The sense of growth we’ve seen from Cover, with regards to its Hololive and Holostars Vtubers, has been extraordinary, and the performances during the Hololive 5th Fes concerts only cement how remarkable it and its talents are. We’ve seen the group go from the first 2020 concert involving only 30 songs, to the 2024 Capture the Moment concerts involving two stages, two days’ worth of performances, and 105 songs sung.
For those unfamiliar with how these shows work, they happened on March 16-17, 2024. There were two stages each day, with certain Vtubers from the Hololive English, Indonesian, and Japanese branches all set to perform on certain stages and on certain days for the Hololive 5th Fes concerts. This meant someone would need to look up and see which people they liked were performing on which stages, then buy the streaming and archive tickets from a service like SPWN to watch the people they’d like. So on Stage 1 on the first day, 27 songs were performed, and Stage 2 featured 28 tracks. Each one ended with the Vtubers for that day performing “Capture the Moment,” the new original song for this convention. On the second day, 28 songs were performed on Stage 3, and the Honeyworks x Hololive Stage had 22 tracks appear.
While all of the stages were incredible and notable in their own way, I was really struck by the Hololive x Honeyworks performances on March 17, 2024. There was such a great balance between the talents and both the covers and original tracks from this collaboration. Not to mention it kicked off in such a great way. Given the message behind “Fansa,” kicking off that part of the show by asserting that they are going to captivate and get the audience to fall in love with them is such a way to hook people in. Not to mention Natsuiro Matsuri, Shirakami Fubuki, Shiranui Flare, and Shirogane Noel being such strong picks for that performance. To then follow that up with Inugami Korone’s strong “Kawaiko Check” was a perfect way to build energy. Not to mention, seeing Houshou Marine and Usada Pekora perform “Bridal Dream” live like that amplified the message.
I also felt like this was such a big moment for Kiara Takanashi. Like I would say she stole the show on the first day and on Stage 1. Her new song “Chimera” debuted at the event. While people might refer to Hakos Baelz as being one of the best dancers in the English branch and Calliope Mori or IRyS as the best singers, her solo performance was incredible. Her dancing was on point and her voice was so strong. Then, we had her performing the duet “Wildcard” with Sakamata Chloe. Which, again, went beautifully due to how well their voices blend together. Plus, we had her sharing the stage for hosting duties with Gawr Gura briefly. Given the fact they are from the same generation, there’s this natural ease and comfort between them, which really came through.
Even when they weren’t singing, the Hololive Vtubers were evoking these strong emotions during the 5th Fes concerts. A good example was during the Stage 3 performances. Nakiri Ayame and Laplus Darknesss appeared to talk to the audience between Moona Hoshinova and Nekomata Okayu’s “Gimme x Gimme” duet and Fubuki singing “LETTER☆彡.” When they did, the two started running across the stage, and Laplus tripped and fell. It was a legitimate slip, with Ayame confirming it wasn’t scripted and Laplus explaining how it happened after in a zatsudan. It was this moment of pure shock and wondering if she was okay, then realizing the reactions and seeing her come through it.
Here’s a Sushi Clips clip of Laplus discussing the moment.
Of course, the real show stealer here and most emotional part of the Hololive 5th fes performance involved AZKi and Hoshimachi Suisei. The Stage 3 performances closed with the two performing “The Last Frontier” together. This duet between the two of them originally appeared in 2021. It was at a precarious time, as that was when AZKi was part of InoNaka Music, but not the main branch. (That happened in 2022.) It was unknown if AZKi would continue on. For this performance, the lyrics changed to reflect their new journey together. Plus, it was followed by Suisei reading a letter to AZKi that was so heartfelt and emotional, it ended with the two hugging and AZKI crying. To see how much these two people meant to each other and them connecting, as well as hearing this incredible song, was a perfect way to end concerts with the theme “Capture the Moment.”
But all of these are only a handful examples of major moments during the concerts. So much was happening, and people were
I’ve said before that these live Hololive concerts shows exactly how talented these Vtubers are, and with each one of these events Cover and its performers show how gifted all of these individuals are. The sense of progress we’ve seen between the Hololive 1st Fes in 2020 and Hololive 5th Fes in March 2024 show both the strength of the company and the people who are trying their best, and we’re seeing how much their passion and perseverance is paying off. It was a wonderful show with fantastic songs and, whether people watched it live or will catch the archive later, the emotions keep coming through.
VOD showings will be available to ticket holders on SPWN until the event expires on April 18, 2024. However, as time of writing, the archive is not yet available on the site.
