Idol group Nogizaka46 held their 13th anniversary live "13th YEAR BIRTHDAY LIVE" (hereafter referred to as "Birthday Live") at Ajinomoto Stadium (Chofu, Tokyo) on May 17th and 18th. This was the first live performance for the group since the new 6th generation members joined in February this year. It was also their first time performing at Ajinomoto Stadium, and drew about 110,000 people over the two days.
Nogizaka46's birthday live usually features over 100 songs, but this year was no different, with a total of 107 songs performed over the two days. In the middle of the live, in reference to the group's name, they performed a medley of 26 songs non-stop for 46 minutes without MC. The medley had a different set list on both days, and on the second day they started with "Oide Shampoo" and also performed songs from the group's early days, such as "Seifuku no Mannequin" and "Sekai de Ichiban Kodoku na Lover."
The 6th generation members, who were participating in a birthday live for the first time, appeared towards the end of the live. Coincidentally, the second day was 6th generation member Yuna Suzuki's 19th birthday, and captain Umezawa Minami led the celebrations, congratulating everyone in the venue with "Happy Birthday!". Suzuki was tearful as she expressed her gratitude, saying, "All of us 6th generation members will work hard so that we will never forget the wonderful sights that we have been shown by our seniors and so many fans over the past two days!" in a fresh yet powerful voice.
Regarding the group, which is now in its 14th year, Umezawa said, "We are also very inspired by the 6th generation members, and I think we will be able to show a more powerful Nogizaka46 from now on." She then said, "We want to show you the new shape of Nogizaka46, which will build the future of Nogizaka46," and performed the group's debut song, "Guru Guru Curtain," with the entire group, including the 6th generation members. A murmur arose from the audience.
During the encore, Umezawa announced, "I have an announcement to make here," announcing that the group will once again be holding their annual summer tour, the "Midsummer National Tour." A total of 16 shows will be held in seven cities: Hokkaido, Shizuoka, Osaka, Miyagi, Fukuoka, Kagawa, and Tokyo. The final show in Tokyo will be held over four days from September 4th to 7th at Meiji Jingu Baseball Stadium (Shinjuku, Tokyo). The group is still on the rise, but Umezawa called out to fans, "It's thanks to you all that we've been able to make our dreams come true. Please continue to be by our side!"
