Ayumi Hamasaki - concert tour 2000 A -1-

Recently, Ayumi Hamasaki has come out with a concert DVD of her 10th anniversary live. In a career as accomplished as hers, it's worth taking a look back to see how she began, and ayumi hamasaki concert tour 2000 A - 1 - is a great way to see a young Ayumi coming into her own.

The DVD begins with opening gates which reveal the concert hall behind them. A montage of concert preparations run through quickly, then the screen grows dark and we hear first sounds of WHATEVER and the screams from the audience. Creatures in strange, cosmic costumes appear on stage and vanish just as quickly. Then, with a group of dancers, Ayumi appears on stage; after a while the dancers leave to be replaced by the creatures. One of them forces Ayumi to step back, and they close the singer in a beautiful, decorative coffin. Everything goes dark and quiet, and a single spotlight illuminates the coffin, which signals the beginning of Fly high. The audience looks at the coffin and waits for Ayumi to return, and she surprises them by appearing in a huge pink dress with feathers, on a platform located near the ceiling of the hall. This seems to be the true beginning of the concert as Ayumi guides the audience along into her lovely fairytale world.

Ayumi changes her outfit for the next song and appears in a rainbow-hued mini-dress to act as fairy queen. Afterward, we move to a land of creatures that look like spiders - they start their part in the show with hypnotic music which becomes And then. Ayumi performs this number in a white dress, and when the spiders disappear, the vocalist stays alone on stage to sing monochrome. After a while, on a platform over the stage we see a second, identical Ayumi. As one sings, the second one dances with a sword. Then, the dancing Ayumi stabs herself and singing one starts to bleed as the stage is washed in red.

The dramatic part of this fairytale is just beginning as immature kicks off with Ayumi appearing surrounded by chains. Her dress and dance remind of a caged bird searching for release. This story has a happy ending: the bird is set free to fly among golden birds which dance on stage and in the air. The next song, Trust, starts with Ayumi in red attire and a red wig. After a few seconds, she disappears, and almost immediately she materializes in another place on stage in the same costume - but in pink. Later, two more Ayumi follow - one yellow, one purple. Along with the music, they create a glamorous illusion. A green Ayumi takes the stage next and is replaced by a black one. Then, as Depend on you starts, all of the Ayumi appear on stage in a magical show.

There is a short intermission from the fantastic during the performance of dancers dressed in sailor uniforms. When they finish their show, a large cloth floats across the stage and creates the image of water. From it emerges Ayumi in a gold dress and she sings TO BE. Around her fly silver birds, some of which catch the hem of her dress and spread it in the air over the stage, making Ayumi look like a butterfly. A quick change has the singer on stage in a spotted dress, and with unusual animals and clowns she performs too late. The next lively song, Boys & Girls, brings all the characters and creatures to the stage.

This signals the end of the concert, but Ayumi appears once again on stage to perform the encore, which the audience demanded with screams and applause. The first song is vogue, and the singer is dressed in a kimono inspired outfit and holding a sprig of sakura. When she finishes, she gives a short MC and performs SEASONS a capella. Afterward, Ayumi sings Far away and Who... while introducing her team of dancers. Then, shouting her thanks and farewells, Ayumi leaves the stage and the concert comes to a close.

The DVD also comes with bonus back-stage footage.

Overall, the whole show was gorgeous and really well done: Ayumi sings clearly, and the dancers do a fantastic job. The DVD captures the magical concept of the show very well, presenting the fairytale story with its lush imagery. As Ayumi's first concert DVD, it set the standard for all her works to come, and true fans need to have it in their collection.