This one reads more like a news article than a magazine article, with more information on the technical points of their actual concert. The rest of the articles are pretty short, so I might compile them all into a single post to cut down on spam.

Comments always appreciated; enjoy!

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A flashy 10th anniversary curtain-drop in a "Storm" of delight at Kokuritsu
08/29/2009

On the 28th, the popular group Arashi kicked off the start of their 10th anniversary concert tour at Tokyo's Kokuritsu Kyogijo. Starting off with three consecutive days of performances (until the 30th) for the first time in history, they will tour the 5 domes up until January 17th at Nagoya for a total of 15 shows. This journey to celebrate their memorial tour with 760,000 people across the country, the biggest ever for the group, has begun.


◆ Comprising of all 31 singles

"Ten years ago, we would never have thought that we would be standing here today. We are truly blessed..." On the stage of their finale, leader Ohno Satoshi (28)'s eyes began to tear up.

Starting with 500 tons of water, this is Arashi's second year of Kokuritsu Kyogijo performances with a production fee that exceeds the one billion yen from last year. From their debut song "A-RA-SHI" to a comprised total of 31 singles (including double A-sides), on the stage with 10 years of history that also revealed their growing process, they also unveiled a flying performance in which they flew all the way to the Olympic flame platform for approximately 200 metres at a height of 30 metres. It was a moment where the enthusiasm and excitement of approximately 70,000 fans reached storm-like proportions.

For this group that hadn't been smooth sailing from the very beginning, who speaks of having taken "the roundabout way", it is certain that their best of album during this turning point will become the group's first million-seller. They've grown to the point of realizing a three-day Kokuritsu Kyogijo for the first time in history.

Matsumoto Jun (25) addressed the crowd: "You guys are the ones who made it possible for us to stand here on this stage." "5x10", the song with lyrics written by the five of them to convey the gratefulness they feel towards their fans and put together by Ninomiya Kazunari (26), was also unveiled for the first time. The entire venue was enveloped in a warm atmosphere.

It wasn't just a time for only looking back. "I'd like to take the power we've received from fans and transfer that to our 11th year," said Sakurai Sho (27). Along with Aiba Masaki (26)'s "We'll create a storm throughout the world", they once again reiterated the vow they had made in their first year.


◆ Scale-up

Not only have their upgraded their waterworks this year from last year's 200 tons of water a day to 500 tons, the fireworks have also changed from last year's 400 rounds a day to 500 rounds. Though the balloons have not changed from last year's 50,000 a day, the number of days they're performing have increased from two days to three.


Source: Chuunichi Sports