beymyselfandi

[beymyselfandi]

My 2023 in Music

2023 was definitely the year of music for me! I lost count, but I went to over 30 different live events this year! From small promo events at shopping malls to a stadium tour, I’ve basically seen it all. I’ve decided to make a list of some of my favorite performances, mostly for me to be able to look back on this year fondly. I hope 2024 will be just as exciting!

BEYONCÉ

1/1 - RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR

MetLife Stadium, New Jersey (July 29)

I’ll never forget seeing Beyoncé for the first time all the way back in November 2008 on The Today Show. She has really changed a lot since then (she hardly ever performs “Single Ladies” anymore), but when she hit the stage at MetLife Stadium singing her solo debut “Dangerously in Love,” it was like I was brought back to that time. Beyoncé has said that she has nothing to prove to anyone at this point. I’ve heard people complain when she performs the same songs over and over again, but they just don’t appreciate the crowd going apeshit when she yells “1, 2, 3, 4!” and the horns from “Crazy in Love” start playing. It’s incredible! RENAISSANCE is not my favorite album of Beyoncé’s (even though “CUFF IT” has been my most played song two years in a row), but this tour was so much more than that. I didn’t go all out on my outfit like a lot of the fans there, but I’m glad I could walk around with my friends wearing tiny cowboy hats (we even made it into an online newspaper!). My only complaint was that New Jersey sucked at the mute challenge… but Japan was made for this. We will reign supreme when the film drops in theaters here later this month.

Taken at The Today Show, Rockefeller Center, New York (November 26, 2008)

SARD UNDERGROUND

1/2 - 6th Single "Dog Actor Song" Release Event

MALera Gifu, Gifu (September 3)

2/2 - LIVE TOUR 2023 “hold me, my friend”

Zepp Haneda, Tokyo (September 18)

Taken at MALera Gifu, Gifu (September 3)

Unlike the other artists I support, I don’t get to see SARD UNDERGROUND that much. They have a tour every year then occasionally hold release events at music stores across Japan. They do other shows too, but they are usually lottery based and I lose every time. However, I was able to go to their release event in Gifu. They had a small meet and greet at the end and we had to draw a random number to determine our place in line. I was number three, and since the first two people weren’t there when we started, I got to meet them first. It was so embarrassing, but they seemed genuinely happy to see me, saying “long time no see” and complimenting my Japanese. I saw them again a few weeks later on their tour. With COVID restrictions finally lifted, I was able to sing my heart out to some of ZARD’s classic hits, including my favorite song “Today is another day,” which they performed for the first time during the encore. I sometimes forget how important ZARD’s music is to me, and since I only get to see SARD UNDERGROUND every so often, they leave a really powerful impression on me every time.

YUI NISHIO

I saw Yui Nishio 15 times this year, but these performances stuck out to me the most. 

3/15 - SOCIAL TOWER MARKET “Music and Coffee”

Blossa, Nagoya (May 20)

I couldn’t have asked for more at SOCIAL TOWER MARKET — the weather was amazing, Yui Nishio was playing in front of the crowd like a regular street performer (even asking us to google her lyrics when she forgot some words), she signed my favorite cap, and we took a picture so cute I’ve been trying to take a similar one ever since. This was the first time we actually had a conversation, and it’s crazy to think that now she knows me so well even her parents recognize me. 

10/15 - FM802 MINAMI WHEEL 2023 25th ANNIVERSARY

FootRock&BEERS, Osaka (October 9)

MINAMI WHEEL was also really fun. Yui Nishio usually performs solo, but for big events like these and her tours, she brings out a full band and it’s incredible to watch. I saw her for the first time at last year’s MINAMI WHEEL and it was the energy I sensed from her and the band (and her amazing merch) that made me a fan. She truly is a performer! I hadn’t seen her in over two months, so it was really sweet when we reunited on the street while she was handing out fliers before the show. After the show, I gave her a beer glass I bought in New York that says “#BeerIsLove.” If you check out her beer account on Instagram (@ynobeer), you can sometimes see her using it!

11/15- TAMARIBA 2023 ～Tamagawa Riverside Festival～

Izumi-Tamagawa Riverbed, Tokyo (November 4)

TAMARIBA was another performance that had a lot of the things I love about seeing Yui Nishio live. She performs a lot outdoors, and even in November, it was a beautiful day, perfect for us to toast with a beer together! She was joined by a pianist, so even though I had seen her so many times already this year, each song had an awesome new arrangement that made me happy I came to Tokyo a day earlier than planned. I was in town for the Sonic Official Fan Meeting, but often times she happens to be performing somewhere close by so I’m able to take a quick detour to see her. Another reason this performance stuck out to me was because it reminded of the time I saw her in Hokkaido at another outdoor event called FEELDGOOD FES. I’ll go into more detail about that trip later when I write about YU-KA, but for now, I’ll just say that whenever I can reminisce on that weekend, I know it’s gonna be a great time.

15/15 - Acoustic Tour “COZY and TASTY”

sunset BLUE, Nagoya (December 8)

Her acoustic tour was my last concert of the year, and what a way to go out! It was here in Nagoya, so not only was I “at home,” so was she! The concert was shorter than her other tours, but she performed some really cool arrangements of some of my favorite songs, including "Chinese Restaurant," which I had never actually seen performed before. After the show, we took our usual photo and she thanked me for coming to so many of her performances this year. Before we said our good-byes, a few other fans and I took one last photo together as “citizens” with the “mayor” of “tasty city.”

YU-KA

Apologies in advance if this section gets a little confusing. It’s hard to write about YU-KA and not mention all the other great artists (including Yui Nishio) that I was introduced to because of her. 

6/19 - HUG ROCK FESTIVAL 2023 GW

Shibuya Star lounge, Tokyo (May 2)

I can’t believe I saw YU-KA 19 times this year. Golden Week was especially crazy; I saw her three times in four days! HUG ROCK FESTIVAL was the first event, and it was definitely the highlight of the week for me because I met her for the first time there! I saw her outside handing out fliers and she instantly recognized me as the person who comes to a lot of her shows. We talked a bit and she seemed so appreciative of me that she asked to shake my hand. 

1st TOUR 2023 “Alone Together”

9/19 - Minami Horie knave, Osaka (May 28)

11/19 - SPADE BOX, Nagoya (June 11)

Taken at Minami Horie knave, Osaka (May 28)

YU-KA has performed in a lot of small places. She usually does solo or duo sets, so when she announced that her tour would feature a live band I was so excited! I went to the Osaka and Nagoya shows, and I was lucky enough to be in the front row both times. Nagoya takes a lot of shit for being the “most boring city in Japan,” but every time YU-KA comes here you can feel the energy from the crowd that is just not present in other cities. All the people commenting "yabai" during her live stream perfectly described that concert. TBH, I think my hollering the whole time might have had something to do with it. I’d really like to take a picture with YU-KA one day, but for now, I’ll settle for the selfie she posed for during the video that perfectly aligned so that I could be in the shot with her.

Captured from YU-KA’s Instagram Live at SPADE BOX, Nagoya (June 11)

12/19 - SAPPORO FACTORY × JOIN ALIVE OUTDOOR FESTA 2023 supported by AIR-G'

Sapporo Factory Atrium, Sapporo (June 18)

When Yui Nishio announced that she was going to Hokkaido, I knew it would be crazy even for me to follow her there, but then a friend of mine told me YU-KA would also be there on the same weekend. It was never mentioned on social media, so I almost missed it, but that didn’t stop me from planning a last minute trip to Hokkaido just four days before departure! It felt like a sign, and I knew I would regret it if I didn’t go. Yui Nishio’s performance was great. It seemed like no one really knew who she was there, so everyone (including her) glanced amusingly at me a few times as I stanned out to “Drink, Pray, Love!” It was my seventh time seeing her this year, so of course I had all the synchronized hand claps down pat!

Taken at TxT GARAGE・FEELD GOOD FES. Hokkaido 2023, Ishikari Bay New Port Area Special Venue, Hokkaido (June 17)

YU-KA performed the next day at a shopping mall, and I was so happy I went because she did some acoustic versions of her songs for the first time. She messed up the first time she tried singing her latest single “Swimmy” and had to start over, and that little mistake and the small crowd reminded me of the second time I saw her perform last year when she was still a relatively unknown artist. It was similarly at a shopping mall to promote her first single. I didn’t know at that time that I’d become such a huge fan, and I love that I can still be just as thrilled to see her perform some of those same songs over a dozen shows later. After that short weekend trip, Hokkaido found a special place in my heart. I can’t wait to go back… until then I’ll keep drinking Sapporo beer. 

Taken at Debut Single "lullaby" Release Event, AEON LakeTown, Saitama (July 18, 2022)

16/19 - Touya Day ～2023～ with KOBAYASHI TOUYA

Yoyogi Park Outdoor Music Stage, Tokyo (October 8)

YU-KA never comes out after her performances to greet fans, but for some reason she did at MINAMI WHEEL. I told her that I’d be going to her show in Tokyo the next day, and I could tell even she thought I was crazy for that. I went from Nagoya to Osaka to Tokyo to Osaka and back to Nagoya that weekend; I still can’t believe it… but I couldn’t miss seeing her perform with one of her friends, Kobayashi Touya! I’ve seen him perform three times this year. I don’t remember exactly what he said the first time I saw him last year, but it was something like, “it doesn’t matter if this is your first time seeing me or you’ve been to many of my shows, let’s all enjoy this moment together.” Similarly to how when I saw Yui Nishio for the first time, I could tell he was born to be a performer. Touya Day was a really amazing show, the highlight being KEISUKE and YU-KA joining Touya during the encore to perform his song "Lens." I came back to Yoyogi Park to see Yui Nishio perform earlier this month just hours before I went to Touya’s one-man LIVE "Re:Start" at Hulic Hall Tokyo, and I love that that little event space has become a really special place to me. His concert was also really great, and I’m glad I got to share the Thanksgiving photo of me and my friends with him and his fans. 

2nd TOUR “Blue”

17/19 - UMEDA CLUB QUATTRO, Osaka (October 27)

18/19 - NAGOYA CLUB QUATTRO, Nagoya (October 28)

19/19 - SHIBUYA CLUB QUATTRO, Tokyo (November 10)

Taken at UMEDA CLUB QUATTRO, Osaka (October 27)

I summed up my experiences on this tour nicely in some Instagram posts back in October and November, mostly about how I was happy to be up front in Osaka and see YU-KA perform “AM:PM” with special guest NOTD in Tokyo. However, I didn’t talk about how exhausted I was in Nagoya. It was the night of many Halloween parties, and I never stayed in one place for too long. Truthfully, the concert and that weekend as a whole are a bit of a blur to me. It helped me realize that sometimes I need to take a break and stop thinking about the next show. I went to back to back events in Nagoya and Tokyo just a few weeks later, so I’m still trying to accept the fact that it’s okay to sit some things out. There will always be another show…

Taken at NAGOYA CLUB QUATTRO, Nagoya (October 28)

…but also OMG, YU-KA talked about me on the radio and laughed her ass off on air when her staff told her they saw me dressed as Sonic a dinosaur on the subway.

Taken at SHIBUYA CLUB QUATTRO, Tokyo (November 10)

For anyone that has made it this far, I want to end with a little PSA. I love going to concerts, and I was absolutely crushed when I realized that it was affecting my ears. The first couple of weeks were brutal — I was dizzy all the time, I felt like my ears were clogged, and I could hear them ringing constantly. I’ve gotten better, but unfortunately some things seem irreversible. I still have trouble hearing people sometimes, and my ears are ringing as I’m typing this. If you love music as much as I do, please do yourself a favor and buy some ear plugs. The Loop Experience ones have changed my life! Once you get used to wearing them, you will understand how loud concerts are the second you take them out. They are even great for when that certain someone’s turn comes up at karaoke.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!