'Kishibe no Uta' Adds a Nov. 14 Show at the Bay Civic Hall — Shirase, Kishibe Seven Confirmed
Shiosai Records, organizer of the Kishibe no Uta music festival, formally announced on the 25th that it will hold the additional show it had said it was considering. The date is set for Saturday, Nov. 14, at the festival's traditional indoor venue, the Bay Civic Hall, which seats about 1,500. Following the outdoor show on the 23rd that drew roughly 5,300, as previously reported, both Yuki Shirase and Kishibe Seven are confirmed to perform again. Whether rakugo performer Kishihachi Ryutei will reprise his new piece 'Window Art' is still being worked out, with a formal announcement expected soon. Learning from how quickly the last round of tickets sold out, the organizer is switching to a lottery system, with entries opening in early October.
Right after the outdoor show wrapped on the 23rd, Shiosai Records had held off on deciding whether to add another date, saying only, "Let's see how tonight went first," as previously reported. On the morning of the 25th, the label spoke with several outlets including this paper and formally announced that an additional show would go ahead. "Given the turnout and the response outdoors, we judged we could put together one more night," an organizer said. "But this time, we decided to do it the usual way, indoors." The outdoor edition remains framed as a one-off special, with next year's main Kishibe no Uta venue and format to be reconsidered separately.
The additional show is set for Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Bay Civic Hall, the venue for the previous six editions, which seats roughly 1,500 — a sharp step down from the estimated 5,300 who filled Kishihama Park on the 23rd. "Indoor sound is a different animal from outdoor," the organizer said. "We want to give people who missed the outdoor show the closeness that only an indoor room can offer." Doors and start times will be announced alongside full ticket details in early October.
Yuki Shirase, 31, and Kishibe Seven are confirmed to return. Shirase, as previously reported, limited her official Shore Lullaby cover to three of the song's 13 verses on the 23rd; how she'll structure the indoor performance will be worked out with her and announced soon, the label said. For Kishibe Seven, center member Noa Kishiyanagi, 20, is expected to again perform the tail-driven choreography from "Ahead of the Light," previously reported, though this is still being finalized. Whether rakugo performer Kishihachi Ryutei, 68, will reprise his new piece "Window Art" remains open — "We understand he's interested, but scheduling and other details are still being worked out," the organizer said, promising a formal announcement soon.
On tickets: the 23rd show's advance sales (4,200 yen general, 2,600 yen student) sold out within three days of their release on the 13th, with the online allotment gone in 36 hours, as previously reported. Learning from that, the label is dropping first-come sales in favor of a lottery for the additional show. Entries open in early October, with results expected in mid-October. Prices hold at the same 4,200 yen and 2,600 yen, and the tightened identity checks used on the 23rd will continue. "With an indoor hall, seats are limited, so we wanted to give everyone a fair shot at entering first," the organizer said.
Shirase herself commented, "That outdoor night carried a real tension, singing with people right in front of me. I'm grateful for another chance to sing somewhere indoors." Asked how her indoor performance might differ, she said, "The promise not to hand out a translation hasn't changed. But how the voice comes back to you under a ceiling — that's probably different."
A 29-year-old office worker from Fukagawa who missed out on outdoor tickets said, "I'd given up after hearing it sold out in three days, so I'm glad there's a chance through the lottery. I want to line up a backup plan too, in case I don't win this time." A 16-year-old student from Kameido who did attend the outdoor show said she was already curious "how the lullaby sounds different indoors."
"Let's see how tonight went first" turned out, in the end, to mean "let's do it again." Rather than trying to recreate the outdoor night's energy indoors, the label chose to shrink the scale and recover the closeness instead — a decision this reporter finds easy to like. A lottery, as a way of choosing who gets in, feels like a belated kind of fairness toward everyone who lost out to speed the first time. I'm already looking forward to hearing how Shirase's voice comes back under the Bay Civic Hall's ceiling on Nov. 14.
According to Shiosai Records, full ticket details will be announced in early October through this paper and other outlets.
