best! Morning Musume 20th Anniversary" Commemorative mini concert and handshake event March 19th at CLUB CITTA' Truly, thank you very much for today :)

And

Airing tonight MN Definitely listen to it okay!!

Episode 147 "Morning Musume '19 Makino Maria no Marian <3 LOVE Rin Desu <3" On CBC Radio Every Tuesday from 12:30am~1am

* Weekly Shounen Magazine * The most recent issue, March 20th, is on sale now!!!! Please definitely check it out ♪

Weekly Shounen Magazine issue 15 (On sale March 13th)

Maria was super happy to be on the cover and the lead feature <3 Truly, thank you very much <3 From Morning Musume '19's Makino Maria

2019 MLB Opening Game Preseason

Oakland Athletics VS Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters March 17th and 18th at Tokyo Dome

Yesterday, March 18th, Maria went to Tokyo Dome

I got to the gates before they opened. * So I could watch the Athletics' practice!!!! I got to watch it :D I watched Chapman do defense practice I took my glove with me. * But I didn't see batting practice :'( When I did an interview with "Slugger," I was told a looooot of highlights about Athletics' games, so I took on that challenge myself <3 I wanted to meet Rodney - Maria found him :) Rodney was shown on the screen <3 I brought Slugger's "2019 MLB Players Directory" with me. * In the Players Directory, Rodney is wearing his hat straight on

Nakata Shou is was in the starting lineup <3 LOVE <3 Nakata by Maria Saitou Yuki-chan started!!!!! Maria is happy :)

As soon as the game started, it had this atmosphere <- I remembered the WBC

Opener? Bullpen day? * The Fighters seem to be using an opener this season.

I saw Davis get a homerun!!!!!

I sang Wang Po-jung's cheer song for the first time ♪

And, I got souveniers from Okinawa from my sister :) (t/n: not her real older sister, just a friend!) Maria's ballpark snack <3

Maria was really happy to be able to watch a game between the Athletics and us <3 Thanks a lot :)

The elephant's name is Stomper - cute, huh

Going back... I found Ichiro and Kikuchi Yuusei <3 So I took a photo with them * It was a cut out

And I wanted a Buu T-shirt, but I didn't see it I went to MLB cafe TOKYO. I saw Judge

2019 MLB Players Directory https://www.nsks.com/mook/detail/ Maria has it <3

I hope there's lots of fun and happiness tomorrow too

* Makino Maria *

#makino maria #morning musume #morning musume 19 #hello project #blog post translation #blog march 2019

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beruth35 · 6 years

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A Letter to Yesterday

To my dearest past self,

You thought you had sealed them away in the deepest chamber of your heart, buried below the scraps of memories past. Your memories of them were fuzzy, for you were so young and naive. You could not pinpoint when exactly you joined the club but you could recall the sheer joys they brought you. As you stared at those five teens in the telly singing about happiness, you could not help but gape in awe. It was the first time your breath was taken away and the first time you heart experienced such strong palpitations.

Back then, you made promises with your brother that one day both of you would go to their concert. You painted such sweet dreams for yourself. ‘One day’, you said, ‘I will see them in flesh and bone’. That day did not come. Instead came the day that proclaimed the five teens you held so dear in your heart are no longer. ‘This cannot be! They promised they will be here to stay forever.’ You cried, you wailed, you denied because you simply could not understand, and honestly, maybe you never will.

You were never a jTL girl because it was too painful to watch. Out of sheer flight or fight instincts, you hid and put them away. You began following them precariously from a distance. You were fearful of reliving the pain and dared not stand too close. You saw them go their separate ways, just as you stumbled along your own off-beaten track. Your paths diverged and before you knew it, you were leading parallel lives of highs and lows. Years had past and you thought maybe this is it, that dream you had may just have to remain on your bucket list for life. After the 20th anniversary, after it became clear that a reunion is unlikely, you started finding excuses for yourself and thought, ‘This is fine with me. I know they’ve tried. It is fine.’ But 2018 rolled in, and you realised, who were you kidding, IT WASN’T FINE.

When news of the concert broke out, you knew you were screwed. You have taken up all your annual leaves, and your planner is full till 2019. As you tossed and turned undecidedly in your bed, the girl from many years ago came to mind. Like a punch to the heart, the blood, sweat and tears shed in the past came ricocheting. You were suddenly reminded of the song that kept you going in the past: ‘when you need me the most’. For many year, the lyrics ‘when you need me the most, I will be here for you. I will send you my true heart, and protect you’, were what put you to sleep on the darkest and loneliest of nights. At that instance, you made up your mind. For the last seventeen years, they had been here for you and the time when they needed you the most had come! It is now your turn to take the first step and show them how much you have longed for this pilgrimage. In the following weeks, you clocked up insane hours just so you could claim three days’ of leave to go see those five teens awaiting you in the far distance. ‘I am coming for you, my sweetest H.O.T.’

There is something so chaste and pure about your first loves, that you often remember them in the fondest and most pristine manner. It started to dawn upon me, what if they do not live up to my expectations? What if all that I remember were just my fantasies? Similarly, another thought struck me. What is the purpose of this concert? Is this the swan song? We did not get a proper farewell 17 years ago, is that what they are doing now? Alternatively, if they were to re-band, what is going to happen in the future? Times have past, we are no longer living in those glorious days. Thousands and millions of questions haunted my headspace and in this bittersweet timespan: October 2018 came creeping.

1314. Not sure if this meant anything in their native language, but in Mandarin, this meant ‘eternity’. You would like to think that even the universe had predestined that we, H.O.T. and the white sea, were meant to be forever. Those few days swept by like a whirlwind of mixed-reality and fiction. You woke up from restless nights, you queued for official merchandises, you visited places that they set foot on and you met strangers whom clicked with as if you have known each other from the beginning of time.

There is this tunnel of about 10m that connected the outside with the inner stadium. You wished you brought your camera along, because that was the perfect metaphor for the past seventeen years. As you stood in the darkness, tunnel-visioned, you could see the light in the distance. That was the beacon of hope, a reality you never thought would occur. You thought back to the times when you were standing in that tunnel, when you thought it impossible. You could not see yourself reaching the end, you foresaw the darkness swallowing you whole. But there you stood, proud and tall, and all that you could think about is: they made it, and so have I!

Many people had asked how the concert was since your return, including your poor older brother who could not make it, and you had difficulty condensing your experiences but to reply with the one-liner that ‘it was amazing’. It truly was amazing. There were so many glistening moments throughout the concert that, together, weaved into two nights of whimsical tales. The truly shining moments were your intimate memories to keep, and there was no need to pen any of these down. What truly mattered, was how blessed and thankful you were that H.O.T. existed. They have occupied a large chunk of your childhood. They taught you that sometimes things just do not go the way that you wanted. They opened up your eyes to see the sufferings and beauties around you. They gave you hope that there is always love on this world. They showed you by example that good things always come to those who wait. They were your teachers, your companions and your guardians.

No words are succinct and wholesome enough to describe the influence H.O.T. had on me. So, thank you Moon Hee Jun, the best leader we ever deserve. Thank you for surviving your demons, thank you for gracing us with your music and thank you for staying true to your words, for our songs are yet to be finished. Sorry Jang Woo Hyuk, my first and true bias. Sorry we could not protect you against those malicious intents, sorry you had to carry the burden of our pride, and sorry it took us so long to meet again. Love you, Tony An. Love you for overcoming your darkest thoughts, love you for bringing that prideful teen back and love you for always staying true to yourself. Forever or eternity, these words belong to you Kangta. May the world be forever kind to you, may the light in your eyes glisten forever and may happiness be with you always now that you are home. Thank you and sorry, Lee Jae Won, the most loving maknae since forever. Thank you for winning the fight against cancer, sorry we have underestimated your talents, love you for always being the shoulder to lean on and please be with us forever.

So, to my younger self, you may think as the Beatles sang, that yesterday all your troubles seemed so far away, and you desired clinging on to the past where things were simpler and life sweeter. But here I stand in the present, I want to tell you this: keep going, trudge along and fight your way. Don’t look back, because we are the future and the best is simply yet to be.

Yours sincerely, Me (October 2018)

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howaminotinthestrokesyet · 7 years

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Tonight, A Lead Singer Died in Detroit. Somebody Knows Why... Somebody Knows... Part I: So Now You Know

Chris Cornell is dead. I almost feel like Rorshach in Watchmen reporting this. “A comedian died tonight.” Well, a lead singer died tonight. This impacted me more profoundly than I once thought. I didn’t think it would, but yesterday I started playing Hunger Strike over and over when I came to some pretty stark realizations. It was so bad listening to it in the car that I wasn’t sure if I could control my emotions visiting a friend who wasn’t even born in 1992. I will try to outline them here for you, so everyone can understand. This is something that I feel compelled to tell.

I was taken back to high school when I first heard of Soundgarden while riding in my brother’s Escort, which was my first car. Damn, that car was not the best vehicle. He had this amplifier in the car, which made the sound concert-like. The two moments I remember was the chorus to Outshined and the beginning riff to Rusty Cage. It was like, oh my God, what is that, I know I’m just a lowly freshman, but that is kind of awesome. My naive freshman mind somehow thought they were the same song at the time. This got me to thinking that if you could pick one year to be a freshman, why not the most seminal year in music. I never really appreciated that fact until now. I love music now because I was a freshman in 1992. I can remember lots of things about that year. I got Pearl Jam’s Ten through Columbia House (I probably still owe those assholes money), which seems like 100 years ago. I remember a rumor starting that Nirvana was going to come to Palmer Auditorium that freshman year in my Spanish class. Coincidentally, I chose the name Gerardo that year for my name because…rico suave, why not. My junior year when Nirvana returned the mainstream wasn’t so hot on them anymore. They came back and played Palmer, but I only remember one guy actually going to see it. His death changed everything. I found out about it before we were to take the ACT test. I find it a bit surreal that it was that particular day because it was a Saturday. Some students didn’t want to take the test, but at the time, I and a lot of others laughed at that stupid notion. I guess the errors of a capricious youth. The funny thing is about Soundgarden was I loved the beginning riff of Rusty Cage, but now that I am older, I really don’t prefer anything else in the song besides that riff. They should have put it in the intro to Outshined because all it sounds more relevant and appropriate with that track. I also remember borrowing aka stealing my brother’s Temple of the Dog cd with Hunger Strike. I never imagined it was a supergroup to honor Mother Love Bone. All I knew was that had Eddie Vedder and Chris Cornell on the same song, which made you say..Heck yeah, Seattle! I never knew the story behind it, which makes things even crazier. These bands were all friends. In this day and age, I cannot believe it. The even more insane thing is that all the members of Pearl Jam besides Mr. Vedder were in Mother Love Bone. I remember listening to the Singles soundtrack after seeing it in theatres with my best friend thinking, holy shit, I need to hear that Chloe song. I believe that Eddie Vedder may have had one regret much like Chris Cornell. They were not Andrew Wood.

Over the next few years, I kept track of Soundgarden even getting back into them with the release of Spoon Man and Black Hole Sun. Yet, they were always in my mind behind Pearl Jam and Nirvana as far as bands from Seattle go. You could almost say that the Smashing Pumpkins slid in there with Siamese Dream. Why is that? I think for the most part the quality of their meh songs was much better. Soundgarden had a great number of songs, but none of their albums had what I call, track to track greatness. I could pop on any track and know the song would be very good. I lost track of Soundgarden as I didn’t really feel one way or another when they broke up. I was in the throws of the New York garage rock revival at that time. Yet, around 2006, I heard about Audioslave. Once again, a few great songs surrounded by a few average ones in my mind, but Cochise was perfect. It was the perfect symmetry of Tom Morello and Chris Cornell. One could make the case that actually this was Tom Morello’s best song and not Rage Against the Machine. Some will say blasphemy, but I would say that Cornell’s more traditional vocals highlighted more appropriately the talents of Morello. I even purchased tickets to see them in Milwaukee at the Eagles Ballroom. I never went. If I knew they would break up soon, I probably would have gone, looking back in retrospect. I have missed so many great concerts due to my drinking, it is not even funny. I either stayed at the bar to drink instead of going or was too hungover to go anyway. Oh, well, I guess. All you can now is…YOLO. Yes, I am sure I was probably hungover when I missed Audioslave. I would hear Cochise in the In 2010,

Soundgarden hit my radar again when the lineup for Lollapalooza was announced. They were to play Sunday and I had planned to see them. Yet, the festival took its toll on me as old age was catching up to me even then I guess. I went to see Cypress Hill right before, but could barely stand. My entire body felt an exhaustion I had never really felt before. I sat there on the curb in Grant Park unable to move a muscle. I heard Soundgarden for a few minutes, but I just had to go home. The last band playing can sometimes be a gift and a curse I guess. In my mind, I saw the Strokes on Friday, so I was cool with leaving. Yet, I did feel some sense of regret because I never did watch the video on YouTube from their set. Lollapalooza can be hard anyway. There are so many bands and seeing them all is almost impossible. I was also thinking of my luck as well. When would it run out? 2 years previously at the same festival, I broke 2 knuckles, In 2009, I almost got arrested at the Metro, so in my eyes, I was pushing my luck. I just thought that they had just gotten back together, so I would see Chris Cornell and Soundgarden soon. Not Soundgarden, but I did see Chris Cornell soon unexpectedly.

In 2011, Pearl Jam announced they would be playing 2 shows at Alpine Valley to celebrate their 20th anniversary. I probably would not have gone, except The Strokes were playing. My friend Steve came with too, who was always a good sport. Classic rock was his thing, but he could get into Pearl Jam as well. I remember that it was really rainy that day. So much so, we drank Bud Light in the car before the show, rather than get drenched. It was really a miserable show because we had lawn seats, which is good, if it doesn’t fricking monsoon all night. We got there for the Strokes and I quickly realized something about Alpine Valley. The lawn pretty much sucks because they might as well been playing over at the country club for all I could see. Last year, I returned for the first time and figured out it was still the same. You can’t see jack shit there. I heard some parts of their set, including a duet on Juicebox with Eddie Vedder. We stayed for Pearl Jam hoping to hear some classics. It was mostly their 2000-2010 catalog, which I pretty much can’t stand. If I’m being honest. I kept saying that they were going to play a good one. I said, “Steve, trust me.” I remember not really getting into a lot of the songs, but instead I was drunkenly fascinated by this girl hula-hooping in the mud. We were more entertained by that at one point, rather than Pearl Jam. Oh, well, I guess. The time came for the encore and Steve wanted to beat the traffic, I said, let’s listen to one more song, you never know. The next song was Hunger Strike with a guest appearance from Chris Cornell. My earlier Temple of the Dog experience came flashing back instantly. I would later tell Steve how special that was and I am not sure he truly grasped it, but I did. That is something to tell people you were there. My friend Steve asked after, “Can we go now?” I smiled, “I would think so.” I just thought of it as another concert until in 2015 Steve tragically passed away. This emerged as our last concert together. What a last concert to attend! Time passed again until a couple of days ago when Chris Cornell passed away as well. In a way, I feel a sort of kinship towards Eddie Vedder now because we both lost close friends from that show. I know it is not really the same, but I tell you what, if we ever meet, that is what I’m talking to him about. Also, that Wrigley being drunk thing, I totally understand. Despite my crappy view, I could tell how towering a figure Cornell could look. The man was fairly tall, which people probably didn’t expect this generous, sensitive guy, especially with his hair long like a lion’s mane. As tributes have been posted, many media sites are posting that show. I have been behaving myself, not trolling anyone, but simply posting, “I was there. :). Concerts are a lot like life that way. Sometimes it is all about just showing up. You never know the surreal twists and turns concert experiences can take some time. Stay tuned for Part 2 coming this week where I discuss the legacy of Chris Cornell, Soundgarden, grunge, 1992, and more.

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hotarutranslations · 5 years

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Taiyou to Ciscomoon-san! Takahashi Ai-san! Kudo Haruka-chan (in a later photo…)!

Evening

Its Ishida Ayumi

Hello! Project concerts

Today the performances at Nakano Sun Plaza

Have finished! Thank you very much! From now on it's the other prefecture performances~

Pumping it up in each prefecture I’m looking forward to it <3

Definitely come and see us!

Morning Musume ‘19 Spring Tour as well, We’re doing an advance blog reception!

For today’s performance,

The OG guests were,

Inaba Atsuko-san! Shinoda Miho-san! Kominato Miwa-san!

Taiyou to Ciscomoon-san!!!

I love Taiyou to Ciscomoon-san!!!

In actuality I didn’t get to see them when they were active, in this way, I’ve been deeply moved that I get to see them for the 20th anniversary, also my feelings are fulllllyyyy thankful.

My great seniors performances are, In any case,

At any rate,

My heart is moved.

With their coolness, I’ve thought, I love them~.

Them standing on stage, I realized it was of most importance again

It was thrilling… <3 <3 <3

Getting to see them from the stage sleeves,

Dancing greatly the whole time, Their singing voices also reverberated,

It was only one…

“This is Yoshinopii!”

Its too bad that I didn’t it get to hear (or say) it

To my acrobat-sensei Miho-san, I wanted to yell out to her with all my strength...←

Today was like that,

Their anniversary is April 21st…

Maybe they’ll do something again…

Since I can say it! The fun cannot be helped! Also for my schedule to have free time! (Mine isn’t adjustable lol)

Since they’ll be appearing at the Osaka performance next week on the 19th, those that are active, can learn a lot from them again

Takahashi Ai-san Came and saw todays concert today

Receiving words from my seniors as well, Is a source of power to work hard.

In order to not be shameful towards our wonderful seniors,

Morning Musume ‘19 will also do their best!

With that yesterday, Kudo Haruka-chan also came <3

On Duu’s Instagram story, she seemed to have uploaded a noisy fun Morning Musume

The moment Duu came over, Everyone was really energetic! Lol

Laughing Laughing~ <3

Also check out the Morning Musume Instagram!

Alright! Today I also did my best!

I bought fresh juice but,

I really regret it

Because now, I have a canker sore~! I forgot~!

It really hurts~!

Yes, now↑ I wrote that I regret it,

“Ishida again regrets using money”

Is what people will think~ ハハハ( ´∀`) To be honest, it really comes out( ´∀`)b

You impression of it is strong, man, its a problem!!! Lol

I’ll take my vitamins and go to sleep soon

See you ayumin <3

#Ishida Ayumi #Morning Musume #Morning Musume '19 #Hello! Project #Translation #Blog

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