Lisa Loeb

My attempts to see her live performances had always been thwarted by work, but finally, my wish came true as I attended her Billboard Live Tokyo show for the first time in a year. She appeared on stage with an acoustic guitar, and after her first greeting of "Konbanwa," the intro played with Nine Stories was her hit song "I Do." Laden with years of anticipation, the live performance finally began. The stage setup was very simple. The songs, well-selected from her albums, were not excessively arranged, and the vocals and band sounds of each song could be listened to intently without unnecessarily dragging out the songs. Thanks to her humorous MC, the audience, initially tense after the start of the show, could feel the increasing sense of unity with the stage. All the performances were full of warmth, and perhaps because I could feel the "close sound" which is the greatest charm of a small venue, it felt as if I was listening to them perform around a fireplace. Particularly impressive performances were: 　#06 "Truthfully" (This song, filled with transparency, was truly wonderful) 　#08 "Dance With The Angels" (Acoustic solo by audience request) 　#10 "Stay" (Her signature song is especially poignant when heard live) 　#16 "Going Away" (The upbeat tempo makes you want to move to the rhythm) However, the other songs were not merely supporting roles for these, and I was thoroughly drawn into the performance of every song. As the glass of rum and coke I ordered before the show began to empty, they left the stage amidst great applause, and the blissful time that slowly filled my heart came to an end. After the show, a surprise autograph session was held, and of course, I had my CD jacket signed. It goes without saying that I was greatly impressed as the treasure increased along with the excitement of the stage.