A Spectacular Way to Conclude 10 Years of Excellence.

From start to finish, this DVD was an absolute gem. With quite possibly the highest production value of any Countdown Live, Ayu has really outdone herself in this performance. Everything from the stage to the costumes to overall emotion of this concert was stellar. I especially enjoyed the way this show started with a nice oriental theme in which she would perform her three biggest oriental-flavored tunes. The choreography during the prelude of "GREEN" was well-rehearsed and very professional overall. "WILL" was definitely one of the highlights of this concert. It was a rare treat to see her performing this song for the first time, and with great acting to boot. I was a little disappointed that she did not sing all of "vogue", the last of the three oriental trio of songs though. The two songs following this fantastic intro did not appeal to me as much, but offered a more fun and uplifting atmosphere.

Of course, you can't call this an Ayu concert without having a portion of powerful guitar-driven rock music coupled with raw unadulterated emotions. I thought it was very fitting of her to sing songs like "End of the World" and "Heartplace" in her current state. After she became half deaf, her voice changed quite significantly. Seeing her belt out these two songs, it becomes quite apparent there are some songs that no longer sound as good in her current state, and other songs that become even better. Songs like "End of the World" and "Heartplace" are two of these kinds of songs. "Heartplace" happens to be one of my favorite CREA pieces and Ayu songs overall. I must say this performance absolutely rocked my world; it's been a long time since an Ayu performance sent chills down my spine. It was spot on 100% perfection in what would be the gem of the whole show for me.

This was quite a long long show, littered with performances of staple Ayu songs such as "SURREAL", "evolution", and "Boys & Girls", the former two actually combining for a nice medley. Other old staple songs such as "UNITE!", "trauma", "independent", "+", and "flower garden" also resurfaced. I'm surprised there was no Humming 7/4! With these songs aside, which probably comprised nearly 1/4 of the concert, there were also many first time or rare performances of many album tracks taken from different eras of her career. I thought this detail set apart "Premium Countdown Live" from all her other Countdown Lives. It was a kind of live aimed specifically for her oldest and most loyal legion of fans. This is evident in performance of songs like "POWDER SNOW", a favorite among her old legion of fans, but never saw an actual performance until the end of 2009. Though not all full versions of the respective song, tunes like "too late", "Naturally", "SIGNAL", "HANA", "OVER", "And Then", and "For My Dear..." were all a treat to see performed live. It was quite fitting for her to sing the latter during the encore, due to the nature of the lyrics and it being the end of her 10th anniversary; most definitely a special moment. This aspect of the show, in which they picked songs from many points of her career made it a real keeper. There's one song from each era of her career in this live, which tells me the selection of the tracks was very well-thought out.

A few aspects of this show were a little questionable. I felt the flow of the show in some parts were "forced" and faster than it should have been, though I guess it is only natural with such a whopping set list. I also question why she sang "Who...", quite possibly one of her most definitive fan/support/concert songs before the encore, and not at the end of the show. One would think it to be very fitting for her to conclude her 10th anniversary in this way due to the nature of the song. Instead, she concluded with "MY ALL", her definitive 10th anniversary song. I think it would have been even more special if she had concluded the main part of the show or encore with "MY ALL" and saved "Who..." as the last song of the concert. Second encore anyone? In the end the sheer amount of pros outweigh the cons. There's even some making-of footage to boot.

Lastly, who can forget the kind of adversity she met with days prior. She pours her heart and soul into this live, making the injury barely noticeable save for the medical glove. Going on with the performance and rehearsals even in an injured state is proof that she puts her fans above anything else. I find this kind of situation she was put into to be a rehash of Dome Tour 2001, and yet another testament to her integrity and capacity as a performer. She never made any excuses back then, and now, in her 10th year, she still retains the same hard spirit. It's the mark of an idol that comes along once in a century.