A truly moving performance


I managed to rearrange my really tight schedule and went to Nagoya to see
Ryuuichi Sakamoto play. It’s been forever since I’ve seen him perform (or
seen him at all!) and a long time since he’s put on a concert. It was GREAT.
I was really happy to see the drummer, Steve Jansen (and his wife and son)
again. I brought him some of his favorite Japanese sake. I had never met the
guitarist, [Keigo] Oyamada of Cornelius, before, but he’s a really great
person. An amazing guitarist and creator. I’ve really come to respect him.
And the rest of the members were all geniuses of the same caliber. It felt
like I was seeing long-lost friends again as we talked and talked. What a
fantastic time.

For people like me, who have been fans of Sakamoto for 20 years, seeing this
concert was an amazing experience that could move you to tears. It felt
nostalgic and really fresh at the same time. I started crying, hearing the
new and old songs, and couldn’t see the stage. Summer, twenty years ago,
Sakamoto’s album “Illustrated Musical Encyclopedia” was the soundtrack to
my life. It was the first CD I ever bought and it’s still one of my
favorites. Hearing “Tibetan Dance” was like being given a gift. There was
so much power on stage. And they were also using a new innovative system
called “ECass,” which is amazing! I respect so much how Sakamoto makes use
of these new tools while still preserving the old things in his never-ending
musical quest. I’ll still be a huge fan even twenty years from now. All in
all, it was a powerful experience.

After the concert, Sakamoto said to me, “Were there too many old numbers?”
 Not at all! I still think that his music is fresh and pertinent. He’s
finally hit on something he’s been searching for forever. His sound is
called “electronica” recently, but I think that 50 or 100 years from now
when that term has disappeared, his music will still be new and moving.
Obviously, I’m a huge fan! I’m sure I’ll keep on being influenced by him
(and Miles, Zappa, Reich, Beethoven…)


Sugizo

Posted by SUGIZO : August 3, 2005 04:06 AM