Stevie Wonder/Tokyo,Japan 11.5.1982

Stevie Wonder’s fourth full-scale Japan tour in 1982. A TV pro shot recording the tour has been decided to be released. This work contains a multi-camera pro shot of the “November 5, 1982: Nippon Budokan” performance. It is a TV special broadcast on a commercial station at the time. First, let’s check the position of the show in the tour schedule at that time. October 28: Fukuoka International Center October 29: Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium October 31-November 2: Osaka Festival Hall (3 performances) November 4: Nippon Budokan November 5: Nippon Budokan [This work] November 6: Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium November 8: Miyagi Prefectural Sports Center November 9: Koriyama City General Gymnasium All 10 performances. This is Stevie’s fourth visit to Japan, but before that, he only had a few performances. It was the first time he toured the whole country with this number of performances. The highlight of the show was the Nippon Budokan 2DAYS. This work was recorded at the second performance. This work is a truly wonderful multi-camera pro shot. It has been digitized from the air check master at that time, but the visual beauty is so good that it seems to be official. Strictly speaking, there is some distortion that seems to be tape twisting, but most of it is a commercial scene. The essential show has almost no dubbing marks, twisting, or white line noise. There is no bleeding or fading, and it is hard to believe that it was recorded 36 years ago. The visual beauty of the time spreads across the screen as it was. The show depicted with that quality is wonderful. At that time, he came to Japan while his best album “ORIGINAL MUSIQUARIUM I” was a hit, but the stage is just as luxurious. It is edited along the broadcast frame of just under 50 minutes, which is also special. Hit songs were played one after another, starting with the new songs at the time, “Do I Do,” “Ribbon In The Sky,” and “That Girl,” and seven of the nine songs were included in “ORIGINAL MUSIQUARIUM I.” The other two songs are the representative song “My Cherie Amour” and the symbolic “Happy Birthday.” It is a professional shot that is truly a “best album to see with your eyes” and “moving ORIGINAL MUSIQUARIUM I.” The band that plays such a luxurious set is also wonderful. The great Stevie is supported by his partner Nathan Watts (bass), Nolan Smith (trumpet), who has also performed with Carol King and Marvin Gaye, Dennis Davis (drums), who is familiar with David Bowie and Iggy Pop, and Rick Zuniger (guitar), who is active in the jazz world, and other virtuoso players of the time. Moreover, all the members, including the female chorus, participated in “HOTTER THAN JULY”, and they performed with a perfectly synchronized ensemble. The superb entertainment is full of highlights. During the drum solo, Stevie himself sits on a stool and battles with Dennis (the video processing is also a must-see), and in the highlight, he interacts with the audience in Japanese with “Totemo Ai Shiteru!” In “Living For The City”, Stevie shows a passionate performance that makes him collapse, and the staff rushes over… During the last song, “Happy Birthday”, the electric lights of “HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARTIN LUTHER KING” shine in the space of the Budokan, and the audience joins in for a grand finale. Not only the show but also the program itself is interesting. For example, when Stevie starts singing “Do I Do” at the Nippon Budokan, the sponsor credits mercilessly interrupt, and then seamlessly change to a video of the desert. What’s going on? You think, but it’s actually a cassette tape commercial… The next commercial uses “Ribbon In The Sky” as background music, and seamlessly transitions into the singing voices at Nippon Budokan. It’s interesting to see the commercial and the live performance go back and forth, but it’s a spectacular production that would be unthinkable today. There is an interview scene in the middle, where the question is just one: “Stevie! What do you think the sun is?”. The atmosphere is that Stevie Wonder was not just a legend in the music world, but his message was alive and shining. And the best part is the end. The audience leaves the Budokan, and there are some famous Japanese people there. Kiyoshiro Imawano, Hiroshi Kamayatsu, Ichiro Fukuda, Hisashi Kawamura, Chiemi Kai… The deceased people’s eyes shine at the show they just saw, and they talk passionately about how moved they were. Stevie Wonder shone as a symbol of the era. This is a multi-camera pro shot that allows you to experience his performance in Japan. Not only is the show amazing, but the scent of “1982” that surrounded Stevie is also brought back to life in this 46 minutes and 48 seconds. Live at Budokan, Tokyo, Japan 5th November 1982 PRO-SHOT (46:46) 1. Intro 2. Do I Do / TDK Commercial 3. Ribbon In The Sky / TDK Commercial 4. That Girl 5. Superstition 6. Drum Solo by Stevie Wonder 7. Interview 8. Living In The City 9. Sir Duke 10. My Cherie Amour 11. Master Blaster (Jammin’) incl. Member Introduction 12. That Girl / TDK Commercial 13. Happy Birthday 14. Outro PRO－SHOT COLOUR NTSC Approx.47min.