w-inds. at Nippon Budokan

The concert 10th anniversary ~Three Fourteen~ was originally planned for the 14th of March, which would be exactly 10 years after w-inds.' debut, but due to the impacts of the earthquake it was moved to the 28th of April. This did nothing to trim down attendance however, and the famous Nippon Budokan with a capacity of 14,000 was packed with people on Thursday night.

Nippon Budokan is a hexagonal building, as is the stage, located in the middle of the hall. After finding their places in the hall, all the fans' eyes were fixed on the yet dark screens in the middle of the stage facing all directions. Suddenly the lights in the hall went out and the PV to the newest single Let's get it on was shown on the screens. The screens were then hauled up towards the ceiling, revealing the three members as well as eight male dancers. At the sound of fireworks, the boys started singing while the audience screamed ecstatically.

Virtually everyone in the audience could be seen waving blue glowsticks, creating an almost unreal view, especially combined with the red light during Night Flight ~Yakan ryokou. After the third song, Keita greeted the audience and thanked them for coming. Ryohei said they wanted to hold a super fun live for their anniversary, and Ryuichi, whose new short haircut surprised everyone, announced that the concert was being streamed live via u-stream and encouraged the crowd to scream for the streaming listeners.

As the first tones of NEW PARADISE were heard, loud cheers rose up and the audience was immediately dancing and waving their glowsticks to the fun and catchy song. Two slow ballads followed, but the quiet mood did not stop Ryohei from showing off some cool dance moves. At the end of Izayoi no tsuki, the three members were lifted up on a platform and sang the last part from high above the audience.

The venue grew dark for a few seconds before a spotlight revealed Keita sitting alone on a podium in the middle of the stage. He explained that he wanted to sing a song by his favourite artist and then introduced the song Still with you by Eric Benét. When listening to this ballad it was evident how much Keita's voice has matured. Then Ryuichi came out on stage with an electric guitar and played the original song fade away, a rock number with a slow rhythm.

Next up was Ryohei, who put on a dance show to a heavy beat. It was an impressive display and a bit surprising that Ryohei managed to look that cool and powerful despite his small frame and cute looks. Keita then came out alone and started singing TOKYO, but the ballad-like song changed character after a little when Ryuichi and Ryohei came out and started rapping. The members then disappeared through the floor, and some rather old video footage was shown on the screens. The audience screamed and laughed at seeing an interview done with the then only 15 year old boys just before their debut.

w-inds. themselves then came out again to start singing Feel the fate, their second single from back in 2001. The catchy tune sounded slightly cooler and less cute than the original version, and the delighted audience sang part of the chorus by themselves. After this song all three members gathered on the podium in the middle of the stage and sang the ballad Another Days standing together. For the next number, Long Road, the background dancers appeared in procession carrying w-inds. flags and waving them high throughout the song.

The members then chatted a little with the audience, talking about old memories and the long road they've walked. Two of the older numbers, both from the group's first album, followed, and then with a "thank you", w-inds. left the stage, the screens were hauled down again and the stage darkened. The audience was not discouraged by this as screams for an encore rose up, and their wish was soon fulfilled. The three members returned again, now dressed in w-inds. t-shirts, and started singing the new song To My Fans, while a mix of newer PV clips were shown on the screens. The guys then talked a little, thanking the audience again and joking about Ryuichi finally cutting his hair as well as announcing a new best-of album scheduled for June.

They then played their very first single, Forever Memories, and the audience happily sang along and waved their glowsticks. The backup dancers and band then also got their due thanks, and Keita mentioned that some of them have been with the group for the whole ten years. While holding hands, they all bowed to the audience. The fitting song THANK YOU was a fun final, which found the audience clapping and both the members and the dancers doing seemingly spontaneous dance moves. When the song finished the members and dancers bowed in all six directions and thanked the audience. "It is really sad, but we have to finish now," said Ryohei as they left the stage, Ryohei throwing his glittery cap into the audience just before disappearing backstage.

The 10th Anniversary ~Three Fourteen~ was, as could be expected, a very nostalgic show with many old songs, but it also showcased how w-inds. have developed over the years. From the incredibly cute bubblegum pop they started out with ten years ago, they have now matured into a contemporary dance unit with a catchy beat and cool image that seems a bit inspired by Korean pop rather than anything found within Japan. Despite being active for ten years, w-inds. feels like a new and fresh influence on the Japanese music scene, and it will be interesting to see how they continue to develop in the future.



Setlist:

01. Let's get it on
02. Night Flight ~Yakan ryokou~
03. no one else
04. NEW PARADISE
05. Kawariyuku sora
06. Izayoi no tsuki
07. Still with you (Eric Benét cover) - Keita solo
08. fade away - Ryuichi solo
09. Ryohei dance show
10. TOKYO
11. Feel the fate
12. Another Days
13. Long Road
14. New-age Dreams
15. Endless Moment

Encore:
01. To My Fans
02. Forever Memories
03. THANK YOU