I just got back from the longest (and best) 21 hour vacation of my life. x.x

THE CONCERT WAS AMAZING, but getting there was SO insane. However, after persevering through thick and thin (figuring out LA streets at night is NOT the way to go) my sister and friend and I made it in the nick of time! I thought we would start lining up around 4 or 5, but as it turned out my friend wanted to do some sight-seeing, and then we got lost and had to go back to our hotel to get money for parking. In the end, we made it just as the line was starting to move. Even so, we got a really good spot where we could see Utada easily. I was planning to take pictures with my cell phone but I dropped it at some point and couldn't find it, until I found out my friend's mom had picked it up.

I can understand the crowd's impatience with the DJ; I thought he was pretty good, but he really wasn't fantastic (I've heard amateurs who spin more enthusiastically than him) and he seemed to only cater to the front row; he didn't even bother trying to engage those of us farther back. So one of the good parts about getting there late was that I didn't have to sit through his entire session (or stand in line for five hours). Even then, I got bored with him really quickly. I don't think it's rude not to like a guest performer; you don't go to see them, they're there to try and capture your attention- basically, self-advertisement. It's the audience's responsibility to let them know if what they're doing is working. Booing is the only way to let them know they need to pick up the pace and do something interesting, no one pays for concert tickets to stand around bored (and if you've already been waiting patiently in line for five+ hours, I'm sure your attention span has more or less run out). That being said, I didn't think he was absolutely TERRIBLE, and I did cheer him a couple of times when I thought he did something particularly cool- but, essentially, he was playing club music at a concert; it didn't fit the atmosphere at all. People go to clubs to dance, chill, and drink. People go to concerts to jump around, scream, and freak (and occasionally drink). So that's my opinion on the "opening act."

But it was all worth it, because once Utada came on the world kind of stopped for her. I could feel an almost tangible shift in the room as EVERYONE'S energy focused on stage. I got chills when the music for "Opening" started, and I don't think the goosebumps ever left my arms. As others have pointed out, the set-list was identical to the Honolulu show, which made it predictable, but NONE of that matters, because the songs are (of course) great and Utada sounded AMAZING. Seriously, this is the best she's sounded since UU06; I don't know what she did with her voice, but there wasn't a note she didn't hit (a lot of people say she doesn't sing part of "Apple and Cinnamon", but that's only because there's a sudden transition to another part that would be too hard to make if she sang both; she did sing ALL of the high notes for that song). The only one I noticed her skimming on was the "La"s in "You Make Me Want to Be a Man", and she did still have a hard time with the higher parts of "Come Back to Me". On the other hand, she sang "Kremlin Dusk" SPECTACULARLY- she didn't slide or crack or anything. It sounded better than on the album! I was right under a speaker, too, so I could hear everything pretty much perfectly.

Haha, and when she came out for "Simple and Clean" during the encore, I just started bawling. That's seriously my favorite song ever and watching her put all of the emotion she did into it cracked part of me open- I had gotten choked up with "First Love" also, but "Simple and Clean" was the make it or break it, and it broke it in the best way possible. It was so sentimental and beautiful.

I also loved watching her have a lot of fun with "On and On" and "Me Muero"- the energy she placed in those pieces is unmatched by any other performer I've seen. She was totally loving herself and sending that out to the crowd, and I'm so happy she decided to go with a stripped-down set and smaller venues because it made it that much more obvious how much she loves her music and her fans! The experience was real and up-close, the kind you could NEVER attain in a multi-thousand seat stadium. Rather than focusing on lighting and special effects, this concert was all about the music- she barely even talked to us (although when she did it was easily as entertaining as the music, because it wasn't pointless filler- she always had something relevant and important to say).

Still, probably the coolest song of the night was her "Passion/Sanctuary" mix; everything about that song was made for the live stage, and listening to her sing it in both Japanese and English, switching from one to the other seamlessly, really exemplified her multicultural heritage and unique understanding of the world- one of the things we Utada fans love most about her. It was such a treat to hear.

All in all, this is easily the best concert Utada has put on- ever- and I think the same will be said of every stop on the tour by those who attend. Utada dominates the stage with absolutely no irrelevant distractions from the music that we've come to hear, a completely marvelous experience of song and spirit; Utada knows how to feed the audience and take from them and make the best out of whatever is out there, and in my opinion, last night she had the greatest picks she could, which made for a truly unforgettable night of rhythm, movement, and passion. Her fans are wonderful, her band is wonderful, SHE'S wonderful and I feel so blessed that I was able to attend.

Plus, given that my friend and her mom were completely ecstatic after the show and practically begged me for whatever albums of hers I have, I think she made two new fans in one fell swoop. ;]

Shuri/Eli