Nishina’s Zepp tour Tokyo performance report arrives; new song “Wa-on” singing “Ai” to be released

Text by Tomohiro Ogawa
Photo by Tatsuki Nakata

Nishina’s Zepp tour “SUPER COMPLEX” spans 6 performances in 5 locations nationwide. The Tokyo performance was held at Zepp DiverCity for two days, November 26th (Tuesday) and 27th (Wednesday). I think the live performance, which symbolically expressed the two sides of the same coin – stillness and movement, darkness and light, inside and outside, spoke very eloquently of the world of musician Nishina. Here we will report on the performance on the second day, November 27th (Wednesday).

At the start of the show, a synthesized voice announces the beginning of an explanation of “supercomplex,” which is originally a chemical term. Mitochondria in cells: “Please feel free to sing, dance, and burn your way through cell division, just as you repeat cell division.” With those words, the live started with the first song “plum”. The ring of merchandise that Nishina held on stage (it has a built-in LED) emits light, and in response, countless lights sway on the floor. “Bugs” began with Nishina calling out, “Let’s make sparkling stars,” and the lights held up by the audience lit up the floor. It is so beautiful that it looks like stars are scattered all over it. In such a scenery, Nishina would occasionally say “Yes!” as she pointed the microphone towards the floor, searching for her singing voice, and surrendered herself to the solid rhythm.

After the emotional delivery of “Night Atte,” Nishina said, “We have prepared a somewhat dimly lit stage for this tour.” It’s true that the lights illuminating the stage have been subdued up to this point, and you can barely see Nishina’s facial expressions. This is an expression of her desire, “I wish people could enjoy it without worrying about what other people think.” In fact, there was something very free and comfortable about the audience, who were waving their penlights and swaying their bodies on the stage and listening to the music in their own way. In the midst of all this, he ends up playing “Masashiro” with a moment in between when he accidentally plays the wrong guitar and starts over again. As the lyrics were projected on the screen, Nishina strummed her guitar and sang while shaking her shoulders and shaking her head, seemingly opening the door to her emotions wide open.

After that, “debbie” was performed with a mysterious image of objects such as cones and cubes floating in the night sky, and the upper sound overflowed from the long pauses in the singing, “transparent black and iron-rich.” “Red” and “One Room” where Nishina, who carried an acoustic guitar, sang straight into your heart in the minimal light, and the songs that Nishina has created so far were performed one after another. I’m going. They all have different ways of expressing themselves, but they all seem to reach me more directly than usual. In particular, the poignant feel of “Heavy Smoke” when I listened to it bathed in blue light seemed to bring out even more of the deep passion of the song, which I’ve listened to many times before.

The first half took a turn for the worse, and in the second half, the live performance started to open up more and more. “We’ve been acting cool so far, but now we’re going to get into the part where everyone shows off their power,” he said to the audience, and excitedly introduced the band members, adding, “I want everyone to sing together.” “It’s a piece of cake.” The atmosphere of the live performance completely changed as clapping hands and voices chanting “la la la” spread across the floor. In “Kedamono Friends,” the beast’s tail sways on the floor, a familiar sight at Nishina’s live performances, and in “Rendezvous,” goods and smartphone lights create a starry sky. Nishina’s actions and songs seem to be becoming more and more relaxed. During “Tokyo Marble,” they jumped on a drum stand, and during “Sprinkle Cranberry Jam,” they took out candy from a stuffed toy bag and scattered it on the floor. The performance becomes more and more liberating with each song. By the time Nishina finished singing “Sugar Spot,” which featured a banana-covered pop image and a chorus of “Sugar,” Nishina was so excited that she was out of breath.

And finally, the last song of the main story. “I’ve been writing a new song, so can I do it for the last time?” she asked, as she sang her new song “Wa-on” before it was released. This song was written by Shina, who has been thinking about “love” once again while “searching for what love is.” “Let’s laugh a lot, cry a lot, and live our lives while valuing others.” While speaking to the audience in the middle of the song, the loud and powerful sound it delivered seemed to visibly shake the hearts of the audience.

In the encore, after carefully singing “Darling,” he lightened the mood by saying, “We lost in a quick attack with the band members before the concert.” Apparently they were treated to Nihitsumabushi), and they performed “Nekoze” in that warm atmosphere. Zepp DiverCity became one again with light clapping and cries of “Let’s leave!” After that, the live performance finally came to an end with the audience getting excited until the last tune “Ainikoi”. The way Nishina continued to communicate with the audience, seemingly reluctant to leave anything behind, was a testament to how fulfilling that day’s live was.

■setlist playlist

[Release information]

Nishina “Waion”
Release Date：2024.12.11 (Wed.)
Label：WARNER MUSIC JAPAN
Tracklist:
1. Waon

■Delivery link

[Event information]

Nishina one-man live (title to be announced at a later date)
Date and time: Saturday, April 12, 2024 OPEN 17:00 / START 18:00
Venue: Tokyo, Tokyo International Forum Hall A
Price: ADV. ¥5,800 (all seats reserved)

*Preschool children are not allowed to enter.
*Transfer and resale prohibited

·ticket
Fastest advance (e+):~December 15th (Sun) 23:59

■Nishina official site