EXILEwill release a live DVD/Blu-ray “EXILE 20th ANNIVERSARY EXILE LIVE TOUR 2021 ‘RED PHOENIX'” on August 31st. The advance premiere screening of this work was held today at Shinagawa The Grand Hall in Tokyo on August 16th, with EXILE TAKAHIRO, EXILE AKIRA, Keiji Kuroki, EXILE SHOKICHI, Naoki Kobayashi, Takanori Iwata, and EXILE NAOTO on stage.
“EXILE 20th ANNIVERSARY EXILE LIVE TOUR 2021 ‘RED PHOENIX'” is the 14-member EXILE’s first national arena tour, and the final performance held in May at Yoyogi National Stadium First Gymnasium in Tokyo. Recorded video work. Approximately 130 minutes of performance footage of 25 songs, including songs from the latest album “PHOENIX”, will be recorded, as well as a behind-the-scenes documentary footage of the tour “EXILE 20th ANNIVERSARY EXILE LIVE TOUR 2021 ‘RED PHOENIX’ Documentary”. It is Fans who were selected by lottery were invited to the advance premiere screening, where they watched “EXILE 20th ANNIVERSARY EXILE LIVE TOUR 2021 ‘RED PHOENIX'” prior to the release, and enjoyed live talks by the members.
Seven people who responded to remote interviews for the media before the event talk regarding their feelings regarding the release of this work. SHOKICHI said, “The new system has started once more, and there were new songs, and I think we were able to show EXILE that we’ve never seen before. For us, ‘Hanggen Jizai no EXILE’… I think we were able to deliver something new to the fans by showing EXILE in various forms, such as three vocals and TAKAHIRO’s one-top,” he recalled the tour. TAKAHIRO also said, “‘RED PHOENIX’ has become a work with a strong concept since the album, so I’m really grateful that it will remain as a live work. Above all, we all really enjoyed being on stage. I was able to give form to those memories, and it became a work with a strong feeling.”
Kuroki said, “It’s a tour that I thought was finally able to revive entertainment with a 14-member lineup from the corona disaster, and that’s exactly what the title ‘Phoenix’ (= phoenix) is. “EXILE LIVE TOUR 2022 ‘POWER OF WISH'”).In the opening, SHOKICHI will play the drums, NESMITH will play the guitar, and Alan Shirahama will be the DJ. I was able to attack with new entertainment that I had never experienced. NAOTO said, “As a hidden theme, there was a theme of showing performances and songs that used the body, which is also the origin of EXILE. I think it’s very meaningful that such a tour has been firmly visualized and left at this timing. I think, and it’s not easy to make a work like this later or in the future.
Iwata said, “Since EXILE has reached its 20th anniversary, it became an arena tour like the opening ceremony. The 14 members are full of spirit, and it was a tour full of spirit, so I’m happy to be able to leave it in shape. The group, who usually go around the dome, were thankfully able to enjoy the performance at the arena at a closer distance with the audience. I hope that not only everyone who came to the concert, but also those who are seeing it for the first time, can enjoy it at home.” Kobayashi was unable to participate in the performance on the “RED PHOENIX” tour to concentrate on the treatment of his head injury. “I was very disappointed myself, but it was a tour where I might feel EXILE’s singing power and performance power as seen from the outside. It’s been a long time since the arena tour, and EXILE’s power to get the venue involved, the venue, etc. As one of the people at the venue, I was able to feel that EXILE’s live performance was being created together with everyone who came to the event.I would like people to feel the atmosphere of EXILE’s live venue even at home.” He described his impressions of what he tasted.
AKIRA commented, “Naoki wasn’t able to participate, but I think we were able to express ‘EXILE that can only be expressed by 14 people’, and frankly, it was a really fun live tour. During the corona crisis, we were absent due to the retirement of the original members. Originally, we had to liven up the 20th anniversary year, which was a big milestone, and we had a lot of handicaps and difficulties. For LDH, the fact that a group that is completely different in shape and members from 20 years ago, inheriting the name EXILE and being able to spread EXILE entertainment is a very emotional experience. It was a very memorable experience in my life,” he said.
After that, 7 people appeared at the venue where fans waited in “a little formal” plain clothes. In contrast to TAKAHIRO, AKIRA, Kobayashi, Iwata, and NAOTO in chic outfits, Kuroki wore a patterned shirt, shorts, and sandals, while SHOKICHI also caught the eye of the audience with his flashy orange outfit. When TAKAHIRO looked at Kuroki and SHOKICHI and said, “The two of us just went back to the resort, wasn’t it?” TAKAHIRO said, “Well, maybe Keiji-kun’s formal?”
AKIRA cites the “NAOTO incident” as the story behind the final performance that can now be revealed. When TAKAHIRO waved, “You went looking for the meat you lost, didn’t you?”, AKIRA replied, “NAOTO got injured during the final performance, and following that, I followed up on each member, but that follow-up. I mightn’t do it without being together for many years.Impressed by that, NAOTO came back on stage even though he was injured, and performed a solo performance, and the members made it even more exciting.There is teamwork. I felt it,” revealing an episode that makes you feel the bond between the members. NAOTO commented on what happened behind the scenes, “Even though I was busy getting dressed, AKIRA told me ‘Don’t overdo it’, and on stage, Tecchan (EXILE TETSUYA) lent me his shoulder, and SHOKICHI said, ‘NAOTO-kun, it’s okay. That’s why.’ It was painful, but I was moved to tears by the bond between the members.”
In this tour, EXILE is good at the familiar vertical one-row formation in “Choo Choo TRAIN”, but it turns out that they are not good at “diagonal one-row”. When this topic came up, Kuroki immediately mentioned NESMITH’s name, saying, “That’s Nes-san,” but NAOTO explained how NESMITH was found to be the “culprit.” “I’ve been curious regarding it for a long time, so I asked the stage director to watch the video from the camera directly above 10 minutes before the performance and found the culprit,” Kuroki replied. ) What you see is a really pretty one,” and said that EXILE, who failed to make the “diagonal line”, was not recorded. In response to NAOTO’s joke, “Well, you can adjust it with CG,” TAKAHIRO continued, “Cut and paste it,” but Kuroki dispelled the suspicion of CG by saying, “I didn’t!” TAKAHIRO laughed, “No matter how many times we rehearsed, we weren’t able to form a diagonal line, but only in the final we achieved a miraculous success.” It’s difficult,” followed NESMITH.
The current dome tour “EXILE LIVE TOUR 2022 ‘POWER OF WISH'” will be the last tour, and Kuroki, who will retire from the entertainment industry at the end of October, will be asked regarding his current state of mind by the MC. I think it’s hard to say honestly, so I’ll say it,” Kuroki expresses his feelings. “No, no…” said Kuroki, who shook off TAKAHIRO. It feels like it’s spinning.I wanted to keep this scenery in my memory for the rest of my life following seeing each and every one of the customers, and it’s a tour that conveys my gratitude to everyone all over the country.” TAKAHIRO, who is on good terms with Kuroki and seems to want to keep him, said to Kuroki, “Since Keiji (retired) says he has physical problems, if there is a 1% chance that he will switch to vocals.” There was also a teasing scene.
At the end of the event, the members answered questions from the audience. TAKAHIRO mentioned Iwata to the question, “If you want to become another EXILE member?” Talk regarding your performance. Kuroki also commented on Iwata’s coolness, not disturbing the pace during the live, saying, “I want to become Gan-chan and try to be cool, don’t you think?” TAKAHIRO made the audience laugh by pulling the “Kingyo Tsuma” joke, saying, “My facial expressions didn’t collapse. But when I played ‘Kingyo Tsuma’, it wasn’t cool, it was hot.” NAOTO, who is small in stature, said, “I want to be like AKIRA-san or Naoki, and when they say ‘in order of height’, I want to do it with an atmosphere like ‘I don’t care if I’m in the back row'”, mentioning the names of tall AKIRA and Kobayashi. . On the other hand, AKIRA revealed the disadvantage of being big, saying, “Usually me and Naomi are the absolute foundation when it comes to group performances and joint techniques. We are often stepped on because we are big.”
When Iwata said that he would like to replace vocalists TAKAHIRO and SHOKICHI, TAKAHIRO said, “But you’re doing a solo. You have various plans from now on, right?” Iwata said, “I can’t say it yet! There might be!”
An advance screening of “EXILE 20th ANNIVERSARY EXILE LIVE TOUR 2021 ‘RED PHOENIX'” will also be held on August 18th at Hankyu Umeda Hall in Osaka. Kenchi Tachibana, EXILE TETSUYA, EXILE NESMITH, Alan Shirahama, Mandy Sekiguchi, Sekai, and Taiki Sato will be on stage here.
Contents of EXILE “EXILE 20th ANNIVERSARY EXILE LIVE TOUR 2021 ‘RED PHOENIX'”
01. RED PHOENIX
02. NEO UNIVERSE
03. 24WORLD
04. Someday
05. Choo Choo TRAIN
06. DOWN TOWN TOKYO
07. WON’T BE LONG
08. HAVANA LOVE
09. SUMMER TIME LOVE
10. Agapanthus
11. HEMERA
12. Stronger
13. Performer Corner
14. PARADOX
15. DANCE INTO FANTASY
16. YELLOW HAPPINESS
17. RED PHOENIX Special Medley（PARTY ALL NIGHT ～STAR OF WISH～ / I Wish For You / BOW & ARROWS / No Limit）
18. VICTORY
19. ALL NIGHT LONG
20. Ki・mi・ni・mu・chu
21. Love of History
22. EXILE PRIDE ~To love this world~
23. BE THE ONE
24. STAY WITH ME
25. Rising Sun
・-Documentary-「EXILE 20th ANNIVERSARY EXILE LIVE TOUR 2021 “RED PHOENIX” Documentary」
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