Concert Report: X JAPAN World Tour in Japan - May 3rd, 2009 - Tokyo Dome
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Jamie had to leave sort of early so I saw her off and I think Mimika and I went back to sleep. Or laid around trying to. I don't remember too well because I was relaxing and just having a good time. At some point there was food at Cocoichi's and then we made our way over to Tokyo Dome again, though I got a support bandage for my ankle and suckers for my throat that felt rather raw. We hung out around the Dome, mainly people watching because it was time for people to go inside the venue. When we were hanging out near the goods line, a guy started talking to us. His English wasn't bad and all three of us had a good conversation about the band - favorite members, songs, what we thought of Sugizo becoming an official member of the band, and how we felt about "Jade." The best part was when he whipped out his Underground Kingdom Yoshiki Visa card - he loved Yoshiki. Yoshiki - taking over the world one wallet at a time. Mimika and I parted ways and I went inside, grabbing a drink and a snack while I was at it.
My seat was second floor over 3rd base. I sat next to a girl from Taiwan, a mother who had left her baby at home, and some guy who kept taking pictures and thus had security watching our row the whole time once they caught him at it. -_-; I later traded emails with the girl from Taiwan. Hideka emailed me and we decided to meet up later. I wasn't feeling too hot but the concert starting put my discomfort out of mind.
Amethyst/World Anthem
I think the Amethyst intro started normally but it was different...I think they cut out some words? Or that the track skipped at some point. I don't think the music had changed but the words seemed to; I could be wrong. The World Anthem intro was the same as the night before's but somehow it seemed even more awesome? Memory is a fickle thing.
Rusty Nail
Like the night before it started with Yoshiki on piano with Toshi singing the chorus at a matching pace. Then there were pyrotechnics and we were off! It's just an awesome song - and apparently the most popular one among fans. It does get the crowd worked up and the band gets a good warm-up too. They all looked awesome by the way.
Weekend
"Weekend" was a lot of fun too, but that's because I love the air punching and it's one of the first X Japan songs I got into. It was awesome? I was too busy rocking out to remember anything specific.
Jade
Toshi announced their new song again after the end of "Weekend." I still couldn't make much out of it - maybe Tokyo Dome has BAD acoustics - but the chorus got stuck in my head. Everyone grew used to it I think - the more exposure the fans get to a new song, the better the reaction. I think it'll be mildly popular.
Drain
A brief segment of hide playing the "Drain" intro appeared before X Japan went into the song proper. I like that song a lot, so I was glad to hear them play it. I miss hearing older songs hide worked on but I guess they can't play them due to copyrights or something.
Taisetsuna mono
The band left the stage after "Drain" so as we waited for a change in set-up, they played Toshi's "Taisetsuna mono" over the loud speakers. I think yesterday was the crazy Disney theme song opening one, and this was the more normal band version.
Longing~Togireta Melody~acoustic
Toshi, Pata, and Heath reappeared to perform "Longing~Togireta Melody~" acoustically. I don't remember Toshi's MC, but it got us all fired up. He would sing lines ahead for us to follow - like teaching you how to sing it. I'm not sure why as I think we all know the words but it was nice of him - it is possible the fans could have forgotten them but they didn't. They also kept the song going on longer than usual so we had even more chorus singing bonding time. At the end, Toshi hugged Heath and Pata though I think Pata shoved him away at the end. XD; No love for j00! But Toshi got a piggy back ride on Heath so we know he loves best. Or who loves him best. XD;
Piano Solo with Sugizo on violin
Yoshiki retook center stage to do his piano solo. Sugizo joined him on violin. They played what sounded like "Art of Life" for a bit. They looked and sounded wonderful together. I really like that they let Sugizo play the violin - he can show off his other talents and it adds a classical dimension to the piano solos. Their playing turned into the opening notes of "Kurenai" which sent all of us into a frenzy. "Kurenai" on piano and violin is awesome.
Kurenai
"Kurenai" usually marks the end of the main set list I guess. Silver streamers explode through the air, the band goes nuts, we go nuts. I just love this song because it is that awesome. People head bang, members take solos, Toshi bothers Yoshiki behind the drums, and everyone's singing or screaming. I think Toshi poured water all over Yoshiki. It was great, but it wasn't the last song!
Orgasm
"Orgasm" was the 'last' song of the night and boy was it nuts. Someone says it was the Japanese lyrics version but I have no idea, I was too busy going crazy with the other fans. I have come to the conclusion that the proper chant is "Oi oi oi ORGASM!" but then Toshi does his own "Oi oi oi" which ends up sounding like "Aa aa aa" or "Kra kra kra" and we just do our best to mimic him - no one KNOWS what he says half the time! During the song, two GIANT Yoshikitty balloons come out to look cute yet cool on either side of the stage. Heath and Yoshiki jumped off the catwalks to mingle with the arena crowd - they actually got to give running high fives. At some point Yoshiki got a hold of the microphone and I think we all chanted "X!!" to his prompts. Even Pata got in on it! The members really went nuts and so did we. "Orgasm" is always fun because of the crazy shit the members pull. Sadly it did come to an end and we all sat down to wait for the encore. This is when the guy next to me caught security's attention with his huge ass camera and blatant picture taking. -_-; Be sneaky about it or don't do it man!
Violet UK/h. naoto Fashion Show
Yeah we got this again. It was still boring but hey I got a nice break from standing, and I got to pee. Sugizo played guitar for a bit so that was cool.
Drum Solo
Yoshiki came back to play his drum solo. I think I was surrounded by men who loved this guy. I have never heard so many men go "YOSHIKIIII!" before. Everyone stands during the solo but I sit my ass down man! The vibrations tend to make me feel sick anyway. It was a good drum solo.
Without You
Yoshiki was getting himself together after beating on his drums when Toshi came out and started singing "Without You." Yoshiki made his way back to main stage, pausing to give Toshi a hug. Toshi hugged back - and kept singing. XD; Oh boys! Yoshiki took his place at the piano and the same images from the night before were shown on the giant screens. I cried again even though I tried not to. After the song was over there was much screaming. Toshi got a piggyback ride from Yoshiki off stage.
I.V.
Yoshiki came in on Toshi's back for "I.V." and I think they fell over at some point. They should learn not to spin in circles when carrying other people on their backs! XD; The rest of the band came back too. While they were having us sing the chorus, Yoshiki walked down the main runway, jumping off at the end to stand in front of some fans with banners. Toshi joined him and Yoshiki got back on stage, signaling for these fans to come on stage too. Toshi said "We have fans from France and Korea here!" and proceeded to greet them in either language. These French and Korean fans got up on stage, handed flowers, a plushie, and banners to the band who in turn gave them hugs, handshakes, bows, or other forms of salutation and gratitude. Taiwanese girl and I were like "wait...WHAT?! AMERICA AND TAIWAN ARE HERE TOO!" Like we were really jealous until Toshi told them that Yoshiki was sorry about all the cancellations and how they still wanted to play there. It wasn't clear if they would perform in France or Korea but either way this was their way of publicly apologizing. Whatever naturality the moment held was lost. I'm glad they apologized and did it to people from those countries, but the lack of excitement on the fans' part and how it all happened seemed...rehearsed. And that killed some of the sincerity for me.
After that the band got back to the song and performed "I.V." It was fine but the France/Korea thing was still rubbing me wrong.
X
"X" followed "I.V." and it was awesome. I think I live for this song when I'm at their concerts. Maybe everyone had a go at the "We are_! You are_!" -this might be where the "We are-" "PATA!" took place. I don't really recall. I remember jumping, singing, shouting X, them shouting. It was mayhem. Glorious mayhem. And I think this is when Toshi dumped water on Yoshiki and Yoshiki dumped water on him and they dumped water on the crowd. Toshi waters fans like they're plants! XD; Anyway, great song, great performance.
Endless Rain
Then came "Endless Rain" which was great as far as "Endless Rain" goes. More and more, I realize I am not a huge ballad fan. I like them at certain times. But I still sang along so it was fine. I'm pretty sure Yoshiki cried? There's always something dramatic during this song. Emotions tend to run high and people, including the band start crying. I think Toshi sat with each member at least once during the song.
Art of Life-radio edit-
The band left the stag and we had a long wait before they came back. The lights even turned back on but we weren't told to leave. It was weird. We entertained ourselves with the wave, and doing X chants. Eventually the lights dimmed and the piano section of "Art of Life" started to play. Yoshiki took the stage to play his piano and once that section had finished the band appeared to perform the radio edit version of the song. I still don't know the words and it still isn't my favorite song of theirs but it was a nice bonus.
Say Anything/Forever Love
As "Say Anything" played, the band made their final circuits about the stage, saying their thank yous and goodbyes. I'm sure water bottles and flowers and picks and drumsticks were thrown to the crowd. The members hugged each other, and Pata especially warmed up to the public displays of affection. Sugizo brought out a Blue Blood/Jealousy era hide plushie who also made a circuit around the stage. Apparently Sugizo likes this one. XD; I am sure members jumped on and off the stage as well. "Forever Love" started playing while they were still saying goodbye/thank you and throwing stuff. Toshi and Sugizo can throw pretty far! They were moving to do their final bows when the sound cut out for a bit - which I think was the Dome's way of saying "time is up. hurry it along, boys." They lined up, hide plushie had water dumped on him and then the gayest thing I've seen Yoshiki do in a while occurred. Toshi tends to get the middle spot with Yoshiki since they both keep hide plushie still for the final bow. So he was holding it when Yoshiki jumped on him from behind. All I could see was half of Yoshiki slumped over on top of Toshi and the hide plushie. And then I think he snuggled them both. At the same time. Or maybe he humped Toshi's back. Either way it was cute and very slashy. The band took their final bows and left the stage.
Everyone exited the Dome according to procedure. I ran into the Taiwanese girl one last time before finding Hideka. She had wanted to go partying but all of LOVE was not up to it. So we settled on doing dinner instead. Hideka lives up to her cosplay as Princess Yoshiki - she was socializing and pushing her way through crowds and restaurants like royalty. We decided on Italian and actually shared a room with other XFANSNS members. XD; Dinner was fun and afterward we all went home. By the way, all the stores had little X JAPAN signs and were playing their music around the Dome area. It was awesome. On the train ride back, Hideka told me about a Toshi solo event in Yokohama so when I got back to the hotel, I asked Mimika if she wanted to go. We thought about it and decided we would, but to take it slow because we both didn't feel too well. We did have fun talking but my throat really started to hurt and I don't think I slept much at all.
As for the concert, overall, this was the better night. More songs, more theatrics - more band for your buck. And a lot of fan service I guess you can call it. The only thing I didn't care for was the VUK stuff, the way the public apology seemed very staged, and the sound issues. I pay to hear the band - not noise. But besides those things, it was awesome. I came away with a real appreciation for the male fans - they can be loud, they start X chants, and they wet their pants over Yoshiki. They rock.
I think, out of all the concerts I have been to of theirs, the reunion concerts, particularly the last day, were the best. Maybe it's because I wasn't sick, I wasn't far away, I wasn't in a movie theater. Maybe it's because I was living a dream I never dreamed and thus never thought would come true. But those still were and are the three most happiest days of my life. So I will probably always think those were the best three concerts they have thrown since getting back together. Just because of the magic those three days held for me.
And they had no sound problems either!
Jamie had to leave sort of early so I saw her off and I think Mimika and I went back to sleep. Or laid around trying to. I don't remember too well because I was relaxing and just having a good time. At some point there was food at Cocoichi's and then we made our way over to Tokyo Dome again, though I got a support bandage for my ankle and suckers for my throat that felt rather raw. We hung out around the Dome, mainly people watching because it was time for people to go inside the venue. When we were hanging out near the goods line, a guy started talking to us. His English wasn't bad and all three of us had a good conversation about the band - favorite members, songs, what we thought of Sugizo becoming an official member of the band, and how we felt about "Jade." The best part was when he whipped out his Underground Kingdom Yoshiki Visa card - he loved Yoshiki. Yoshiki - taking over the world one wallet at a time. Mimika and I parted ways and I went inside, grabbing a drink and a snack while I was at it.
My seat was second floor over 3rd base. I sat next to a girl from Taiwan, a mother who had left her baby at home, and some guy who kept taking pictures and thus had security watching our row the whole time once they caught him at it. -_-; I later traded emails with the girl from Taiwan. Hideka emailed me and we decided to meet up later. I wasn't feeling too hot but the concert starting put my discomfort out of mind.
Amethyst/World Anthem
I think the Amethyst intro started normally but it was different...I think they cut out some words? Or that the track skipped at some point. I don't think the music had changed but the words seemed to; I could be wrong. The World Anthem intro was the same as the night before's but somehow it seemed even more awesome? Memory is a fickle thing.
Rusty Nail
Like the night before it started with Yoshiki on piano with Toshi singing the chorus at a matching pace. Then there were pyrotechnics and we were off! It's just an awesome song - and apparently the most popular one among fans. It does get the crowd worked up and the band gets a good warm-up too. They all looked awesome by the way.
Weekend
"Weekend" was a lot of fun too, but that's because I love the air punching and it's one of the first X Japan songs I got into. It was awesome? I was too busy rocking out to remember anything specific.
Jade
Toshi announced their new song again after the end of "Weekend." I still couldn't make much out of it - maybe Tokyo Dome has BAD acoustics - but the chorus got stuck in my head. Everyone grew used to it I think - the more exposure the fans get to a new song, the better the reaction. I think it'll be mildly popular.
Drain
A brief segment of hide playing the "Drain" intro appeared before X Japan went into the song proper. I like that song a lot, so I was glad to hear them play it. I miss hearing older songs hide worked on but I guess they can't play them due to copyrights or something.
Taisetsuna mono
The band left the stage after "Drain" so as we waited for a change in set-up, they played Toshi's "Taisetsuna mono" over the loud speakers. I think yesterday was the crazy Disney theme song opening one, and this was the more normal band version.
Longing~Togireta Melody~acoustic
Toshi, Pata, and Heath reappeared to perform "Longing~Togireta Melody~" acoustically. I don't remember Toshi's MC, but it got us all fired up. He would sing lines ahead for us to follow - like teaching you how to sing it. I'm not sure why as I think we all know the words but it was nice of him - it is possible the fans could have forgotten them but they didn't. They also kept the song going on longer than usual so we had even more chorus singing bonding time. At the end, Toshi hugged Heath and Pata though I think Pata shoved him away at the end. XD; No love for j00! But Toshi got a piggy back ride on Heath so we know he loves best. Or who loves him best. XD;
Piano Solo with Sugizo on violin
Yoshiki retook center stage to do his piano solo. Sugizo joined him on violin. They played what sounded like "Art of Life" for a bit. They looked and sounded wonderful together. I really like that they let Sugizo play the violin - he can show off his other talents and it adds a classical dimension to the piano solos. Their playing turned into the opening notes of "Kurenai" which sent all of us into a frenzy. "Kurenai" on piano and violin is awesome.
Kurenai
"Kurenai" usually marks the end of the main set list I guess. Silver streamers explode through the air, the band goes nuts, we go nuts. I just love this song because it is that awesome. People head bang, members take solos, Toshi bothers Yoshiki behind the drums, and everyone's singing or screaming. I think Toshi poured water all over Yoshiki. It was great, but it wasn't the last song!
Orgasm
"Orgasm" was the 'last' song of the night and boy was it nuts. Someone says it was the Japanese lyrics version but I have no idea, I was too busy going crazy with the other fans. I have come to the conclusion that the proper chant is "Oi oi oi ORGASM!" but then Toshi does his own "Oi oi oi" which ends up sounding like "Aa aa aa" or "Kra kra kra" and we just do our best to mimic him - no one KNOWS what he says half the time! During the song, two GIANT Yoshikitty balloons come out to look cute yet cool on either side of the stage. Heath and Yoshiki jumped off the catwalks to mingle with the arena crowd - they actually got to give running high fives. At some point Yoshiki got a hold of the microphone and I think we all chanted "X!!" to his prompts. Even Pata got in on it! The members really went nuts and so did we. "Orgasm" is always fun because of the crazy shit the members pull. Sadly it did come to an end and we all sat down to wait for the encore. This is when the guy next to me caught security's attention with his huge ass camera and blatant picture taking. -_-; Be sneaky about it or don't do it man!
Violet UK/h. naoto Fashion Show
Yeah we got this again. It was still boring but hey I got a nice break from standing, and I got to pee. Sugizo played guitar for a bit so that was cool.
Drum Solo
Yoshiki came back to play his drum solo. I think I was surrounded by men who loved this guy. I have never heard so many men go "YOSHIKIIII!" before. Everyone stands during the solo but I sit my ass down man! The vibrations tend to make me feel sick anyway. It was a good drum solo.
Without You
Yoshiki was getting himself together after beating on his drums when Toshi came out and started singing "Without You." Yoshiki made his way back to main stage, pausing to give Toshi a hug. Toshi hugged back - and kept singing. XD; Oh boys! Yoshiki took his place at the piano and the same images from the night before were shown on the giant screens. I cried again even though I tried not to. After the song was over there was much screaming. Toshi got a piggyback ride from Yoshiki off stage.
I.V.
Yoshiki came in on Toshi's back for "I.V." and I think they fell over at some point. They should learn not to spin in circles when carrying other people on their backs! XD; The rest of the band came back too. While they were having us sing the chorus, Yoshiki walked down the main runway, jumping off at the end to stand in front of some fans with banners. Toshi joined him and Yoshiki got back on stage, signaling for these fans to come on stage too. Toshi said "We have fans from France and Korea here!" and proceeded to greet them in either language. These French and Korean fans got up on stage, handed flowers, a plushie, and banners to the band who in turn gave them hugs, handshakes, bows, or other forms of salutation and gratitude. Taiwanese girl and I were like "wait...WHAT?! AMERICA AND TAIWAN ARE HERE TOO!" Like we were really jealous until Toshi told them that Yoshiki was sorry about all the cancellations and how they still wanted to play there. It wasn't clear if they would perform in France or Korea but either way this was their way of publicly apologizing. Whatever naturality the moment held was lost. I'm glad they apologized and did it to people from those countries, but the lack of excitement on the fans' part and how it all happened seemed...rehearsed. And that killed some of the sincerity for me.
After that the band got back to the song and performed "I.V." It was fine but the France/Korea thing was still rubbing me wrong.
X
"X" followed "I.V." and it was awesome. I think I live for this song when I'm at their concerts. Maybe everyone had a go at the "We are_! You are_!" -this might be where the "We are-" "PATA!" took place. I don't really recall. I remember jumping, singing, shouting X, them shouting. It was mayhem. Glorious mayhem. And I think this is when Toshi dumped water on Yoshiki and Yoshiki dumped water on him and they dumped water on the crowd. Toshi waters fans like they're plants! XD; Anyway, great song, great performance.
Endless Rain
Then came "Endless Rain" which was great as far as "Endless Rain" goes. More and more, I realize I am not a huge ballad fan. I like them at certain times. But I still sang along so it was fine. I'm pretty sure Yoshiki cried? There's always something dramatic during this song. Emotions tend to run high and people, including the band start crying. I think Toshi sat with each member at least once during the song.
Art of Life-radio edit-
The band left the stag and we had a long wait before they came back. The lights even turned back on but we weren't told to leave. It was weird. We entertained ourselves with the wave, and doing X chants. Eventually the lights dimmed and the piano section of "Art of Life" started to play. Yoshiki took the stage to play his piano and once that section had finished the band appeared to perform the radio edit version of the song. I still don't know the words and it still isn't my favorite song of theirs but it was a nice bonus.
Say Anything/Forever Love
As "Say Anything" played, the band made their final circuits about the stage, saying their thank yous and goodbyes. I'm sure water bottles and flowers and picks and drumsticks were thrown to the crowd. The members hugged each other, and Pata especially warmed up to the public displays of affection. Sugizo brought out a Blue Blood/Jealousy era hide plushie who also made a circuit around the stage. Apparently Sugizo likes this one. XD; I am sure members jumped on and off the stage as well. "Forever Love" started playing while they were still saying goodbye/thank you and throwing stuff. Toshi and Sugizo can throw pretty far! They were moving to do their final bows when the sound cut out for a bit - which I think was the Dome's way of saying "time is up. hurry it along, boys." They lined up, hide plushie had water dumped on him and then the gayest thing I've seen Yoshiki do in a while occurred. Toshi tends to get the middle spot with Yoshiki since they both keep hide plushie still for the final bow. So he was holding it when Yoshiki jumped on him from behind. All I could see was half of Yoshiki slumped over on top of Toshi and the hide plushie. And then I think he snuggled them both. At the same time. Or maybe he humped Toshi's back. Either way it was cute and very slashy. The band took their final bows and left the stage.
Everyone exited the Dome according to procedure. I ran into the Taiwanese girl one last time before finding Hideka. She had wanted to go partying but all of LOVE was not up to it. So we settled on doing dinner instead. Hideka lives up to her cosplay as Princess Yoshiki - she was socializing and pushing her way through crowds and restaurants like royalty. We decided on Italian and actually shared a room with other XFANSNS members. XD; Dinner was fun and afterward we all went home. By the way, all the stores had little X JAPAN signs and were playing their music around the Dome area. It was awesome. On the train ride back, Hideka told me about a Toshi solo event in Yokohama so when I got back to the hotel, I asked Mimika if she wanted to go. We thought about it and decided we would, but to take it slow because we both didn't feel too well. We did have fun talking but my throat really started to hurt and I don't think I slept much at all.
As for the concert, overall, this was the better night. More songs, more theatrics - more band for your buck. And a lot of fan service I guess you can call it. The only thing I didn't care for was the VUK stuff, the way the public apology seemed very staged, and the sound issues. I pay to hear the band - not noise. But besides those things, it was awesome. I came away with a real appreciation for the male fans - they can be loud, they start X chants, and they wet their pants over Yoshiki. They rock.
I think, out of all the concerts I have been to of theirs, the reunion concerts, particularly the last day, were the best. Maybe it's because I wasn't sick, I wasn't far away, I wasn't in a movie theater. Maybe it's because I was living a dream I never dreamed and thus never thought would come true. But those still were and are the three most happiest days of my life. So I will probably always think those were the best three concerts they have thrown since getting back together. Just because of the magic those three days held for me.
And they had no sound problems either!