[LIVE REPORT] fade at THE ART OF PSYCHO TOUR 2013, Kobe
THE ART OF PSYCHO TOUR 2013
Taiyou to Tora
22 August 2013
My name is Louise, (‘@ame_arashi_niji’ on Twitter). I recently finished my university studies in Australia and am currently studying Japanese in Fukuoka, southern Japan. I was lucky enough to see fade perform live at Taiyou to Tora on 22 August 2013 in Kobe City.
In short, to be able to see fade perform live in person was an INCREDIBLE experience. This was the first time I had ever seen them live. Truly, it was one of the best nights of my life.
Before the live...
…I had no idea what I was doing. I had been in Fukuoka for just over a week before I packed my bags for Kobe.
I was so consumed by nerves about attending my first live, that I didn’t even realise that I passed by Rui while walking back from the nearby supermarket until a few metres after our paths crossed XD
Luckily, I managed to gather some of my wits, and made it to Taiyou to Tora just after the doors opened at 6pm.
Taiyou to Tora…
…is very cozy. As you would have seen from various fade blogs, the bar is decorated with vines and plush and plastic animals. Green, pink and orange lights adorned the bar and the dance floor, giving the venue a very intimate feel. Every now and then, the ceiling would rumble as trains passed overhead.
As I made my way inside, my nerves began to set in again. Of course, I was nervous about seeing fade, but I was also really nervous about my limited Japanese skills. Would I be able to properly express myself? Will I be able to understand others? Will they be able to understand me?
I had no reason to worry, though. Within a couple of minutes of entering the venue, I was greeted by a number of members from the Japanese Street Team; Remy, Keika, Yoko, Sonrisa, Yukiyo and Tomoyo. I had come to know these ladies through the ‘fade family Christmas Project’, Twitter and through mutual friends. Everyone was so incredibly welcoming and kind, I was positively overwhelmed with relief.
Surprise encounter
While talking with one of the girls, Yoko, I briefly saw a man walk through the entrance, but was too focused on soaking up the venue atmosphere to see his face. It wasn’t until Yoko screamed ‘JON!’ and started waving, that I froze.
‘Yoko…Yoko, what do you mean “Jon”?’
Of course that was a silly question.
Jon turned and greeted Yoko and made a few remarks about the yukatta she was wearing. Yoko was wearing a black yukatta which she had decorated it with various fade logos and Jon’s tattoos. It was spectacular (I wish I remembered to take photos)!
Then, Jon turned to me.
‘Hey!’ He grinned before enveloping me in a big hug. ‘Thank you so much for coming! Thank you so much for coming from overseas to see us!’
Waitwaitwhaaaaaaaaaaaat?Thisis*THE*JONUNDERDOWN?!!Seriouslyareyoukiddingme?Whaaaaaaaaaat?!!!
For a couple of seconds, I couldn’t think coherently at all. I knew from previous live reports that Jon, Nori and Kansei tend to interact with fans at the merch table once lives finish, so to meet Jon before the show was a pleasant shock. I had only mentally prepared myself to greet everyone after the live, ahahaha.
After a couple of seconds, I managed to hug him back and choke out, ‘Thank you guys so much..for everything! I’m so happy that I can see you guys perform!’
‘I hope you enjoy the show tonight! I’ll see you later!’
After briefly speaking with a couple more fans, Jon headed backstage.
Needless to say, much collective fangirling ensued.
That wasn’t the end, though. Only about 5-10 minutes after I recovered from meeting Jon, Keika turned me around towards the door, and who else do I see but Nori, 5°, Rui, Kansei and Miyagawa-san walking through the entrance. I was too shocked to say anything and could only gawk as they walked past to the backstage area, causing the girls around me to giggle.
The live…
fade was the third act to perform that night, after L’fin and The Hitch Lowke.
Yoko, Tomoyo, Yukiyo and Remy guided me to the stage. Not really having much of a clue about the standing process, I asked Yoko if it was possible to stand near the front when fade came onstage and whether fans of other bands would mind. Yoko replied that it was no problem; as she had tied her fade towel to the railing I could stand with her, positing me front and centre of fade. I was speechless. Not only had I been able to briefly see them before the show, but now I would be able to see them in the front row?!
The curtain was closed when fade came on stage to warm up. As the curtain was semi-transparent, we could see their silhouettes as they tuned their instruments. At one point Jon came right up to the screen and peered out at the audience, causing everyone to erupt into cheers. After a few minutes the guys finished preparing and left the stage.
INTRODUCTION
Cue Rui’s intro music!! I could be wrong, but I believe fade was the only band that played an introductory track. The crowd went crazy as the guys took their places on stage one by one.
1. IN THE END
The first track listed on fade’s 2012 album, ‘~天~TEN’, ‘In The End’ was a great way to start the set. Its strong beat and rocky-edge really increased the tension created by the introduction. As Jon sang, we all followed his cues and were headbanging and waving our arms to the beat.
This song really gives a sense of empowerment. I think that this song lends to the ability to cast away their inhibitions, and become totally absorbed in the sound - the moment. As such, I think it was a brilliant way to start the set.
The atmosphere was nothing short of euphoric.
And that was just the beginning.
2.コズミカリズム (COSMICALISM)
‘Cosmicalism’ is definitely one of fans’ favourite songs, I think. A lot of the crowd really engaged and sang along.
Kansei really stood out for me during this song. When Jon directed Kansei to take centre stage Kansei kept up and went totally wild- it was an amazing sight to see! I got to see his hands close up and noticed how insanely quickly they moved across the fret board.
Near the end of the song, Jon stepped to the side of the stage, giving everyone a full view of Rui. To read about Rui’s ‘zone elements’ is one thing, but to observe it is something completely different. I could only stare in amazement as he played; I was floored!
As we all raised our arms in the air, Yoko, being right in front of Jon kept her arm raised - she was only centimetres from touching him. Jon gently grasped her hand as the song came to an end, making Yoko very happy!
3. BREAK AWAY
When I heard the first few chords of ‘Break Away’, I was so in shock that I immediately started tearing up. Out of all of fade’s songs this is one of my favourites, for many reasons. I attribute much personal sentiment to it. fade doesn’t play this song often (I suppose it’s not as well known compared to other songs?), so to hear it live was a dream come true. I made a mental note to thank the guys afterward for specifically playing this song.
As Jon sang ‘The time is now to face the fears/ To truly see how far I’ve come…) I saw him look down and grin at me. I was pretty much gone by this point…cue all the feels XD
4. REIMEI
Great song, uplifting beat. I could feel my heart racing as the guys played this song!
There was a part of the song where Kansei stopped playing. I knew from briefly seeing Kansei earlier that he had a cold, so I couldn’t tell whether Kansei was not playing because there was a natural break in the music or because something happened with his guitar. I looked over at him and gave a small wave and I was surprised when Kansei looked back and grinned in response. It was so sweet.
5. CROSS ROAD (NEW)
I had read about Cross Road a number of times from other fan reports. It had quite a pop feel to it- quite different from fade’s previous work. As everyone around me hummed to the lyrics I bopped my head and hummed along to Nori and 5°’s parts. It was a really fun song! As this was the first time I heard it I spent most of my time concentrating on deciphering the lyrics. I hope that I’ll be able to hear it again!
6. CLOSE TO YOU (JPN) / END
Like ‘Cosmicalism’, many people joined in to sing the lyrics to ‘Close To You’. By contrast to the beginning, Close To You’s soothing tone helped to calm down the crowd. It was a great way to end the set.
The flag
After ‘Close To You’ finished, Jon gave an MC and info about upcoming shows. I only caught that they were coming back to play at Taiyou to Tora on Sunday. I was only half concentrating on what he was saying because I was so nervous about handing over the Australian ST flag. When Jon finished talking, Yoko, Yukiyo, Tomoyo and I raised the ST flag to the stage and called out to grab his attention. Jon looked down at us and took the flag from our hands. Kansei walked over to help hold one of the corners. As he and Kansei held up the flag, Jon announced to the venue, ‘We had a fan come all the way from Australia to see us!’ and everyone started cheering. I was so positively overwhelmed, I couldn’t speak. To see them proudly hold up the ST flag and hear everyone cheering…the feeling was indescribable. I was so incredibly happy :)
Pic from Jon's blogpost)
As the guys left the stage, Kansei paused with his JD bottle in hand. Almost immediately, everyone started cheering and raised their hands to try and catch it. Kansei looked around at the audience before walking up to me and handing the bottle straight to me! Again, I was absolutely speechless. I could only choke out ‘Arigatou gozaimasu!’ as he waved and walked off-stage.
After the live…
fade’s set was followed by Harvest and AIR SWELL. Though I haven’t really talked about many of the other band’s performances here, I will briefly mention something about AIR SWELL.
As Kansei mentioned in his blogpost, AIR SWELL were on fire that night. There was some serious crowd surfing and head-banging going on; it was a lot of fun to watch! I spoke with the vocalist and bassist for a little while after the show and they’re great guys.
Once the entire live finished, the girls and I waited at the back of the dance floor where the merch table was. As I was figuring out how to balance Kansei’s JD bottle in my bag (there was no cap on the bottle and there was still a bit of JD inside) Yoko started to gently prod me in Jon’s direction.
As Yoko and I approached, I saw Jon grin and I began to feel a little bit at ease. I think he understood that I was super nervous. When I came to face him, I stammered out:
Me: ‘I’m so sorry about before!’
J: *confused* ‘Huh?’
Me: ‘About before, when I saw you before the show, I couldn’t really say anything. I’m so sorry, I was just shocked!’
J: *laughs* ‘Don’t worry about it. I understand!’
After giving him a hug, I handed over the souviners I brought from Australia and he signed my CD for me.
Jon then asked me what I thought about the show and from that point, I couldn’t stop babbling on about how epic everything was and how fade’s music had really influenced my life. Jon was really patient and just let me ramble on XD We also talked about Australia before I moved aside so that other fans could chat with him. Only Jon and Miyagawa-san were handling the merch table that night as Nori and Kansei weren’t feeling well, so everyone was pretty busy. I think that by this point, Rui and 5° had already gone home.
As I sat with Yoko and Yukiyo, I realised that in my hyper state I completely forgot to buy merch. I needed to go to the merch table again, but I didn’t want to hog Jon’s time anymore then I already did. I hesitantly approached the table again to buy a towel and shirt.
And then, I remembered:
Me: ‘OMGOMGOMG, you guys played ‘Break Away’!! Thank you so much!!! It one of my favourite songs, the meaning is so profound! Coming to Japan….’ *cannot stop rambling*
J: *grins* ‘I’m glad you enjoyed it. ‘Break Away’’s all about new beginnings.’
Coming to Japan is, in many ways, a ‘new beginning’ for me.
After talking a little bit more, I moved aside again so he could chat with other fans, and with Yoko’s help, met Miyagawa-san, who kindly helped me to get Kansei’s and Nori’s autographs on my CD and JD bottle.
As the crowds started to die down, the girls and I began to say our goodbyes and return home. As Taiyou to Tora closed, Sonrisa, Keika and I ended up going to eat a very late dinner at the local curry house. As we ate, we chatted and laughed about the night in a mix of English and Japanese before returning home around 1.30am.
‘fade family’…
is more than just a fanclub. It really is like a family.
Since I made a Twitter account last year, I have come to know a number of Japanese fade fans, but only met them for the first time at Taiyou to Tora. Words cannot describe how amazing these ladies are! If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have been able to overcome my nerves. I’m so thankful.
If you will be travelling to Japan, or who intend to travel to Japan and catch a fade live, I recommend you get in contact with the Japanese Street Team (@JpFadest). They will take amazing care of you!
