A live report of dubious coherency
Okay so I am tired and my concentration and memory have not been the best today but I will endeavour to convey something resembling information about the show to people.
- Since I live near Fuji Q Highland, the bus I caught into Tokyo had one of their attractions on it. The giant Gundam. I thought this was appropriate.
- I met up with pyroyalebefore the show to get my ticket, then went to look for a conbini for food and an envelope to put my little present for GACKT in. When I meandered back, it was just about showtime and the pre-live announcements were already taking place. Today we got one from Kiryuuin Shou, fanboying over GACKT as usual.
- One of the pieces of music playing before the show was an instrumental version of `Time to Say Goodbye`, because secretly GACKT really does want us all to tear up over this. I have to wonder if he knows the Italian lyrics to this actually mean the opposite to the English title and are about following the one you love whereever they go. Perhaps he does and liked the double meaning even if it would probably go over the top of a lot of fans heads. Also in the instumental version the vocal line was replaced with piano, which I briefly wondered if he recorded himself.
-Before the show there was a short film recounting the history of YFC, showing clips from the original press conference, the PVs, backstage clips and footage of the band visiting the disaster areas. Each section was narrated by a different member talking about their experience with YFC, though most of them were hard to understand over the audio of the footage itself. JON did the last section about the disaster area. GACKT wasn't included.
-The backstage footage had them all going to a tourist attraction in Spain that involved taking an elevator high up. Chacha (afraid of heights) ended up curled in a ball on the floor whimpering and clinging to U:ZO's leg, and had to be gently led out still clinging to his arm.
-There was also backstage footage of rehearsing for the concert in Spain when the roof began to leak. JON reacted by siging *Singing in the Rain*(well, according to someone closer to stage than I was) while twirling GACKT around like his dance partner in a 40's movie. GACKT then took off his shirt and went to stand under the pouring water like a monk under a waterfall.
-The first song might have been new, or I might just be too unfamiliar with the YFC album to recognise it. So, uh, wait for someone else to confirm that.
-They were definitely filming today so there's a good chance people might get to see it.
- The rest of the show was much the same as other YFC concerts. Everyone wore black shirts instead of white. There was much less fanservice than previous concerts. YOU and Takumi were looking quite dashing. GACKT was...GACKT. Sounded fantastic and didn't even seem particularly more tired than usual.
- After the show and before the encore, they showed a `backstage` video of YOU (with yellow afro wig), Cha and Takumi discussing what to do for G's birthday. They decide to all make a cake for him, gathering the ingredients themselves. So Takumi goes to a farm and MILKS A COW. Then Chacha gets lessons in baking and decorating a cake, which he fails miserably at. Meanwhile、Takumi is playing with goats on the farm and finds one named 'Chacha’. (If YOU did anything, I don't remember it). Anyway, everyone then comes back out on stage and they present GACKT with...a plate of fried chicken. Takumi asks if he likes his 'cake', to which he replies, 'This...THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT VIDEO. It's just fried chicken!' They had him blow out the candles on the chicken, before revealing the box it's sitting on top of contains a real, professionally made cake with messages from all the band members on top.
-GACKT talked for quite a while after that, saying a lot of stuff similar to in his blog. He also talked about not being able to remember his fake age anymore, and that he'd been reminded he's 472 this year. He also said that your age makes no difference to making your dreams come true, and neither does gender, what country you're from, etc. He was also really really really smiley and adorable and happy the whole time.
-He then asked all the members to say something. YOU talked about how proud he was of what YFC had done together. Takumi talked about the opportunity of getting to work with people like G and Shinya and how it was a lot of pressure at first but it made him grow. He seemed the closest to actually being choked up about it. Shinya said he was grateful to work with G, and apologised for just eating while everyone else was training. Chacha said that everyone else already said it, but he was also proud of YFC. He then said that there was a big age gap between him and other band members, at which people (Including JON) apparently laughed a bit too loudly. He talked about feeling like U:ZO and JON were his little brothers. JON said that 12 years ago before he came to Japan he could have never imagined where he would be or who he would be working with today. He said that at first people must have been thinking, 'who the hell is the white guy?'. He was also the only one to say it was a 'shame' they were breaking up. I don't remember what U:ZO said.
-After the encore, GACKT talked a lot more and then we did a lot of yelling back and forth, and it kind of seemed like he didn't really want it to end. At the very end all the band members hugged each other before going off stage. JON is a very enthusiastic hugger, and his hug with G was completely adorable.
-When everyone was gone, YOU came back on stage in a loincloth with a long dangling piece of fabric at the front. On one side it said 解散(breakup) and the other 再出発 (Setting off again). He also had the front of it padded with a small stuffed elephant, which he then threw into the crowd.
-The final announcement after the show was from GACKT, thanking us all. He also warned us that we had to buy all of the YFC merch out today because it was the last show ever and, 'what the hell am I going to do with it otherwise?' The penalty for not buying all of it would be seppuku for all the fans AND all the band members.
-that is all I remember right now so let's leave it here for tonight and let me rest/die.
- Since I live near Fuji Q Highland, the bus I caught into Tokyo had one of their attractions on it. The giant Gundam. I thought this was appropriate.
- I met up with pyroyalebefore the show to get my ticket, then went to look for a conbini for food and an envelope to put my little present for GACKT in. When I meandered back, it was just about showtime and the pre-live announcements were already taking place. Today we got one from Kiryuuin Shou, fanboying over GACKT as usual.
- One of the pieces of music playing before the show was an instrumental version of `Time to Say Goodbye`, because secretly GACKT really does want us all to tear up over this. I have to wonder if he knows the Italian lyrics to this actually mean the opposite to the English title and are about following the one you love whereever they go. Perhaps he does and liked the double meaning even if it would probably go over the top of a lot of fans heads. Also in the instumental version the vocal line was replaced with piano, which I briefly wondered if he recorded himself.
-Before the show there was a short film recounting the history of YFC, showing clips from the original press conference, the PVs, backstage clips and footage of the band visiting the disaster areas. Each section was narrated by a different member talking about their experience with YFC, though most of them were hard to understand over the audio of the footage itself. JON did the last section about the disaster area. GACKT wasn't included.
-The backstage footage had them all going to a tourist attraction in Spain that involved taking an elevator high up. Chacha (afraid of heights) ended up curled in a ball on the floor whimpering and clinging to U:ZO's leg, and had to be gently led out still clinging to his arm.
-There was also backstage footage of rehearsing for the concert in Spain when the roof began to leak. JON reacted by siging *Singing in the Rain*(well, according to someone closer to stage than I was) while twirling GACKT around like his dance partner in a 40's movie. GACKT then took off his shirt and went to stand under the pouring water like a monk under a waterfall.
-The first song might have been new, or I might just be too unfamiliar with the YFC album to recognise it. So, uh, wait for someone else to confirm that.
-They were definitely filming today so there's a good chance people might get to see it.
- The rest of the show was much the same as other YFC concerts. Everyone wore black shirts instead of white. There was much less fanservice than previous concerts. YOU and Takumi were looking quite dashing. GACKT was...GACKT. Sounded fantastic and didn't even seem particularly more tired than usual.
- After the show and before the encore, they showed a `backstage` video of YOU (with yellow afro wig), Cha and Takumi discussing what to do for G's birthday. They decide to all make a cake for him, gathering the ingredients themselves. So Takumi goes to a farm and MILKS A COW. Then Chacha gets lessons in baking and decorating a cake, which he fails miserably at. Meanwhile、Takumi is playing with goats on the farm and finds one named 'Chacha’. (If YOU did anything, I don't remember it). Anyway, everyone then comes back out on stage and they present GACKT with...a plate of fried chicken. Takumi asks if he likes his 'cake', to which he replies, 'This...THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT VIDEO. It's just fried chicken!' They had him blow out the candles on the chicken, before revealing the box it's sitting on top of contains a real, professionally made cake with messages from all the band members on top.
-GACKT talked for quite a while after that, saying a lot of stuff similar to in his blog. He also talked about not being able to remember his fake age anymore, and that he'd been reminded he's 472 this year. He also said that your age makes no difference to making your dreams come true, and neither does gender, what country you're from, etc. He was also really really really smiley and adorable and happy the whole time.
-He then asked all the members to say something. YOU talked about how proud he was of what YFC had done together. Takumi talked about the opportunity of getting to work with people like G and Shinya and how it was a lot of pressure at first but it made him grow. He seemed the closest to actually being choked up about it. Shinya said he was grateful to work with G, and apologised for just eating while everyone else was training. Chacha said that everyone else already said it, but he was also proud of YFC. He then said that there was a big age gap between him and other band members, at which people (Including JON) apparently laughed a bit too loudly. He talked about feeling like U:ZO and JON were his little brothers. JON said that 12 years ago before he came to Japan he could have never imagined where he would be or who he would be working with today. He said that at first people must have been thinking, 'who the hell is the white guy?'. He was also the only one to say it was a 'shame' they were breaking up. I don't remember what U:ZO said.
-After the encore, GACKT talked a lot more and then we did a lot of yelling back and forth, and it kind of seemed like he didn't really want it to end. At the very end all the band members hugged each other before going off stage. JON is a very enthusiastic hugger, and his hug with G was completely adorable.
-When everyone was gone, YOU came back on stage in a loincloth with a long dangling piece of fabric at the front. On one side it said 解散(breakup) and the other 再出発 (Setting off again). He also had the front of it padded with a small stuffed elephant, which he then threw into the crowd.
-The final announcement after the show was from GACKT, thanking us all. He also warned us that we had to buy all of the YFC merch out today because it was the last show ever and, 'what the hell am I going to do with it otherwise?' The penalty for not buying all of it would be seppuku for all the fans AND all the band members.
-that is all I remember right now so let's leave it here for tonight and let me rest/die.