Utada United 2006

December 22nd, 2006 by tomba · 66 Comments · 79.9%

Artist: Utada Hikaru
Product Code: TOBF-5506
Release Date: 2006.12.20
Debut Ranking: #4
Label: Toshiba-EMI

It’s only been a month since the release of her last single, “Boku wa Kuma”, and Utada has finished the year off by releasing a DVD of her summer tour, “Utada United 2006”. Being a HUGE Utada fan, I was obviously pleasantly surprised when the tracklist contained almost all of her singles (with the only obvious ones missing being “for you/time LIMIT”). Unfortunately, I was also disappointed by the appearance of some “Exodus” songs, which I felt were complete crap.

Although the cover of this DVD is bland and uninspired, the set is completely different. Utada and the band stand on this oval-shaped platform which seems to be a giant screen too. There is a giant screen made up of lights at the back, with some thinner movable strips which are also composed of lights. It is amazing how good the images look on it (especially from a distance)! However, when the camera focuses on Utada, you can see that the lights do not show well close up.

OPENING, Passion

Passion

The concert starts with Utada’s head on the screen, with cherry blossoms floating past her. It is the same as the “Ultra Blue” commercial, but this time, she blinks! This is played to “OPENING”. Nothing big here until Utada pops up from under the stage. The music for “Passion” starts playing and Utada sounds amazing! The instruments are almost identical to the actual recording. A great start to the concert. I did notice that Utada seemed to be really weird with her microphone stand. She keeps sliding her hands down it and pushing her head back. I know this is probably part of the actions she was told to do, but it was just awkward…

This Is Love

After a 5 second pause, “This Is Love” starts. I have never really liked the song, but after listening to her singing it live here, it’s starting to grow on me. Utada walks around the stage and does weird actions (putting her hand up and putting it down very quickly). What was truly bizarre was the doves in clouds that was displayed on the screen. Don’t they usually show the artist singing in the background so people from the back of the stadium can see? However, Hikki seemed really energetic and it’s promising up to be a great concert XD.

traveling, Movin’ on without you

traveling

The ending of “This Is Love” is sequined into “traveling”. The crowd goes wild as this is one of Utada’s most popular songs. The video of “traveling” plays on 2 strips of the screen and on the platform itself. Right after the “Can you keep it up…” part, the music for “Movin’ on without you” starts. This song has never grown on me. It is here that I realize that concerts WOULD be better if they used a backing track instead of back-up singers. There is virtually no chance of a mix-up (Ashlee’s was a drummer’s mistake, not a technical one!). Also, the weaker parts of the song are made stronger too, giving it an overall more enjoyable experience.

Sakura DROPS, FINAL DISTANCE, First Love

“Sakura DROPS” was up next, and the beginning composed of Utada moaning (recorded of course). She then sang the beginning part acapella with a strong echo effect. It was so completely not what I had expected, and I was caught off-guard. “FINAL DISTANCE” was the emotional-expressive piece of the set, and Utada seemed close to tears towards the end. “First Love” was sang perfectly after a little bit of mc-ing, but nothing outstanding to report.

Devil Inside

After a 3 minute recording of a poem? (not really sure since it’s in Japanese), came the part I dreaded the most - the “Exodus” songs. Scary noises - thunder and demonic sounds were played, which signaled the start of “Devil Inside”. This was what the screen was perfect for. The sudden change from black to red, and the devil playing the cello: it was a visual treat. Utada changed costumes too. What was absolutely surprising was how good Utada sounded though. She sounded strong and confident unlike her showcase in New York a few years ago (or was it just last year?). The only disappointing fact was that she didn’t sing “The Scumfrog Radio Edit”.

Kremlin Dusk, You Make Me Want To Be A Man

“Kremlin Dusk” was the perfect opportunity for Hikki to showcase her vocal range. The lyrics are terrible, but the scales were astonishing. She also looked like a princess - a black leathery modern one anyways. This was also the only non-single song, making it obvious that it’s there only to showoff her vocals. At the end, when she repeats the same phases over and over again, she looked like she was having a seizure though. Nothing special about “You Make Me Want To Be A Man”. Mediocre performance for a mediocre song.

Be My Last

And the worst performance of the tour goes to…. (drumroll) “Be My Last”! It started off perfectly enough - Hikki sang with only a solo cellist or whatever. Then we reach the chorus, where she held the “Be My Last…” part too long, and the “uh HUH uh HUH uh…” part too sharp. The music didn’t accompany the second verse at all, and made it sound very… off. Utada also ran out of breath in the middle of an “UHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH” part. At the last chorus, she sounded like she was in pain and dying. Make it stop!! “Be My Last” is one of those types of songs (like “Fergalicious”) that should NEVER be performed live.

Dareka no Negai ga Kanau Koro, COLORS

Utada MCing

“Dareka no Negai ga Kanau Koro” is one of those “Why is there so much pain in the world?” songs. The screen shows scenes of suffering around the world - an atomic bomb explosion, a starving beggar, children in Africa, war etc…This completely brings down the mood of the concert, and it never really seems to recover. Although it was a pretty good performance, it is easy to see that Hikki has tired herself out and goes off-key for a few of the high notes, and struggled to hit some of the lower notes. Her voice also seems to be wearing a bit thin. Again, at the end, she seems to be in tears. The most destroyed song on the tour - “COLORS”, is next. Stripping it of its experimental pop edge, it is presented as a ballad. Here, Hikki’s voice cracks a bit. Afterwards, Utada chats a bit with the audience.

Can You Keep A Secret, Addicted To You, Wait & See etc.

Letters

When “Can You Keep A Secret?” started, my heart broke a little. The first part of the song was sang like a ballad. Then the lights switched from blue to green, and the familiar beats of the song came back. This was a gigantic improvement over the ballads she just sang. She then sings “Addicted To You” and “Wait & See ~RISK~”. Nothing spectacular there, although she did sing the ending of “Addicted To You” in a higher octave, which sounded horrible. Afterwards, she talked with the audience a bit more. Nothing special from “Letters”, although she did sing at a higher octave at the end again. “Keep Tryin’” was bad; it sounded like an 8 year-old girl trying to sing. Her voice was very worn out, and she needed a rest before she continued with the concert.

Automatic, Hikari

Hikari

The encore came with performances of “Automatic” and “Hikari”. Hikki’s voice seemed much more relaxed during “Automatic”. She moved around a lot more, and as she was wearing a much simpler costume than before, more natural too. “Hikari” as the last song surprised me, as it seemed so much like an opening (and it was for the last Utada tour). Towards the end, confetti fell and Utada kept singing “la la la…” to the rhythm, but it sounded like an 8 year-old again.

What started as such a promising tour ended with the worst vocals I have ever heard Hikki sing with. The 2 hour long festivity was too much on Hikki’s vocals, and she should have considered a shorter one instead. Also, I expected more “Ultra Blue” songs, as this tour was supposed to be for support for that album. Overall, not the best work of hers ever.

Rating:

Tracklist:

OPENING
Passion
This Is Love
traveling
Movin’ on without you
Sakura DROPS
FINAL DISTANCE
First Love
Devil Inside *Utada
Kremlin Dusk *Utada
You Make Me Want To Be A Man *Utada
Be My Last
Dareka no Negai ga Kanau Koro
COLORS
Can You Keep A Secret?
Addicted To You
Wait & See ~RISK~
Letters
Keep Tryin’
Automatic
Hikari

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JPop · Review · Utada Hikaru

66 responses so far ↓

R_Hikki // Dec 22, 2006 at 8:56 pm

o_O Omg, I have to see this for the EXODUS songs! Some songs sound good and some sound bad from your view, I really wanna see this. But it’s weird a lot of ULTRA BLUE songs were left out :(
Lesca // Dec 26, 2006 at 5:59 pm

haha, i actually liked her seizure singing at the end of kremlin dusk? but, yeah, totally agree on the length of the concert straining her voice. supposedly in one of the venues, she was allergic to the cedar planking, too. oh hikki.
SureZal // Dec 27, 2006 at 6:38 am

Very nice review!
ハヂヤ // Dec 27, 2006 at 12:08 pm

This is a good review but did you have to be so harsh about the Exodus songs? As a Hikki fan it’s not very nice to describe her songs as ‘complete crap’. Ignoring the negativity it does seem like a really good concert though!
Bob // Dec 28, 2006 at 1:55 am

I agree with you on the Exodus songs. “Youre easy breezy, im japaneezy”, weak. Thanks for the dvd review and the embedded samples.
depressant // Dec 28, 2006 at 12:01 pm

oh man… seemed that you are not satisfied with the concert at all, but u still rate it 4 out of 5? look, i dunno y, but i just dun expect much from utada nowadays. maybe she aged? oh well, usually artists cant perform 100% like how they do during recordings. and yet, the high pitch parts aren’t easy to play with, therefore, u shall forgive her mistakes… if i were u, i’d rate it for 3.5/5. but i will still enjoy the concert, and hope she has more spaces to improve. btw, kremlin dusk is the ONLY track i like from EXODUS… T_T
Michi // Dec 29, 2006 at 12:04 am

Thank you for the in depth review and concert visuals. I haven’t seen the full concert yet so I can only comment on what I’ve seen through clips and what I read from other people’s comments. I’d like to offer a second opinion to Hikki’s performance on the United Tour.

People have been saying how poor Hikki’s vocals became as the concert progressed. From what I’ve heard from Kremlin Dusk and a few other clips on youtube I agree her vocals for this recorded concert is not up to par to say, her vocals from Hikaru no Go Tour. I was really amazed when I saw her Hikaru no Go Tour and her vocals, as far as I could hear, were in great shape even for the encore song.

I understand there is an expectation on a professional singer to perform consistently at a certain level. However, being someone who takes vocal lessons and from experience (not just from what I am told by my singing teacher), the voice is a part of the body. That means your voice will change from a day to day, even hour to hour basis depending on the condition of your body. I think people will intuitively come to the reasoning that Hikki sounds like that because, she is tired from the concert, maybe her body is not in shape, overall fatigue from the tour and the one I hope is not true, a more serious health issue. She fought..was it stomach or brain cancer when she was around 20, 21? The news was that she was able to make a full recovery after treatment, but you might see why I brought up the reasoning of a possible serious health issue. I think that might also be a reason why she kept her Hikaru no Go Tour fairly simply with much less emphasis on the theatrics and visuals and more on performing the songs.

Given the reasons listed above, I still found it pretty amazing she’s up there for almost the full 2 hours and still singing pretty good. Her songs are difficult to boot. I haven’t seen the full concert so I can’t say how off she was and for how many songs. Though I have a feeling, overall her own musical genius is still very much there so I am willing to accept her mistakes.

On a side note, I’m curious how she performed at the early concerts in the United Tour. If it was a fitness and fatigue issue her first ones should be better. In the case, why chose to record the one released on DVD? Also, if it’s strictly a fitness issue then this can be changed with more strength and cardio training. Assuming she does train lots for her next tour, she shouldn’t have any problems with holding the notes for their intended amount of time and her strength will not wane as quickly.
dunlap // Dec 29, 2006 at 12:59 am

I watched the Kremlin Dusk video in this article and caught the Devil Inside and Passion clips over at youtube. I’m really impressed! I’m not gonna lie, I loved Exodus, but a lot of the songs on there could have been tweaked to a much better form. They blew me away Here. Devil Inside started out a little unsure, but once it started going I was hooked. That guitar screech about ruined the album version for me, so glad to see it tuned down and used to much greater effect here. Also, since the first time I heard Passion, I thought that it would make an awesome opening to a concert. It didn’t hit me as a song to listen to much on the shuffle, but it’s been a small dream of mine to hear it open a concert. I wasn’t let down in the least. I’m excited to check out the rest of the show now, even if it starts to get shaky later on. There’s just too much good on that list.
kookoo // Jan 4, 2007 at 4:11 am

i’ll agree to your review if you can sing even one hikki song live and not sound like an 8 year old girl.
Solidus // Jan 4, 2007 at 6:35 pm

Please cut her a little slack, 21 songs live is nothing to sneeze at and nobody ever said she was a great singer but she is very good one (at least in my opinion).She has had numerous medical issues with her lymph glands and believe or not a form of hepatitis on her tongue but I make no excuses for her because she is a professional and those are the type of things singers sometimes have to deal with.

To my understanding she has gained much of her fame from a combination of things 1. Her deeper then usual singing voice(most Japanese singers have a squeaky voice high pitched voice) and her use of English lyrics in her music captivated Japanese audiences. 2. she is a singer,songwriter and music producer, that’s a dictionary definition of what an musical artist is.3. her songs are good and you really don’t have to understand the language to appreciate them, they just have a good quality about them thats hard to explain.

A lot of her live performances are hit or miss unfortunately and thats fine with me, I’d rather hear an artist have trouble hitting certain notes in a song then a singer who needs to lip sync a large portion of their “live” performances. she could easily take a day off here and there and decide to just lip sync a live performance but she doesn’t and that’s one of the main reasons why her fanbase is so strong, she keeps it real.

One more thing: her Keep Tryin’ performance was pretty bad and she was obviously exhausted but she “kept tryin”(pun intended :P), but when you said she sounds like an 8 year old singing I found that to be humorous because you obviously don’t listen to much jpop because 90% of female Jpop artists sound like 8 year olds.

Overall I enjoyed this concert 4/5.
Ryuumi // Jan 11, 2007 at 5:43 pm

Finally got to watch it the concert. I thought it was enjoyable [I have never really watched/been to concerts XD] obviously some things are gonna sound off, it’s live. But, overall, it sounded very good, especially in some songs. Other times, yea, you could see Hikki straining, but I think she still had a great performance ^_^

Also, one more thing, I didn’t think COLORS was ‘destoryed, it was very nice as a ballad too ~~
kcah // Jan 18, 2007 at 3:27 pm

love u guys for loving hikki!

so i dun feel like the only one out there !!!

agree that she could of been in better shape….i think her performance drop from the 3 song on… she really should of take a break every few songs… though there is the concept of “the shows must go on …”

in conclusion… it could of went better… but i still love her for singing her heart out of us!
Hayabusa Ryu // Jan 30, 2007 at 1:53 am

Nice review! Your review made me undecided on whether to buy the DVD or not. @_@

I hope you could write a review on Utada’s MTV Unplugged.
Cordai // Feb 3, 2007 at 4:15 pm

I believe this review is much to critical and harsh. Utada Hikaru’s performances were all good. Yeah some songs you could tell she was tired and her voice a little strained but that’s only natural.

Of course if she had sung some of the later songs earlier, she would have been able to handle them more better.

Also I’d like to point out that at no point did Utada sound like a “8 year old girl”. Ridiculous.

I actually loved the “La La LA! La La La La LA!!” at the end of Hikari. I wish it was like that on the album. I love it.

It’s obvious that you were partly bias in your reviews on some of the Exodus songs, especially in your opening paragraph to this review where you say the Exodus songs were “complete crap”. You didn’t completely hang her out to dry in the Exodus reviews, but you could’ve left the biasness at home in my opinion.

I loved some of the changes she made in her performances of the song. For example, I found nothing wrong with the way that she performed “Be My Last”. It was new and different. We can always go back and listen to how it sounds orignally on the Album, but it was nice to hear it differently and experience Utada in a more vulnerable state while performing with hardly no back up but a lone cello.

Magnificent Performances by Utada Hikaru. Listening to these songs live, and any of her other songs live always causes me to see the songs in a new light and in some instances causes me to like songs more than I liked them previously or like songs that I didn’t even favor at all (Which doesn’t apply in this case).

I give Utada Hikaru a 100% 10 Stars out of 10 Stars on her “Utada United 2006″ Tour.
VB_K // Feb 9, 2007 at 11:18 pm

I agree wit most people…. this critic was really harsh, althought i understand this kind of fan, i’m like that i’m fan from someone…. i always criticize ’cause i end up expecting the best.

I agree too wit those that does a bit critic on her singing, she lost her voice sometimes, i disliked the performance of be my last specially. I don’t know if be my last is a too harsh to sing song, or if she got nervous or somethin on it, but she lost it a lot of times, i think her live on music station and bokura no ongaku were a lot better. The made me a bit sad cause i love the song.

For the exodus songs i don’t get the critic at all, of course easy brreezy sucked ass hard but she didn’t sang it, besides that song all the album is great and very experimental, exodus is a like a pack of chocolats, each song tastes diferent.

Well to finish off, considering it’s Utata hikaru this show got into my top 10 even b4 it finished. There are some flaws, every concert has but, the setlist was very well arranged, she managed to hold the whole concert wit just the band people ( no dancers and 2110000 people on stage performing). So i would rate 5 of 5.
sEaN // Feb 11, 2007 at 9:47 am

i Luv hOw hiKki sOundz..
i have been waiting for her concert to show up on t.v but i guez i was a little dissappointed..soo i told my mum abroad to buy me one!!..atleast…i supported her as a fan..

i dnt know y im writting here in this very HARSH review..
how about u(author) can u sing one of hikki’s song..lets see..how about firstlove.. can u sing it sooo nice and deep?? i bet u can’t! only hikki knows how to sing it.. joking…:)

Hikki amazed me because even if she looks to be soo tired..she is still so confident and very proffessional..
sumtyms i wonder why hikki does this job though shes already rich ryt b4 she became a mega super famous star diVa….maybe she just love to sing..and to diz!!..lyk in her song..”i~am a natural entertainer….”(one of the lines in Kremlin Dusk)..

You see.. hikki’s voice is natural.. age doesn’t matter anymore when it comes to this.. why?? barbra streisand didn’t lost her voice.. ayumi hamasaki’s squeky voice is still the same..(though edited..same to paris hilton)..where can u find an artist lyk dz..?? so natural and proffessional..

This DVD amazed me by Hikki’s voice…Didn’t you notice how many people came to support hikki?? umm. i guess itz million!!..

So i give this DVD a 120% over all and a perfect 11 star!!
6/5(5.5…5…watever!! i like it soooo much)

this is my first hikki dVd…
Charles // Feb 13, 2007 at 3:38 pm

Sounds like your not a true fan if you cant except the “Exodus” cd! those where the best performances…I wish Exodus would have gotten more attention..thats one of my favorite cd’s..So cut some slack..
MK // Feb 16, 2007 at 10:27 am

I agree with charles in a sense that there are good songs from exodus and I disagree because I do think kremlin dusk has good lyrics (inspired by edgard allan poe). Maybe your just not used to big concerts as artist do usually do something different with their songs for live performances or else that sort of defeats the purpose as people could just listen to you if you were just going to sing it the same.

Be my last towards the end though was a little depressing as well she really was tired I guess but some of the things you mentioned were really meant to be that way to seperate it from the recorded version, check the performance she had on our music
EXP // Feb 17, 2007 at 3:03 pm

Nice review and nice site. Just found it. I haven’t heard her other concerts, but I love her songs (yeah, even from Exodus) and, like Solidus said above, with live concerts, while everyone would love perfection, i’d rather hear the good or bad in a live recording rather than lipsyincing in parts they can’t do. In a world where there is alot of that going around, I like hearing artists actually SING at their concerts. Yeah, Be My Last was harsh (and i liked it on the album too). Also, I like the variation of the songs form their original recordings. If i wanted it to sound exactly like the album, i’d listen to the ablum.

Sweet review though. I’m off to see the rest of your site now. :)
Roger // Feb 18, 2007 at 10:18 pm

I would have liked to be in Japan, at the concert of Utada Hikaru.
I hope I can buy the DVD od “Utada United 2006″.

From Torreón, Coahuila.
México.
Plinan // Feb 27, 2007 at 4:28 am

I was fortunate enough to be in Japan last summer and actually got a ticket to see her concert!! The one I went to was in Shizuoka and not the one that’s recorded for the DVD. But generally I agree with the review. Her voice did wear thin towards the end and a lot of the higher notes were a bit weak. But I have to say it was still a great experience!! So many fans there and just being there watching her sing was a great treat! The concert not only was satisfying but also got me thinking if there’s anyway I can affect people’s emotion as much as this!

I also went to a SMAP concert last year… well it was more of a idol show then a music concert I guess ;)
Yohko Hino // Mar 2, 2007 at 10:28 am

I have seen the whole concert and I can say that from beginning to end you are captivated by the whole performance. As a singer myself, I know what she was going through with all the singing during the performance. You could tell she was really tiered especially during the end.
The COLORS performance I believe was beautiful. I like it even more so than the original. I have a thing for ballads and the way she sung it and changed it so that she wouldnt have to sing those high notes was just wonderful.
I do agree that Be My Last was not so good of a performance. But you should give her props because of the fact that a few seconds earlier she was screaming her lungs out singing You Make Me Want To Be A Man. ^-^
Every time I watch this concert I’m just mystified. I like it way more that Hikaru no Go because of the fact that she changed and modified the songs a bit. Not to mention she did really well on most of her songs too. This is Definately one concert of hers that you must absolutely see.
^-^ We all Love Hikki! ^-^
~Peace
AZN Wanna Bee // Mar 5, 2007 at 3:34 pm

I HAVE TO COMPLETELY AGREE WITH ”Solidus ” really people give her some slack i know she didnt sound her usually best but id apriciate it if u guys didnt put here down on her poor singing which in fact i give her credit for being a great singer one who doesnt lip sync like some other singers i know…(no going to name) but anyways utada definantly does not sound like an 8 year old not ever in her life has she ever sound like that not even in some of her not so great songs here in the united 2006 concert!!!trust me if u wanna know how an 8 year old sings like ‘’solidus” said listen to some more jpop & you’ll know what i mean!=[ >>>>>>>>>>Disapointed in the people who put her down

i give her a 4.9/5
Cordai // Mar 6, 2007 at 12:21 am

Well this DVD came in the mail and I watched it 2 times and a half over the weekend and only stopped because I had to leave to return to school. I love the concert. I had my surround blasting just so I could get as close to the real thing as I possibly could. It was amazing and I can’t wait to get home this weekend and watch it all over again. Whether I’m singing along, whistling the songs, or just sitting their watching, the experience is like no other.

After seeing the whole concert I can definitely say with every fiber in my body, with all the confidence in the world, that I whole heatedly disagree with this review’s bad remarks on the concert 100%.

Utada Hikaru was flawless. Her outfits were amazing. Her performance on stage was a treat to see. I’ve never seen her on tour before so to see her project herself out on stage like that had me awestruck. Her voice was magnificient as I knew that it would be.

I must go and look for other DVDs of previous onstage/tour performances. I definitely can’t wait until her next tour and if I ever get the chance to see her live in concert before I die (which is highly unlikely), I would die a very happy human being.

I remember being nervous that this DVD wouldn’t play in my American DVD Player. So I popped it in and the screen was completely black and I could only hear the opening. I had seen the opening online so I know that in the beginning it’s dark and then her picture pops up.

Even knowing this, this blackness lasted longer than when I saw it online(probably because whoever posted it online didn’t start from the very beginning), so I was scared out of my mind that this wouldn’t play. I held my breath.

And then to my delight Utada Hikaru’s picture pops up out of nowhere, up out of the darkness and she’s staring at me. You can’t imagine the amount of relief I felt when this happened. A once in a lifetime experience for me. And being that I saw a little bit online, I was shocked an amazed how good a job they did at remastering it for DVD. Everything was very clear and the visuals were amazing and closeup and centered on the screen. So that was a relief as well.

And don’t get me started on the DVD Case. Unlike any case for anything I’ve ever seen in my life.

There’s a plastic cover, then another cover you lift off, then a foam divider, and then yet another little plastic slip cover than you take off and then you have it……….The DVD. Very unique and Japanese like. I love it. The Japanese know how to present their material. From their CD Book Lamentation, to the binding on their books, to their DVD Cases.

Yes, there’s not one downside to this once in a lifetime package at all.

Utada Hikaru sang her heart out during this HUGE performance, went out of her way to please the crowd and talk to them here and there and is definitely the type of person who gives 250% of herself and is very professional but at the same time doesn’t take herself too seriously.

I love the DVD. I love the Tour. I love the performance. I love Utada Hikaru, but she’s married so I must refrain. :(

Now I can officially give Utada Hikaru a 100% on her Tour being that I have finally seen it all the way through. Good Job Utada Hikaru.

Don’t keep up waiting another 6 years for your next tour……Wow….I’ll be 26…..no we definitely can’t have that long of a wait again.

Doumo Arigato Utada-San. ;)
Plinan // Mar 6, 2007 at 3:30 am

@ Cordai:

just want to point out… Utada is no longer married… she just announced her divorce a couple days ago…
Cordai // Mar 6, 2007 at 3:45 am

Plinan…

WOW!!! What!!!! Are you serious!!!!! As little as I know about it and as little as it affects me, I still feel this big…..I don’t know yet….Just big emotion……Wow……..I wish I could know her state of mind and if it’s a good or bad divorce to have a better grasp on the whole thing.

Thanks for the information though. Very much appreciated.
Plinan // Mar 6, 2007 at 4:08 am

I think she said it’s because they are both too busy to see each other… News link here: Mainichi Daily News
Ty. // Mar 7, 2007 at 9:54 pm

I would just like to say to everyone who has been to a Utada concert.. has criticized her concerts or singing abilities live…

I have never been to any of her concerts…
and none of her live performances…

and I feel that everyone who has been, should feel honored, to be given that opportunity to be a part of a concert held by a great vocalist… trying everyday to change the world around her.

=)
Tenoh Haruka // Mar 9, 2007 at 9:39 pm

yea, i saw it live, and im telling you, that being the few gaijins (foreigners) over there, was something. i went CRAZY when she sang letters, and it was acoustic, omg, im a 6′1″ guy weighing about 230lbs, so you can only imagine seeing such a towering figure jumping to that song. I was sooo loud, i was screaming the song, i was reaching up to her, i completely lost it. And i loved it, it was veeery loud, and the stage was to die for. but i didnt see the stage when i saw her live, but when i bought the dvd, i saw that it lit up and changed colors, i was like, daaamn, the floor chgin colors, no way! but dude! I love this site, beacuse everyone is united, we all love jpop,and i think theres too few of us outside japan. WE need to spread their music out to the world. may it be hikki, or hitomi shimatani, or koda kumi, or ayumi hamasaki. we need to tell it to the world, japan is a beautiful place, and their music is even more beautiful. and we need to share it wit maad people! and feeling the unity, and having the hundreds of people around me not even notice that im diffrent, and focusing on hikki and her voice, is just awesome. to think one person can affect so many people! ciao, yoroshiku!
Anjana // Mar 10, 2007 at 8:24 pm

OMG! This is one of the best concert EVER! Better than her other concerts. Yes, her voice did strain, but I’m POSITIVE almost all singers sound strained during concerts. I love her energy and creativity, and all the visual effects she had added to this concert! It totally made it magnificent!. She’s one of the best best best best artists I’ve ever heard. She’s fantastic. Period. If only I can buy her DVD…..
Tenoh Haruka // Apr 3, 2007 at 10:06 am

dude, to hell with what others say, rinoa u noe im wiith you 100%, and u was on the money everytime. It WAS too long, her voice did crack on many songs. and exodus IS crap. her vocals are deff tested on kremlin dusk and MANY songs. But what made me literally shed a tear, was letters. Yo, Letters is my heart-song (happy feet…lol) and hearing it being played with an acoustic guitar, made me seriously stop wat i was doing, and just SCREAM/SING! but another thing, wats with all this CONVERSAAAATION she has with the crowd, like wtf, not like they gonna talk…and yea, be my last, WAS the last time she sung well that night…. and not even the whole song came out good. and she loses her breath alot. im listening to it right now..lol another great review rinoa, and i thought u was only good with hitomi
Rinoa // Apr 3, 2007 at 10:23 am

Uh.. Jose, actually that review was written by tomba and not me. We are actually a group of reviewers here and I’m one of them. To find who wrote the article you can usually check under the article title. There is a date and then by… which tells you who wrote it.
Cordai // Apr 3, 2007 at 11:48 am

Oh wow Tenoh Haruka.

You sure showed your age in your response.

And boy aren’t you full of your own opinions (roll eyes)

And your little statement about her talking to the audience and them OBVIOUSLY not going to talk back in a one on one conversation…..oh wow…Need I even hack that mess up? I think not. It speaks for itself and doesn’t make you look good.

I would like to note though that the audience actually did respond and shout back to her.

P.S. When George Bush gives speeches are people talking back to him? Yeah…think about it and GROW UP. :|
K // Apr 22, 2007 at 8:48 pm

Am like the only true Utada Hikaru fan?! Just because she tried something different with Exodus doesn’t mean it sucked. C’mon, she was just trying to break into the USA. Didn’t work, but I support her tyring all the way. Exodus had its weird songs, but they were just different, not bad. I like the line, “Your easy breezy, and I’m Japanesey” I thought it was cute. Hmm, can’t please everyone though.
chasingskirts // Apr 29, 2007 at 11:54 pm

This DVD, this tour is the best I’ve heard Hikki live in many years. I have to admit as much as I love her, earlier in her career, her live performances weren’t exactly the best but this shows how much she can grown into her voice and how well she can control it. She perform a hell of a lot better than a lot of the American “teen sensations” and she sure can write a hell of a lot better than most of them too. With that said, I honestly don’t understand why people knock ‘Exodus’ so frequently.

‘Exodus’ was a solid album and just like any album, there were a few songs that could have been omitted, nonetheless, as a crossover album, it was superbly produced and well put together. Now because her label did a really shitty job of promoting the album and trying to find a niche for Utada, it failed because there was little or no good promotion for the album and it’s impossible to pin Utada into any genre of music in both her Japanese work and her English work. Utada writes incredibly well, although her lyrics may come off as strange or nonsensical (My god, Tori Amos has build her career off of her cryptical, strange and wonderfully written lyrics) or cryptic at times, she can still write.

I think long time Utada fans have a problem enjoying ‘Exodus’ because it was labeled as a failure as compared to her other work, but I can guarentee anyone who appreciates music and knows what good music sounds like, can safely say ‘Exodus’ was one of her better albums and a risk well taken.

This DVD is fantastic and I encourage anyone who hasn’t heard Hikki live to pick it up and decide how they feel about it for themselves.
K // Apr 30, 2007 at 12:00 am

I couldn’t agree with you rmore chasingskirts. Exodus was definitely a good album. And I am a long time Hikki fan. I’ve liked her sense the beginning of my obsession with Japanese music. ^.^
ForeverArtistNow // Apr 30, 2007 at 3:01 pm

I thought this was a paticularly interesting concert, and I really enjoyed it. I do have to say that the beginning was was really good. I enjoyed Devil Inside and Kremlin Dusk (I LOVE KREMLIN DUSK!!!) I actually really liked Be My Last. I disliked Dareka, it seems that she can never really get it right. Afterwards, she had her standard songs, blahblahblah, and unexpectedly ended with Hikari. I thoguht it was odd, too, because her Deep River album ends with Hikari. XD I stilled really enjoyed the concert, but I have to say that Budokan was 100 million times better. AND SHE NEEDS TO DO MORE ULTRA BLUE AND EXODUS STUFF LIVE!!!!!
Cordai // Apr 30, 2007 at 11:14 pm

ForeverArtistNow……

What exactly are her “Standard Songs Blahblahblah”????

And if she ENDED her Deep River album with Hikari, why would it be a surprise to you that she ENDED her live performance with Hikari?

And I beg to differ. Utada United 2006 is better than Budokan in my opinion.
ForeverArtistNow // May 1, 2007 at 7:38 am

Well, by her standard songs, I mean her older songs that she peforems all the time and/or that we’ve a heard a lot, like movin’ on without you, Can you keep a secret?, Addicted you, that kinda stuff. I just meant that I think she could’ve done newer songs in place of her older songs

And I meant that when I got Deep River, it was surprising to see Hikari at the end, since it was such a “beginning” song. But, I guess in this case, with all MC’ing, she kinda made it an ending song (if you know what she’s saying in the MC’ing).

Overall, I EXTREMELY enjoyed the performance, and thought it had way more eye-candy special effects then Budokan, I just think that she sang diferently then she usually does, not necessarily BADLY, just differently. It was a great concert though, and I’m glad I got the DVD. I’m just saying that she changed her singing technique, but probably since she was on tour and needed to get through several days of performing.

Region Coding: All ^_^ YAY ^_^
Cordai // May 1, 2007 at 2:39 pm

Did you ever think that the change you hear is her improvement.

She has said how with this tour she felt much more comfortable with the tour and herself than she did previously.

Yes she has changed. And it’s only expected for an artist such as Utada Hikaru to change and develop her skills and IMPROVE over the years. I mean, It’s been SIX YEARS.

You make it sound as if she’s changed drastically for the worse.

This concert was better than Bodokan. Her singing her live singing has improved and she moved around more comfortably and connected with the audience.

Perfect.
ForeverArtistNow // May 1, 2007 at 10:25 pm

well, EXCUSE ME for voicing my opnion
It’s NOT drastically for the worse, I have been an absolutely dediacted fan of hikki
And i didn’t mean her music has changed, I meant she sang THIS CONCERT differently. I’ve heard Flavor Of Life and the Kiis and Cry sample, and her singing is spot on. I don’t think it’s bad, I PAID FOR THIS DVD, AND THOUGHT IT WAS AMAZING

I’m not trying to argue, you have your opnion, and I have mine. I think she’s absolutely amazing. So do you. Period, move on.
Mikomi // May 2, 2007 at 9:44 am

I loved this concert too, and I found her voice amazing but I must admit that I didn’t get the chance to see the whole concert.
I discovered “Kremlin Dusk” thanks to the video in this review, and I just love t. I really love it. Then I listened to Exodus and it’s not bad at all. Of course, I don’t like every tracks but Devil Inside, Kremlin Dusk, Exodus ‘04, Easy Breazy and You make me want to be a man, to my opinion, are really good, especially musically speaking.
Overall, my favorite song of this concert is This is Love, that she sung wonderfully, and now I prefer the live version.
She really is a great and talentuous artist, really original. Too bad that she had a lack of voice during this concert, which was unfortunately to her, filmed. Still, she did a great job and tried her best.
DLUSNL1 // May 2, 2007 at 9:06 pm

Screw any criticism she was amazing throughout the entire concert! Most people shound like shit live no matter what; the fact that Hikki can not only get up and sing well live, but also for TWO HOURS is nothing but a credit to her wonderful talents and abilities as a singer.
Tesse23 // May 19, 2007 at 4:09 pm

This was an amazing DVD and Utada’s performance was fantastic. In contrast to the reviewer’s opinion, I really enjoyed the three tracks from Exodus, with Kremlin Dusk and You Make Me Want to be a Man standing out as the highlight of the show!!! (This is coming from someone who originally heard of Utada through the Exodus album, which I LOVE for it’s originallity and unique style. It was only after I bought Exodus back in 2005 that I discovered her Japanese work - some of which I also love). Kremlin Dusk is one of my favourite tracks of all time :)

Other stand out performances in my eyes were Passion, Dareka No Negai Ga Kanau Koro, Colors, Be My Last and Hikari. My only dissapointment was that Kairo wasn’t on here - another of my favourites - although I kind of expected it as it’s not one of her “big hit” style songs.

Overall, a great performance, and a great purchase. I’d recommend it to anyone :D
R_Hikki // Jul 21, 2007 at 10:06 pm

I thought the EXODUS performances were done very well and I’m glad to see that ^_^ I was also glad to see “This Is Love” done surprisingly well but it was pretty dissapointing seeing Utada do “Keep Tryin’” I have such mixed opinions about all the songs.
Tazkaza // Jul 30, 2007 at 10:22 pm

i have to say, that You Make Me Want To Be A Man is one of my fav. Hikki songs (except for Sakura Drops/Passion) but I only like it on Utada United (probably because of the Entrance). Besides after singing for 45 min. straight, i’m sure your performance would be mediocre at best (which Hikki’s wasn’t…in my opinion [and your entitled to your opinion too]).
ANote // Sep 28, 2007 at 10:31 am

Hikari was sooo good at the end! Best song I reckon out of the 21. ‘Be my last’ and ‘Keep trying’ were abit of a let down ._. but its a great concert! Kremlin Dusk sounds great I actually liked the lyrics, Devil Inside made it suitable for Kremlin Dusk with the mood-change.
Christian // Oct 4, 2007 at 11:29 pm

Honostly give her a break. She sang 20 songs, that’s a lot. Also add to the fact that shes getting hot and sweaty from having like 237959234 lights on her, people get tired when they are hot.

I have to agree that Be My Last wasn’t a very good preformance, but oh well. COLORS I thought was done very well, I liked the ballad version much better than the pop version.

As for Keep Tryin’, seriously, shes probably so worn out from singing 6 songs before she took another break. Your voice would get tired too. I think she did excellent for the condition she was in. It’s not like she sounded like she did with Keep Tryin’ when she first sand Passion, then that WOULD be bad.

Again I think you criticized way to harshly on the fact that someone gets tired when singing for 2 hours. She did great in her concert, I don’t really care that she was tired so much, she still pulled it off.
Andy // Nov 14, 2007 at 11:19 pm

Best DVD ever. She is an amazing singer. She really pushed herself through this concert, you could hear it Everyone should buy it!
tabs // Nov 20, 2007 at 6:10 am

I really enjoyed the tour. And not being a big fan of her exodus singles, i found them far supirior live.
Waku // Nov 21, 2007 at 12:05 am

I got 3 words for you
“GET OVER IT”
Jesus. You complain a lot about one of the greatest concerts ever.
I loved them all and the fact you get huffy over a few little things is a little ridiculous.
mincefan // Nov 21, 2007 at 10:03 pm

I like the concert so much!=D She is just awesome…hay nako…talaga yung boses nya ang maganda!!!=} Plus I liked the begin of the concert it was THE BEST!
Kate // Dec 15, 2007 at 1:15 pm

You forget people, this person is a REVIEWER and entitled to their opinion? I’m sure that in the Japanese press there were many people who pointed that, why yes, Utada Hikaru is quite poor live and finds it difficult to maintain consistency in her performances. She writes songs that she finds difficult to perform live.

Having said that, the first half of this tour surprised me in a good way. I found the opening set quite well sung. I even like Devil Inside and some of the Exodus stuff.

In the end though, you have to admit, even if you’re a fan, that Hikki wasn’t at her best towards the end of the tour.
Anthony // Jan 16, 2008 at 8:03 am

WOw this review was utter crap!
I enjoyed Utada United from the beginning to the end. Plus the Exodus songs were amazing.
IR // Jan 21, 2008 at 4:16 am

Kate:

I love how you make your opinion out to be a widely accepted opinion of Japanese Media.
I just love it. But here’s reality for you. Just come in and state that’s what you think. That’s all good. Don’t come and try to make your opinion bigger than it actually is.

The fact is, you can’t be sure that others in the Japanese Press shared your opinion and pointed it out unless you actually came across a magazine/newspaper/TV Program that said so.

I would like to say that Utada is in no way “Poor Live” and she isn’t “Inconsistent” in her performances and she doesn’t write songs that you finds difficult to perform live.
These are all my opinions and I won’t grant them anymore warrant than I grant yours.
Haruka Tenou // Jan 23, 2008 at 10:30 am

all i have to say, is that it doesnt matter what the japanese press says much, as we think over here in the states or in the western world (Australia included lol). Its obvious no matter how many people try to defend it that the begining of the tour was DA BOMB! but towards the end, with “be my last” I was actually disappointed. Simply beacuse her voice was cracking in some notes and i noticed she couldnt hit the notes she does in the album. BUT i also admit that if your singing for an x amount of HOURS your voice would get a little tired ALSO….BUT ALSO to suport my opinion, is that RIGHT AFTER be my last, she sung letters PERFECTLY! and once again the very song after that she sucked BADLY at ‘keep tryin’, why? Beacuse she simply put in too much into Letters, so one song she nails perfectly, the next suffers a little beacuse of it. Thats just what i noticed, id like to see if other plp think the same way as i do……Oooo!! wat about that new stuff wit ne-yo? hehe, kiss & cry +beautiful world single was real nice, so i hope her new material is even better! GO HIKKI!!!
Jie // Mar 11, 2008 at 2:32 pm

I have watched all of her performance on youtube… All in all, the performances are great. I would give it a 4.5/5.

The main highlight of this concert would be the excellent stage and the magnificent stage lighting. The band was way too cool. Another highlight of the concert would be the unique music arrangement of some of her songs.

I do enjoy this review… However, I have to say that the reviewer is too harsh on certain aspects of the show, particularly on Hikki’s voice and the Exodus songs… The reviewers review on the Exodus songs sound a little bias… But I do like the review though as it doesn’t sound fanboyish…

It is true that Hikki’s vocals are not consistent here. There are some songs which she did very well, and some songs which she fared poorly, like Be my last.

I do feel that this concert could do better with an opening with more “oomph”.. The way she makes her appearance lacks the “oomph” which artistes like Madonna and Ayumi do… Nevertheless, Passion was a wonderful performance with its mixture of both the ballad and the original version.

Her follow up performances (This is Love up to First Love) are strong, especially after “remixing” the some of the songs… It gives them a different and fresh feeling…

In contrast to the review, I find the Exodus songs the best part of the show… Devil Inside sounded so cool, especially how it transits from a gothic feel to an energetic dance song. Kremlin Dusk (her best song from the album) was very good. I really love the lighting and the screen… It was cool… However, Hikki sounded like shouting into the microphone towards the end that the tune was kinda lost, so the performance could have been better. It was magnificent nevertheless due to the amount of energy exuded.

While I never really like YMMWTBAM, this concert made me liked it even more. I was surprised at how they can make such a mediocre song with an irritating beat into such a magnificent song that exudes so much energy. In fact, this is the best performance in the concert.

Be My Last wasn’t that great though, partly because it is stripped of all its instrument until all thats left is a cello… I think Hikki wants to show her bare emotions via this song… It would have been better if the original version were to be performed. Towards the end, she looked soooo weak and vulnerable, though I think it is intended.

Her vocals for Dareka aren’t really the best, but the performance was great due to the slideshow at the back. Colors shocked me…. I prefer the original, but this version ain’t too shabby either… It feels fresh, so I like it.. :)

CYKAS… while I never liked this song, I love it in the concert.. Maybe because it is placed after the ballads, so it lightens up the atmosphere…

Addicted to You up to Letters are quite good actually, but she does sound a little strained singing them… I wouldn’t call the keep tryin’ performance like an 8 year old girl… That would be better to describe an Ai Otsuka concert, but definitely not Hikki… She just sound extremely tired…
vince // Apr 1, 2008 at 3:57 am

Ah? for me Be my last is artistic only the cielo is the musical accompaniment and a solid vocal mezzo sopranist and amazing vibrato and melisma or hikki is a perfect match.

You make me want to be a man also surprises me. The sudden shift from kremlin dusk to you make me want to be a man enjoys me. specially the belt at the end of the song “you make me… you make… you make me want to be ah ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” the principle of music is there. it lifts my mood depending on the song.

oh i said to much! ehe cheers!
koji // Apr 20, 2008 at 3:20 pm

Geez, the author of this review sure does complain a lot… Ambiguity, no?
IR // Apr 21, 2008 at 12:33 am

I’m rather surprised that nowhere on this site is anything typed up about Utada’s Brand New Album “HEART STATION”.
lucky_c // May 7, 2008 at 4:48 pm

I find it a little funny that people are complaining about your review. Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, right?

However, I read somewhere that Utada was allergic to the type of wood that they made the stage with or something? Which will most likely explain her voice during some of the songs. Also, there were a few costume changes, which might’ve made her tired? Idk.

This concert made me fall in love with a few of her songs, though. [This is Love, Moving on Without You, FINAL DISTANCE, and the original version of Be My Last. :D]
chihikari // Jun 1, 2008 at 8:13 am

this concert was what got me starting to like her!
RC // Jun 18, 2008 at 2:39 am

T_T
Utada Hikaru, is AMAZING in EVERY aspect when it comes to music.
InRi // Jun 28, 2008 at 11:19 pm

I’m super curious as to why there hasn’t been anything on Utada since this article. She’s released a number of singles and even a full blown NUMBER 1 Selling Japanese Album (Actually the highest selling Female Album of the Year so far and the NUMBER 4 Best Selling Album of the Year so far), not to mention an upcoming English Album.

Very frustrating, and being that this was the last Article on Utada, this was the only place for me to post this off topic message. (-_- )
tiggles // Jul 3, 2008 at 5:56 am

Her live performance of the Exodus songs were great I thought. Although I don’t particularly like the originals I thought her vocals and the deep bass in the background did it for me.
iJam // Nov 14, 2008 at 7:13 am

This was a fantastic concert, and all you do is drag it down. Hikaru was amazing and her performances and songs were nothing short of perfect.

You seriously need to get over yourself. Some of the songs you complained about were some of the better performed ones.
Yes, she may not be the bet live singer, but she writes/ composes songs that are difficult to perform live.

And you’ve got to remember that she had an allergic reaction to the wood in the stadium that partly damaged her vocal chords, so she couldn’t sing as well.

And anyway, people who are saying that the concert wasn’t good at the end, you’ve got to remember that she sung for almost 2 hours straight! Wouldn’t that tire even the best singer out?