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LIVE IN CONCERT!

KITARO PEACE ON EARTH TOUR

Reviewed By G. Horstman Union Hall Phoenix, AZ 12/12/97

Attending the "Peace On Earth Tour" Concert by "Kitaro" was an amazingly different experience than previous concerts I've attended, such as "Kojiki" and "Enchanted Evening." The venue was small and intimate. The number of instruments and musicians on the stage was about half the size of what "Kitaro" usually has with him. There were still Taiko drums, although not the huge ones; none of the horns that must rest on a stand, although "Kitaro" played some wonderful wooden flute solos; fewer keyboards surrounding this great musician than usual; unusual insturments I'd never seen before put to good use as the concert progressed; and Christmas music, both instrumental, and with a small portion of the "International Peace Choir." It was a perfect concert for the season, but there was a liberal sprinkling of Kitaro hits from his various albums as well. For those of you unfamiliar with "Kitaro," he is a small man from Japan that creates wonderful, inspiring, large music. His use of keyboard synthesizers to create sounds like just about anything you can think of, from the wind rushing through the trees, to the eerie sounds sometimes associated with space music, accompanied by a large array of unusual sounding instruments, and the famous Taiko drums, catch your attention the first time you listen to one of his albums. He's often hidden in the New Age section at the record stores, but at least I don't consider his music "new age." He has created his own unmistakable sound, and there is no doubt who you're hearing when his music is played. "Kitaro" seems to be a very serious man when viewed from an audience - until you see him become one with his music. He sways with a song, and normally has one hand in the air directing the rest of the musicians (or maybe himself) during a concert. He merges "sounds" with melodies to create a picture in your mind of what the music is expressing. That may seem odd, but any "Kitaro" fan will tell you it's more than just a "hearing" experience when you listen to his music. This particular concert opened with the sound of wind rushing through the trees, like in a winter forrest, as chimes of various pitch accompanied the introduction to "Jesu Joy Of Man's Desiring" (Germany). The stage was lit in blue and purple as the musicians slowly made their way onto the stage until "Kitaro" appeared near the end of the song. This was followed by "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear" (England), with "Kitaro" playing the melody and changing keyboards to produce different sounds. The rest of the orchestra (three other keyboard players, a percussionist and a guitarist) joined in as the sound built to a crescendo. All during the number, a beautiful light show was projected on a screen covering the back of the stage area. After the opening two numbers, the fans got what they were waiting for. "Kitaro" playing "Kitaro's" music. The first song, "Caravan Sary," from the "Kitaro World Of Music" album, began with the stage backlit in soft blue light and only the shadow shapes of the orchestra appearing on the stage.

During this number, "Kitaro" played on several keyboards, all the while waving one hand in the air, either directing or merely keeping in time with the song. He was accompanied by the other keyboardists, the drums and an acoustic guitar on this lovely song.

In the background, we were treated to a light show of starburst pattens moving about the screen, until the end when the lights faded out to blue again, lighting only "Kitaro" as he fades out the music and the rest of the lighting.

The next number, "Dance of Sarasvati" from the "Mandala" album, is a complet change of pace. The intro sounded like church organs and bells, but soon moved into an East Indian or maybe Moroccan sounding piece. The use of a large gourd added to the exotic sound of the song, and "Kitaro" moved between playing the gourd as percussion to his keyboards and back. We also heard the sound of a wooden flute, and as the orchestra burst into full song the light show on the screen was fantastic - changing color and tempo, then on to a white star pattern on a deep blue background. When this song was over, it received an excellent audience reaction. Next up was "Mercury," from the "Spirit Of The Wind" album, then "Strength" from "Cirque Ingenieux," a MOST powerful number. This was the first time Kitaro used the Taiko drums, while the percussionist accompanied him on the huge hanging gong. Then the lights started flashing and a number of different keyboard effects, including straight synth, built to a climax of almost rock type sound and fantastic lighting effects. "Galina," also from "Cirque Ingenieux" followed, with a bells and wind intro and a soft keyboard, semi-melancholy melody that was joined by the drums and kept getting louder until it was in full orchestral glory. The drums continued with almost a military sound, moving up the scale on the keyboards, then dropped off to just flute and piano - very delicate, but sad. This led into another change in pace with lights flashing on the orchestra, an electric guitar added, loud drumming and "Kitaro" back at the keyboards. This song ended with the military drums and the keyboards moving up the scale again. "The Field," from the "Light Of The Spirit" album (one of my all time favorite Kitaro albums) was next. This one was all soft keyboards and beautiful melodies. "Silk Road," from the "Silk Road" album is always a fan favorite, and this time was no exception. With it's soft, high keyboads and delicate sad melody that build with guitar and hanging gong, as an oriental melody is played on the guitar. The sounds of wind and a waterfall lead into "The Bottom Of The Sky" from the "Cirque Ingenieux" album. This is another beautiful song with the light show to go with it.

Now we're back to the Christmas Program with an instrumental version of "O Holy Night" (France). The screen is lit like stars on a black sky, and this is a truly beautiful rendition of this classic Christmas Carol.

At the end of the song, children of all ages begin to file onto the stage for the next number, "The Great Spirit," which is a narration accompanied by music, from the "Peace On Earth" album (as are all the Christmas songs). The narration is performed by a girl dressed as a Native American and is quite moving. At this point "Kitaro" moves to the back of the stage in front of the big Taiko drum to put emphasis on this particular number.

After returning to his keyboards, the choir begins singing "Little Drummer Boy" (America), and "Kitaro" is singing along with them and "directing" again, before he moves into an instrumental interlude.Once the choir reaches the line ". . .can I play for him/ me and my drum . . .,"

"Kitaro returns to the big Taiko drum, the percussionist moves to a smaller one, and the guitar player moves to an even smaller one, and they proceed to play a tremendous drum solo, accompanied by the choir with small gourds and the keyboards

tuned to sound like fat sticks to keep time with the drum solo. This was quite a spectacle to behold, and since it's not done this way on the album, I'm glad I was there to see it live. Now THAT'S the way to see and hear the "Little Drummer Boy" performed!

For their final number, the choir and orchestra performed a medley of "Joy To The World" and "The First Noel." It was really a heartwarming experience, and quite unusual to see "Kitaro" singing along with the choir, since his music is instrumental only. After a roaring standing ovation that went on for more than a little while, "Kitaro," the orchestra and the choir returned to the stage. There were two more non-Christmas songs performed, "Under World" from "Cirque Ingenieux" and "KOI" from the "Kojiki" album, then a finale of "Silent Night." The screen was again lit like stars in the sky, and the "Kitaro" version of "Silent Night" was nothing less than spectacular. All in all, a wonderful ending to a fantastic concert! To make things even better, after waiting out in what for Phoenix was a very cold night, we were invited back stage to meet "Kitaro." I really felt it was an honor to meet this man who creates such wonderful music, and he is so humble and thankful for praise from his fans. Other people were having their picture taken with him, but I felt like that was an intrusion, so I shook his hand, told him how much I enjoyed the concert and his music in general, and took my leave as he put his hands together and bowed to me. What a privilege this whole evening had been, and one I won't soon forget.

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