Wataru Hatano celebrated his 41st birthday in style with a complete set of performances in Wataru Hatano LIVE 2023 – TORUS –.
Official Live report
On March 12, 2023, the live show “Wataru Hatano LIVE 2023 -TORUS-” was held at Nakano Sun Plaza, the day before Wataru Hatano’s 41st birthday.
With his latest original album “TORUS” in tow and a couple of days before the release of his best album “HATANO WATARU THE BEST“, a wide range of songs, from new to familiar, were performed.
It was truly a birthday concert fitting to close out his 10th anniversary (as a solo artist) celebration.
The venue was enveloped in a fantastic atmosphere as the video of the epilogue and prologue included in the album “TORUS” started playing.
Wataru Hatano appeared on stage in a sporty outfit consisting of a blouson and sneakers (white theme for the daytime show and black theme for the evening show). He gracefully danced along to the album’s title track “TORUS” and then sang the energetic and melodic rock song “Fuwari Fuwari“.
When the live event was held, it was the last day of Wataru Hatano’s 40th year, and simultaneously his beloved cat’s – Mugichan – 8th birthday, so there was a double celebration in place.
To celebrate both dates, Hatano performed “I Give U My…“. In the background monitor, a montage with photos of Mugichan was displayed.
Next, he performed “Ryuusei Hikou” (daytime performance). In the nighttime performance, he sang “My Hero My No.1“.
Hatano said, “This song was recorded before the title track (in his debut single “Hajimari no Hi”). At this live event, I sang both old and new songs, and I chose this song because I wanted to express the idea that the past, present, and future are connected and circulating. For me, meeting characters and works is an important thing that cannot be replaced by anything, and I am very grateful“, and shared his passionate thoughts.
After singing “Ashita no Kagaribi” (明日の篝火) with powerful vocals and traditional Japanese dance and music, the stage went dark.
The beautiful sound of the piano echoed throughout the venue as the band members performed “Agape ～Interlude～“.
When the spotlight hit a sofa on stage, there was Hatano in a suit, looking mature and sophisticated (blue-themed for the daytime show and black-themed for the nighttime show).
He then performed “No Man Is an Island“. The song, with its warm sound and gentle lyrics, was written by fellow seiyuu – his junior at 81 Produce – and singer-songwriter, Soma Saito.
In the post-performance MC, Hatano shared his thoughts and gratitude for the song and said, “Soma complimented me by saying that “considering the singer while writing lyrics is a professional thing to do”. There are many words that I love in this song“.
Next, he performed “Get Wild” (daytime show). Hatano expressed his gratitude for being able to cover this song, saying “It’s really an honor to be able to cover this song“. The audience was at the peak of excitement with their hands in the air.
In the nighttime show, Hatano covered “SEEDS“, character song by Chikage Utsuki from the A3! franchise.
When the intro began, the venue was filled with green-colored light sticks. With a smile, Hatano expressed his deep feelings, saying “I have sung a one-chorus version of this song at events, but this time, I was able to sing the full size with a band sound. Thank you very much!“
As the live concert entered the second half, he performed “Not Elimination“. With Hatano’s gentle yet powerful voice and emotional guitar sound, the audience became even more excited.
During the following MC, Hatano said, “It was Lindo Tachibana’s birthday from ‘Dance with Devils’ on March 3rd, so I want to perform this song and celebrate together“.
He then performed “KING & QUEEN” (daytime performance), which ended up being a lovely and happy song with a heart-shaped choreography that made the audience smile.
In the nighttime performance, after a brief talk about his interest in the Jomon period of Japanese history, Hatano performed “Unmei no Coda“.
The following “I’m a Voice Actor (Big Band Arrange)” is a self-introduction song in which Wataru Hatano plays around with dialogue and the song’s melody to showcase his skills. This time, the song was upgraded with the addition of brass band sounds, making it more luxurious! (this arrangement is included in the Best of Album “HATANO WATARU THE BEST“).
The audience danced along with the performance, and the venue was filled with smiles.
The last song of the main event is “Synchronic“.
With danceable melodies and the addition of a band sound, the coolness of this work was felt from the intro, and the intense dance performance continued to captivate the audience.
When the encore began, Hatano, wearing a tour T-shirt, appeared with dancers in a train pose. The first song of the encore is “Never be too late“.
With its bright and pop-like melody, the song allowed the audience to dance along and enjoy it. During the interlude, there was also a dance call and response, where Hatano and the dancers improvised a dance and have the audience imitate them, creating a high-energy atmosphere.
Before the final song, “Happy Birthday song” played in the venue. The dancers surprised Hatano with a cake in the shape of his beloved cat, Mugichan. Hatano expressed surprise, saying “Wow! I was told there wouldn’t be any surprises this year! (laughs)“. The audience applauded the cute cake.
Finally, the last song of the encore.
Hatano shared his thoughts, saying “I always sing this song at the end of my concerts, and I think of it as a song filled with my determination and thoughts so that I can meet everyone again at the next concert“.
He then performed his debut song, “Hajimari no Hi“. During the night performance, the audience surprised Hatano by lighting up their penlights in rainbow colors, and Hatano expressed his gratitude, saying “It was so beautiful! I was so moved. Thank you for the beautiful sight!“
In conclusion, Hatano said “The word ‘TORUS’ means ‘circular energy,’ and in this concert, the energy of each staff member, band member, and fan who receives it is circulating, creating this moment. I truly felt it was a wonderful concert. Thank you very much! And thank you, Nakano Sun Plaza! (big applause) I’m sure your warm thoughts have been conveyed. Thank you very much!“.
Hatano expressed his gratitude again, and the venue was filled with the biggest applause of the day, bringing the curtains down on the concert.
Setlist (day and night)
1 - TORUS 2 - フワリ フワリ 3 - I Give U My… 4 - 流星飛行 (Day) ／My Hero My No.1 (night) 5 - 明日の篝火 6 - No Man Is an Island 7 - You Only Live Once 8 - Get Wild (day) ／SEEDS【A3！character song】(night) 9 - Not Elimination 10 - KING & QUEEN (Day) ／運命のCoda (night) 11 - I’m a Voice Actor（Big Band Arrange） 12 - Synchronic ＜ENCORE＞ 13 - Never be too late 14 - はじまりの日に (day) ／はじまりの日に（SG version）(night)
On another note: Wataru Hatano recently released the best of album HATANO WATARU THE BEST.
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