“I wanted to convey my gratitude to you”. Shouta Aoi successfully completes a nationwide 4-city live tour with unique performances!
Official Live report
On February 18th, voice actor and artist Shouta Aoi performed the final concert of his live tour, “Shouta Aoi LIVE 2023 WONDER lab. Garden supported by JOYSOUND,” at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo.
The venue was shrouded in darkness and lit up by blue penlights as the eagerly awaiting audience broke out into applause, signaling the start of the concert.
Wearing an all-white suit, Aoi greeted the audience, saying, “Let’s get hyped up for the tour finale!” and performed the emotional title track of his 2014 debut single, “Virginal“.
He followed up with “Stay With Me!!” and the upbeat number “INVERTED“, setting the stage for the rest of the concert.
Starting with a homecoming concert in his hometown of Fukui, voice actor, and artist Shouta Aoi completed his nationwide tour in four cities: Aichi, Hyogo, Tokyo, and Fukui.
The tour, titled “Shouta Aoi LIVE 2023 WONDER lab. Garden supported by JOYSOUND,” was based on the concept of a “Garden”, with the intention of conveying numerous songs and feelings of gratitude.
Each audience member was imagined as a single flower. The stage at Ryogoku Kokugikan was set up with a two-story structure in the arena and a huge tree reflecting the “Garden” concept was also set up.
During the first MC, Aoi stated, “I will sing with all my gratitude, not only to everyone who always supports me but also to those who say, ‘I came to Shouta Aoi’s live performance for the first time today‘.”
He continued, “We’re just getting started. Let’s all enjoy the show!” and performed “Zutto…” as the fourth song, followed by “Himitsu no Kuchizuke“.
He raised the excitement of the live show with the EDM tune “UNLIMITED“, which was performed only in the Tokyo performance.
In the seventh song, “Aiu Uta“, Aoi appeared on top of the giant tree with a transparent gown and a hair accessory, displaying elegant and glamorous choreography that captivated the fans’ eyes.
Although the audience seats at Ryogoku Kokugikan were installed at high positions surrounding the arena, Aoi’s intention to convey his gratitude was conveyed to each audience member throughout the performance.
After performing “MURASAKI“, which uses his favorite color, purple, and the rock number with a Japanese taste, “Zero” with his strong and powerful voice, Shouta Aoi changed into a black outfit and performed the opening theme song “PSYCHO:LOGY” for the TV anime series “Pop Team Epic” in which he also appeared in October of last year, creating a huge buzz.
During the song, the characters “Popuko” and “Pipimi” made a special appearance on stage for this performance only, adding a cute dance to the live.
“Both of them came here despite being busy, and it became a happy ending“, said Aoi with a smile.
“But for those who still need more excitement, we’ll deliver this END“, he said, introducing the song. He then performed “BAD END“, the ending theme for the TV anime “My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!”
During the MC segment, Aoi looked back on the many encounters he had in 2022 and said, “Thanks to everyone always being my big wings, I’m able to fly high in any strong wind. Thank you very much“.
His eyes shone with gratitude. He then performed “Existence“, song that also expresses his determination, as well as “Key to My Heart“, digital single released on January 18, 2023, which serves as the ending theme for the drama “REAL⇔FAKE Final Stage“.
The concert ended with the R&B number “flower“.
For the encore, Aoi appeared in a tour T-shirt with added arrangements.
“Let’s get even more hyped up!” he encouraged before performing “Harmony” and “give me ♡ me“, which featured emotional choreography and formation dances that resonated with the audience, and “Baby Steady Go!!“, bringing the finale to a close.
And then, there was a delightful surprise gift for the audience.
Aoi returned to the stage and announced to the fans that he decided to produce a new album, which will be his first in about six years since October 2017.
He also announced an official fan club “A☆happy lab.” event. As a double encore, he sang the heartfelt song “Kimi no Tonari de” to express his gratitude to the special people who have continued to support him.
Having performed a total of 21 songs, Shouta Aoi brought the curtains down on the tour finale and conveyed a message to the fans, “Of course, this is not the end. Let’s go see more different landscapes together!”
Through the tour, Aoi delivered music and gratitude to his precious fans.
As per Aoi’s words, this is certainly not the end. Fans are only left to anticipate how Aoi, who continues to deliver one-of-a-kind performances, will further evolve and what kind of scenery he will show.
Setlist
1 - Virginal 2 - Stay With Me!! 3 - INVERTED 4 - ずっと… 5 - 秘密のクチヅケ 6 - UNLIMITED 7 - 哀唄 8 - HEAVEN! 9 - Melodia 10 - MURASAKI 11 - 零 12 - PSYCHO:LOGY 13 - BAD END 14 - Existence 15 - I am 16 - Key to My Heart 17 - flower 18 - Harmony (ENCORE) 19 - give me ♡ me (ENCORE) 20 - Baby Steady GO!! (ENCORE) 21 - 君のとなりで (FINAL ENCORE)
On another note: Shouta Aoi recently announced the release of his 3rd full-length album.
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