A month has passed since the Manila leg of Japanese superstar Ado’s Hibana world tour, which took place on May 8, here in the Philippines. As fans say, the post-concert depression still lingers as she gave a phenomenal performance for the fans to reminisce and crave to hear live once more till she returns for another tour. Join us as we recall this one-of-a-kind experience from one of Japan’s top music talents.
The day of the concert was just like an ordinary day of a local anime convention taking place. There were ladies who were cosplaying Ado, and some are cosplaying as Uta (a One Piece character she took the role of as her singing voice), Hatsune Miku (a recent song collaboration for Sakura Biyori and Time Machine), and Adorozatorumary, a collaboration she had with Sanrio back in 2022. You can also see familiar faces from the anime and cosplay community who were eager to hear Ado perform live. Knowing how Ado performs with her originals, covers, and collaborations was already something to look forward to. Starting from her utaite days, it’s her unique vocal delivery, the distinctive pitch she produces, and her ability to weave a song to her bidding through sheer emotion that make her the superstar she is today. If you’ve been her fan way back in 2017, you would see the improvements she showed through the years. Her signature raspy voice still dominates most on high-energy songs, but Ado has also treated fans with her slow and more heartfelt songs.
It was now the eve of the concert, fans were now allowed to enter the concert grounds of the Mall of Asia Arena. You can hear fans looking forward to certain songs she might pick for the Philippine audience, while some were also eager to hear her perform songs which were part of the set-list for the Taiwan audience just the other day. The fans were greeted with messages across the LED screens translated in multiple languages. You can also see everyone’s excitement as the Ado Box presents itself at the center of the stage, which hypes up everyone’s expectation for a wonderful night.
Ado’s set-list was a blast. From her first originals like Gira Gira, Readymade, Odo, and the song that launched her to be known worldwide, Usseewa. Newer songs like MIRROR, Chales, Kura Kura, Elf, Stay Gold, Rule, and Rockstar also debuted in the arena to bless everyone’s ears. She also gave bonus treats by performing songs she was known for giving a great rendition which were Aishite Aishite Aishite (by Kikuo), Hibana (produced by DECO*27 ft. Hatsune Miku), and Chandelier (by Sia). Some of her One Piece: RED song collaborations like Backlight, Fleeting Lullaby, and New Genesis were also performed, one of the songs of her encore which ended the night wanting us to hear her more. Personally, I was looking forward to hear her perform Tot Musica (also from One Piece), Crime and Punishment (original song by Sheena Ringo), and Aitakute, but that can be something to hope and look forward to when she returns someday for her third world tour.
Seeing her perform live was both surprising and expected. Surprised in the sense that Ado knows how to move and expected that if she effortlessly hits high notes she could very well add dance moves while performing. While we cannot see her completely due to the Ado Box—a cube setup fitted with translucent LED screens which hides her identity and adds to her mystery—she danced her heart out through the whole night, which I am very happy to see. Since most of her songs are hard to replicate, seeing her dance and hit those high notes was amazing. You can see that everyone in the arena welcomed Ado’s dance moves as they put everyone in a trance, especially during her performance of MIRROR.
Ado shared the story behind the name Hibana before ending the night with her last song on encore. She explained that it translates to “spark” in English, connecting it to the title of her first world tour “wish”. This also connects the signature “blue rose” to her brand. Something that was impossible to achieve back then, hence wishes come true.
It started with her “Wish” to be able to be heard worldwide, then a “Spark” followed, which were seen by many and lend their ears to hear her story, and joined her journey to let Japanese music be known more.
She shared her story that she was once confined in the four corners of her room, singing her heart out, and was shunned by her mother as she was too noisy. “I was just a lonely girl with a gloomy personality,” as she shared the story in Japanese and jokingly said that English is hard. Everyone responded right away that it was fine, then live translations were provided by the concert staff through the LED screens behind her. “There were people who criticized my voice and the way I sang. There were days I thought about giving up on my dream; I was alone the whole time.” A simple dream led her to where she is now. The most notable message she left us was that “Loneliness isn’t something to be ashamed of.”
As Ado thanked, bowed, and bade goodbye to her Filipino audience, everyone was still in disbelief that the night was over. Yet everyone left the arena with wide smiles on their faces. The hype was still felt outside the premises as fans tackled which of her song performances were their favorite.
The Ado Experience is just not about hearing one of my favorite artists perform live; it was absorbing her story that dreams do come true. It was her showing proof that one can defy everyone’s expectations of you; you can be heard regardless of language barriers. It was her way of showing that she fought for her dreams, to be heard and to be seen.
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