How to show off this beautiful madness...
This is SHINee's 2nd Japan arena tour so it was a big deal. I hope that they guys didn't fall to pieces quite so much afterwards though, like the first time. I think they have settled into their Japanese stardom now.
I think the production of their Japanese music is very clever, they actually sound just like NEWS. I'm serious, you know how much I love NEWS, I wouldn't say that lightly, they really really sound like 4 nin NEWS in their Japanese stuff.
I had major joys and epic squees over this gig I may as well go for it and do this epic piece of bastardry that has been waiting as an empty draft with screenshots for the past week in my folder.
Plus it means I get to watch it all over again, which is not chore. I can't review gigs without having the video playing because I forget what order things happen, so joys. I get to sit through it all again with an excuse this time.
Well, let us start at the beginning. The concert opens with some sort of post apocalyptic wasted city with grey buildings and a crying girl.
SHINee come smashing all godly like out of the glass in slow motion and, I dunno, bring the light or some sh*t I guess.
Basically they are magic or god or something. But we know that. You only have to look at Key to know that sh*t we don't really need a movie clip to show it but whatever. That's fine. It wouldn't be an Asian pop band opening without a completely over the top video to remind us that SHINee members are actually Jesus.
So after all the slow motion walking through heavenly smashed glass they walk on stage and Jonghyun's hair is actually brighter than the sun, Key looks unbelievably gorgeous, Taemin just makes me have a f*cking heart attack because his hair is all amazing and I try very hard while they are singing to just pull myself back together and remember I'm way - too - old to be fangirling like that.
They start of with Stranger with a proper dance routine as you would expect.
Almost every song is redone in Japanese for this gig and its pretty natural. They move to Juliet in their lovely gold and black outfits - no NEWS feathers or Gackt giant cat cosplay yet, but I'm waiting...
Minho has some serious jewelry on that makes me wonder if he fell down on a dressing table and everything just stuck to him, but we'll let that go because of his awesome. These songs are mostly live with some layering; most of the gig was like that.
They key dance routine songs like Sherlock and Everybody were necessarily lip synced but mostly everything was just layered to get the best sound and still be live. Then the ballads were all completely live. I really think its the perfect way to do it. They get to perform absolutely to their best that way. But even to my trained ear its sometimes hard to tell when they are really live because they are pitch perfect all the time.
The next one is the See-Saw. All i'm thinking is that Taemin should ALWAYS wear those trousers. His voice has matured fantastically over the last few years (bringing out his first solo album which I'm obsessed with right now).
We do an old one next with Replay - its great to see them do this so many years later - I always like watching Onew singing the older songs because he looks so happy. His face when he's having fun is just the best. So cute I cant explain. I really like Replay in Japanese as well. It works so well.
So we jump into Lucifer and the crowd has a monumental spack attack. Rightly so. Its still sick as. No matter how you look at it. I've said this many times before but I will never get sick of watching Taemin dance. I've already spent hours of my life just staring at his legs.
So next VT Taemin is lighting those big as candle balloon things and creates the sunshine, Jonghyun starts painting a floor purple for no apparent reason and it turns into the sky ...that he is standing... on...in..or something... Then Onew looks happy at his washing, smelling the amazing Lenor on his sheets and... makes grass appear by waving his bed sheet around... theyre really going for this god theme.
Onew creates fields and meadows with his laundry. And looks so happy about it. Minho makes paper windmills to create all the trees and plants and hayfever, then Key comes along with a big ass rocket looking like a kid from midwitch cookoos, and makes some serious fox rain like the gumiho we know he really is. And stands about grinning at the rain like a mental patient.
Best - damn - VT - ever.
So its time for the costume change and they've got red and white. Yesssss its good. Kouhaku is a good look guys. Score. The song is I'm With You then 1000nen Zutto Soba Ni Itte which is pretty NEWS like, and you can really tell how perfectly great their voices are these days as they are completely live and pitch perfect. Joys.
#Shine on you shine onew!# ...Cant help myself.
All the feels. All - of - them.
Ok so they talk to the audience for a bit which is cute. I think Onew, Key and Jonghyun have some serious Japanese skills nowadays. It seems natural for all of them to just d*ck about in Japanese. I liked all their little talking moments. It helps that I can understand it unlike their in Korean gigs.
Sunny Day Hero - I cant explain how fun they are singing their stupid Japanese songs. I love their original Japanese stuff, its like NEWS, really it is. I smile so much it listening to it I make Onew look grumpy. If that's ever possible. The lyrics are so damn cute. The guys look like they have so much fun I cant stop giggling watching their stupids. Onew, your face is great.
I don't know why I've put all my serious facing Minho pictures at this section...Beautiful is next with a nice cute dance routine (after that mess of jumping all over each other just now) This is in Korean - I love this song and the Japanese fans also know every damn word.
Bursting into Why so Serious - my favourite SHINee song, like a blend of Aerosmith and Nsync hahaha yeah well when I first heard Ring ding dong years ago I said it was like Justin Timberlake does Crazy Frog so I think my Aerosmith Nsync description is allowed. Why so serious is also in Korean. Such a fun song. That dance is so stupid. I love every second of that. I hate it when it ends.
But when it does we get all blue mood lighting for Password - I really great Japanese track with no dance routine, just a lot of wailing and posturing in weird lighting with lasers. Hehe Joys.
And I start to notice the boys' eyeliner. And contact lenses. I think they made these guys vacuum packed grow your own perfect idol from the clone factory under the SM Ent building. Jonghyun pretty much wails for the entire song without opening his mouth - its definitely live - he just doesn't open his mouth to sing. He doesn't need to, being a perfect SM Ent android. No effort needed.
Roll next VT and oh my god what have we got here? Its an animated weird happy tree friends mess in new kids on the block outfits complete with rainbow scenery and sparkles. As far as I can tell they are helping some creatures build a town. With roll on roof tiles.... I'm sure that's not how that works.
Well I don't know what the hell that was about.
But it introduced another costume change and brought on all the stupids. The song is Kiss Yo, and they start d*cking around with a weird backing set full of my last magic mushrooms trip and F*CK I LOVE TAEMIN'S CLOTHES. I have to have that outfit. I must have it!!! And Jonghyun's trousers.Onew and Minho look so happy now things have turned ridiculous. Jonghyun and Onew have a little pretend punch up and its all so stupid. They've gone proper Butlins. Props and dancers in panto costumes and INFLATABLE SLIDES.
The next stupid song is Start for which they obviously need mini bikes and scooters to ride around on and fall off and crash into each other. Wouldn't be right otherwise. Taemin comes out dressed as a giant Christmas present. I lost the f*cking plot. On the floor. Dying.
At this point it really feels like a Japanese gig because its just so fun and silly and they are just waving sticks around and playing with each other instead of dancing. I love this side of them.
They continue the stupids for Dazzling Girl but with some semblance of dance routine.
It really sucks that my neck is all broken still because I cant keep still watching this, I just want to jump around with them. Even in spite of danky dank pianos. I forgive them for that.
They burst out mid-song from behind the back thing in Santa jackets because Christmas. Key should always wear a Santa hat at all times.
Ok so they dance to Hello in the Santa outfits, which is kinda weird but after what I just saw... Nothing will ever be weird again. Its nice to hear Hello in Japanese as well. It works well. All their old stuff translates really well into Japanese. I also think when they sing Hello they really don't give any part of a sh*t at all - Onew does a stupid voice, and their dancing is way off, breaking out of the routine just to be silly with each other.
I always get really exhausted by this point. But that's ok we have some ballads now.
Perfect outfit change. Lovely suits and lots of waving for the next song Fire which is seriously NEWS like, one song in particular but I cant place it for the life of me. I know it has the word 笑って in it but I cant think of what song it is. Really frustrating.
This style suits SHINee so well though, I just love it. Their harmonies are lovely and the lyrics are adequately cheesy and lovely.
These kinds of songs you tend to grow to love through the live gigs rather than on albums. There is something that is just great about these kinds of songs live - I've said about NEWS and Kanjani and others before that some songs just shine when live. Maybe its all the waving. I think it might be the waving.
So the next one is a sit down. The boys organised a sit-in to protest how sickening beautiful they are. They realise it shouldn't be allowed. Maybe. I don't know. I think maybe they're just singing Moon River Waltz.
Taemin seriously you make me sick. You hurt my eyes damn it. That lighting is cruel. God damn. Just... seriously. I cant.
Kimi Ga Iru Sekai is next - I love love love this song. I... there's nothing else to say.
... Fuu Fuu Fuuuu. That is all.
They show their hand written notes up on the screen which is adorable and so sweet. It all goes stars and twinkles and then bam... another VT.
Its the god complex again. Now they are in the stars. They actually are constellations I think here. Um... I'm not really sure.
They start dancing creating some sort of super nova of sparkles and swooshing beams of Michael Jackson or something and some buildings are being created on what looks like something out of Akira, their atoms disperse and then they have new outfits - pink and turquoise obviously. When you make a whole universe you gotta do it in pink and turquoise camo suits.
So then they come back out on stage with their kaki brown, green and blue suits for Dream Girl with the full dance routine. Dream girl also sounds good in Japanese. I'm so impressed with the cross over with SHINee more so than most cross overs. Too cool.
To Your Heart is next, and the giant flags come out. I really half expect to see hundreds of juniors here but its not Johnnys. Its hard to remember that sometimes.
Burning Up sees the addition of flaming pyros now and I have to say, I saw too much crotch guys. Too much. Stop it.
On first watching of this me and Mikey both shouted at exactly the same time for Minho to 'stop thrusting!' I know which side they all dress on now.. I didn't need to know that. I'm not sure if it was Burning Up or the next song Amigo. But at some point I had to close my eyes and turn away from all the crotching.
Amigo was in Japanese too, the pixies in SM Ent know what they are doing it seems, it sounded great and there's a nice little semi krumping style dance break in the middle which is cool.
Breaking News follows suit with an exhausting dance routine that looks so odd right now because my computer wont let me play the video and type on my keyboard at the same time so that's great. Buffer damn it. The guys really go for it here I thought Key might break in half.
I start regretting doing this at this time of night because I really want to go for a fast walk now with this blaring in my ears.
Another talking part with them being silly with each other and the audience. Key basically being awesome. Then they introduce Colours Of The Season. For which, of course, its snows on stage.
Complete change of pace now for Everybody with full dance routine. This, by the way, I really think the choreographers should have won an award for. Its a seriously inventive and impressive routine and I love the music video. Camp as chips. For the millionth time I will say that it works in Japanese really well. I didn't even notice at first, but when I realised I could actually understand the words suddenly the penny dropped that they were singing in Japanese. So natural I didn't notice. That's a good sign.
This is one of the best gigs I've seen in ages. And still 30 mins left... I'm getting tired now guys...
So Jonghyun and Onew talk to the audience all out of breath for a bit. Mint green and white suits - I forgot the last costume change mention didn't I.
Their talking is so funny. 'Okashi? Okashii?' Hahaha I love Onew. So Taemin, Key and Minho come out in Purple pink white hiphop band genius outfits and talk sh*t for a while. Reading letters etc. Its cute.
The next is a Japanese version of SHINee World which I didn't even recognise until the chorus because they just keep shouting and singing in weird voices. Then Run With Me sees the platforms come out so they go whizzing around in the audience. 321 is basically just more jumping and shouting. My fingers are tired from typing now. F*ck this concert is so long.
Finally Sherlock! With a full dance routine - I realised I didn't have a clue what the Japanese words were way after I had started singing along very loudly. Looo looo looo is actually one of Jonghyun's lines I'm sure. I really love the dance to this. Its so fun.
Give it up give it up give it up for SHINee
They kept saying they were going to leave but here we are still f*cking dancing. They just kept doing more songs.
They start having fun again after talking okashii sh*t for a while. And finally close the show with another fun song Boys Meet U not even trying to sing in tune or in time or into the mic or at all by this point.
Throwing balls into the audience and jumping around like idiots, looking so happy. I start feeling like a proud mother.
And with that, the final encore is over. They are going the f*ck home and I can stop typing.
Support SHINee and joys and yay etc etc. Please. Oh god my fingers hurt.
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