On December 23, 2023, fans were lucky enough to see “Thanks”, a final, additional performance by GARNiDELiA at Tokyo's EX THEATER ROPPONGI as part of their GARNiDELiA stellacage 2023 -stella ship- Re:CoNNeCT World tour. Six months later, on June 30, 2024, GARNiDELiA premier stellacage 'TOKYO' World tour 2024 -TEN- [MAKUAKE] was held. This was the opening show of their world tour and their first appearance at Tokyo's Hibiya Open Air Concert Hall. The mood of the show was dramatically different from the previous show, and you could immediately see and feel the support GARNiDELiA enjoyed from her passionate Chinese fans. The first thing one saw upon entering the outdoor theater was the sheer number of Chinese-speaking fans.
The popularity of GARNiDELiA's songs skyrocketed across China with member MARiA's performance of “Gokuraku Jodo” at the 2023 Cheng Feng Chinese Audition, catapulting the group to stardom. MARiA now enjoys overwhelming popularity in China, even as the advertising face of various brands.
Unfortunately it was rainy on the day of the outdoor performance. Amidst the drizzle, sound effects with a distinctly Asian feel began to play and the toku and supporting band members took the stage. Then MARIA appeared, wearing a dress reminiscent of the Middle East and a long veil covering her face. The show started with '-TEN-', a song from their latest album, TEN, which represents GARNiDELiA's determination to reach the top of all surveys. The sound production featured deep bass, a product of the band's experience in China. This combined with MARIA's singing voice, whose emotional power had reached new heights, to create a chemical reaction that resulted in a simply overwhelming performance. During the band's performance of “Diamond,” she removed her veil and was joined by a group of dancers. For the rest of the show, they put on intricate dances as MARIA commanded the stage. The crowd shouted along and headbanged to “COLOR”, bringing the audience even closer, and then the band launched into “True High”.
After toku and MARIA's self-introductions, MARIA put the audience at ease with her cheerful personality, saying “What a lovely, sunny day, huh! (laughs) We are really lucky to have such great weather! Okay, everyone, I want you as soaked as I am by the time you leave today!” He mentioned that they had added “heaven” themed music to the set list due to the location of the Hibiya Open Air Music Hall.
Her soft voice as she sang the line 'one blue sky, no clouds' in their performance of 'ONE', accompanied by the lovely, melodic synth line played by toku, was so powerful it felt like it could even part the rain clouds . MARIA's piercing eyes sparkled, showing the honesty and sincerity she always brings to her songs, as she performed 'Soten'. This was followed by “Akatsuki Zakura” and “Oka Ramman”, whose Japanese tones raised the grandeur of the music to a new level.
MARIA, wearing a cat ear headband, and toku, wearing a cat ear cap, then performed “CAT PLANET” (with a quick detour to perform a cover of Anri's “CAT'S EYE”). The choreography, with cat paw gestures, was special and the audience sang along to the “nya nya nya” (“meow meow meow”) part. Still wearing their cat ears, GARNiDELiA then performed 'PiNK CAT', 'Gen Ai Yugi' and 'QUEEN(S) GAME', all accompanied by their dancers. Active back-and-forth with the audience is one of the hallmarks of the band's live shows, characterized by their global sensibilities.
The rain, however, showed no signs of stopping, instead becoming heavier and heavier. MARIA, having changed into a black suit with gold embellishments, sang a rich rendition of 'Fiction', a heart-wrenching song with a piano chorus that lingers even after the song ends. The group then performed 'Hoshi No Uta' and 'Suzuran'. The flavor of the 80s created a soundscape that felt both nostalgic and new, highlighting both the magic and beauty of MARIA's voice. The rain, now falling, was a perfect match for MARiA's emotional performance. The struggles and hard work beneath her artistry were emphasized even more strongly than in the band's usual concerts, creating an overwhelming sense of authenticity.
“Sometimes your voices and your love seem like my wings. When I'm with you, nothing can stop me,” MARIA said before diving into the song “Future Wing”. Hard rock songs “SPEED STAR”, “ambiguous” and “BLAZING” followed. The finale of the show was a special version of “FRONTiER”, which was also like a beginning. In the encore, which started with “Gokuraku Jodo”, MARIA spoke to the Chinese-speaking fans, who cheered in response. It was a truly international moment. “I want my fans in Japan to feel the Chinese atmosphere,” said MARiA, and the group covered Ikimonogakari's “Blue Bird,” a song that enjoys great popularity overseas. Many of the Chinese-speaking fans sang along with the chorus in Japanese. Seeing the success that GARNiDELiA is achieving around the world, as well as the growing range of audience reactions, with my own eyes, I was sure that GARNiDELiA's music was on the verge of a dramatic transformation.
“No matter how hard things got, no matter how much I struggled, no matter how dark the future looked, I kept going. I kept fighting. I knew if I kept doing this, a miracle would happen. Our lives, and the love you all have given us, is proof of that,” said MARIA.
The Hibiya show was the opening act of a five-month tour starting in the summer that would see GARNiDELiA play around 50 shows, mostly in China and nearby areas. Gemini shows true strength, taking change head-on, unflinchingly, in the midst of our rapidly changing environment. This strength was again shown by their performance in the middle of a relentless storm.
The show ended with toku, a keytar over his shoulder, leaping to the front of the stage to perform MARIA's 'GRND' and toku's paths crossed as they listened to each other's music. Surrounded by generous applause and cheers, the duo left the stage.
This article by Mio Komachi first appeared on Billboard Japan.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/concerts/garnidelia-opening-night-world-tour-2024-ten-makuake-1235733170/