Massu promises to make wish come true for world champion athlete if she wins in London

A two-time Olympic gold medalist and nine-time world champion wrestler said she would love to get a hug from Takahisa Masuda from NEWS / Tegomass if she wins again in London, and the Johnny’s talent said he would make it happen, reports MyNavi News.

 

Saori Yoshida had been a guest on the music show “1番ソングSHOW (Ichiban Song Show)” on July 25 and said she always listens to the song “ぼくらの空 (Bokura no Sora)” by Tegomass before a match.  The athlete had said she listens to the song before going onto the wrestling platform alone, and it motivates her to think, “Yes!  I can spread my wings and fly!”.

 

It has been reported a special video message was prepared for Yoshida by her favorite member, Massu.

 

In the video, Masuda had first off said he was happy Yoshida had chosen him over his Tegomass partner Yuya Tegoshi, and then wished her the best in London.

“I hope you can get that gold medal at the Olympics in London.  Good luck.”

 

Then, when a staff member asked Masuda whether he would make any wish Yoshida had come true if she does win the gold medal, he answered the question with a definite yes.

“I’d love a hug.  I’ll make sure I win,” Yoshida commented after watching the video.

 

While this might make a number of Tegomass fans jealous, hopefully they will be forgiving this time.  An athlete who is representing her country is getting the support and motivation she needs to get ready for her medal match from Masuda’s singing.  No musician could ask for anything better than that.  So, hopefully Tegomass fans will welcome Yoshida back to Japan with a big smile.

Massu commenting he was happy he is Yoshida’s favourite member. (He looks so happy – Momo)

Answer to “will you grant her any wish she has?” with a “YES!” (Yoshida looks so happy lah. I would be too!! – Momo)

Yoshida saying she’d like a hug from Massu (I hope that comes true – Momo)

Good luck Saori Yoshida!!! – Momo

My report: Tegomass no Mahou

Tegomass pen light, confetti and tour pamphlet

What: Tegomass 3rd Tour Tegomass no Mahou

When: 13:00 – 15:50 Sunday, December 18 2011

Where: Yokohama Arena, Yokohama

Other notes: Chilly 9 or 10 degrees celcius, sunny, calm breeze, and tons of Tegomass fans and Barcelona fans at Shin-Yokohama station (it was the Club World Cup).

The setting:

Circular stage with two long stages going out to the side, two more shorter stages leading to  elevating platforms.  The band played inside the circular stage, and another stage cut straight across the circular stage in the centre, and this could rotate around slowly.

Arena set up. Red shows the stage layout, with the band and rotating stage in the centre. The elevating platforms close to block A & D (taken from Yokohama Arena website: http://www.yokohama-arena.co.jp/kyakuseki/)

The entire arena had a cutely magical feel about it.  There were fairy lights strung from the ceiling, making it look like stars, and large 5-pointed-star and moon decorations dotted around the place.

At the ends of the stages were two white Christmas trees.

Before going into Yokohama Arena

Concert:

1st half

Mahou no Melody

Massu wearing his red and white costume (mostly red), and Tegoshi wearing his red and white costume (mostly white), appeared from where the Christmas trees were, and performed the song standing on top of rotating disco ball-like platform.

Bokura no Sora

Ryoukiteki Honey

 

Introduction

Tegoshi: “Tegomass noooooo Tegoshi deeeesu!”

Massu: “Domoooo!  All you little kids, it’s Massu!  All you not little kids…Massu dayo!”

 

Tanabata Matsuri

Yukidaruma

Aiai-gasa

The two went on the elevating platforms.  Massu was on my side.  So cute…

Mr FREEDOM

 

Kushami

Sotsugyo Album

Wasuremono

Kushami, Sotsugyo Album, and Wasuremono were sung one after the other in a ballad setting.  Tegoshi and Massu sat on chairs on the circular stage with two other musicians on chairs playing acoustic guitars.  Towards the end, heart-shaped confetti started falling from above.

 

Hanabi

The two came back with new costumes on.  Tegoshi in an all-white ensemble, and Massu with…a marching band-like navy or black jacket, a leopard print jacket on top of that, and bright red baggy pants.

The firework-shaped lights were lighting up in different colours, it was very pretty.

At the end, Massu read one of the heart-shaped confetti that had fallen a few minutes and said, ”Dear Massu…you’re good-looking.”

 

Yuuyake no Uta  (Masahiko Kondo song)

Ding-Dong (TOKIO song)

Tomadoinagara (Arashi song)

Zutto (from NEWS first album “touch”)

Arigato.ima (coupling song to NEWS’ 7/11 limited edition single)

Yuuyake no Uta, Ding-Dong, Tomadoinagara, Zutto, and Arigato.ima was a medley of songs from the early days of the duo’s career.

The two said it’s a medley of songs known by hardcore fans as “コアファン萌え萌えメドレー (Hardcore fans Moe Moe Medley)”.

Old video footage of them was streamed on the screens.

I liked it how Massu said that “Tomadoinagara” was the song they sung when they were back dancers for Arashi.

Miso Soup

The second half of the song was sung with Tegomass sitting in giant miso soup bowl sets at the ends of the stage.

Massu took one of the giant chopstick props and started playing it like an air guitar.

Kiss 〜Kaerimichi no Love Song〜

At the end, Massu ran to the centre of the stage and jumped to catch something.

“What’s the matter Takahisa?” Tegoshi said.

“Yuya, I caught sound,” Massu said.

“Umm…do you know what sound is, you can’t catch it,” Tegoshi said as he walked towards Massu.  Massu told Tegoshi to look inside his hands.

“oh my gosh, it’s there!” Tegoshi said.

Massu opened his hands slowly, and when you looked at Massu’s hands on the giant TV screens, animated sparkles flew out of them.

 

MC

Costumes

The two were talking about how different their costumes were.  They said because the first costumes were all about the tour’s theme of “Magic”, they were thinking along the same line.

But then when the two of them worked by themselves to design their own costumes…the end result was one in white and one in a multi-coloured, multi-pattern outfit.

 

Soccer

Tegoshi was disappointed Alberto Zaccheroni hadn’t invited him to join Japan’s national soccer team yet.

Tegoshi also seemed disappointed he couldn’t watch Barcelona play in Yokohama today.

Then Massu asked Tegoshi, “If Zaccheroni invited you, what position would you play”.

“Well, their formation right now is 4-3-2, but in European soccer it’s still 3-3-2, so obviously………..,” Tegoshi said as he kept going on and on and on about soccer.  Or something like that, I hope so…I lost him after the first few numbers and names.

Then Massu collapsed!

“It’s just that there were so many numbers….and I was trying to add them all up,” Massu said as he explained that his brain had overloaded.

Massu was talking about the chaos a year ago during the Soccer World Cup when Japanese fans swarmed into central Shibuya to party.

“I was there,” Tegoshi said.

“EEEEEEEE!?” the crowd said (including me).

“No, really.  My friends I were calling one another saying, ‘something amazing’s going on in Shibuya, let’s check it out!’ so I went there,” Tegoshi said.

Maybe I should have another look at that footage to see if I can find Tegoshi…

 

Clothes

“How about you, Massu.  I mean, you do clothes,” Tegoshi said.

“…what do you mean I ‘do clothes’,” Massu said.

“I mean, like, if you looked at what you do over a week, the majority of it would be taken up by clothes,” Tegoshi said.

“So you mean I like shopping for clothes, looking at clothes,” Massu said.

But Tegoshi confessed that he has no interest keeping up with fashion trends.  He said he usually looks at window displays of clothes to decide what shops to go into or buy.

“You know, like stripes.  They’re called what, ‘borders’?  And what do you call blobs?” Tegoshi said.

“DOTS!” the crowd yelled.

“Oh, that’s right,” Tegoshi said.

 

Tegomass future

They two were talking about how younger juniors were debuting, like Sexy Zone, who are already sexier than Tegomass.

But Tegomass promised that even when they’re 30, they’ll keep true to their cute nature.

But Massu said the merchandise might change.  He said they might start selling Tegomass beer glasses in a few years.

 

“Yokohama Arena Aoi-na”: song for Yokohama Arena

With Tegoshi on guitar and Massu on vocals and tambourine, Massu sung a piece they made especially for Yokohama.

It went something like this:

“Walking step by step to Yokohama Arena

Waiting in the backstage room

Here starts the (Johnny’s) Jr years

V6, KinKi, Arashi, Taki-tsuba

We danced so much for them

You! Dance now.  In 2 minutes!

When we finish we’ll go home on the train

The same as all the fans who were watching us

Everyone looked like a super star

I hope I can be like them one day

Yokohama, Yokohama, Yokohama

Yokohama Arena is in Kanagawa

Arena, you’re chair’s are Aoi-na (eng: blue)

I want to see ya next year

All those (Johnny’s) Jr who are growing up behind me….aren’t there!?”

 

2nd half

Kibou no Hikari wo Kokoro ni Tomosou

Hanamuke

This one was sung with the two of the elevating platforms on either side of the arena.  Now Tegoshi was on my side.

The platform’s safety barriers were covered in white flowers and fairy lights.  At the end, Tegoshi took a flower and threw it into the crowd.

Sakura Girl

Yuyake to Koi to Jitensha

Over Drive

HIGHWAY

The only song if I remember correctly with a dance sequence.

Aoi Bench

 

ENCORE

Cheetah Gorilla Orangutan

The two went around the upper stands on magical elephant rides wearing the Tegomass no Mahou parkas.

Lots of “Lalalala” singing with the fans.  And I mean LOTS.

Tegoshi would raise his hands when he wanted everyone to sing louder, then crouch right down with his hand when he wanted everyone to quieten down.

Introducing the band members

Ainonakade

A song written by Tegomass.

It was really cool because the lyrics on the giant screens indicated which parts were for fans to sing, so it was like everyone was singing a duet with Tegomass.

At the very end, Massu and Tegoshi passed right in front my side!

Because I was sitting in the second row, I got a very good last look at Massu and Tegoshi

Walking out of Yokohama Arena

Surprises at the 2011 Jingu Gaen fireworks festival

New tour announcements and new songs were some of the surprises Matchy, Tegomass, and Tackey brought out at the 2011 Jingu Gaen Fireworks festival in Tokyo on August 6, reports Asahi Shimbun and Nikkan Sports.

 

The fireworks festival was transformed into a Tohoku Disaster charity event this year.  With the likes of Johnny’s senior talent Masahiko Kondo (also known as Matchy), Hideaki Takizawa (Tackey & Tsubasa), and Tegomass in the performing lineup, more than 110,000 packed the four venues, and more than 200,000 people packed the area on Saturday as 10,000 fireworks were set off into the night air.

 

It has been reported Matchy kicked off his performance with his classic hit song “ギンギラギンにさりげなく (Gingiragin ni Sarigenaku)”.

“Because fireworks festivals are summer festivals, right.  I thought it would be best to start with something everyone knew and could sing together,” he said.

 

Matchy had said even though it was his second year performing at the fireworks festival with Tegomass, the addition of Tackey had changed things.

“Something’s different about this year.  Takizawa shows us his costumes.  Tegomass lets us listen to their songs.  I guess it’s my responsibility to get everyone going.”

 

In his first Jingu Gaen fireworks festival performance, Tackey could not hide his smile.

“This is my first outdoor performance, but it’s really fun.  It’s a good chance to show what I am in front of Matchy-san and Tegomass fans.”

 

Tegomass surprised fans by performing a new song, “花火 (Hanabi, Fireworks)”.

“We’d been looking forward to this [event] since we got told about it,” Yuya Tegoshi said.

“This is a song we made especially for the Jingu Gaen fireworks festival,” Takahisa Masuda said.

 

Tackey and Tegomass even got to sing “-MOTTO-” with Matchy, giving fans to see a stage full of senior and junior Johnny’s talents.

 

As a surprise, Matchy announced he would perform his first Hong Kong concert in 25 years on December 11.  It will be the first time in 21 years the singer has performed overseas, his last being in Singapore in 1990.

“I’d been criticised as being a bad-ass in Hong Kong, but I think I can show them I’ve grown up.”

 

Matchy was not the only one to announce a new concert tour.  Tegomass also revealed they would embark on their third national tour starting on October 22.  The duo will go around 11 cities, and are expected to attract more than 210,000 fans in total.