Kiyoshi Hikawa held the Osaka performance of his first concert tour since his return, “KIYOSHI HIKAWA+KIINA.25th Anniversary Concert Tour～KIIZNA～” at the Festival Hall in Kita-ku, Osaka City from September 4th to 5th. He sang a total of 32 songs across genres in front of a total of 5,200 people over the two days.
Hikawa has been taking a break from singing since the end of 2022.
The group has just kicked off their concert tour, starting with a performance at Tokyo Garden Theater on August 17th, their first in 1 year and 8 months (the performance on August 16th was postponed due to Typhoon No. 7).
Ten minutes before the scheduled start time of 5 p.m., the venue was filled with fans eagerly waiting for Hikawa to appear. The excitement in the audience, filled with the light of red, yellow, green and other various penlights, was rising more and more. And finally, the time came.
With the audience’s attention focused on one point, Hikawa appeared on stage in a black glittery suit.
The audience cheered with “KIINA.-san” and “Welcome back!”, followed by warm applause. The first song was “WALK”, written by Kii herself and composed by Naoto Kine of TM NETWORK.
Hikawa sings the lyrics, which contain the message, “In the midst of the uncertainty and anxiety of the future, it’s okay to walk slowly and be confused, but let’s walk together,” carefully, as if looking at each member of the audience.
During the interlude, he said with a smile, “Thank you everyone for coming today. Please enjoy yourself to the fullest.” Afterwards, he performed “Boku to Watashi no 1 Page” and “Happy!” with the band, which has new members from this tour, playing in the background, and enjoyed interacting with the fans.
Next, he changed into a white tailcoat and sang “Song is my life”. Hikawa expressed his determination to walk this path again through the song, saying, “As long as you are waiting for me, I will continue to sing”. He also sang a number of popular songs such as “Akiko of the Starry Sky”, “Koshu Road”, “It’s Okay”, and “Kiyoshi’s Zundoko Bushi”, looking back on his journey so far. During the band’s performance of “Kiyoshi’s Soran Bushi”, a message of gratitude and determination was displayed on the screen under the name of Hikawa Kiyoshi + KIINA.
Also, wearing white and purple hakama with family crests, he performed some of his famous enka songs, such as “Oi Oikake Otojiro,” “Hanjiro of the Hakone Hachi-ri,” “Shamisen Tabigarasu,” and “Hakuun no Shiro,” to great applause from the audience.
The atmosphere changed in the second half. Hikawa appeared in a distressed denim set with KIIZNA printed on the back and sang TM NETWORK’s hit song “SEVEN DAYS WAR” released in 1988.
In the first talk corner of the day, he looked around at the fans from the first floor to the third floor and said, “I used to hold a concert in Osaka every year. I’m sorry for the long absence. I’ll sing again with a new feeling and make everyone happy.” Next, he sang songs written by Hikawa himself and composed by Kine (“You are you” under the name kii, “Father” under the name Kiina, “Kimi to Boku” under the name kii), and “Umarekitetara Aisureba Ii” (composed by Kine), written by Yamazaki Mari, the author of the manga “Thermae Romae,” and delivered his feelings to the fans.
Also, during the last song of the main show, “Because You Are Here,” Hikawa told the audience, “You’re allowed to take photos and videos for this song only! Please spread the word,” delighting the fans.
Five minutes after the main performance ended, Hikawa returned to the stage in a black and white dress and pants to loud applause. The first song of the encore was Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” with lyrics translated by lyricist Reiko Yukawa. Hikawa’s powerful vocals, the band’s performance, and the chorus were in perfect harmony, reverberating throughout the hall. After singing “Raimei,” he expressed his gratitude, saying, “Thank you for the long hours. I was able to sing with the greatest feeling,” and even threw a ball with the “KH” logo into the audience. Furthermore, during “Kinishinai,” he went down to the audience and enjoyed interacting with the fans by high-fiving and hugging them.
The highlight was “Limit Break x Survivor,” which won first place in the fan vote on the new album “Hikawa Kiyoshi Request Best,” which was released on the same day.
When the intro started, the venue erupted in cheers, and the excitement of the day reached its climax. After singing, Hikawa said with a big smile, “Ah, I feel refreshed (laughs).”
The final song of the night was “Aoshi,” written and composed by GReeeeN, with the intention of “creating a song that transcends the boundaries of musical genres and can be relatable to a wide range of people.”
There was also a moment when the audience cheered Hikawa on as he was overcome with emotion and brought to tears while singing.
After singing, fans and band members surprised Hikawa with a birthday song for him, whose birthday is on September 6th. Hikawa expressed his gratitude and said, “I’m getting another year older. I’ll continue to work hard!”
Three hours after it began, the concert ended at 8 p.m. with great success. Hikawa commented, “Everyone, today was truly amazing.
I hope to see you all again, feeling even happier and more energetic. Goodbye!” she said to her fans, before leaving the stage.
“Hikawa Kiyoshi + KIINA.” has started to tick away for the first time in 1 year and 8 months. We can’t help but look forward to their future endeavors.
The tour finale will be held at Omiya Sonic City in Saitama on October 11th.
Afterwards, the “Hikawa Kiyoshi 25th Anniversary Theater Concert Tour ~Kizuno~” will begin at the Hakataza in Fukuoka (October 25th-27th), followed by the Misonoza in Aichi (November 15th-17th), the Shin Kabukiza in Osaka (December 20th-22nd), and the Meijiza in Tokyo (January 29th-31st, 2025).
In addition, the “Hikawa Kiyoshi Dinner Show 2024” is scheduled to be held at Hotel New Otani Tokyo (October 30th-31st) and Hotel New Otani Osaka (December 26th-27th).
The Tokyo concert will be broadcast and streamed on WOWOW in November.
In addition, a free email distribution service called “Kiina Mail” will be launched on August 17th, providing the latest information on Hikawa (registration is free).
A “Happy Birthday KIINA. Message Board” is currently open.
The application period is until 23:59 on September 13th.
For more information, please visit the official website (Available at https://kiyoshihikawa.com.
◆Product Information
Kiyoshi Hikawa Request Best
Released on September 4, 2024
[Contents]1. Castle of White Clouds Lyrics: Yurio Matsui Music: Hideo Mizumori Arrangement: Norio Ito
②Hanjiro of Hakone Hachiri Lyrics: Yuri Matsui Music: Hideo Mizumori Arrangement: Norio Ito
③ Kiyoshi’s Zundoko Bushi Lyrics: Yurio Matsui Music: Hideo Mizumori Arrangement: Norio Ito
④It’s Okay Lyrics: Tomo Morisaka Music: Hideo Mizumori Arrangement: Shigenobu Ishikura
⑤ Akiko in the Starry Sky Lyrics: Toshiya Niitani Music: Hideo Mizumori Arrangement: Norio Ito
⑥ Shamisen Tabigarasu Lyrics: Yurio Matsui Music: Hideo Mizumori Arrangement: Norio Ito
⑦Sakura Lyrics: Rei Nakanishi Music: Masaaki Hirao Arrangement: Megumi Wakakusa
⑧ Man’s Best Song Lyrics: Hara Fumihiko Music: Miyashita Kenji Arrangement: Maruyama Masahito ⑨ Ultramarine Strings Lyrics: Hara Fumihiko Music: Oka Chiaki Arrangement: Maruyama Masahito
⑩ Departure Lyrics: Rei Nakanishi Music: Masaaki Hirao Arrangement: Megumi Wakakusa
⑪Happy! Lyrics: Kunihiko Sugii Composition: Yuichi Nonaka “Masa” Arrangement: Yuichi Nonaka “Masa”
⑫WALK Lyrics: kii Music: Naoto Kine Arrangement: Yuichi Nonaka “Masa”
⑬You and Me Lyrics: kii Music: Naoto Kine Arrangement: Go Suzuki ⑭Raimei Lyrics: Naomi Tamura Music: Yoshiki Fukuyama Arrangement: Daiki Takafuji
⑮ Limit Break × Survivor Lyrics: Yukinojo Mori Composition: Takafumi Iwasaki Arrangement: Hiromasa Kagoshima
⑯Aoi Lyrics: GReeeeN Composition: GReeeeN Arrangement: GReeeeN, Tsubasa Takada[Diosta inc.]
⑰ Because You Are Here Lyrics and composition: Masa Shiono Arrangement: Yuichi Nonaka “Masa”
Hikawa Kiyoshi Official Instagram: hikawa_kiyoshi_official https://www.instagram.com/hikawa_kiyoshi_official/
Kiyoshi Hikawa Official Site:https://columbia.jp/hikawa/info.html
Kiyoshi Hikawa distribution site:https://lnk.to/HikawaKiyoshi
