INDEX
Messages to Sumikura from Kohei Dojima and Keiichi Sokabe
The sixth performer was Kohei Dojima. He performed two songs, “nothin'” and “Anoko no Kotoba. He sang “nothin'” beautifully, which is 8.5 minutes long on the recording, and then blurted out, “This song is so long! to which Sumikura replied, “It’s kind of heavy, isn’t it? However, the richness of the lyrical world expressed in the “length” of the song and the youthful thirst for expression to capture and depict what overflows are the great charms of Hatsukoi no Arashi’s works, which will never fade away. The conversation between Dojima and Sumikura sounded like a blur, and at the same time, it was full of love. Dojima also said to Sumikura, “Thank you for keeping it going.
The seventh group to appear was Keiichi Sokabe. He performed “A Midsummer’s Okinawan Night” and “Ballad of the Starry Sky. The songs were truly wonderful and beyond description. His voice was so generous and powerful that it seemed to embrace all the people and thoughts that had gathered here on this day, and all the time that had passed up to this day. Thinking back, most of the times I have seen Sokabe live, such as with Sunny Day Service or solo, he sang with a guitar in his hand. I was moved by his singing voice, which was so powerful that it shook me to my very core. As he was leaving the stage after the performance, Sokabe told Sumikura, “Even in my 50s, I want to be the guy who swoons over girls who are crazy about makeup. He was cool to the end.
