In September, I went to a music festival in the heart of Tokyo called TOKYO CALLING. Over 300(!!!) groups performed over the three-day festival, many with no more than a dozen people in the audience. Here are some songs from my favorite performances I saw there. 

Of all the artists I’ve talked about that I saw at TOKYO CALLING, Hayashi Aozora is perhaps the most emblematic of the festival. While I wrote about mostly bigger groups who drew crowds of a hundred or more, I think there were around 10 people who came to her performance. She wasn’t discouraged by this, though. Quite the opposite, actually, she repeatedly remarked about how much she enjoyed performing in concert venues (instead of cafes or street corners, I suppose). She also happened to deliver one of my favorite performances of the festival, just a girl and a guitar on stage. She has a great voice, and her playing was all the more endearing in such an intimate atmosphere. You feel special when you make eye contact with the person performing on stage, but at this concert, that was happening basically every song.

While I couldn’t tell you if she performed this song during the 30-minute timeslot, it’s reflective of the type of music she played, evocative ballads with great vocals – though she had a few upbeat tracks in there as well. I’m almost sad because I’ll probably never have the opportunity to see her perform live again. Maybe that’s a good thing, though, because if I saw her perform again, I’d more than likely just fall in love with her.