"Sugiyama Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe" will hold a concert titled "Hey, Hiroishi!!" on July 19th at Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall (hereafter referred to as Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo). WOWOW will broadcast the concert live on WOWOW Prime and WOWOW On Demand exclusively from 5pm on the same day (archived streaming will be available on WOWOW On Demand for two weeks after the concert ends). The concert, titled "Hey, Hiroishi!!", is a memorial concert for original band member and drummer Hiroishi Keiichi, who passed away in March of this year. We asked the band members about their thoughts on Hiroishi and about Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall, which will close on September 20th in preparation for renovation work.
"Kiyotaka Sugiyama & Omega Tribe" made their major debut in 1983. In the 1980s, they released many hit songs such as "SUMMER SUSPICION", "Your Heart is Marine Blue", and "Futari no Natsu Monogatari - NEVER ENDING SUMMER". Hiroishi played drums in the band's predecessor, "Kyuutei Panchos", and played an important role in supporting Sugiyama's vocals and the "Omega Sound" as a member of the rhythm section. After the band broke up in 1985, Hiroishi became a member of "Crazy Ken Band". When Kiyotaka Sugiyama & Omega Tribe reformed in 2018, Hiroishi joined the band. However, he passed away on March 16th of this year at the age of 64 due to a cerebral hemorrhage.
Present for the interview were original members Sugiyama Kiyotaka (vocals), Takashima Shinji (guitar), Nishihara Shunji (keyboards), Oshima Takao (bass), Yoshida Kenji (guitar, nicknamed "Kenta"), as well as Osaka Tetsuya (keyboards), who is not an original member but appears in the main visual with the other members from the live CD "The open air live "High & High 2018" Complete."
◇ Hiroishi is "a man far removed from the image of a drummer"
--Please tell us how you came to hold this live concert.
Sugiyama: We had been holding live performances under the name Omega Tribe on anniversaries, but last time, Hiroishi-kun took a break due to poor health. So, we had planned to hold a live performance under Omega Tribe again when we got back together. But then, Hiroishi-kun passed away in March.
This year will be the last one for Hibiya Yaon. I had booked the venue for my solo concert at that time. But since this happened to Hiroishi-kun, we decided to change the original plan and make this year's Yaon a farewell party for Hiroishi-kun so that we can all remember and mourn him.
--When was the last time you all met Mr. Hiroishi?
Sugiyama: The last time we made music together was in November 2023, when we performed with Omega Tribe at Tetsuji Hayashi's 50th anniversary concert. The following year, as we were planning a tour to celebrate Omega Tribe's 40th anniversary, we discovered that Hiroishi was not feeling well. Unfortunately, we decided to take a break from the tour. He came to see us at our concert at NHK Hall (Shibuya, Tokyo) last year. He looked fine, so we parted ways, saying we'd do our best for the next time, but that turned out to be the last time...
--Once again, what kind of person was Mr. Hiroishi to you all?
Yoshida: I've known Hiroishi since we were in our first year of high school. We went to different high schools, but we met at a live music venue. When we first met, he wasn't a drummer, but a bassist. Before I knew it, he played percussion and then became a drummer. He was such a skilled musician. Personally, he wasn't very talkative at first. He couldn't drink alcohol, but as he was with us, he got a better handle on it and his personality gradually became brighter and more humorous. He grew into the kind of person who couldn't have fun in the dressing room without him.
Osaka: I think I was the last one to meet him. Around 20 years old. My impression of him was that he was a very serious guy. He didn't seem like the kind of guy who would become an outlaw, but he did (laughs). Also, it seemed like anything you asked for would come out. If you asked, "Do you have this?" he'd say, "Yes." That kind of thing made a big impression on me.
Takashima: Hiroishi-kun is not the type to lead the group and say, "Let's go!", but he is someone who looks at things from a bird's-eye view, like the drummer's position, from a step back. His words have weight, they are persuasive, and I felt that he was looking at the important points. He also teased Takao (Oshima-san) quite a bit (laughs), and the exchange between the two was interesting.
Oshima-san: We often talk about the blood types of the members. There are two AB types and two O types. I'm type A, and Hiroishi is the only A type. So the A type was left alone. He's a very charming guy. After this happened, we all shared our photos, and for some reason there are the most photos of Hiroishi. There are not group photos, but a lot of photos of just Hiroishi. When you point the camera at him, he turns to face you. As everyone said, he was quiet, but he would say funny things quietly, and he was a charming guy.
Nishihara: Whenever we went out drinking, Hiroishi was always next to me for some reason, and I might have been nearby. I felt at ease when I was with him. I think we were comforting each other (laughs). He was someone I felt at ease with.
Sugiyama: When we first met, he was a percussionist in the band we first formed, "Kyuti Panchos." As a percussionist, he always had a lot of new accessories and always had the things he needed close by. He always had a red backpack. It had everything in it. When I asked him, "Hey, do you have that?" he'd take it out and say, "Yes, I do." He was sensitive to new things, and I think he was the first member of the band to have a Walkman. He was a man far removed from the image of a drummer.
◇If there is a sudden downpour, is it "Hiroishi's fault"?
--The venue will be Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall, which is scheduled to close from October 2025 due to aging. What are your thoughts on the venue?
Takashima-san: My best memory is when we all took a photo together in the audience at the venue for the jacket of the video product when we all performed Omega Tribe together for the first time in a while in 2018. That was the most touching thing for me.
Osaka: I remember Omega Tribe very well. Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall always comes up at the turning point or the turning point of something. Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall is the venue I remember very well for the important points.
Yoshida: Speaking of midsummer outdoor concerts, I've been to Sugiyama's solo concerts a few times, and there have been occasional thunderstorms. There was a sudden downpour, and we all had to flee to the underground parking lot. It was cloudy when the countdown started, and it rained one, two, three, four, downpour (laughs). I hope that won't happen this time.
Sugiyama: If that happens, it'll be Hiroishi's fault (laughs). If we were worried about accidents, we couldn't do an outdoor concert. There's no other venue like this in the middle of a big city with so much greenery and the ability to produce such sound. I've been performing at Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall every year since 1996. This time marks a turning point, and I never thought I'd be able to perform Omega Tribe at Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall again. It feels like the timing just matched up, or like there's a strange connection, that Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall is ending at the same time that we're seeing Hiroishi off. So I want to enjoy it and finish it off.
- A message for the viewers.
Nishihara: It seems that there were many people who couldn't get tickets because of Hiroishi this time, so I hope you can enjoy the live broadcast. I'll do my best to play and appeal to the screen.
Oshima: (To Hiroishi and the viewers) Everyone, watch!
Takashima-san: I didn't know Hiroishi had a strong spiritual sense. Maybe it will appear somewhere. Maybe there will be a mysterious sound. Look forward to it.
Osaka: I'll do it properly. Well, I don't want to be too tense, and I hope the people who watch it enjoy it too.
Yoshida: We are truly grateful that everyone can watch it in real time, and we hope that they can share in our love for Hiroishi.
Sugiyama: I'm really glad that I've been in a band, being able to perform this live with Omega Tribe, especially at Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall, and having it broadcast on WOWOW. Ideally, we would have been able to continue performing together without a single member missing, but since we are missing, I think it's great that we can leave this in a tangible form and leave it in everyone's memories. I hope you enjoy it to the fullest.
