After finishing their live performance at Shimokitazawa ADRIFT, I sent Bombye back to their room. He was back to his usual self, wanting to go to Family Mart. His appearance felt like his usual self, and somehow it gave me a sense of security.
I felt a mixture of emotions, including the excitement of the live performance, the sense of accomplishment at having accomplished everything, relief that we had been able to finish safely, the sadness of the final show, and excitement for the next day.
The day of the final live performance has arrived. The final day is a very hectic one.
Heading to Roppongi in the afternoon I headed to the rehearsal. Nick was going to be a guest at Your Song Is Good's solo live show. Billboard Tokyo is a venue where only select artists can take the stage. The acoustics, production, and venue are all top-notch. I never imagined that the day would come when Nick Kurosawa would perform in such a place.
It was time for rehearsal, and the image of them jamming with Your Song Is Good during the sound check is still burned into my mind.
After the rehearsal, there was still some time before the show started, so I took Nick out for lunch. It was a bit strange to see an artist who was performing an hour later drinking beer and eating pizza at a restaurant in Midtown, but that's typical of Nick.
"We don't need to have to eat (original lyrics: We don't even have to talk ）Because too much Pizza~（ Original lyrics: We can stare at the walls ),” he casually sings a parody of Omma’s song. His charm lies in the fact that he remains natural, without being influenced by his environment or becoming arrogant.
Before the live show I was shown into the dressing room at Billboard Tokyo. The walls were decorated with concert posters and autographs of famous international artists. There was a unique atmosphere in dressing rooms and waiting rooms. It wasn't tense or exclusive, but rather transformed into a creative space. The aura and atmosphere created before a show that only artists performing at that venue can exude is something unique that outsiders can't easily experience.
While YSIG was getting ready in the dressing room, Nick also changed into his costume and got ready. Nick joined the group before the live performance and they were all ready.
Their appearance at the live concert was during the final encore, so I watched YSIG's performance from the sidelines. The whole venue was dancing along to YSIG's sound, with the audience clapping and cheering. They looked cool as professional artists, but their dedication to their respective performances was also truly cool.
As the concert nears its end, Nick is guided by the staff and begins to get ready.
I don't know what image everyone has of Nick, but I think many people have an image of him as a cheerful man hanging out with friends and drinking beer even before a live show.
This may be something I've only seen, and it may be a bit of an exaggeration, but before a live performance, he also gets into the zone. He stretches, practices vocal exercises, and gets into a state of concentration.
At that time, I tried to make time for myself and not say anything to her. However, it's easy to imagine that the singing voice coming from the waiting room was simply amazing.
In response to the encore from the audience, YSIG and Nick came on stage.
He jammed on two songs, "We Are Not To Blame" and "Omma." I don't know if the people at the concert knew Nick, but the moment he started singing, they erupted in cheers, and there were a lot of people taking videos on their smartphones, so it must have been a great concert.
I am so grateful to Jun Saito "JxJx" for inviting me to a stage that is not easy to access even if you are an artist. I never imagined Nick singing on such a stage. Just because Nick has a great voice doesn't mean that anyone can collaborate with him or perform in a venue like this. And not everyone who is involved with artists can see this view. I felt like I was seeing a view that not everyone can see.
Nick's face was beaming as he returned to the waiting room after the concert. He felt that performing on the best stage was the best part of being an artist. He looked like he had a really good time.
Without even having time to bask in the afterglow of the live show, we headed to Nihonbashi Air Building, the venue for the tour finale. The bombye tour was soon coming to an end.
When we arrived at the venue, where the event had already begun, there were many people waiting for Nick to arrive. As soon as he arrived, he was surrounded without even having time to put his luggage down. The tour finale was also an event hosted by Connect Records, the label that released his records, and many members who had close ties with Nick were there. Some label members were reuniting after a long time, while others had worked together on production but it was the first time they had met in person. The usual friends gathered in Nihonbashi.
POOL SIDE had also held a pop-up event as merchandise sales representative, and members who had toured with them in Nagoya and regular customers were also in attendance. The venue was filled with a warm atmosphere that felt like an after-party.
As always, the Bombye members spent the time before the show doing what they wanted. Nick nodded his head in front of the DJ booth with a beer in hand. Sam sat coolly chatting on the sofa. Andrew was going up and down the dance floor, making silly remarks with anyone he saw. It was truly heartwarming.
It's time for the final live performance. The venue, which can accommodate a maximum of 30-40 people, was soon overflowing with people before the concert started. People must have had many different thoughts as they came to see this final concert.
I think there were people who had been watching every show since the first one on the tour, people who had known about them for a long time and were finally able to come see them, people who had been waiting for their first show in six years, and people who discovered them on tour and have been following them ever since.
The final performance of the tour seemed different to me. It was different from the usual excitement and enjoyment of previous shows. It was the highlight of the tour, and I could sense their future.
The final song was "Six Eight." And so the final stage came to an end.
The final performance was a live performance by DJ KENTA and Nick. This was possible only because the event was sponsored by Connect Record. It was a moving sight to see the two of them standing at the front.
After finishing cleaning up the venue, the POOL SIDE team returned to the store. As they loaded their luggage into the car, they felt a sudden relaxation.
And so Bombye's Japan tour came to an end.