Blog - NOMIYA Maki Recital vol.2 ~Eleganceholic~: report

This entry is FULL OF SPOILERS about a great show that maybe you will get to see someday (tour? DVD?).
Read on only if you don't mind.
ネタばれ注意！

Maki's show was this year again really fantastic. The stage looked rather simple, with a large house's white wall for background, on which video and images were projected throughout. The wall's large windows could roll up to reveal another small stage there.

The set list included Question Girl (from "Party People", a song by Futon), Pizzicato Five's Catchy, Tokyo wa yoru no 7ji ("the night is still young", more about this one below) and a disco remix of Twiggy Twiggy. Being that the music director was Kikuchi Naruyoshi of Spank Happy, there were also many Spank Happy songs! My friends Miwa and Akiko with who I was are both big fans of Kikuchi-san and they knew all the songs, but to me most were new, except for a few from "Vendôme, la sick kaiseki". And of course there were the two new songs written by Kikuchi-san just for this show, toshiue no otoko - 31 ans de différences and toshishita no otoko - 13 ans de différences available here. Both had prominent places in the show.

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The show started with Maki wearing a large black dress under which seemed to be black latex, and wearing a huge hat (if you can call it that), and her two male dancers falling slowly from the ceiling upside-down. It all started with two Spank Happy songs: Forever Mozart (song from "Computer House of Mode", new recording) and then Elegance no kaibutsu (from "Vendôme, la sick kaiseki"). That one was quite funny, showing her hitchhiking on the side of a highway. She lit up a fake cigarette, and would raise her dress to show her leg while sticking out her thumb. A car passed ignoring her and then she sang "sometimes it's not easy to be elegant". Then another car passed and went to crash somewhere ahead, as she sang "sometimes it's terrible to be elegant".

Then there was a costume change, during which subtitles told us that even on a normal day at home, Maki changes 3 times! No surprise that she would wear over a dozen outfits during this show! The next scene showed her in a simple-looking flowered dress at home. She sang toshiue no otoko, about a relationship with an older man. There was more costume changing, during which were shown really great, classy photos of her and "older" men at places like a bar or a railroad track along with P5's kimi ni naritai (from "This Year's Girl") for BGM.

Then there was a scene where she wore green latex, and she sang Catchy (original version from "Sweet Pizzicato Five"!) while rolling around on the window space that was half open. She was wearing some high-heel shoes with a platform at the bottom, they looked like they were in metal and seemed pretty heavy. On the rest of the "wall" were projected also images of her in the same outfit. Although simple, this way maybe one of my favorite parts of the show, maybe just because I love "Catchy"! Still in the same outfit, she stood in front of the stage which had colored neon lights flashing, and sang Question Girl (from "Party People", written by Futon). That was awesome too!

Next was another costume change, and the next set had three musicians playing tabla, violin and sitar, for an Indian feel. Two songs were sung, first a cover of Shimakura Chiyoko's ai no sazanami, and then P5's Tokyo wa yoru no 7ji!! I had sort of recognized this one from the first chord and sitar notes (though I wouldn't have bet on it). It started very slowly, but once hitting the chorus it got more upbeat.

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20-minute entr'acte
We went to hang out in the hall and I got ahold of Peter, a P5ML friend (who created the great Pizzicato Five Solo Site) who came from Australia just for this show! (or almost... he actually scheduled a planned trip so he could also catch this show.)

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Back to the show, Maki showed up with deer antlers on her head, and wearing a long coat. It was obvious that she had a trick in her bag.. but 5 or 6? Indeed she kept switching dresses instantly on stage, helped by her dancers. Notable ones were a short Japan flag dress that unfolded into a very long Mondrian dress. Around here she sang mori no koibitotachi (from "Dress Code", produced by Sunaga Tatsuo) and also Balance Noire 48°C (from Spank Happy's "Vendôme...").

toshishita no otoko, about love with younger men, was certainly the sexiest part of the show. Her two male dancers danced and frolicked with her, taking off her wig and panties...! Tension was high for a moment but then they disappeared behind the shutting windows... which reopened revealing them all dancing, one of the guys wearing her bra and the other her wig and spinning her panties at the tip of his finger. That was quite hilarious! Maki sang masui. (from Spank Happy's "Computer...")

After another costume change, Maki appeared in the center of the stage wearing an enormous princess-like dress, and a specially designed "Eleganceholic" crown full of diamonds. She sang haikei Miss International (from Spank Happy's single "Angelic"), and during a part of the song where she sings "I love you! I love you! ..." repeatedly, she pointed at people with her dance stick. I'm certain that she pointed at me twice and our eyes met!! But then again my friend Akiko right next to me said the same thing, haha.

There was a big surprise around her. What seemed like her very big dress started to move... At her feet were her two dancers wearing fluffy outfits over their heads. They danced happily at Maki's sides as the whole crowd couldn't help but laughing!

Maki announced that the next song was going to be the last, and it was Twiggy Twiggy (from P5's "This Year's Girl"), rearranged by Kikuchi-san into a "future disco" version. There was a credit roll and that was the end..!

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Encore
After the ending credits, Maki quickly came back on stage. She was wearing a dress from Dress Camp's line, and sang Towa Tei's amai seikatsu (la douce vie) which she said is always highly requested by her fans.

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On the way out, Miwa and I were hesitating whether to get the show's signed poster, when Peter intervened, bought three and gave us one each! Big thanks!!!!! :) Then we headed out slowly, having a last look at the "Eleganceholic" crown of diamonds and the flowers in the entrance.

By the way, I wouldn't have been able to recount the show in so many details without the full set list that Kikuchi-san published on his diary!

Now I just wish that this gets released on DVD, as well as last year's show! Please!!

Larger size photos at Flickr