Now that events and conventions are getting back into "the swing of things" to an extent, there are more opportunities for me to take part in competitions - which for me would be cosplay and singing - as before and to deliver great performances, the best I can muster. And if I can conjure up recordings of those performances, then I can also make personal critiques on them even though the moments have passed. And so I did, for one that happened on the very best of days just a few days ago.
On that day, I chose to perform "XY&Z" - something I've always had in mind, as two friends of mine had already covered and/or performed the song prior to me, and I didn't want to "lose out" to them. Faithful readers will note that I had actually performed the song before, close to two months ago, but that was a non-competitive "guest" performance, whereas this one was an actual competition; and a recording does exist of that... or would have, since it is now lost to the annals of time and data storage problems, and not on my end. Yet it didn't matter, since it wasn't perfect and could be considered "practice". This recent one, on the other hand, is undoubtedly even more than that, and competitive no less.
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| "Hey, Kalos wo terasu ano asahi no you ni..." |
First up, there are always the good points. This time, I did not "blank out on" (fail to remember) what I needed to sing, unlike last time, where I had made an error in the "bridge chorus". The performance was another very much on-point performance, at least in terms of lyrics. The background image on the screen may also be considered a fortuitous and unplanned benefit. Although I could have submitted a video instead, I chose not to because of certain concerns, and yet the background image from where I got the karaoke version of the song was retained and displayed on the screen on stage. It effectively made use of the screen and enhanced my performance, which was perhaps a key point in this one.
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| The start of the "call-and-response" of the second verse. |
Even so, I've watched and re-watched the performance (a number of times, believe me) and identified a few mishaps that I didn't count on, especially after rechecking myself and the song. One of these is a slightly early start in the middle of the second verse after the quiet part - but that seems to be so me today. Astute speakers of Japanese might also notice something a little odd in the first chorus, which is also repeated at the end after the bridge. The parts of the verses that are the "responses" to "calls" also may have turned out a little lower in pitch than I would like, but this seems to be an effect of my "stage range", which is something persistent beyond this performance.
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| The mid-song bridge and "break". |
So, it seems that the performance isn't quite as perfect at further glances beyond the first. Yet in a way, I also managed to "gloss over" many of those imperfections during the performance, which made them less apparent... or else it can be said that I took a few acceptable "liberties" for the performance. In that way, it made the performance a good one, especially in terms of how it turned out, to make me one of the prize winners. I know that I once said that I would like to pursue both perfection and appreciation, but at least the "appreciation" part came first and I caught it, something that Vince Lombardi says is just as well. I may be able to contrive the "perfection" part later, with some creative ideas to modify the performance.
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| "ARIGATO GOZAIMASHITA!!" |
The recording of this performance also makes it the first winning performance that I have a recording of, after years of recording ones that didn't win and failing to record winning ones. That makes the recording extremely valuable and a testament to my abilities to perform on stage. Of course, it will go up on my YouTube channel eventually... though I want to make it presentable as well in doing so. Having been beset by recording problems over the years, I'm considering ways to contrive recording solutions that are workable, independent, or both. The planning of this will surely have to proceed with the planning for other performances entered into competitions like this one.
It's amazing what and how much I've conjured up in the performance of this song. From the drive to stay level with my friends as well as to expand my capabilities, to the struggle of getting to sing the song properly, and the effort that was put in for the recent performance, all of that has begotten the best results that I've ever had. Some imperfect aspects still remain, but that may be up to be responded by later performances. For now, I can take this one to heart - even with self-criticism - and know that I can present great things on stage.
One year ago: Salim Group and Pokémon
Two years ago: Perking up Holidays, Pokémon Style
Three years ago: PvP: After One Year
Four years ago: Pokémon Asia McDonald's Happy Meal Toys, Waves 3 and 4
Five years ago: Balanced Systems Stimulate Civilization
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