Mikako Joho
A solitary keyboard sits in the middle of the unlit stage. It demands attention even in the darkness. Before Mikako Joho took the stage, they played her music video on the giant screens. It was standard fare so I focused my attention back onto the empty seat waiting for its mistress.
Life isn’t fair. And so it is that all singers after the debut of Florence Welch are judged via an almost unattainable benchmark. Thus, it’s no surprise that Joho failed to impress. Her voice is crisp but lacks the conviction and lure of Florence’s. It felt timid, if not unsure. She makes it up by playing the piano. Musicians make it look really easy but singing while playing an instrument is much, much harder than it looks. That said, her deft fingers failed to find a voice of her own. It’s not that it’s bad. It just felt academic.
I still applaud her performance even if it did not move me with the music. She moved me. She played with grace and courage, her contagious smile outshining the harsh lights. The piano faced the right side but that did not deter her from making eye contact with the other half of the hall. She looked like she was having fun.
VIXX
Otakon prides itself on being the first convention to book a K-pop group for Friday’s concert. It was VIXX. Enough said. Fangirls were eagerly on their feet screaming shortly after the opening act. The boys made a grand entrance hopping onto the stage, all wearing tuxedo white blazers with semi distressed jeans except one [I don't even care to identify him =P] who had on a denim jacket still in white.
One thing amused me immediately. Each boy wore a mouth piece as well as having a hand held mic. That’s kind of pretentious for a boy band given that if they really strived for musical intricacies, they would actually play instruments. Actually, I was also amused by the introduction of each boy on the giant screen where his age and height in centimeters were given. I digress.
They delivered judging by the noise in the hall. The boys took turns talking which caused spikes in decibel levels as fangirls proclaimed their crush with wild shrieks in succession. The dancing is trite but well rehearsed. By the end, a mob had formed by the barrier with waving hands and glowsticks. And of course, more screaming.
More pictures on flickr.