Thanks for the report!

[quote="Mafu"]They finished recording the new FLCL soundtrack, which will consist of 14 songs. He said that it's not all new songs, though.[/quote]
Re-recordings of old songs, maybe? I'd be as psyched for that as I was for [i]Rock Stock[/i] (i.e. very psyched).
[quote]They are doing a theme song for a movie.[/quote]
omg I wonder what movie...
[quote]He has recorded 7 new songs with Casablanca and The Predators will release a new single.[/quote]
Whaaaaat a new Casablanca record already? They just put out the last one! I haven't even bought it yet!

Also hopefully The Predators have more than that new single coming. Maybe we'll hear some more new songs on their tour setlist!

That setlist is straight fire. And the third movement shows coming soon are going to be even more nuts, 2017 was clearly the best year to be in Japan.

A request for Mister Mafu: I can't tell you how many times I've come to the forum to dig up Marekenshin's transcription of Spiky Goose. Would it be feasible to put it on the main site? And then I noticed some errors in the One Life transcription and wondered if you might fix them.

Spiky Goose:
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=2309

Let me know if there's anything I can do to make it easier for you to update the main site when you're ready to do it.

[quote="rockman240"]A request for Mister Mafu: I can't tell you how many times I've come to the forum to dig up Marekenshin's transcription of Spiky Goose. Would it be feasible to put it on the main site? And then I noticed some errors in the One Life transcription and wondered if you might fix them.

Spiky Goose:
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=2309

Let me know if there's anything I can do to make it easier for you to update the main site when you're ready to do it.[/quote]
Getting more translations up and fixing errors is something that I have been wanting to do. If Marekenshin is cool with having them on the site, I’ll try to get ‘em on there.

I uh, was supposed to do that myself but I'm just a lazy bastard. :x

I'll want to re-vet all my translations for quality and accuracy before posting them, but that's semi quick. I can probably set aside time for one per week, but I am AWFULLY lazy at non-urgent tasks these days so I need reminders/repeat requests if you want it quickly. D;

Oh boy, folks. I attended the final show of the RETURN TO THIRD MOVEMENT Vol.1 tour last night, and it was glorious.

The venue this time was Zepp DiverCity in Odaiba, which is just a short distance from Zepp Tokyo. It was my first time coming back to Odaiba since the NOOK tour final.
By the time I arrived, around 3:30, the line for merchandise had already formed. They would start selling stuff at 4:30. After goods, I had some time to explore around a bit.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/NX91h94.jpg?1[/img]
(The screen just outside the venue entrance.)

If you're familiar with Odaiba, one of the main attractions that everyone comes to see is the scale-size Gundam. Earlier this year, they removed it and built a new one. The new one was unveiled in October (I think). Anyway, the new one is "Unicorn Gundam".

[img]https://i.imgur.com/SOWXPhV.jpg?1[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/lt20s8T.jpg?1[/img]
(The "Goddamned" Robot as it appears in day time and night time.)

My ticket number this time was in the A1900s, so I was far from entering the venue early like the people with fan club tickets. It was cool, though. I wasn't feeling up to trying to get near the front this time (I'm starting to feel a bit under the weather, and my cohort Tidusauron wasn't there this time to encourage me), and I was lucky to even have a ticket in the first place.
As I think I have mentioned in this thread before, getting a ticket to this tour was a bitch. This is how ticket sales usually go for pillows concerts:
1: Ticket sales open for members of What's pillows fan club.
2. The official site has a ticket lottery.
3. The individual ticket sites have their own ticket lotteries.
4. General ticket sales start.
I entered three different lotteries for tickets to the Shibuya show and Zepp DiverCity show, and was lucky to score one for the Zepp show from the official site lottery. What was left for the general sales literally sold out within minutes. Fueled with nostalgia, people went nuts to attend this tour. You could tell, too. The audience had a variety of oyaji, obasan, and various other species. These folks probably attended the original Lostman and Little Busters shows. All of this ticket acquiring business happened like three months in advance, by the way. People always tell me that they're visiting Japan in like a couple weeks, and ask me if it's possible to hit up a pillows' concert. Nope. No, it isn't. You're fucked.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/DsF8d1d.jpg?1[/img]
(The front of Zepp DiverCity, while people were still in line for merchandise.)

Anyway, once inside the venue, the BGM was all The Smiths. For a long time now, the pillows have always come on stage to the song [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Zet8eLG-JM]"Kelly's Duck" by Salon Music[/url]. Back during when the Lostman/Little Busters tours were happening, they entered to a different Salon Music song; "[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGyR6-EqHm0]Stompin' Wheel[/url]". So, for this tour, "Stompin' Wheel" was used as the entrance music.

Stompin' Wheel hits, and we teleport back to 1997...

01.STALKER
02.TRIP DANCER
03.Moon is mine
04.彼女は今日,
05.GIRLS DON’T CRY
06.ICE PICK
07.ストレンジ カメレオン
08.Swanky Street
09.SUICIDE DIVING
10.Please Mr. Lostman

(Then, we had to '98.)

11.Hello, Welcome to Bubbletown’s Happy Zoo(instant show)
12.Blues Drive Monster
13.アナザーモーニング
14.ONE LIFE
15.THAT HOUSE
16.Black Sheep
17.Nowhere
18.パトリシア
19.like a lovesong (back to back)
20.ハイブリッド レインボウ
21.LITTLE BUSTERS

As you can see, the setlist was set up so that half the show would be Please Mr. Lostman tracks and the other half would be Little Busters. It was glorious.
For the encore, they played the new single "Boku no Tomodachi". It was my second time hearing this song (they also played it at the Shimokitazawa show). It's pretty rad, and cherry was NUTS. They extended the end into a deafening jam and it was unlike any pillows performance that I have attended yet. Completely fucking awesome.

(encore-1)
22.ぼくのともだち
23.cherry
(encore-2)
24.About A Rock’n’Roll Band
(encore-3)
25.Locomotion, more! more!

They came back for the second encore all holding cans of Sapporo Beer and Sawao had a flyer for the RETURN TO THIRD MOVEMENT Vol.2 tour. He announced some tour dates. It will start on May 6th in Niigata and end on June 23rd in Okinawa. The Tokyo dates are May 12th at Shibuya Club Quattro and June 8th at Zepp Tokyo. The ENTIRETY of RUNNERS HIGH and Happy Bivouac.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/Q7Cl8At.png?1[/img]
(The flyer.)

Other notes from the concert:
I really loved Hello, Welcome to Bubbletown's Happy Zoo, and my favorite part about when they perform it is when Shinichiro lets out the demon scream just before the solo. He was completely on point. Speaking of Shinichiro vocals, like a lovesong also sounded really cool, especially the "back to back" vocals that all members participated with.
And speaking about backup vocals, Manabe was also completely on point. Moon is mine especially sounded really good, with Manabe singing the "goodbye, sunshine" , "hello, moonlight" vocals. I feel like Manabe had more time to shine with these older tracks, both on vocals and guitar (which he was also incredible on).

A shout-out to our boy Arrietty on bass, as well. He did every song justice.

Black Sheep was incredible. I was worried that they would cheap out and give us the "White Version", but it was like an enhanced version of the original song from the album. Sawao sang with Manabe accompanying on guitar, and Shinichiro joined in with kick drum around the second verse. On the second chorus, the entire back joined in. Then, for the final verse, it went back to just Sawao/Manabe.

Everything sounded really good, to be honest. Hearing songs that I have never heard performed live before, or that I haven't in a long time, was really awesome. Moon is mine, ICE PICK, Kanojo wa Kyou, GIRLS DON'T DRY, Suicide Diving, Nowhere, Black Sheep, That House, etc.

After the second encore, a lot of people actually made a beeline for the exit and left. the pillows usually play a triple encore for tour finals, so those of us who knew better stuck around. Some of them came back when they heard Locomotion, more! more! blasting out into the lobby, but it was definitely much more comfortable and spacious once those people split.

By the way, I didn't see any cameras. At all the shows that I have been to that were later released as DVD, there was a big ol' camera swingin' about above the crowd. I didn't expect a DVD release for this performance in the first place, but not seeing any cameras strengthens my belief.

Keeping up with the "blast from the past" theme of the night, I briefly met and shook hands with the vocalist from [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es1Al_TTwSk]The Chewinggum Weekend[/url] (the band Jun Suzuki was in before he supported the pillows) on the way out from the venue after the show.

Overall, this show was incredible. It really was like "RETURN TO THIRD MOVEMENT"; like going back to 1998 [size=30]and seeing a pillows that is pure and unpolluted by the absolute cancer that is FLCL[/size].
And now I'm looking forward to Vol.2, if not even more so than this tour. Seeing these wonderful albums performed in their entirety (and released on frickin' VINYL) is like a dream scenario, And although it took me a long time to finally get to Japan and be able to actually attend the pillows' concerts, now is definitely the time to be here.

Incredible. I have no words. I'm sad I missed it.

[quote="Mafu"]Keeping up with the "blast from the past" theme of the night, I briefly met and shook hands with the vocalist from [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es1Al_TTwSk]The Chewinggum Weekend[/url] (the band Jun Suzuki was in before he supported the pillows) on the way out from the venue after the show.[/quote]
woooooooooooooooooooooooah that's the real time trip of the evening

[quote="Mafu"]They came back for the second encore all holding cans of Sapporo Beer and Sawao had a flyer for the RETURN TO THIRD MOVEMENT Vol.2 tour. He announced some tour dates. It will start on May 6th in Niigata and end on June 23rd in Okinawa. The Tokyo dates are May 12th at Shibuya Club Quattro and June 8th at Zepp Tokyo. The ENTIRETY of RUNNERS HIGH and Happy Bivouac.[/quote]

So i'd say strong evidence that we're looking at a spring release for Runners High / Happy Bivouac. I want it so bad.

Remember everyone, it's not too late to quit your job and move to Japan.

Man... that show sounds like it was awesome. Thanks for the report and sharing your experience! It really bums me out that I can't see these show. The pillows are my favorite band, but there's no way I could even think of going out there in the next year. If this were 10 years ago, I'd say screw it, let's go. But such is life... I just have to live vicariously through live DVDs and reports like this!

I'd love to hear what Shin's "yell" sounded like on Bubbletown's. How did Sawao sing Strange Chameleon? Did he do the newer live/Rock Stock outro with his "YEAHS"? I always disliked how he did that, so I hope he just let the song play out like how it originally went. And your description of Cherry is making me go ballistic; I'd [b]love[/b] to hear that. Disappointed there probably won't be a DVD. I guess it just makes these shows all the more special then.

[quote="Son Goshin"]Did he do the newer live/Rock Stock outro with his "YEAHS"? I always disliked how he did that, so I hope he just let the song play out like how it originally went.[/quote]
No way! The "yeahs" are sweeeeeet

He did sing Strange Chameleon Rock Stock style, with the "oh yeeeaahs" at the end. One Life had the Rock Stock ending, as well.

My friend thought that Shin's yell in Bubbletown's Happy Zoo was pre-recorded, but I was staring at him in anticipation, and can 100% confirm that it was legit and glorious.

Some other details that I remember:
Sawao was talking about how the "Yamanaka Sawao" from 20 years ago was quite different, and mentioned Black Sheep as an example (the lyrics are very melancholy). During the MC where all the members were introduced, everyone was making fun of Black Sheep.
Another Morning started with Sawao leading the audience into the chorus. He opened with the "ah, kyou wa..." chorus, and the audience took it from "...atarashii boku no tanjoubi nanda...". I know that they have performed this song starting with the chorus first before (like at the 25th anniversary show), but this was the first time I have heard it with the audience participation. I thought it was cool.

Just as I finished buying some stuff at the merch booth, I heard a loud crash and the music stopped. Apparently one of the staff members knocked/tripped over the little stereo setup and killed the music. This doesn't have much to do with anything, but I thought it was kind of funny.

The live performance of Swanky Street from the December 1st RETURN TO THIRD MOVEMENT show at Nagoya CLUB QUATTRO was aired on the radio last night. I recorded it and uploaded it to that propaganda site. [url=https://www.facebook.com/pillowsjp/videos/764403883742736/]Check it out[/url].

No DVD, sure, but can we at least get a live album from that soundboard recording???

As usual, Sawao misses almost no notes, although he's scooping a little flat on some of the upper notes there haha.
Edit: and Arie killed it, dang.

[quote="dimsim3478"][quote="Son Goshin"]Did he do the newer live/Rock Stock outro with his "YEAHS"? I always disliked how he did that, so I hope he just let the song play out like how it originally went.[/quote]
No way! The "yeahs" are sweeeeeet[/quote]

Ugh. Sad to hear he did the "YEAHS". I just listened to it again on the Rock Stock album. Now I remember why I never revisit those tracks outside of Sullivan. I seriously think that new outro is atrocious. The way the song closes out in that last minute or so is beautiful; there's a lot going on there. With Sawao just wailing over the top of it, it really obscures the impact. I remember listening to the Budokan live and thinking to myself "SHUT UP Sawao!"

On the other hand, I do think the Another Morning intro they've been doing lately is pretty cool. I wonder if he'd ever consider playing it live with the original arrangement...

Thanks for the Swanky Street rip!