NHK WORLD presents SONGS OF TOKYO at NHK Hall - Day 1

Showcasing the Japanese culture two years and a half away from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics – such was the purpose of NHK WORLD when they organized NHK WORLD presents SONGS OF TOKYO, an event held over the nights of November 25th and 26th at the NHK Hall in Tokyo. Featuring an impressive line-up of artists, both concerts will be broadcast across 160 regions in the world on NHK WORLD TV on January 1st and 2nd.

Cornelius, Aqours, T.M.Revolution, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, MAN WITH A MISSION, Nishino Kana, SEKAI NO OWARI and NEWS performed live on the first day of NHK WORLD presents SONGS OF TOKYO.


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The concert kicked off with a performance by Cornelius. This shibuya kei artist first became famous in the 1980s as a member of the influential band Flipper’s Guitar, before going solo and earning praise from American critics for several of his singles. He opened the show with Itsuka/Dokoka, one of his latest songs. At the back of the stage, a giant screen displayed abstract shapes moving along with the percussions. He then performed COUNT FIVE OR SIX, from his renowned 1997 album Fantasma. This time, short retro videos were shown on the screen, seemingly contrasting with the artist’s modern experimental style, as he repeatedly sang “1 2 3 4 5 6” accompanied by an electric guitar. He concluded the medley with the catchy song BEEP IT, ending a surprising and original introduction to the event.



With the crowd’s enthusiastic cheers, the hosts announced Aqours as the next artist. This recently formed school idol group consisting of nine members is known for starring in the anime "Love Live! Sunshine!!" The young girls came on stage one by one as the corresponding anime characters were introduced in the background. Along with the audience waving colorful glow sticks, they sang the second season’s opening Mirai no bokura wa shitteru yo and HAPPY PARTY TRAIN before introducing themselves in anime-like high-pitched voices. And as the stage became bathed in colorful lights, they ended their appearance with MIRAI TICKET – an inspirational song about getting to a well-deserved bright future.


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The crowd cheered with excitement as the hosts were joined by T.M.Revolution who presented himself before jumping right into the stage. This 47-year-old artist, known for his recognizable, powerful voice, sang three songs from the popular anime "Gundam SEED" and "Gundam SEED Destiny". As the first one, Invoke, began to play, flames popped on the stage to go along with T.M.Revolution’s energetic performance while the anime’s opening was displayed at the back. Then, as the audience was cheerfully shouting “Hey! Hey!”, he took his jacket off for the next song, ignited, fully showcasing his impressive vocals and striking a nice pose at the end. The atmosphere then switched completely as the singer began to perform vestige in a ballad style, accompanied by blue lights and fireflies softly hovering on the screen.


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Coming out from the top of the stairs at the back of the stage, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu was the next artist to showcase her overwhelming energy. Dressed in red and surrounded by projections of dancing ninjas, she performed one of her most renowned songs, Ninja Re Bang Bang, which was featured in last year's the hit movie "Sing". After greeting the crowd, she was joined by four dancers as she sang PONPONPON, her very first international success. With her last song and single from this year, Harajuku de Iyahoi, creating electro house vibes through the hall, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu showed that her musical style is evolving along with her.



The stage was then almost entirely filled with equipment in preparation for MAN WITH A MISSION’s appearance. Greeted with a loud and cheerful applause, the enthusiastic wolf band burst onto the stage with a warm “We are MAN WITH A MISSION!” They performed one of their hit singles from 2013, FLY AGAIN, as the crowd mimicked the hand gestures of DJ Santa Monica. For their second song, My Hero, they had a group of violinists and cellists join them on stage, all wearing wolf eye masks. The audience then sang along with Tokyo Tanaka for the energizing and inspiring Raise your flag, concluding a performance worthy of a genuine rock concert.


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Nishino Kana’s appearance softened the atmosphere – standing alone on the stage, she started singing Torisetsu, the theme song from the movie "Heroine Shikkaku" ("No Longer Heroine"), released in 2015. She then performed the dynamic Have a nice day, one of her singles from 2016, as the audience clapped along. Her last song and latest single, a soft ballad named Te o tsunagu riyuu, had the audience captivated for a few moments as the singer’s lovely voice echoed through the hall.


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Next artist SEKAI NO OWARI is a band from various genres, including J-pop and rock. Saori, the pianist, was on a maternity leave and couldn’t join the event. The stage became bathed in sun-yellow lights and the band started on a soft tone with RAIN. The hall was then filled with Stargazer’s deep electronic sounds while the lights turned to green and blue. The singer sat down on a chair and grabbed a guitar for the final song, SOS, displaying his high-pitched, soft voice and sounding as if he was singing a lullaby to the audience.

The final artist was the boyband NEWS. This band is part of the Japanese talent agency Johnny&Associates, which has produced many successful bands and artists throughout the past five decades. Dressed in red and gold outfits, the four members started dancing and spinning their red and white umbrellas while singing KAGUYA. They were joined on stage by a group of young members of Johnny’s Jr. carrying the same umbrellas. After performing one of their most famous songs, Chankapana, they changed to black and white outfits to sing Sakura girl, creating a nostalgic atmosphere in the hall as Mount Fuji and cherry blossoms were displayed on the screen. Their last song, weeeek, ended the show in a spectacular way, with additional dancers coming on stage and in the aisles, streamers popping towards the audience and confetti falling on the stage – a memorable conclusion to the event.

NHK WORLD presents SONGS OF TOKYO will be broadcast on NHK WORLD TV on January 1st and January 2nd, 2018. Details on the artist line-up for each day's broadcast are available on https://www.nhk.or.jp/songsoftokyo/.

Set list

Cornelius
01. Opening
02. Itsuka/Dokoka
03. COUNT 5 OR 6
04. I HATE HATE
05. BEEP IT

Aqours
06. Mirai no bokura wa shitteru yo
07. HAPPY PARTY TRAIN
08. MIRAI TICKET

T.M.Revolution
09. Invoke
10. ignited
11. vestige

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu
12. Ninja Re Bang Bang
13. PONPONPON
14. Harajuku de Iyahoi

MAN WITH A MISSION
15. FLY AGAIN
16. My Hero
17. Raise your flag

Nishino Kana
18. Torisetsu
19. Have a nice day
20. Te o tsunagu riyuu

SEKAI NO OWARI
21. RAIN
22. Stargazer
23. SOS

NEWS
24. KAGUYA
25. Chankapana
26. Sakura girl
27. weeeek

Our report on NHK WORLD presents SONGS OF TOKYO at NHK Hall - Day 2 is coming soon!