Watching Perfume is always a treat, especially given their prowess at single-handedly capturing audiences from around the world. It’s little wonder that they are one of the best acts at selling shows overseas, especially given their ability to connect with people they don’t even share a common language.
Even though their penchant for their technologically advanced setups is well known, Perfume still managed to surprise through drones and crafty light displays, especially during the concert’s opening.
Unlike their earlier world tours – which focused on many of their better-known songs – this particular one centred around their latest album, and as such, allowed them to use newer known tracks to a fantastic degree, incorporating several tracks as well as all the MC portions audience interactions. My favourites were the ones incorporated into Next Stage with YOU, Baby Face and FLASH, and their embrace of more idol-like cheer patterns for Polyrhythm and Chocolate Disco.
A particular treat is their fantastic MC portions, with Perfume managing to connect with the audience despite having to work through a translator for the first part, who was understandably overwhelmed and flustered due to being able to speak directly to his beloved trio. Despite having to work through such a clunky translator, the audience (including myself) was still absolutely enamoured by their charm and cuteness, even if some could not fully grasp the meaning of what they were saying.
That being said, it was apparent that this tour was considerably lower budget than their last visit in 2014. The stage setup was much more geared towards being a touring construction, with very few props being used until Story, which was modified to become a visual experience instead of a single track. The number of outfits also pared down, and the stage video considerably decreased from their 2014 concerts.
While I still enjoyed myself considerably and found that others had the same experience, I couldn’t help but reminisce on just how amazing the 2014 tour was, even compared to much larger productions such as Cirque du Soleil‘s shows.
Here’s to hoping they return to Madison Square Garden, bringing the legendary stage setups used in their Japanese shows.
Setlist:
- Navigate
- Cosmic Explorer
- Pick Me Up
- Cling Cling (Album Mix)
- Miracle Worker
- Next Stage with YOU
- Special Medley (Relax In The City / Toumei Ningen / Spending All My Time / Fushizen na Girl / Twinkle Snow Powdery Snow / Computer City / Imitation World / Sweet Refrain)
- Baby Face
- STORY
- FLASH
- Dream Fighter
- Fake It
- Polyrhythm
- Jenny wa Gokigen Naname (Juicy Fruits cover)
- Chocolate Disco (2012-Mix)
Encore
- STAR TRAIN (Album Mix)
