V-Rock!
It's time for another backdated post. This time it's all about the incredibly awesome time I had at the V-Rock Festival~.
On October 25th I went to the V-Rock Festival! You may have guessed how excited I was about this from previous LJ entries I made. Once I found out that it was being held at Makuhari Messe, I couldn’t resist going. It was so fucking awesome! I was there all day, from when the doors opened around 9:30 AM to 9 PM, when everything ended. I have never rocked out so hard in my life.
Here’s a list of the bands I saw, in relative order, with some comments:
Aural Vampire: They were one of the opening acts of the festival. I really enjoy their sound, so I decided to go see them. They were pretty cool, but the audience wasn’t that into it. I think it’s because their music really isn’t J-rock, it’s techo/dance/trance. The V-rock Festival perhaps wasn’t the best venue for them to open at.
Loveless: I saw them while I was waiting for Oz to take the stage. I guess they’re a fairly new band. They’re fronted by Nana Kitade. I was not too impressed by them. The band itself was fine, but I was not a fan of Nana Kitade’s voice. It’s rather high pitched and she kept doing some weird vocal stuff. I wasn’t really a fan of her stage presence either.
Oz: I hadn’t really listened to them before, but they were really good. I had a nice view of them because they played on the smaller stage. I definitely plan on checking out more of their stuff.
And: I didn’t really know anything about And. I saw their set from farther back, but they seemed good. I might like to check out their new CD.
exist trace: I'm so happy that I got to see them! They played on the smallest stage, so I was able to get right up by the front for their set. I had a spot right in front of Miko. At one point in the set Omi came over to our side and I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She's so hot! I am totally gay for these girls. They rock out! I really respect them for being one of the only all-female visual kei bands out there.
Aoi: I would have watched him, but I cut out pretty early into his set to get something to drink and eat.
DuelJewel: They played a nice set. I’d heard of them before, but never really bothered to check out their stuff. They ended up being pretty fun to watch.
The Underneath: I was able to get up near the front for their set, as well. I’d heard a lot of good things about them from when they were on the Taste of Chaos tour. They were pretty cool. Definitely plan on checking out more of their stuff.
DaizyStripper: These boys are so adorable. I had heard some of their music before, but seeing them live really turned me into a fan. I was also amused that Yu-giri asked how many gaijin were in the audience. There were actually quite a few of us gaijin at the Festival. We had nothing on the number of Japanese there, but there were more gaijin then you normally see in one spot at any given time in Japan.
Anna Tsuchiya: Another girl who can rock. I saw a good chunk of her set while I was waiting in line to get a spot for LM.C’s set. I enjoyed it! She even sang my favorite song from the Nana anime.
Ayabie: My bbs! I knew this set wouldn’t top that time I saw them at that tiny venue in Chicago, but it was still very good. They are such cuties~. I always love it when they play “Cubic [L/R]ock”.
Vidoll: I unfortunately did not have a very good view of them because I was in the fan area waiting for LM.C (who would be playing next). They sounded good though.
LM.C: I frickin’ love these boys! They are so much fun. I was a few rows back from the front of the stage for their set. I had waited in line to get into the fan area, the area closest to the larger stages. I was one of the only, if not the only, gaijin in the fan area. I think I actually made eye contact with Maya at one point because he saw little old gaijin me jumping around in the crowd of Japanese people, lol. It was a really good set. Very high energy. My favorite part was when they sang “Rock the LM.C”, with all of us singing and jumping along. And then, after their set they premiered their new PV for "Ghost Heart"!
Toshihiko Takamizawa: I honestly don’t know much about him. His set was good, but I just chilled out during it. I was feeling a little drained from the whole day and wanted to save my energy for Gazette.
the GazettE: Oh my god. These boys were the main reason why I came to this festival. I knew I had to see them in concert while I was in Japan. I’m going to try and adequately describe how seeing them felt. It was so intense. This could get long. I tried to get as close to the stage as I could. I wasn’t super close to the stage, but I still had a good enough view. I would have liked to have been closer, but after seeing LM.C I was feeling a little woozy and knew that I needed to go get something to eat/drink (otherwise I would have been in danger of passing out because it was so hot, and then I wouldn’t have seen Gazette at all). While we were waiting, you could tell there was so much anticipation for Gazette to take the stage. The place was packed. Then all the sudden Ode to Joy started playing and there they were, Gazette in the flesh, looking gorgeous as usual (in their outfits from the “Before I Decay” PV). I almost couldn’t believe it. They opened up right away with “Filth in the Beauty”, which is one of my favorite songs of theirs. I was so happy because I had been hoping they would play it! They rocked the fuck out and I was rocking out right along with them. I have never headbanged so much in my life! It was great~. Gazette got to play the longest set because they where the last band of the festival. I think they ended up playing around 13 or 14 songs. A lot of their set actually blurs together in a whole big period of epic awesome in my mind. It was like I lost myself in the music. I was totally focused on the band. I made sure to watch all of the members. It was kind of hard to see Kai though because he was sort of hidden behind his drum set, but he was banging the hell out of those drums. Reita was so cool, and Aoi and (my favorite) Uruha rocked it out on their guitars. Ruki was so intense while he was singing. I actually ended up watching him a lot, when I wasn’t headbanging. I remember at one point myself and the Japanese girl next to me looked at each other, smiled, and all the sudden we were hanging on to each other for support while head banging. We leaned on each other on and off for most of the rest of the concert. In the middle of Gazette’s set there were a few slower songs (like “Guren” and “Chizuru”) to give all of us a breather. Then it was right back into the rock. I know I remember them playing “Cockroach” and “Ruder”. The last song that they played was, of course, their usual “LINDA~candydive Pinky heaven~”. When that was over, the audience refused to leave. We kept calling for an encore. The band came back out and finished with “Akai One Piece”. At the end stuff was thrown into the audience. I got splashed a little bit by Ruki’s water bottle when he threw it out into the crowd. Kai threw one of his drumsticks pretty close to where I was standing in the crowd, but it landed a bit behind me. There was such a massive crowd serge in order to catch the drumstick that I almost fell over, lol. At the end of the concert, as everyone was filing out, I saw the girl I had been headbanging with. We said that it had been fun and thanked each other. Then we went our separate ways. I was so sweaty and disheveled looking, but I didn’t even care. Everything had been amazing.
The only thing I was sad about was not getting to see Versailles perform, especially since this was their first performance since Jasmine’s death. I’m sure it would have been a wonderful and touching performance. But, they were performing on one of the other stages shortly before Gazette was scheduled to start. If I had gone to see them I never would have gotten a decent spot for Gazette. I would like to eventually see one of their concerts though.
I picked up some merchandise. I got a V-Rock tote bag and one of the festival shirts (the one with all the bands listed on it). I intended to get more Gazette merch, but sometimes I find their merch awesome, and other times I think it’s kind of hideous. Unfortunately, this was one of the times that the merch was kind of hideous. I did pick up Gazette’s tour book though. It’s from their Seven live. It’s a nice, thick cardboard binder, with the pictures inside also printed on nice cardboard pages. So pretty! I also picked up an LM.C keychain. I almost got an LM.C tote bag too (because it was pretty cute), but I talked myself out of it because I’ve bought quite a few purses and bags during my time in Japan.
When I arrived home, I was sore, sweaty, and my ears were ringing, but I was so very happy. I was sore for a couple of days afterwards and my ears rang for about three days straight. The concert was well worth it though! It was definitely one of the best shows I’ve ever been to.
On October 25th I went to the V-Rock Festival! You may have guessed how excited I was about this from previous LJ entries I made. Once I found out that it was being held at Makuhari Messe, I couldn’t resist going. It was so fucking awesome! I was there all day, from when the doors opened around 9:30 AM to 9 PM, when everything ended. I have never rocked out so hard in my life.
Here’s a list of the bands I saw, in relative order, with some comments:
Aural Vampire: They were one of the opening acts of the festival. I really enjoy their sound, so I decided to go see them. They were pretty cool, but the audience wasn’t that into it. I think it’s because their music really isn’t J-rock, it’s techo/dance/trance. The V-rock Festival perhaps wasn’t the best venue for them to open at.
Loveless: I saw them while I was waiting for Oz to take the stage. I guess they’re a fairly new band. They’re fronted by Nana Kitade. I was not too impressed by them. The band itself was fine, but I was not a fan of Nana Kitade’s voice. It’s rather high pitched and she kept doing some weird vocal stuff. I wasn’t really a fan of her stage presence either.
Oz: I hadn’t really listened to them before, but they were really good. I had a nice view of them because they played on the smaller stage. I definitely plan on checking out more of their stuff.
And: I didn’t really know anything about And. I saw their set from farther back, but they seemed good. I might like to check out their new CD.
exist trace: I'm so happy that I got to see them! They played on the smallest stage, so I was able to get right up by the front for their set. I had a spot right in front of Miko. At one point in the set Omi came over to our side and I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She's so hot! I am totally gay for these girls. They rock out! I really respect them for being one of the only all-female visual kei bands out there.
Aoi: I would have watched him, but I cut out pretty early into his set to get something to drink and eat.
DuelJewel: They played a nice set. I’d heard of them before, but never really bothered to check out their stuff. They ended up being pretty fun to watch.
The Underneath: I was able to get up near the front for their set, as well. I’d heard a lot of good things about them from when they were on the Taste of Chaos tour. They were pretty cool. Definitely plan on checking out more of their stuff.
DaizyStripper: These boys are so adorable. I had heard some of their music before, but seeing them live really turned me into a fan. I was also amused that Yu-giri asked how many gaijin were in the audience. There were actually quite a few of us gaijin at the Festival. We had nothing on the number of Japanese there, but there were more gaijin then you normally see in one spot at any given time in Japan.
Anna Tsuchiya: Another girl who can rock. I saw a good chunk of her set while I was waiting in line to get a spot for LM.C’s set. I enjoyed it! She even sang my favorite song from the Nana anime.
Ayabie: My bbs! I knew this set wouldn’t top that time I saw them at that tiny venue in Chicago, but it was still very good. They are such cuties~. I always love it when they play “Cubic [L/R]ock”.
Vidoll: I unfortunately did not have a very good view of them because I was in the fan area waiting for LM.C (who would be playing next). They sounded good though.
LM.C: I frickin’ love these boys! They are so much fun. I was a few rows back from the front of the stage for their set. I had waited in line to get into the fan area, the area closest to the larger stages. I was one of the only, if not the only, gaijin in the fan area. I think I actually made eye contact with Maya at one point because he saw little old gaijin me jumping around in the crowd of Japanese people, lol. It was a really good set. Very high energy. My favorite part was when they sang “Rock the LM.C”, with all of us singing and jumping along. And then, after their set they premiered their new PV for "Ghost Heart"!
Toshihiko Takamizawa: I honestly don’t know much about him. His set was good, but I just chilled out during it. I was feeling a little drained from the whole day and wanted to save my energy for Gazette.
the GazettE: Oh my god. These boys were the main reason why I came to this festival. I knew I had to see them in concert while I was in Japan. I’m going to try and adequately describe how seeing them felt. It was so intense. This could get long. I tried to get as close to the stage as I could. I wasn’t super close to the stage, but I still had a good enough view. I would have liked to have been closer, but after seeing LM.C I was feeling a little woozy and knew that I needed to go get something to eat/drink (otherwise I would have been in danger of passing out because it was so hot, and then I wouldn’t have seen Gazette at all). While we were waiting, you could tell there was so much anticipation for Gazette to take the stage. The place was packed. Then all the sudden Ode to Joy started playing and there they were, Gazette in the flesh, looking gorgeous as usual (in their outfits from the “Before I Decay” PV). I almost couldn’t believe it. They opened up right away with “Filth in the Beauty”, which is one of my favorite songs of theirs. I was so happy because I had been hoping they would play it! They rocked the fuck out and I was rocking out right along with them. I have never headbanged so much in my life! It was great~. Gazette got to play the longest set because they where the last band of the festival. I think they ended up playing around 13 or 14 songs. A lot of their set actually blurs together in a whole big period of epic awesome in my mind. It was like I lost myself in the music. I was totally focused on the band. I made sure to watch all of the members. It was kind of hard to see Kai though because he was sort of hidden behind his drum set, but he was banging the hell out of those drums. Reita was so cool, and Aoi and (my favorite) Uruha rocked it out on their guitars. Ruki was so intense while he was singing. I actually ended up watching him a lot, when I wasn’t headbanging. I remember at one point myself and the Japanese girl next to me looked at each other, smiled, and all the sudden we were hanging on to each other for support while head banging. We leaned on each other on and off for most of the rest of the concert. In the middle of Gazette’s set there were a few slower songs (like “Guren” and “Chizuru”) to give all of us a breather. Then it was right back into the rock. I know I remember them playing “Cockroach” and “Ruder”. The last song that they played was, of course, their usual “LINDA~candydive Pinky heaven~”. When that was over, the audience refused to leave. We kept calling for an encore. The band came back out and finished with “Akai One Piece”. At the end stuff was thrown into the audience. I got splashed a little bit by Ruki’s water bottle when he threw it out into the crowd. Kai threw one of his drumsticks pretty close to where I was standing in the crowd, but it landed a bit behind me. There was such a massive crowd serge in order to catch the drumstick that I almost fell over, lol. At the end of the concert, as everyone was filing out, I saw the girl I had been headbanging with. We said that it had been fun and thanked each other. Then we went our separate ways. I was so sweaty and disheveled looking, but I didn’t even care. Everything had been amazing.
The only thing I was sad about was not getting to see Versailles perform, especially since this was their first performance since Jasmine’s death. I’m sure it would have been a wonderful and touching performance. But, they were performing on one of the other stages shortly before Gazette was scheduled to start. If I had gone to see them I never would have gotten a decent spot for Gazette. I would like to eventually see one of their concerts though.
I picked up some merchandise. I got a V-Rock tote bag and one of the festival shirts (the one with all the bands listed on it). I intended to get more Gazette merch, but sometimes I find their merch awesome, and other times I think it’s kind of hideous. Unfortunately, this was one of the times that the merch was kind of hideous. I did pick up Gazette’s tour book though. It’s from their Seven live. It’s a nice, thick cardboard binder, with the pictures inside also printed on nice cardboard pages. So pretty! I also picked up an LM.C keychain. I almost got an LM.C tote bag too (because it was pretty cute), but I talked myself out of it because I’ve bought quite a few purses and bags during my time in Japan.
When I arrived home, I was sore, sweaty, and my ears were ringing, but I was so very happy. I was sore for a couple of days afterwards and my ears rang for about three days straight. The concert was well worth it though! It was definitely one of the best shows I’ve ever been to.