April 13, 2025 @ Hibiya Park Open-Air Concert Hall Tempalay One-man live "yyyyyyyyyyy" Live report

On April 13, Tempalay held a one-man live "yyyyyyyyy" at Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall, the first time Tempalay has performed live in about six months since "Planet X" held at Nippon Budokan last October. AAAMYYYYY, who had announced her pregnancy at the time of the Budokan, safely gave birth to her second child and resumed live activities with Tempalay, and new supporting members were also welcomed on this day, which marked the beginning of the band's next season after its 10th anniversary.

The weather was a bit chilly in the evening even in April with light rain, but the audience was well-protected against the rain and cold as they entered the venue, showing the high expectations for their first live performance in a while, Ayato played bluesy guitar and the live started with "Birth" followed by "Wonderful World". After a slow but steady build-up as if to check the atmosphere of the venue, Ayato shouted "TIME MACHINE" and a strong strobe light was lit, creating a psychedelic space that is typical of Tempalay. Their one-man shows are characterized by visuals, but the first half of the show was centered on lighting, with colorful lighting coloring the band's performance.

The seamless connection between songs with jam-like performances was also a feature of the show, and the dynamism of the moment when the guitars growled in "Sonic Wave" was also impressive after a moment of relaxation. When the audience's enthusiasm rose even higher during the chorus part, the bass and percussion anchored "Encounter with the Unknown" into "my name is GREENMAN". With the green backlight flashing and turning the field sound green, this song quickly turned into a stadium-rock-like excitement, introducing supporting musicians Shun Enomoto (bass/ODD Foot Works), Izumi Matsui (percussion), and Kaze Takada (guitar, sampler), each turning solos The band will then move on to the next song, "Hip Hop. Using hip-hop beats and scratching, "Booorn! featured vocals by AAAMYYYY, and there was an atmosphere as if they were celebrating the birth of a new baby.

During the MC, Takada, who this was his first time to support Tempalay, was introduced and went on to "ZOMBIE-SONG" as "a song in which the wind plays a big role. On the soundtrack, human beat boxer REATMO participated in the song, but on this day, Takada's beat using a sampler was featured in the intro, adding a different kind of charm to the song. Takada's guitar solo on the exotic "Ah Maze" was also a fascinating performance, and his duality as a member of a rock band and a beat maker in recent years was well incorporated into Tempalay's music, literally breathing a new breeze into the music.

After the performance of "What shall we do?", a marble pattern was projected on the entire large stage as a campus, transforming the sunset Noge into a different space, and the following "Possession-san" also changed the image to a more dopey one. The next song, "Possession-san," was even more dopey. The pink and light blue neon colors of "NEHAN," with Fujimoto's eve-kick and Matsui's percussion, brightly colored the venue, while the members' performance was projected onto the Noge stage for "SSD," a complete change of scenery. The synergy between these visual effects and Tempalay's music was outstanding. The band also performed "Superman" from last year's album "((ika)" for the first time at the live. As Ayato said in the MC after the performance, "It's too hard," the song was especially progressive among Tempalay's songs, with various developments and rhythm patterns, and the audience applauded the band's excellent performance of this difficult song.

Following the MC who once again reported the birth of AAAMYYYY's second child, the second half of the live started with the piano ballad "Tsukimi Udon" with an oriental atmosphere. The rain, which had been holding off with only a light drizzle up to this point, finally turned into a full-blown downpour. The mix of the rain, which was gaining momentum, and the lighting enhanced the drama of the song, which was a special moment only possible at a concert in a field.

After the enthusiastic performance of "Abiba Nonnon" and "Prophet" in the pouring rain, "Great Tokyo Expo" was performed again with a marble pattern projected on the stage. It was also a special moment that this song was performed in the middle of Tokyo on the same day that the Osaka-Kansai Expo opened, and the familiar "Rassera! Rassera! seemed to be more enthusiastic than usual. In the last song, "Sona Chine," Ayato, who had delivered an emotional solo and screams, raised his guitar high in the outro and closed the day of new beginnings in a dignified manner.

文：金子厚武
Photo by Yosuke Torii