We ask Kiyotaka Sugiyama & Omega Tribe about their unwavering world view and thoughts on the final tour even after their 40th anniversary since their debut | SPICE – Entertainment specialized information media Spice

The dramatic story filled with sparkling 80’s nostalgia and the meticulous craftsmanship of songwriting that connects popular songs, rock, and city pop have never faded. Kiyotaka Sugiyama & Omega Tribe, who celebrated their 40th anniversary since their debut in 2023, will be holding a large-scale nationwide tour “-FIRST FINALE TOUR 2024-“LIVE EMOTION” with 29 performances in 3 months from March to June. “is. This tour, dubbed the “Final Tour,” is attracting a lot of attention, and has already sold out in many places, including the additional Last Chance performance at NHK Hall on May 20th.A scramble is inevitable. As the band celebrates its 40th anniversary, Kiyotaka Sugiyama talks about his thoughts on Omega Tribe’s unwavering worldview and his aspirations for touring.

–Before we get into the main topic. As part of the Omega Tribe 40th anniversary project, remixes of all the albums were released, and they were truly amazing. Not at all.

Not at all. It ended up being a completely different work.

–What do you think of the reborn Omega Sound?

I think it was a great decision to do the remix. After all, the sound of the 1980s, especially 1983 and 1984, is a bit muffled. And overall, there’s a lot of reverb, and the mid to high range is weak. I’ve been really curious about it ever since, and it’s the sound of the times, so I thought, “They did it this way on purpose.” But as soon as I heard this remix, I thought, “This is what I wanted from the beginning.” I wanted to go,” I thought (lol).

–Anyway, Sugiyama-san’s voice sounds very clear and fresh, with a naked feel.

That’s right. Before, there was a lot of reverb.

–In addition to the clarity and balance of the sound, there were also some surprises, such as the horn section and keyboard phrases that made me wonder, “Is there such a sound in there?”

There were some sounds that had been turned off. We decided to put in some things for the time being, and when Hayashi (Tetsuji) was recording, he talked to the director and said, “We don’t need this sound,” and that’s how we sorted things out. Because it was a work of the time. This time, that became clear, and I was able to bring out all the sounds that had been muted until now.

――I would like everyone to listen to the series of remix albums again. By the way, what did the members say?As a performer, I think this is a very happy event.

That’s right. But I guess I don’t listen to it that much (lol). Because it’s not a topic of discussion.

–Oh (lol). I think it was really exciting even among the members.

To begin with, when I started releasing that, I hadn’t met any of the members at all (*The remix series will be released from 2021 to 2023).

–Oh, we were right in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.

That’s right. Something like that happened at a time when I hadn’t met the members the most. I think we’ll probably talk about that over drinks on this tour.

–There was a project to commemorate the 40th anniversary, and last year I was involved in the 50th anniversary of composer Tetsuji Hayashi, with whom I have a close relationship, and participated in the commemorative concert and tribute album. What was that experience like?

Mr. Hayashi hasn’t changed much since then. The stance remains unchanged. We were a band that had just debuted, and Mr. Hayashi had already written “SEPTEMBER” for Mariya Takeuchi, and our name was mentioned. Even though we’re 10 years apart in age, he’s really friendly and says things like, “We’re like band members,” and it’s almost embarrassing to even say, “I’m friendly.” We’ve always been like friends from the beginning. It felt like They never spoke from above, and we had a very good relationship.

–I think it’s great that it’s still going on. Ms. Hayashi, when I met her last year, she told me that she still writes close to 100 songs a year, which surprised me.

That’s amazing. But everyone says that writing songs is important. Yoshitaka Minami also said, “If you don’t write for too long, you’ll never be able to write.” “Kiyo-chan, have you been writing any songs lately?” “I haven’t.” “No, I have to. I won’t be able to write.” “Yes,” I said (lol).

–I’m excited by that and am now writing a lot…

No (lol). I can’t write unless I feel like it. In my 20s and 30s, I was writing songs from morning until night, so I feel like I’m ready to write songs. Even if I don’t have to force myself to make it, there are many people besides me who will make it for me. My desire to compose music is done by a different unit, so I feel like I don’t have to think about my own songs myself.

――Also, what I wanted to ask you is the secret to a beautiful voice that never fades. Daily care…

I’m not doing anything. But we’ve been performing live for a long time. I sing and sing, go on band tours, and do other units, so I think that’s a good thing. However, as for Omega… Omega Tribe is truly a special world. For example, performing a song from the Omega Tribe era with completely different supporting members is completely different from performing it with this (original) member. The sounds that come out are different to begin with, but more than that, Hayashi-san has created everything from the beginning, including the arrangements, for Omega Tribe, so the singing is also incorporated into that. That’s why it’s no good for vocalists to do whatever they want with Omega’s songs.

–Ah. I see.

When I play with other members, I sing freely. But when I perform with Omega, I have to fit into Omega’s arrangement and sing, or one person ends up singing in a different place. So when I sing Omega, even if someone says, “I’ll do an Omega song tomorrow,” I’ll say, “No, wait a minute. I have to change my throat.”

――I had no idea it was such a sensitive topic.

It’s delicate. Moreover, you can’t scream “Wow” when it comes to Omega’s songs. It feels fluffy, so my ability to concentrate is completely different. Of course, I have fun moving during live performances, but when it comes to playing and singing, I have to do it properly for the song to work. Rehearsals have started again this time, and at first… Yesterday was the 6th day, and just yesterday I was finally able to get Omega’s voice. Every day, I say things like, “I can’t go out.” The voice has to sing Omega’s songs. It takes many days to be able to do that without thinking about it.

――So, there is a little gap between the singing tour you were doing until February and the Omega Tribe tour.

that’s right. Once Omega’s tour starts, I’m telling them not to let me in on any other shows. Because my voice will change.

–And this is a pretty long tour.

There are 29 pieces in total.

–An additional performance at NHK Hall was also announced. Have you ever done a tour this long before?

It’s like a breakup tour. The breakup tour lasted for three months in October, November, and December, and the last tour was on December 24th, but it must have been over 50 tours.

–That’s a great pace. 15 or more a month?

The reason is that we suddenly announced that we were disbanding while we were planning a normal tour. Moreover, they said they would be disbanding by the end of the year, so we dismantled all of the tours that had been scheduled until the following year, reassembled them again, and packed them all in by the end of the year. There was something like 28 nights.

――Wow… are you feeling okay?

Not at all anymore. We all drank until morning, so it’s okay because we’re young. That’s enough now (lol). Probably during the tour, at the first restaurant, I’d say, “Okay, good night.” There is no second or third house.

–Also, what I’m curious about is the word “Final Tour” attached to the official title “-FIRST FINALE TOUR 2024-“LIVE EMOTION””. If I recall correctly, the title of your last 35th anniversary tour was “Last Live Tour.”

I agree.

–And this is the final tour. What does this mean? and.

That was the last, and this is the final (lol). It’s a play on words. We believe that those who take it seriously will do so. However, in terms of age, I will be 65 this year, and the rest of the members are around 64, so I don’t have the physical strength to go on a tour with such enthusiasm, so I was like, “Why don’t we just make it the final?” If it looks like we’ll be able to do it next time, I’ll be like, “Maybe we should make it a second final?” (laughs) It’s like that. We really are blaming adults.

–I’m here (lol).

But, even when I was told about the 40th anniversary during the 35th anniversary, I said, “I don’t know about that.” None of them were 60, not yet.

–That’s right. Actually, what do you think? Try getting older by 5 years.

It hasn’t really changed, or rather, the playing has become even more profound, and when I start playing with these members, I feel like I’m going back to the old days. Some of the songs are starting to feel like the keys are too harsh, so I’d like to acknowledge that and go on tour without pushing myself too hard.

–Are there any songs where you lower the key?

No, I won’t lower it. I don’t lower the key, but I try to make a few changes to the way I sing, and I try to find ways to make my vocals come out easily and clearly, even though the audience doesn’t understand.

–Drummer Keiichi Hiroishi was absent from this tour due to poor health. Unfortunately, Yukio Ogawa will be participating in my place.

Hiroishi-kun is also working hard to make a comeback, so I hope we’ll meet again somewhere. Mr. Ogawa is the drummer for the Tetsushi Hayashi Band and has played Omega’s songs, so I think he probably understands the worldview of Mr. Hayashi’s songs the best, so I’m glad I left it to him.

――What do you think the set list will be like?

In 2018, the Omega Project started again, and there was Hibiya Noon, and there was a tour, and in 2020 there were also several live shows, so we’ve pretty much covered the songs, so what kind of songs will we choose from there? I hope you’re looking forward to it. One thing I would like to point out is that guitarist Kenji Yoshida was actually no longer present on the breakup tour. He quit before we did our breakup tour. That’s why our initial goal was to do the menu for our last tour with Kenta (Yoshida) and two guitar players.

–Ah…that’s hot.

After all, there’s a limit to five albums and seven singles, right? In terms of songs, there are about 40 songs, so I can’t do that much. We’ve done so many tours since 2018, and all we have left to do is add songs, so it’s very difficult to choose songs. So what should we do? When you say, “This is the only option.”

–I got it. Maybe it’s better not to say it clearly here.

Well, I’m sure some people will imagine it when they see the title, so it’s okay. There are only a limited number of people who can come to our disbandment tour, and I hope that many people will be moved by it from various perspectives.

–The disbandment tour in 1985 was the “FIRST FINALE Tour,” but you hardly played any of the songs from your last album, “FIRST FINALE.”

that’s right. The tour started before “FIRST FINALE” came out. That’s why I’ve been working on the songs for “FIRST FINALE” quite a lot in 2019. That’s what we’re thinking when we’re doing it, but I think the people who come to the show may say, “No, we’re not going on tour in 2019.” But, well, that’s the way it is, and the old men are doing their best, so I feel like, “Leave it to me” (lol). I think there are a lot of songs that you can dance to, and I hope people get excited.

–looking forward to it. The semi-finals will be held at NHK Hall on May 31st, and the final will be held in Okinawa on June 8th. How do you expect to feel when the tour is over?

Once Okinawa is over, I’ll have no choice but to drink there (lol). Until then, I will pay attention to my health and do my best to control myself. No, I might not exercise restraint (lol).

Interview and text: Hideo Miyamoto