Went to see CHAI for the second time on Monday. Even more of a blast than last time, especially with COVID-19 restrictions eased off.
Clerical error, I mentioned earlier how Jess Williamson from a month ago was the last concert I would attend at the Doug Fir Lounge, when in actuality
this show will be the final at this current location.
26fix
Indie pop/alternative dance group from Salt Lake City, UT. Thought they were kinda boring, with their drummer trying way to hard to toss around jokes, ad-libs, and attempts to pump the audience up. Lead vocalist Erika Goodwin was kinda bland and kept messing with pedals for too long in songs, it seemed that the rhythm section had to keep up some of the instrumental breaks when she got her settings right in at least two instances. Her vocals were very washed out of the mix.
CHAI
Such an absolute blast! Set that ran for ~65min w/encore, focusing on their new self-titled release, and several songs from the excellent
WINK.
Body dysmorphia and the beauty found within each other is a central theme to the message of their music. Band members Mana (マナ), Kana (カナ), Yuuki (ユウキ), and Yuna (ユナ) comprise the band with the first two being twin sisters. Yuuki wasn't at last year's Portland date, so I was excited to see her be part of the crew this go around. They ran through songs at a comfortable pace with lots of energetic/chaotic dancing from the twin sisters near the last songs of the main set.
Initially, they marched out to the stage to a prerecorded track wearing full-bodied squid uniforms (difficult to explain, just believe me here), but stripped off clothing more and more as the set went on. An example of this is on the video below during "ACTION" and at the end, their outfits reduced to the appearance of the bottom-left photo. They all donned band shirts for the encore of two oldies from
PINK, when they brandished more of a punk-angle to their tunes. After every three songs or so, Mana made sure to give a peppy "WE ARE CHAAAIIIIII!!!!" to get the crowd energized, always succeeding without fail.
Video of "ACTION" a couple of songs into the set. It's like getting K-pop choreography and crowd wooing but for a mere fraction of the price! You'll know what I'm talking about...
Post-show
Had a great time from dancing around in the encore set and had to take a moment to catch my breath. Overheard many of the folks gushing about how much joy the whole show exuded.
After the set ended, Mana and Yuna popped down from backstage over to the merch table to say hi to folks and possibly sign items. A line formed quickly, though I wasn't in any rush so I took a chance to look at what offerings were here for the tour. Taking a quick view at the merch available: vinyl were $30/each, two different tee designs at $40/each (seemed excessive), and tote bags for $20/each. Most interestingly, they even had a Gachapon (ガチャポン) station to the side! For $5, you receive a ￥500 coin in return to insert into the vending machine, twist the knob, and out pops a capsule containing a randomized item among at least five possible. From what I saw, there were: anime-ized styles of each member of CHAI on a metal button, a CHAI mini post-it note stack, a small CHAI keychain, mini CHAI figurines, and a CHAI sticker set. I opted not to get one, though I regret it now...kind of like how I still have at least ￥120000+ unused currency sitting in my room's desk drawer from my Japan trip in April.
Took ~15min from when I got in line to get to the front. When it came to my turn, I spoke to them a bit in Japanese with casual greetings and expressing that the concert was very fun. I requested the two for the
WINK jacket I brought from home to get signed, and Mana commented that my Japanese was very good, with me replying that she was too kind (though she insisted). After peering at the merch table, I ultimately did decide to buy their new record, originally not seeing that all four members had presigned the new record on the right hand side. I do like their new self-titled album, though not nearly to the extent of
WINK, which was one of my top50 from 2021. Then again, I haven't given it nearly enough listens to provide a more rigid opinion. I wished the ladies well and thanked them again for coming to Oregon.
I forgot to get my Sharpie back, though no worries as it didn't seem they had one on hand. What a genuinely exuberant, joyous, energetic performance and night. I love these ladies to death.
EDIT: grammar
