Yaida completed her 25th anniversary nationwide storytelling tour!　 The present state of Yaida Hitomi at the final performance

As the first event of the 25th anniversary project of her debut, "Yaida Hitomi: Guitar to Uta 24-25" was a long tour starting from July 28, 2024 (Sun) at duo music exchange in Tokyo, and lasting for about 8 months with 28 concerts at 25 places in Japan. The final performance was held at WWWX in Tokyo on Friday, April 4.

The setlist for this tour, which took place in four blocks (SUMMER, AUTUMN (including a special Billboard performance), WINTER, and SPRING), was selected from all the original albums released in the past 25 years. The setlist, which reflected requests from fans, was minor-changed each time the tour progressed, with each show covering a different career span. The final performance at WWWX in Tokyo was the culmination of the tour.

The background music for the audience was traditional Irish music. When it was time for the show to begin, the lights were dimmed and Hitomi Yaida appeared on stage with an acoustic guitar. The first song was "Marble Colored Day" (AL "Here today-gone tomorrow"/2005). The live sound and voice of Yaida's performance drew all audience members to the stage. The phrase "Don't go, I still haven't told you enough" led into "Horizon, You and Me" (mini-album "123456"/2013). The audience spontaneously clapped their hands, creating a pleasant sense of unity.

「With a wish that this day will be the most wonderful day ever for everyone and for me.After a positive breeze with "Sararisara" (AL "All Right"/2022), which began with the words "Sararisara," the first MC.

「Welcome to the "Hitomi Yaida Guitar Tour: GUITAR TO UTA 24-25"!　We have been touring around Japan for about 8 months, and today we are here in Shibuya. This is the last day of the tour!　I want to release all the energy that we have exchanged and received throughout Japan!」

From this point on, the audience was able to take their time to enjoy the deep musicality of Yaida Hitomi.

The exotic touch and blues feel of "Ichi Jenga" (AL "Air/Cook/Sky"/2003) reflected the helpless loneliness of "I want to see you but I can't," while the sound of rain created the soundtrack for "Ame no Yureru Machi" (AL "VIVID MOMENTS"/2011), a song of sorrow for "me" who lost someone special. With a rain soundtrack, she sang "Ame no Furu Machi" (AL "VIVID MOMENTS" / 2011), a lyrical song about the sorrow of "me" who lost a loved one. The sound of a door closing led into "Unfinished Melody" (AL "i/flancy"/2002). The performance was also impressive, as the audience was impressed by the effects applied to the acoustic guitar, expanding the world view of the song. The feeling of being immersed in the scenes and stories contained in the songs is also a major attraction of her storytelling.

「This tour is a storytelling tour to celebrate the 25th anniversary of my debut. when I debuted in 2000, I never thought I would be singing for 25 years, so I am very thankful!Yaida expressed her gratitude with the words, "I'm very happy to be here. She said, "I am very happy to be here.I have a cute request for today's show and I would like to respond to it!The first song performed was the children's song "Niji" (requested by a girl in the fifth grade). The following song, "Kamatte-chan." (AL "Sharing"/2020)," the light guitar strokes and foot-tambourine sounds echoed with each other, leading to a pleasant uplifting feeling.

　The band also performed two positive songs that pushed listeners' backs, "Mistakes Diary" (AL "panodrama", 2012) and "Happy Spinner" (AL "colorhythm", 2008). The audience clapped their hands and shouted in time to the "kime" of the songs, bringing the stage and audience even closer together.

「I feel as if I am standing on stage naked, even though I am wearing clothes, because I perform with only my body. There are sights and scenes that can only be experienced through storytelling, so this tour is a lot of fun!After commenting, "I'm very happy to be here," he announced the band's summer concert. ."I'm looking forward to playing live at the 25th anniversary with the members I know so well. I'm sniffing around now!The audience applauded and cheered loudly as he spoke with enthusiasm, saying, "I'm very happy to be here.

　From here, the live performance will move into the second half of the show. "I think this song has been nurtured and grown by everyone by playing it live.The song "Te to Tears" (AL "Candlize" / 2001) was introduced as "Don't worry, the road is long. The song was filled with pleasant emotion as she sang "Don't worry, the road is long/ Let's go slowly. The song was also followed by "Tears and Hands" (AL "Candlize"/2001).Let's live strong in this world where love and hate are mixed!The audience was impressed by the song "I'll decide the shape of my happiness. This song, which describes the determination to "decide the form of happiness myself" while dealing with days that don't turn out as expected, must have left a strong impression on each and every one of the audience members.

「We will play energetic songs from here!The live performance reached its climax with "Go my way" (AL "IT'S A NEW DAY"/2006) and "B'coz I Love You" (AL "daiya-monde"/2000). The live climaxed with "B'coz I Love You" (AL "daiya-monde"/2000), "Look Back Again" (AL "Candlize"/2001), "My Sweet Darlin'" (AL "daiya-monde /2000) and "My Sweet Darlin'" (AL "daiya-monde" /2000), the entire venue was enveloped in a natural uplifting atmosphere. The vocals, which simultaneously evoked a dignified feel and a generous sense of liberation, were simply delightful.

　The last song of the show was "Life's like a love song" (AL "Candlize"). The phrase "Let's sing your feelings/I won't make you cry anymore" and the scene where the chorus of "LaLaLaLa..." slowly spread out was a major highlight of this storytelling tour. was a major highlight of this solo tour.

　Hitomi Yaida appeared on stage again to loud "YAIKO" calls, and was surprised to see the psylliums held up by the audience.What, a surprise?　Beautiful!　Thank you!The first song of the encore was "Simple is Best" (AL "VIVID MOMENTS"). The first encore song was "Simple is Best" (AL "VIVID MOMENTS"), which was released with the electric guitar strumming. Then, "Simple is Best" (AL's "VIVID MOMENTS") was performed.If you tune your frequency to my music, I will always be there. Connect, connect, connect. I want to sing this song with that image of not being alone.The live ended with the song "Circle" (from the album "TIME CLIP" / 2016). It was a fulfilling stage where one could relive Hitomi Yaida's 25-year career and at the same time fully experience her "now" expression.

After the live performance, the setlist playlist was released on various music distribution services. 25th Anniversary Live Tour "25" by Hitomi Yaida" will be held in August as the second anniversary project of her 25th anniversary by fans' vote. (August 3 (Sun.) at Hulic Hall Tokyo in Tokyo and August 16 (Sat.) at Osaka Sankei Hall Breeze in Osaka; requests will be accepted until May 7 (Wed.) on the Hitomi Yaida 25th Anniversary Debut website. Her songs are sure to capture the hearts of many music fans during this anniversary year.

Text by Tomoyuki Mori
Photo by Sueyoshi Ryota