The culmination of 13 years of Minori Chihara's journey with her irreplaceable friends - "SUMMER CHAMPION 2021 - Minori Chihara Final Summer Live" Day2 Report

Minori Chihara Live 2009 "SUMMER CAMP" (Summer Camp) was held in 2009 at Kawaguchiko Stella Theater in Yamanashi. Minori Chihara, a.k.a. "Minorin", has held this annual midsummer live concert.

I myself have attended almost every concert since the first one and have looked forward to it every year as an annual summer event.

After gathering at Shinjuku Station in the morning, I met up with my friends and headed west on the Chuo Expressway. As we passed Hachioji, I wondered as I gripped the steering wheel if the weather would be okay today. I used to wonder as I gripped the steering wheel. And the time I spent with my friends, who I didn't really care for, talking about the hottest anime, anime songs, voice actors, and other topics as we made our way to the venue was priceless.

This year will be the last time such a summer tradition will be held. I would have loved to have witnessed Minorin's heroic performance in front of my eyes, but due to measures to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, I had to cover the live concert remotely (the live concert itself was attended by spectators). Although it was disappointing not to be able to experience the local atmosphere, it was a premium experience to be able to enjoy the stage through exciting online productions such as drone videos that were only possible this time.

In this issue, we report on the second day of "SUMMER CHAMPION 2021 -Minori Chihara Final Summer Live-.

Minori Chihara, who has been a woman of fine weather this year, showed off her charms to the fullest!

In early August 2021, when the live concert was held, Japan was hit by a series of typhoons. They brought damage to many parts of the archipelago, but the weather at the Stella Theater was clear and sunny that day. Come to think of it, when I think back to Minorin's outdoor concerts I have attended in the past, I hardly remember any rain. It seemed that Minorin's special ability as a "sunny girl" was on full display this time as well.

When the show began, the mascot character "Samadori," which was created during the "Samadori" era, first appeared on stage. After a rap greeting, Ms. Chihara and her backing band "CMB" (from the abbreviation of "Creative Music Band/Chihara Minori Band") appeared on stage to even louder applause.

Minori then performed "Tomorrow's Chance," a song that everyone who has attended a Minori concert has probably heard at least once. Many elaborate flags have been made as live goods, and the fans who gathered for the event brought their own flags. Fans gathered at the concert brought their own flags and waved them toward the stage with all their might.

After a short break with the medium-tempo summer song "Plumeria," the intro to "Pure White Sanctuary," a song that has been performed many times at their live performances, began to play. Then the door at the back of the stage opened to reveal the wilderness around the stage.

From here on, the audience was treated to "Poet's Journey," "Lush march ministry," the "original flag song," and other nostalgic numbers that have been performed many times at Stella Theatre. Many old fans must have been moved to tears as they recalled past performances.

In the middle part of the show, an acoustic corner was performed. Minori sat on a chair set up in the center of the stage and performed "Love Blossom" and then "Joyful Flower," followed by more relaxed songs.

After singing "Anata no Koe wo Kikikitate (I want to hear your voice)," which was titled based on the language of flowers, Minorin went to the side of the stage.

From this point on, Minorin went into an instrumental song by "CMB". Minori's one-man live performances have always featured instrumental pieces by the group, and they gave fans a thrilling performance of their own.

After the spirited performance by her "comrades-in-arms," Minorin took the baton again. She sang "NEO FANTASIA" in a deep blue dress, and in the following MC session, she looked back on the past Stella Theater performances. Minorin's tension increased as she talked, and she smiled bitterly and said, "I wonder if this will be on the video. ......" She then performed the "train pose," which was the talk of the town during "SUMMER DREAM 2" held in 2002, and was inspired by the movement of a train. This was a big hit with both the CMB members and the audience.

From this point on, Minorin's quintessential upper-class songs were on parade. Hopeful "SOUL," which was filled with her wish to "give you a push," "TERMINATED" with flickering lights, and "Red Pillar," sung with passion as a pillar of flame rose up in front of the stage. The audience responded with claps as the emo setlist continued with "Guilty of red thorns," sung with passion as a pillar of flame rose up in front of the stage.

The momentum continued with "Yumegen SPIRAL" in front of a sea of red psyllium, followed by Minori Chihara's signature song "Paradise Lost," which she sang with all her might while freely manipulating a standard Freddie mic.

Memories of summer will continue into the culminating live performance at the end of the year.

Minorin, dressed in a summer kimono, performed the Japanese rock number "Bika 爛漫ノ宴会ニテ" while waving a fan in her hand. The audience was truly in a festive mood.

The next song, "We are stars!" with rap-style lyrics was the lead track from the 15th anniversary album "SANCTUARY II ~Minori Chihara Best Album~" released in 2008.

She said, "I couldn't wait to sing this song in front of everyone." She then left the stage with a performance using a megaphone microphone, as if she was trying to "reach outside the venue (fans watching the live streaming).

Minorin was greeted with applause calling for an encore, and appeared on stage again wearing a live T-shirt. She sang "Sunshine flower," a classic song of "Samachan," holding a big sunflower brought by Samadori, who appeared on stage with her. I am grateful. Thank you very much." He reiterated his gratitude.

He also announced that his mini-album "Re:Contact" would be released on November 18, and that he would be performing in Kanagawa Prefecture on December 26. She also announced that her last live concert "Minori Chihara the Last Live 2021 ～Re:Contact～" would be held at Kanagawa Kenmin Hall on December 26.

According to Minori, "Re:Contact" is a reflection of her thoughts and feelings at the time of making her first album "Contact" released in 2007. The concept of the album was explained: "It will be a mini-album filled with my 'up to now' and 'from now on. The Kanagawa Kenmin Hall is a memorable place where the countdown live was held in 2009 and 2011. The last live will probably be the first and last time that songs from "Re:Contact" will be performed live. The mini-album "Re:Contact" will be a must-have item for the last stage.

As the anticipation for the end of the year was rising, the encore resumed. After singing "Contact 13th" softly, they sang "Freedom Dreamer," a powerful number with lyrics written by Ms. Chihara herself, and a song she is particularly attached to. She exited the stage with a full expression on her face.

In response to another encore, Mirin appeared on stage, this time in yukata (summer kimono). She sang "purest note ~warm sound~," a number associated with the stage for which a music video was made to commemorate the 10th anniversary of her Stella Theater performance.

However, Minorin soon returned to smiling and took a commemorative photo with the CMB members and the audience in the background. Next, "Fireworks," a regular program from "Summer Camp," was launched into the night sky, and many flowers bloomed in the sky above the Stella Theater, where the night was completely dark.

As the last of the fireworks disappeared into the night sky, Minorin began to talk again. Before the concert, I was worried that I would cry during the rehearsal and wonder if I would be able to sing in front of everyone," she said. Thank you very much for coming to see us.

After expressing his heartfelt thanks to the fans, band members, and staff for their support, he sang "Minna~!　I love you! which was filled with 13 years of their feelings.

Even after the live was over, the audience clapped their hands spontaneously, as if they did not want to go home yet. Minorin seemed to share this feeling as she happily appeared on stage once more and bowed deeply to the audience.

Finally, Minorin received a message from the CMB members saying, "If we ever stand at Stella Theater again, we will always come to you. If that should happen, I, too, would like to visit Kawaguchiko again to experience a priceless time. I am sure that I will be looking at the iridocumulus clouds stretching over the mountains again and wondering if the weather will be fine.

(Reporting and writing by Atsushi Saeki)

Set List

1 Tomorrow's chance

2 Summer is Forgotten

3 Pure white sanctuary

4 Poet's journey

5 Lush march ministry

6 Love Blossom

7 Joyful Flower

8 Rin no hana

9 Theme of CMB

10 NEO FANTASIA