heidi.'s 3rd Anniversary Tour in Osaka

During their 3rd Anniversary Tour, heidi. also made a brief stop at Osaka. And so on June 22 their fans gathered in the heart of the city, the busy shopping street Shinsaibashi-suji, to attend the concert at Shinsaibashi Quattro.

The big black banner at the back of the stage evoked the occasion of this concert with its words, "3rd Anniversary = heidi." Three stars representing each year of the band’s existence were painted on it. Soon, the lively chatting of the fans filled the venue - they were obviously waiting eagerly for the surprises the band might have planned for this particular evening.

And with good reason! Finally the rousing opening song Tsubasa showed the time had come to celebrate, rock out and jump. The following songs Orange Drama and especially Flashback intensified this impression even more; Clapping with the music, the crowd visibly enjoyed the great drive of the song. But it wasn't just the fans having fun, as in the course of the following Hakuchuumu beside the vocal range of Yoshihiko, the band’s great joy in playing was also evident. The impressive harmony of their play was even more emphasized as the band turned to each other at the end of the song, just before Yoshihiko turned again to the crowd and simply said "Thank you."

During the following MC, the vocalist pointed out the theme of this tour and explained that they were celebrating the band’s third anniversary, to which the fans responded with loud applause. Moreover, he said that since this would be their very first time playing at Shinsaibashi Quattro, the band would be really looking forward to this evening.

The following Remu demonstrated this statement well; The band and the fans noticeably gained energy, the crowd jumped, danced and countless hands were lifted in the air as the song ended. It hadn’t completely faded away as the first tunes of Slow drop arose. Driven by Kosukes dynamic bass lines and the impressive vocals of Yoshihiko, the audience was heated up even more and a tension was built that lasted until the energetic finish of the song. After just a short moment to take breath, then came Aruhi no senkoku - a song that gained more and more tension in the course of its play, but then seemed to erupt completely within the last refrain and in the final shout of Yoshihiko at the song's end. Therefore Deep - one of the most recent songs of heidi. - was, compared to this tune, almost quiet, but nevertheless powerful. The fans were immediately stoked by its emphatic guitar lines and its pleasant melody, and honored the song with loud applause.

There was not much time to regain one's bearings before the following Nakibue, another stirring song of heidi., started. With its unique dynamics and stunning vocals, this was for sure one of the evening’s highlights. If there was a song that could heat up the audience even more at this point, it was Shinkiro, which came next. The fans danced, jumped, raised their hands, and gave everything they had towards the compelling drums of the song. Yoshihiko then showed his appreciation with a "Thank you Osaka! Arigatou!"

During the second MC, the audience got some time to relax while the vocalist chatted about the fact that heidi. was actually formed 4 years ago, and the band doesn't really like to leave their hotel due to the climate (Japanese summers can be unbearably humid).

The short pause came to an end when the band started to heat up the audience once again. Between Hello!, Parade and Synchro there wasn’t much time left to regain one's equilibrium. Every single song moved the crowd and once again everyone danced and went totally along with the music. Yuyake to Kodomo was no exception, but at the same time it showed something else that makes the music of heidi. so impressive: its variability, due to its altering rhythms and changes in tempo. The following Tsutatsuta accelerated the pace and invited the fans not only to do some furitsuke (hand choreography), but also to head bang. And the show only got hotter with the following Utakata, which is not only a fast-paced, but also a suspense-packed song. Unable to stand still, everyone was moving and as soon as the chorus emerged, the crowd’s repetitively shouted "Hey! Hey!" sounded throughout the venue. With such an energetic song, the band chose a great final to conclude the regular set list.

The band had barely left the stage as the fans’ call for more rose up. Indefatigably calling for an encore, the fans had to wait a while until the band returned to the stage, this time in tour shirts. After a short interlude between Yoshihiko and Kosuke - the latter clipped the vocalist with a towel, to which Yoshihiko responded, "What was that for? You surprised me." - the fans gained momentum once again in the course of the first encore. With Maria, Heaven and Natsu itto, the fans couldn't help but resume dancing and jumping, lifting their hands and cherishing the music. The band seemed to share their verve, since once again their great joy in playing became visible and truly left a lasting impression.

After the band had left the stage for a second time, the fans’ voices rose once again - and as desired, one after another, the members returned to the stage, each giving their thanks to the crowd, but not only that. Before playing the last song of the evening, Yoshihiko announced each of the members would have a little chat with the fans. So one after the other, first Nao and then Kosuke, chatted a little and gave us some insight into their thoughts on various things, like their connection to Osaka and other topics. Then it was Kiri’s turn to talk to the crowd, and after giving his thanks to the fans, he started an enjoyable interplay with them, alternately shouting "Are you alive?" - "Yeah!" - "Are you alive?" - "Yeah!" - "Aren’t you alive?" Soon laughter and happiness filled the venue (Responding to Kiri, the vocalist Yoshihiko gave the simple comment, "Hopeless"). Changing positions, the vocalist went to the drums and Kiri stood in front of the crowd, again giving his best to encourage them "to get crazy."

In accordance with his words, the fans freaked out during the following Sentimental as far as they could go. With their jumping and dancing, the whole venue was filled with an immense power and heat. Reaching the chorus, the song merged with a special sense of the occasion: While singing in one voice, everyone sang the lines: "Singing a song with them, I’m not sad. Singing a song to them, I’m not lonely." The words became sensible, if not tangible. With this amazing song, heidi. finished a concert that had worked up to a climax from its first moment on.

Without giving their fans any time to rest, the band did just what their tour title had claimed: celebrated their anniversary. With this evening, full of highlights, heat and energy, we can only say: "Congratulations!" - and look forward to the following years as heidi. continues to give more presents to their fans.


Set list:

01. Tsubasa
02. Orange Drama
03. Flashback
04. Hakuchuumu

MC

05. Remu
06. Slow drop
07. Aruhi no senkoku
08. Deep
09. Nakibue
10. Shinkiro

MC

11. Hello!
12. Parade
13. Synchro
14. Yuyake to Kodomo
15. Tsutatsuta
16. Utakata

Encore 1

17. Maria
18. Heaven
19. Natsu itto

Encore 2

20. Sentimental