Report Vol.1 on Hibiya Music Festival 2023, which has completely revived for the first time in four years in the heart of the city after a typhoon.

At "Hibiya Dream Session 1" held at Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall (Hibiya Park Concert Hall) on June 3rd, the audience was enchanted with the wonderful performances of artists from various countries. This strongly impressed upon the audience the "borderless" theme of the music festival.

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Provided by Hibiya Music Festival Executive Committee

"Hibiya Dream Session 1" kicked off with a performance by LIBERA, a soprano chorus group formed by boys living in South London, England.

The concert began with "Kanata no Hikari," which has been used in many TV commercials and TV dramas, followed by "Ashita e ~for the future~," a song written, composed and produced by Kameda, with lyrics entirely in Japanese. Next came Seiko Niizuma, who sang "From a Distance," filling Hibiya Park at dusk with her beautiful voice.

Seiko Nizuma

Provided by Hibiya Music Festival Executive Committee

"I chose happy songs because the Hibiya Music Festival is a festival that everyone can enjoy," said Niizuma, who then performed "Dancing Queen," a familiar song by ABBA, which is also featured in the musical "Mamma Mia!" after "GOLD." The audience stood up and got excited, bringing a sense of unity to the venue.

Fujiwara Michizan

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Next came shakuhachi player Fujiwara. With his shakuhachi performance of "Amazing Grace," Fujiwara impressed upon the audience the concept of the Hibiya Music Festival, "a borderless worldview." He then performed "Kofu" together with Tsugaru shamisen player Hiromitsu Agatsuma.

After Fujiwara left the stage early, Uezuma performed "Fuurin Kazan ~Tsuki Saeyu Yoru~," a familiar theme song for the NHK Taiga drama, and overwhelmed the audience with the music's grand scale and powerful presence.

Kamizuma Hiromitsu

Provided by Hibiya Music Festival Executive Committee

After Fujiwara left the stage early, Uezuma performed "Fuurin Kazan ~Tsuki Saeyu Yoru~," a familiar theme song for the NHK Taiga drama, overwhelmed the audience with the grand scale and powerful presence of the song.

Hideki Togi and Noriaki Togi

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The father-son duo, Hideki Togi, a Gagaku musician and composer, and Norichika Togi, who is also active as the guitarist and vocalist of GRASSHOPPPER, appeared on stage. After performing a Queen cover medley of "Bohemian Rhapsody ~I Was Born To Love You," sending the audience into a frenzy, Fujiwara and Uezuma appeared on stage again and performed Togi's song "Steppin' Slide," which incorporates Irish elements. The stage, which showed a wonderful collaboration of music from various countries, came to a close.

Charan Po Rantan

Provided by Hibiya Music Festival Executive Committee

Charan Po Rantan performed "Poka Poka", a song produced by Kameda, followed by "Tabidachi Sanka". The lively performance livened up the venue.

Tokiko Kato & Yuko Sebu

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Tokiko Kato and pianist Yuko Sebu appeared. Kato performed "Sometimes I Tell Old Stories," known from the movie "Porco Rosso," and said, "The first stage I performed on after becoming a singer, and the last stage I performed on when I thought I would quit singing after getting married, was Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall. It was because of my wonderful memories at Open-Air Concert Hall that I was able to return as a singer." She spoke of her special attachment to the venue.

Provided by Hibiya Music Festival Executive Committee

Following Kato's singing of John Lennon's "Imagine," Miu Sakamoto, Charan Po Rantan, Togi, Togi, Niitsuma, and YOYOKA appeared on stage and performed John Lennon's "Power To The People" with a large audience. It was a stage that expressed the greatness of music that Kato has experienced throughout his long career.

Tani Yuuki

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Tani Yuuki, who made her first appearance at the Hibiya Music Festival, performed her signature song "W / X / Y," which became known to many people through SNS. The venue became even more excited when Tani, who Kameda described as "a talent I encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic," appeared.

Yusei Yagi and Sota Nakajima (FANTASTICS from EXILE TRIBE)

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Yusei Yagi and Sota Nakajima of FANTASTICS from EXILE TRIBE appeared. They performed three songs: "PANORAMA JET" and "Summer Bike," which were produced by Kameda and had graphic design by Kashiwa Sato, and "Choo Choo TRAIN," which has been sung for over 30 years.

Kimura Kaela

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The final act was performed by Kaela Kimura, who made her first appearance. She performed "Time Machine Onegai" with YOYOKA, a drummer who is active all over the world despite being only 13 years old. The number by Sadistic Mika Band, which once performed at Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall and in which Kimura herself participated as a guest vocalist, is an essential song when looking back on the history of Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall.

YOYOKA performing with Kimura Kaela Photo courtesy of Hibiya Music Festival Executive Committee

The final song of the day was "Butterfly," a classic wedding song known to a wide range of generations. The beautiful chorus of the audience and the stage gave a sense of strength that has overcome the COVID-19 pandemic.

Provided by Hibiya Music Festival Executive Committee

From Saturday, June 24th to Sunday, July 2nd, you can enjoy Hibiya Music Festival 2023 on U-NEXT in two ways: "Encore Missed Edition Streaming" and "Live Missed Edition Streaming." Don't miss it.