Ai no keyword 1173

You might find this hard to believe but I am actually quite shy, and the more I like an artist the harder it is for me to write about them. This is the most difficult post I have written so far. Difficult because it's so hard to convey my awe and amazement satisfactorily.

As I was saying last time I was hugely impressed by Abe Yoshiharu after watching the Unicorn reunion dvd, and listening to all the stunning Unicorn albums. There was something very mysterious about his intense level of charisma, something very unusual about him generally, that I just couldn't figure out.
Then I watched Unicorn movie 3.
@______@
And it all fell into place. Abe B suddenly made total sense. I was completely astonished by his performance. I just LOVE being surprised like that. Surprised and totally enchanted. It felt as if I had arrived home at last after a whole lifetime of wandering. I won't spoil it by going into detail, but everything about that live is stunning. They are on full throttle as a band, incredibly powerful and subtle at the same time. It's a total treat to watch from start to finish. You can see from their faces they know they are peaking musically. I think they are getting so much pleasure from what they do that it becomes a totally magical event, superceding anything I have seen from rock music before. Quite appropriate that the tour is called Beast of a Storm (Kedamo no Arashi) because it really is a totally cyclonic performance.
 
It is certainly Abe Bs energy that sets them all off, opening with such a blistering and highly dramatic performance of CSA. There is something quite Kiba-esque about the way he sings and moves in this song. So much impact! I am really awed! And its not just because he also does some really pretty moves and wears his silks so beautifully. I am full of admiration for anyone with good kung fu, but on its own it's nothing unusual. What IS unusual is every other facet of his talent combined.
.
Of course the voice is paramount. I have been listening to his solo while I paint the last few weeks, and I am totally addicted to his breathy warm honey tones. And thrilled by all that leonine roaring. Such a beautiful paradox that he can be so gentle and also so fierce. I suspect this is a large component of his fatal attraction, which is amply illustrated in movie 4...
He also writes the most wonderful songs, and has an inate gift for instrumentation. He is a real composer, not just a songwriter.
*sighs*
And so funny too. They all are. How could they not be? They are far too intelligent to not be funny.

All this impresses me much more than kung fu, but the combination is unstoppable. I have honestly NEVER seen anyone burn up the stage like he does. He has that quality about him that just draws your attention like a vortex. I think it's partly because he so very engaged. So dedicated and involved in what he is doing, genuinely loving playing with the crowd, and doing his mad beautiful cabaret. He is an incredibly courageous performer, a natural actor and a gifted dancer too. A born artiste. Made for the stage. There is this other thing I've noticed about him too. His ability to absorb the energy from an audience, so that the more adulation he gets the more he seems to literally glow with it. I wonder if when you do this you get their pain as well as their joy?

Oh and about 1173. My friend AlienMaskedCreature figured out what this means. "Ai no keyword 1173" is a line from the WAO! single Abe wrote which has been translated into English here.

11 is ii which is good.
7 is nana, so na
3 is mi
so "ii nami" = GOOD WAVE

The Keyword of Love is a Good Wave.

I totally agree with this statement needless to say. :)