Tucked away in a corner of the Pilsen Historic District in Chicago, the doors of Thalia Hall opened May 7 and ushered in a line of college students and young adults wearing keychains, leg warmers and hair bows. After walking up a short flight of stairs, the concertgoers were met with a venue lit in dark blue colors with ambient keyboard and nature sounds in the background. Such a scene is fitting for an artist like Ichiko Aoba.
For those unfamiliar, Ichiko Aoba (Japanese: 青葉市子) is a Japanese singer-songwriter who specializes in folk music. Avid listeners would describe her music as dreamlike, due in part to her ethereal voice and minimalist acoustic style. The otherworldly soundscapes she creates have led to her massive growth in popularity over the past few years. After releasing her studio album Luminescent Creatures earlier this year, she embarked on a world tour named after the album, visiting cities in Asia, Europe and North America, including two dates in Chicago.
Local Chicago singer-songwriter Gia Margaret opened the concert, accompanied by her keyboard, MacBook and bandmate. She played a short and beautiful set, one that complimented Aoba’s music and set the atmosphere for the night. After she finished, crew members rushed in and organized a simple set on stage for Aoba: a chair; a microphone; music stand; and desk topped with a keyboard flowers, a drink and a large glowing globe turned to Japan.
Aoba soon arrived onstage to a round of applause, bowing gracefully while holding her guitar. After humming and adjusting her guitar, she went on to greet and have a small banter with the audience before playing her first song of the night, “Faint Song of the Rabbit Moon” (Japanese: 卯月の朧唄). From the moment she started to strum her guitar and sing, the audience was spellbound. To my astonishment, her live performance sounds exactly the same as her studio albums. As the night continued, she created and fostered a shared dreamscape of magic between herself and the audience.
Not too long into her set, Aoba played her most popular song, “Asleep Among Endives.” As she sang the opening words, a pair of concertgoers near me let out a gasp, realizing the song. What had first astonished me about her voice was now a standard for the entire concert — she sounded as beautifully live as she did on the single. With her figure illuminated by a stunning blue light, her performance of the song felt nothing short of spellbinding.
Midway through her set, Aoba put down her guitar and turned to her keyboard. The hypnotic and organlike sounds of the keyboard were different from the mellow and acoustic sounds of her guitar, yet they still shared the dreamlike quality that resonated with the audience. While at the keyboard, she performed tracks from her new album, including my favorite, “SONAR.” At the end, she whispered “Thank you very much” into the microphone, and a large round of applause followed, perhaps out of gratitude for the beautiful atmosphere she created with her music.
After the keyboard set, Aoba conversed with the audience about a poem she wrote backstage after a show. Even though it had yet to develop a melody or chords, she decided to recite the poem to the audience. The poem was nothing short of graceful, as it was dedicated to her father and the love he gave her. With every word she read, the audience found themselves bewitched; no one dared to make any noise.
Oftentimes, I find myself lost in thought during concerts, reminded that the artist on stage is a human being, just like you and me. This was one of those moments. Her words were so intimate that they transformed this dreamlike atmosphere into something even more personal — a window into her heart.
Following a few songs and charming conversations with the audience, she shared her happiness for being able to perform for us and transitioned into her final song of the night, “Clockwork Universe” (Japanese: 機械仕掛乃宇宙). As she strummed the opening chords of the song, I let out a sigh of relief; the song had been a personal favorite of mine for years and one I dreamt of hearing live, and now that dream was coming true. The song is arguably one of her best and could be seen as her magnum opus — a 12-minute track filled with different swirling melodies and sections, all enchanting to the ears. Aoba took the audience on this lengthy journey and performed the song masterfully and elegantly, keeping concertgoers engaged and present in her dreamscape. Once the performance concluded, Thalia Hall burst in applause as she concluded her performance and took a bow before leaving the stage.
Shortly thereafter, Aoba would return to the stage for an encore, eliciting another round of applause from the audience. She started the encore by engaging in a charming chat with the audience about imaginary creatures, which would segue into performing her unreleased song “Sayonara Penguin.” Unlike the majority of her songs, where the audience found themselves in silence, the playful attitude of this song had concertgoers laughing and clapping along — especially, near the end where Aoba pitched up her tone to sing in a voice reminiscent of an Animal Crossing villager.
She ended the night by performing two songs from her album Mahoroboshiya (Japanese: マホロボシヤ). In a stunning but memorable act, Aoba performed the final song of the night, “Mazel Tov” (Japanese: おめでとうの唄), without the use of a microphone. Instead, she leapt off her seat and stood at the very front of the stage. Her words and the melody of the guitar echoed throughout the venue, and every concertgoer watched in silence, filled with amazement, in what felt like the last few moments before waking up. At the very end of the song, Aoba held the chord and motioned for an audience member to strum the last note of the night. This beautiful act symbolized the connection between an artist and their fans, putting a gentle finish to a night that felt like a dream.
Seeing Ichiko Aoba perform live is hard to put into words, like something I had never seen or heard before. The way her live performances create this magical dreamscape is masterful. She doesn’t just invite her audience to listen with their ears — she invites them to listen with their hearts. The atmosphere she creates is nothing short of mesmerizing; it is intimate, otherworldly and serene. To truly understand the spell she casts, one has to be there in person, letting her ethereal music wash over them. It may be quite a while until Aoba tours again, but when that time comes, take the opportunity to attend one of her shows — it will feel exactly like stepping into a dream.
Daily Arts Writer JC Rafal can be reached at rafaljc@umich.edu.
