[Concert Report] Perfume 6th Tour 2016: COSMIC EXPLORER

For Perfume, performing with a massive standing audience at Makuhari Messe was a dream.

Over the three-day period at the enormous Makuhari Messe Convention Center in Chiba, that dream became a reality for the members, and a very special memory for everyone in attendance!

Perfume’s sixth tour is named after their newest number-one album, COSMIC EXPLORER. It was released earlier in April 6, and features awe-inspiring tracks produced by Yasutaka Nakata.

The concert opened with the hyper-futuristic graphics and holograms of “STORY”, a track from the new album. Right from the start, the trio was greeted with immense energy from a crowd of approximately 30,000 in each show. With intricate laser patterns and shockwaves of sound bursting through the speakers, Perfume mesmerized their feverish audience with the perfect dance combinations that we have now come to expect.

Progressing through a changing set list, the members connected with fans through song, dance, and even direct conversation. With help from camera staff and the surrounding fans, Kashiyuka (Yuka Kashino) was able to find a little girl dressed in her “Mirai no Museum” outfit in the enormous crowd, and chat with her about their clothes and other similarities.

In addition to adorable “calls and responses” with the members, spirited samba sessions, as well as Perfume’s signature tune about brushing your teeth, there were also multiple talk segments designed to allow for communication between the members and their audience.

While a normal concert report would break into more thorough discussions about the setlist right about here, we regret to say that we won’t be doing so! As requested by the production staff and also the members themselves, detailed information about the shows will be reserved for you to discover in person or through the upcoming DVD!

This secrecy is partially due to the setlist changes featured, and Perfume’s desire to make every show truly special for everyone at the venue. While the select medley, album tracks, and spaceship progression may remain the same, a number of songs will remain undetermined until the members and the fans make their decision together during the show.

To allow for this variation, A~chan (Nishiwaki Ayaka), Kashiyuka, and Nocchi (Omoto Ayano) have rehearsed for dozens of eligible songs. The staff have worked overtime to prepare every last detail for each possible performance. In fact, so much effort has gone into songs like GLITTER that the members even end up making song requests to the audience at times!

Oops. That might be a little too much information already.

Moving on! One of our favorite moments (that we can reveal) came from the setlist decision process, after the members got off their little scooters and worked their way across the main stage. What would have been a simple five-second jog transformed into a bubbly game of catch me if you can. As A~chan and Kashiyuka giggled away, Nocchi gave her most charming impression of a sad child, crying out to the audience about how she needed “at least thirty thousand people to cheer [her] up right now”.

The response from the crowd was absolutely amazing, and the smile on Nocchi’s face afterwards? Even better!

In the closing comments at Makuhari Messe, the members described each and every moment as “special little secrets” exclusive to Perfume, the staff members, and those who were in attendance. From August 26 to September 4, those residing in or visiting the United States will also have a chance to get in on these secrets, as the COSMIC EXPLORER Tour will be traveling to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and New York!

While we would love to write even more about how every last detail made COSMIC EXPLORER such a fascinating concert, it would be exponentially better if you came and experienced it for yourself! Come enjoy the hyper-futuristic and ultra-addicting performances by Perfume, and make sure you don’t forget your towel. Trust us. You’re going to need it!

More information about the Perfume 6th Tour 2016: COSMIC EXPLORER can be found here

This is a Tokyo Otaku Mode original article by Yuka