"I Believe That Music Protects us"; Ichiko Aoba Captures Audiences in Deep Oceanic Beauty at Thalia Hall

Photo taken at Thalia Hall on May 7th

Introduction

Greetings!!! On May 7th I was given the opportunity to see Ichiko Aoba live at Thalia hall!! Ichiko Aoba is a Japanese classical guitar player who specializes in creating whimsical folk soundscapes. She released her debut album "Kamisore Otome" at the age of 19 in 2010 and has achieved a deserving amount of popularity in recent years. Her current tour is supporting her recent album "Luminescent Creatures", a wonderful album I believe everyone should give a listen to!!! Even if her music doesn't sound like your type of stuff, I would still listen to it as I believe it's very universal to all ears. It's truly beautiful music, like staring at a piece of art that you like for way too long but that you just can't help but look at and appreciate. It's so peaceful and can instill a great joy to anyone who listens. Today, I'm going to review this concert in the hopes of inspiring anyone reading to listen to her music. Also, to possibly persuade anyone who's thinking about going to go because it is so worth it.

Staging

One thing that most concerts need to do more of in my opinion, is staging. I feel like a background to a musical set is a thing that, for fans, can create an even more immersive experience with the audience. Before I get into the details of the music and the performance, I simply must talk about how beautifully the stages were set up for both sets of this show.

Photo taken at Thalia Hall on May 7th

This was the staging for Ichiko's opener, Gia Margaret, and it was nothing short of spectacular. It features a table covered in cloth with a singular lamp on it, placed next to the artists keyboard and synthesizer. Even with such a simple layout, to me it was just a touch that made this set even more wonderful than it already was. I felt like I got lost looking at an interesting lamp at an antique shop during this set simply due to the amazing staging. Even such a simple piece of decoration like a lamp can do miles for any live performance.

Photo taken at Thalia Hall on May 7th

This was the staging for Ichiko's set and it was nothing short of legendary to me. It features a beautiful wood engrained chair that looks straight out of Switzerland. Even small details like that do everything for me and it's something that stuck out to me. Next to it on the left sits a globe, which fit perfectly with the mood of the set and the overall vibe of the album. During the set it actually lit up and illuminated part of the stage which was so whimsical it genuinely brought a smile to my face. Next to her chair and music stand sat a table with so many intricate details on it. It featured a glass (I believe filled with lemonade), a vase with 2 roses, and various other treasures I had difficulty making out. Overall, this staging was incredible and my mind was instantly blown as soon as it was all laid out.

Opener: Gia Margaret

Photo taken at Thalia Hall on May 7th

The opener for Ichiko's concert was Gia Margaret who, as stated in the previous section, played a wonderfully whimsical 30 minute set!! The lamp was one of the nicest touches to this set as it was so warm and welcoming. Throughout the show she mentioned that she all of a sudden became nervous before going on stage but was so nice and interacted a lot with the audience!! I remember at one point during the set she asked the audience for ways to calm down and everyone started giving tips for her. It was such a sweet moment and she really seems like such a nice person. She opened her set with the song "Hinoki Wood", a song I feel a lot of people would recognize as it's gained a lot of popularity in recent times. Her bass player played some pretty good bass lines and also gave a pretty friendly energy despite being quiet. Once in a while I would see him give a very warm smile and the entire set felt like being at home. She played a new song that she said would come out in a year titled "Alive Inside" (The opposite of being dead inside). It was a very fun song and I'm excited to see when it comes out!! After this she played an amalgamation of songs from her discography followed by "Solid Heart", a single she released during quarantine. Overall, her set was enchanting, she seemed like a very nice person and I had a really good time during it!!

The Shooting Star: Ichiko Aoba

Photo taken at Thalia Hall on May 7th

Ichiko's set was, to put it short, beautifully legendary. She is truly great at what she does and her true passion for the music she makes shines throughout her entire set. She began by playing a couple of beautiful songs which really brought the audience into this wonderful dream land that Ichiko creates music in. This set was nothing short of whimsically enchanting and it's so easy to get drawn into it. It's like when you're there watching her play you just can't look away as your ears are blessed with this divine elegance of music. I feel as if even if you hadn't listened to much of her music, you still would have felt the same level of beauty and grace as everyone else in the audience.

She truly is a magician when it comes to her live sets. As a classical guitar player, it was so inspiring to see someone make such divinely beautiful music with the same instrument. When she played the songs "Bouquet" and "Asleep Among Endives" it brought genuine tears to my eyes. Her playing on the songs "Dawn in the Adan" and "Sagu Palm's song" stuck out to me because she is truly one of the greatest artists playing guitar right now. The way she plays is so elegant that it just traps you and you can get so lost in the magic of her performance. One of the other songs she played in the first half was "Flag" which also stuck out to me because of how much it sounded just like the original recording. Her music is so genuine and it truly comes out when you watch her live.

Photo Taken at Thalia Hall on May 7th

After playing guitar for a bit, Ichiko turned over to play a piano and synthesizer for a couple of songs. It was so entrancing, like being at the bottom of the ocean. Which is very fitting, since the new album focuses around deep sea creatures. She played the song "Space Orphans" during this part of the set and it was just so whimsically wonderful that it was hard to look away during this portion of the set. Many of the songs were so mystifying and it just spoke to something within me while she played them.

Later in the show, Ichiko recited a poem she wrote the night before that I've transcribed for you all. Some parts of it were hard to hear so I've highlighted them as I might have written it wrong, but I'm confident of the content of the rest.

It reads:

Papa

I wanted to know

That you loved me

As sunset says to darkest night

I waited with knees clutching

For you to open that darkest door

Papa

I can see myself overjoyed as you hold me

I can see myself not yet grown up

The voice you use each of you are habits

Now wedded me with hands like yours

I reach out to music

And I play with the small stars you strung together

Papa

It can be but a dream

Open the door in front of me

And say you're home

Thank you

This part of the set really spoke to me because it was so beautiful that she wanted to share this with the audience. I won't try to interpret this poem at all as I hope that the art speaks for itself. Ichiko is so wise and said many quotes throughout the set that stuck out to me. One of them is the title of this article, "I believe that music protects us", which is so true. During her set I felt so at home and it showed me that music embraces us. It's a warm hug that never stops and that it brings us together. Music is the key to everything and we are so lucky to have it.

Photo Taken at Thalia Hall on May 7th

To conclude the set, Ichiko played a couple more songs and then left the stage before coming back to play an encore. One of the last songs she played was a new one she wrote about Imaginary Friends that I believe was titled "Sayonara Penguin" which was such a cute and friendly song!! Before playing it she said about imaginary friends, "Do you have one? I have many many!!!", and it was so amazing!!! I can't wait for her to release it because it was so fun to listen to and was overall such a great little tune!!

To finally end the set, Ichiko stood up to play the guitar and sing for the audience with no microphones (As pictured in the above image). It was so legendary, it was just Ichiko and the audience in this truly beautiful moment of connection. It was like seeing an old friend after a long time apart, it was such a sweet and somber moment. I don't think this concert could have ended any other way. Overall, this was one of the greatest concerts I've ever been to and I would heavily recommend everyone to check out her music or to go to her future shows!!