The first day's studio practice was over, and the next day arrived, but I still couldn't shake off the afterglow of the night before. That's the level of quality I was able to witness. It was truly an overwhelming performance.
The first live performance in six years will be held at "Harakado"
Nick Kurosawa will be performing solo at Harakado, a new shopping mall at a Harajuku intersection, on May 23rd. There's no doubt we're even more excited than he is about his first live performance in Japan in six years.
As if to capture our excitement, all the members gathered together before the live performance in their usual cheerful mood. He appeared at POOL SIDE. He had apparently been strolling around Shibuya's record shops and sightseeing in the Harajuku area. I was pleased to see him, as he hadn't set a specific schedule, wanting to let everyone enjoy their time in Japan.
They're just as excited as when they met in Hawaii, chatting about silly things. That's their natural self, and Nick is of course, but his bandmate Andrew (drums) is even more cheerful and upbeat than Nick. Sam (keys and bass) seems a little reserved, but he's a cool, nice guy. He occasionally cracks surreal jokes. This character and presence is so quirky. This is Bombye.
The event at Harakad starts at 6pm, with Nick's live performance around 8:30pm.
As the staff were chatting inside the bar, the time for sound check came around before we knew it. As the time approached, the POOL SIDE staff became more and more restless, and their pace remained unchanged.
POOL SIDE project at Harakado
POOL SIDE occasionally holds pop-up events and produces events at Harakado.
DJ RYOHEY invites us into his circle of events at the forefront of Tokyo. He's a master DJ who plays at some of the biggest clubs in the city. He always has respect for POOL SIDE, which is immersed in a world that seems like the polar opposite of analog, and all of us on the staff can clearly feel that. RYOHEY is smart and cool, never arrogant and always takes music and the places where music is played seriously. And behind his cool eyes, there is a fire of passion burning brightly.
"I'd like to ask you to do another production at Harakad in May. What do you think?"
"Of course. Thank you as always. By the way, Nick is coming from Hawaii. How about a live performance?"
"Let's do it!"
I don't think it's the kind of music he listens to regularly, so I think he's quite a music lover.
The event in Harakad begins
It's time for soundcheck.
The rest of the band was going for a stroll in Harajuku, so Nick's appearance alone was no different to usual. He didn't know how long the sound check would take, so he set aside plenty of time. He plugged in his guitar and sang a little into the microphone. It was only about five minutes, but everyone there shared the same thought: "This is awesome..."
At 6pm, the DJ will begin performing music.
DJ Ogi, who loves Hawaiian music and records, started buying records thanks to POOL SIDE and became a DJ. He was one of the people who was looking forward to Bombye's visit to Japan, just like us. He's not a very talkative person, but this time, you could tell he was excited. That made us at POOL SIDE very happy.
The music continues as the DJ plays. Following Ogi, RYOHEY plays a record, which happens maybe once a year. It was clear that he had spent a considerable amount of time selecting records despite his busy schedule. Seeing so many of his friends and family rushing in after work, I felt their passion for the event. I'm truly grateful.
From here on, we were joined by two of POOL SIDE's signature DJs: DJ KENTA, who was a tour support DJ and provided a lot of advice and cooperation in planning and producing the event, and DJ KAWASAKI, who provided us with a flawless selection of songs that will tickle the hearts of music lovers.
As Nick's performance drew closer, the energy in the venue and the number of attendees increased. DJ KENTA heated up the venue to match.
Nick Kurosawa makes his first live appearance on tour
Nick's first live performance in six years has begun.
The moment he began to sing, the venue fell silent. Tourists passing by stopped in their tracks and pointed their cameras at him. An atmosphere unique to him was instantly created. His soulful singing voice spoke directly to the hearts of the listeners. The concert was only about 20 minutes long, but it was truly a blissful experience.
It was a very moving time for us as well. It really made us think about a lot of things.
It may be a hasty conclusion, but "I'm glad I decided to tour."
It was time to feel that way.
Time passed really quickly after the concert. The saying goes that time flies when you're having fun. Everyone there was enjoying themselves, and the event came to an end at 10:30pm, a great success.
Heading to Nagoya with the same afterglow
Tomorrow morning I'll be driving to Nagoya.
The staff is now looking ahead to the next day's preparations, and Bombye is looking forward to his first trip to Nagoya.
Knowing his appeal as a solo artist as well as a band member, we were excited to see what would happen next.