Kawasaki had the same lineup as Osaka as expected and it was the first time the band played here. Notably five of the eight tunes were from the new Immigrance album. The show was attended live and reviewed for FunkCity.net by Tai Suzuki right at this link – Kawasaki live review so this will be a shortened review. I’ll add some additional commentary on the live recording. One superfan says, “This is one of the best of the shows I own based on the overall consistency of the whole package. It sounds like a very nice intimate room, almost studio-like.” The personnel and track listing are shown below. You can purchase the recording here in the online store – Kawasaki LiveSnarky.
Even Us – Slow opener with guitar, keys and then horn intro does sound “studio-like” and the audience must be spellbound as Tai points out in his show review. Toward the end, we get a solid trumpet solo from Maz.
Gø – JT opens with a drum solo (as pointed out by Tai), an atypical arrangement. Pretty fast and funky solo by Chris early on followed by an excellent keys solo.
Flood – Again, the boys vary the opening with such uniqueness that even to the experienced listener, it’s virtually indistinguishable as “Flood” until the two minute mark, so very cool. Once the head starts it’s still very chill. Great bright Justin keys solo mid-way through. As Tai points out, Michael’s playing through a filter at the end makes his bass sound a little different at the end.
Chonks – Steven seconds Tai’s commentary saying “Chonks is super funky on this one” with Tai calling Shaun and Bobby, “the Funk Brothers.” Their duo carries this version throughout and is a classic.
Bad Kids to the Back – After a “standard” opening, the tune features an excellent “circular” solo from Chris with an extended drawn opening and then bouncy funky round.
Bigly Strictness – This tune is fast becoming one of my live favorites. It has such a great groove and broad sound and the ending is a classic. This one has a nice delayed minimoog solo from Bobby. After that solo there’s some background effects that almost simulate a siren and then “Maz playing his solo through a distorted effect which added a rock taste to the tune” as highlighted by Tai Suzuki in his live recap. Definitely a highlight of the set for me.
What About Me? – The song intro got a rousing ovation from the fans. Bob has a terrific “rock and roll” solo early on. Steven calls Keita’s solo “super funky” but the best description is in the sidebar quote here.
Michael introduced everybody on stage also showing his appreciation to every staff member involved, which sadly means the shows is coming to the end. However this time he didn’t introduce one guy till the very end — Keita Ogawa who was born on this island. When Michael finally introduced him the audience made the biggest noise, assuming everybody wanted to show how proud they are to have a Japanese member of the band. Keita’s solo lasted over 5 minutes as if he responded to the heat bought by the audience. After the song, all band members bowed so deeply like Japanese do. That’s when we felt the connection with the band even deeper.
Tai Suzuki live review
Xavi – First time Xavi as an encore and of course, they nail it. Great funky extended solo by Maz. The crowd instinctively clapped to the tune with minimal direction. Another terrific keys solo from Justin. Super fast and tight and a great closer for the set.