Ten plus years into a successful singing career, Amuro Namie is still a crowd pleaser, convincing APA concert critic Anne Lee that she is still the queen of hip-hop and forever a J-pop diva. It's almost like we are there in the action, teeny-bopping all over again.
Amuro Namie. What can I say? A performer since her early teens, could she ever really disappoint at a concert? I admit I was a bit upset that she did not perform very many of her old songs (circa her pre-pregnancy days), but on second thought, they would not have fit that well into the atmosphere of her concert anyway. Even the ones she did sing, such as "a walk in the park," and "How to be a girl" had a more mature twist to it -- much different from when she first released those songs back in 1996 and 1997. The dance steps to "a walk in the park" was such a hip-hop departure from her former routine that it didn't even feel like a track from her TK (Tetsuya Komuro) days.
The concert overall definitely had quite a "Queen of Hip-Pop" feel to it, with many songs from her last album and many of her new singles, such as "Can't Sleep, Can't eat, I'm sick," which seems like an ode to her idol, Janet Jackson, down to her airy sing-and-dance routine. Even though the new songs may have been unfamiliar to older fans, they were extremely catchy. Showing that she is just as fit as ever, Amuro took the stage and danced practically nonstop for more than two hours, only leaving the stage three or four times to change, never for more than ten minutes. She gamely interacted with the audience, answering fan questions about her dog (doing great) and her next birthday, the big 2-9.
The stage set had a lot of variety as well: bars on the main area to dance with, stairs running up the middle for variation in dance moves, poles on the upper stage area (at one point, for some pole-dancing), and waist-level bars that came up and down in the catwalk stage part as Amuro and her dancers manipulated them gracefully during their routine. The most amazing stage gimmick was probably the "jungle gym"—an array of bars stacked on top of one another, making for a complicated web of dancing, which Amuro and her dancers mastered skillfully. For the performance of "Ningyo" ("Mermaid"), white cloth was draped all around Amuro, like a wall. At the same time, she was also standing in cloth bunched up to look like sea foam, giving off the aura of her being under the sea. While she can virtually do no wrong in terms of clothing with her blessed proportions and long-limbs, the floral dress and gargantuan flower adorning her hair was less than flattering. While the asymmetrical hem of the dress may have helped convey the "mermaid" idea, the frumpy ruffles and flower pattern overwhelmed her petite frame and were definitely un-Amuro-like. Lucky for us, she eventually shed it to reveal a cute tank and mini ensemble in pink. She employed this tactic often (since she rarely went offstage to change). In the opening act, she appeared in a long-sleeved, floor-length purple number, just to take it off and bare her black, middrift track-jacket-and-sweats combo for the second song.
Before her last set, Amuro thanked everyone and left the stage, in what the audience feared to be her last song. But, she returned, clad in jeans, her signature boots, and Amuro gear: a black t-shirt with LIVE STYLE 2006 emblazoned across the front in gold, a black LIVE STYLE 2006 wristband, and the limited edition silver cross necklace retailing for close to 100 USD. So yes, it was an advertisement of some sort—which worked, judging from the massive lines at the retail booths post-concert—but she also gave a little present to those of her very old fans, singing an entire suite of her oldies, including "Body Feels Exit," "Chase the Chance," and "You're My Sunshine," before ending with a sprinkle of her new songs.
So alas, even though her concert was definitely heavy with her recent works and "hip-pop" style, some things never change. Even at 28, divorced and the mother of an 8-year old boy, she is still the epitome of cool: her classic catwalk strut, quiet demeanor when not performing, and above all, her style. Her pencil-thin eyebrows, long brown hair, short skirt and ultra high boots—classic Amuro style and definitely what looks best on her.
Though she apologized for being dressed in a skirt of such short length at her age, the audience hardly minded. After all, the female-heavy audience -- while not necessarily all clad in minis and over-the-knee boots -- was definitely remnants of former Amuras, all looking quite similar with long, brown hair and an Amuro-inspired style.
While I was never an Amura, I am definitely one of her old school fans. And, a true Amuro fan is a fan of her style, even if the flavor is always changing -- whether she changes from J-pop to electronic beats to reggaeton to hip hop. And so for the true Amuro fan, I am more than sure that the tightly-knit two-hour concert hit the spot.
