Japan 2010 - Day 3, Part 3: Dix ain’t yo’ mama’s Santa Claus!
Continued from this entry, which you must read first!
You could see the little wisps of mist even around the closed curtains. But when the lights went down & those curtains opened...
Set to the almost violently impassioned voices of the choral piece, In Paradisum, which opens the new album, D+Sect, the stage was bathed in red light, & through the swirling fog, the stark image of those 3 silhouettes - K, Seth, & Mana - still & statuesque, hands raised in devil-horn gestures above their heads, was absolutely breathtaking.
Behind K & Mana, the stage was flanked by high gates with vines climbing up them, like a Gothic garden. Moi dix Mois immediately launched into new material, beginning with a fiery, fast-paced track called The Seventh Veil. Tremendous energy, right off the bat! And I'm not just talking about the band!
I stood between 2 girls that I’d classify as EGA (Elegant Gothic Aristocrat), a tall, pretty, sleekly elegant girl in black on my left, & a cute, fair-haired girl about my height, with nifty nails, somewhat teased hair, & a white blouse with black skirt on my right. I looked over at them from time to time, & we would grin acknowledgingly at each other. I don't know why I mention them at this point, other than to note that they clapped & cheered & chanted along with the rest of them...& myself, of course! It's still different than American audiences, but this bunch didn't need to have the participation dragged out of them like the Daikanyama crowd, & for that - as I applauded & howled - I was extremely grateful.
I hadn't devil-horned that much since Dir en grey 2007! We followed all of Seth's prompts with gusto (I'll get to those in a minute), head-banged our little brains out (I did it so hard once, I almost fell over!), & there was oh-so-much Lolita hand-waving. I call it the Loli-wave. Took a cue from the EGA to my right, who was Loli-waving with the devil-horns! If you follow the cadence of MdM's music, there are the hard, fast, metal bits, & the slower, flowy, melodic bits (in between the atmospheric, Gothic bits), so you'd see the whole audience - guys, too! - going right along with it: Loli-wave...Loli-wave...head-bang, head-bang, head-bang! Loli-wave...Loli-wave...head-bang, head-bang, head-bang! XD
Back to the band! Having now listened to D+Sect (many, many times!), I can pretty much tell you which songs they did. I hadn't heard any of the new stuff before the live, except for 2 songs, so it's a case of remembering the sounds of those numbers, or the titles Seth announced - I can't find an official set list. The Sect & Dead Scape (the new tracks I knew) both made it into the set, as did Witchcraft & Agnus Dei (those were announced). I'm not sure if Dies Irae was among the new tracks they did, but Ange definitely was. It's actually a Juka-era song that they re-worked for the new album. (Juka, for those who don't know, was their previous vocalist.)
One more new piece, Sanctum Regnum, was a highlight. Last time I saw them, Seth led us in the "D-I-X-Dix" hand motions for the song Dispell Bound (I illustrate these in the entry on that show - http://japanesedream.livejournal.com/184802.html). Sanctum Regnum employs these same motions, but there's so much more power to that song! It's become one of my favourites.
Several of the classics turned up, as well, including some Juka-era numbers I wasn't even aware Seth had been singing - like Front et Baiser, & Dialogue Symphonie-X! Other old faves they performed included Vizard, Xanadu, Metaphysical, Immortal Madness (major participational moment, which I’ll describe shortly), Forbidden, & Deus Ex Machina, one of my all-time faves! I think the encore ended with that, & a very spirited rendition it was, too, the band in top form & the audience right up there with them.
I remember thinking more than once that I wouldn't have missed this for the world.
Immortal Madness is always a trip. During lives, the crowd shouts along with the main phrase, "Dix sight", & then Seth changes it. They performed it at the Club Unit show, as well, only this time, I was much better acquainted with it, so I knew what to expect. Well, sort of. ^_^ As anticipated, he changed "Dix sight" to "Dix love". But this time, he also changed it to "D+Sect". Then they threw in the fun Xmas version. In an abbreviation of the Japanese pronunciation of Merry Christmas, Mana whispered in Seth's ear that it should be ME-KU. (Mana wagging his finger "no" at a full version of the phrase was VERY cute, but I'll get to interactions later.) I believe it was K who threw the "Dix" in there, so we ended up chanting, "Me-ku-Dix!" (For those who know how that song goes, the Ku & Dix almost ran together.) It was pretty funny.
You'll have to forgive me, I'm working from my notes here, which are a bit disjointed, & were written over a period of days - partly on the plane, partly in the days after my return.
I take a moment at this point in my scribbles to detail the physical aspects of the band. They wore the outfits from my favourite of the new pictures (this one), only Mana wore the black corset dress (a la this photo) instead of the more blue one, but he had the tulle shoulder ruffle from the bluer outfit.
These pics are from the photobook, D+Sect Chronicle (which also includes montages of live shots, & each member’s comments on every D+Sect track, in order...except it’s in Japanese, so I have no idea what they said):
Seth does a lot of screaming in songs now. Not like Diru's Kyo or anything, but it's more than straight singing with 1 or 2 well-placed screams. He is DROP-DEAD SEXY, more than ever, with serpentine moves & stoic poses. When he'd slink & slither around K or Mana...oh, WOW!! A few times, I actually had to pull my eyes away from him in order to watch the other members, Mana included! I really want to touch his hair, it looked so soft! He put some curl in it. Oh, & if you check out his shoulder between his old photo & this one, it looks like he got a tattoo!
Mana is still beautiful, & was more active this time. We even got a few twirls! He'd throw his head back a lot, playing his guitar raised up, like a rock star. He used to do that during the Juka days. Just like last time, I noted the little things about him - his hand on his back, or moving the hair out of his eyes, or his watching glances cast at the other members, as if even during the performance he had to keep an eye on things. During a few songs (mainly for the endings), I saw him looking up, as if to the heavens.
All the guys have great hair. It's prob'ly hard as hell, tho'! (I think there was a fan somewhere, btw, 'cuz Seth's looked a bit wind-blown; Mana's too, a little.) When they head-bang - & they really get it whippin'! Seth will go in circles, while Mana & K are classic head-bangers - it doesn't move! Well, it does, but it pops right back into place again. XD
K's hair is shorter than it was last time, but it's longer than the photobook pic. About down to his shoulders on the sides & in back. And he put the red back in it, on the right side. I think he may have had the sides shaved at one time, like a mohawk. He looked mad until they got into the talking bits. I know his stage persona is very hard/edgy, but I got the initial impression maybe he was unhappy with some element of the performance. Once they did the talking, tho', he happied up. As much as he can, anyway.
Hayato & Sugiya both looked good, & seemed quite content.
Hayato is WAY cuter than that picture! He has a cute smile. His hair is lighter in colour these days, a la the photo above (last time I saw them, it was red); in the group photos, it looks like the sides were buzzed, but I couldn't tell. Either it grew back before the live, or the rest of his hair covered it.
Sugiya cut his hair again, except for that piece that hangs in the front.
During the performance, Mana & K, as usual, switched their positions from time to time, giving everyone equal opportunity to see them in all their Gothic glory. But unlike last time, they did a lot of that 'everybody except the drummer playing together at the front of the stage' thing. It was beautiful.
In the middle of the live, just as they'd done at Unit, they broke to talk. A LOT. Unfortunately, it was really difficult for me to follow them. Seth did most of the speaking. Once he pulls out that clipboard, the info starts flying! He had us shout, "Oi!" to a lot of stuff, & he used the phrase "omoikiri" many, many times throughout the evening - I later learned this is tantamount to, 'with all your force/power'...or, as my co-host put it, 'full-swing'); I just tried to shout & cheer & laugh along with the 99% of the people in the room who were able to understand him.
I did note him mentioning D+Sect, that it was/had been on sale, asking if people had heard it yet. He talked about Mana's new guitar, the one he came out playing, & used throughout the main set. It's marble blue with a blue cross in the middle that lights up (I think it also had the MdM decagram on it). I think I read on the translation of his blog (thank you, manaaesthetics) that it's Lapis Lazuli. Seth might've mentioned that, but I'm not sure. For the encore, Mana played the white guitar with the red cross-light that he used the last time I saw them.
Seth might've mentioned the live they're doing in March for Mana's b-day, but I'm not certain. We got a flyer for that in the packet they handed out as we were coming up from the stage area (more on that later). I know he talked about the photobook, tho'. I held mine up when he mentioned it. I later read, on the translation of Mana's blog, that it sold out that night.
That was about all I could get, apart from his instructions during songs, of course (including a humourous moment prior to Sanctum Regnum when he asked the people in the first section to step back a bit; when they did, he said something like, "That was fast, huh?"), & a fair amount of the stuff during the finale.
Of course, the other guys talked, too (except Mana, who never speaks in public - he just nodded or shook his head when Seth addressed him), & Seth passed his mic to Hayato & then Sugiya so they could say...whatever it was they said. I couldn't follow them at all, but they were cute & smiley. K, too. He spoke from his own mic, tho' (he does backing vocals). Is his guitar new? Looks the same as before, tho' I didn't recall the top part appearing so bat-like. Did Sugiya mention his bass is new? Couldn't tell.
At one point, Seth asked if the others wanted to comment on something. Sugiya & K nervously waved him away, shaking their heads, eyes wide, like, "No way!" It was cute. They really are fun & funny guys, despite their darkness & stoicism.
Seth has a neat laugh.
They all look so...BIG when you see them live. Thicker. Not heavy, 'cuz they're thin guys, but it's something I don't experience with Diru or Vamps. Weird. And since I was closer this time than at Unit, I felt it even more.
The girls called out for "Mana-sama!" as usual, but this time, they called out for all the other members, too! MUCH more interactive crowd than at Unit. For some reason, it amuses me to no end to hear fangirls calling out for K. XD But it's infectious! I called out for them each at one point or another.
We got them out after the main set with a persistent chant of, "Moi dix Mois! Moi dix Mois!" It was fantastic! But the best was yet to come. After the encore, we thought we could get them out for a 2nd. The chants began again...
Blue lights came up, on the sides of the stage; I'm not sure whether it was these or the white lights in the shape of large stars that were strung up on those garden gates that stood behind Mana & K. In any case, a choral version of Silent Night, in English, began to play over the P.A. I seriously wanted to cry, it was so beautiful! I'd had a feeling they'd do something special for Xmas, & boy, did they EVER!
The guys all came out in big, sparkly bow-ties & reindeer antlers!! Each member's antlers were a little different - Seth's were sparkly. I can't remember if Hayato changed to a more plain black shirt (he'd worn the one with the ruffles), but he had a single drum strapped to him, inspiring the image of the Little Drummer Boy, but the straps were red, so it kind of looked like he was wearing red suspenders. Made him look even more boyish! The other guys had silver tambourines.
They started to talk, Seth saying how it was Xmas Eve, & this was (or they were having/throwing) an Xmas party! I want to say he also mentioned something about having gifts for us, but I'm not sure. He definitely said something about Santa Claus, tho', like it couldn't be Xmas without a Santa, or they had/we had one of their/our own...but we'd have to wish/pray hard for him to come. "Omoikiri," he said again, telling us we had to call out for...
"Mana-SANTA-sama!"
It was HYSTERICAL, the way he said it, extending the "sama" & going up with it, almost into question form: "Mana-SANTA-samaaaa?"
So he gives us a count of 3, & we all call out...& out pops Mana in THE CUTEST LITTLE BLACK & WHITE XMAS OUTFIT EVER!!!!!!!!
And the other members are there, either on their knees or pretending to be on their knees - like little boys, with their hands in beseeching, prayer-like claps - as he comes out with a teddy bear bag & starts throwing candy into the audience! Sadly, I didn't catch any. Hadn't gotten any guitar picks during the live, either. Everything seemed to go into the first section.
Ye gods, that man has great legs...
Sorry, I fangirled. Seriously, tho', he was really cute & sweet, doing that.
He & the band led us in 3 choruses of Silent Night. Once in Japanese (I never even realised they had a version of it), with Seth feeding us the lines before we'd sing them (which was great, since I didn't know the words), then in English, then in Japanese again (no feed, so I just kinda hummed, since I'd forgotten what I'd sung before). With all 3 renditions, we clapped along with the drum & tambourines.
After that, Seth had us jump up together for one final, "DIX!" & the happy boys bid us good-night & left the stage. Mana left last, waving his teddy.
SO AWESOME!!!
Met up with Bridget again afterward, & we got our post-show goodies - there were 2 club staffers handing them out. First, the customary live house promo packets; this one included the flyer for Mana's b-day live in March (somewhere in Shibuya), & a Sadie flyer (I think for a live in Shinkiba). I almost missed the other staffer, until I saw what Bridget had, & asked who she got it from. It was a postcard featuring the awesome group shot, with the members' signatures!
They'd been selling posters at the merch table, but it was the Mana shot from the covers of the CD & photo book (this one), & we liked the postcard shot better (it's also the back cover of the CD). But they had posters of that shot hung on the wall as you went up the stairs to the lobby area! Would've bought one if they were selling it. We mused on what might happen if we just took them. In America, they would've been GONE! We were good girls, tho', & left them alone.
I was thirsty, & used my drinks badge to get a Coke at the upstairs bar (between the coin lockers & the smoking area - the cafe was in back). Umbrae tried to make a daring escape as I rummaged thru my purse for my coin locker key. A very nice young man (club staffer?) gave her back, & I thanked him. As Bridget & I got our stuff & prepared to leave, we saw that girl dressed as Seth again, taking some parting shots with her Loli-gal friends. (Loli-gals are TOO CUTE! When we were lining up before the live, just prior to them calling the ticket numbers, Bridget & I let a couple of Loli-gals cut in a bit so they could join up with their little Loli friends.) I decided I couldn't leave without getting a picture of that girl. Bridget kindly offered to take a pic of me WITH her, which sealed the deal.
I tapped "Seth" on the shoulder as she was putting her coat on. She didn't seem to feel my taps, but her friend with the pseudo-Mana hair let her know I was trying to attract her attention. She turned around, & I let the Japanese fly. "Sumimasen" ('excuse me'), I said. Can't remember whether I added an "onegai shimasu" (roughly, 'could you please do me a favour?') or not, but I followed with the clincher: "Shashin o tottemo kamaimasen ka." (more or less, 'Would you mind if I take your picture?')
She acted rather surprised. Not sure if she was reacting to my request for a photo or the fact that I asked her in Japanese. Maybe both. She was wonderfully obliging, tho', & posed with me, both of us doing devil-horns.
Afterward, I thanked her (pretty sure I did, in Japanese), & she said a perfect English, "Thank you!" Bridget said, "Good English!" & I seconded. The girl smiled, quite lovely, & we bowed a bit, & parted ways. That photo remains one of my favourites.
Bridget & I were heading in the same direction, so we laughed & joked & mused all the way to the train station. Chatted about this, that, & the other on the train. Her stop was before mine, & with a hug & good wishes & vows to keep in touch (which we have), we parted ways.
Had a call from styxonline on my phone when I reached Akiba, so I quickly hit the subway & made my way to Ryogoku. Soon, I was back at the apartment, where both she & my co-host were home from work. It was around 11 or so then...almost Xmas!
More to come!
You could see the little wisps of mist even around the closed curtains. But when the lights went down & those curtains opened...
Set to the almost violently impassioned voices of the choral piece, In Paradisum, which opens the new album, D+Sect, the stage was bathed in red light, & through the swirling fog, the stark image of those 3 silhouettes - K, Seth, & Mana - still & statuesque, hands raised in devil-horn gestures above their heads, was absolutely breathtaking.
Behind K & Mana, the stage was flanked by high gates with vines climbing up them, like a Gothic garden. Moi dix Mois immediately launched into new material, beginning with a fiery, fast-paced track called The Seventh Veil. Tremendous energy, right off the bat! And I'm not just talking about the band!
I stood between 2 girls that I’d classify as EGA (Elegant Gothic Aristocrat), a tall, pretty, sleekly elegant girl in black on my left, & a cute, fair-haired girl about my height, with nifty nails, somewhat teased hair, & a white blouse with black skirt on my right. I looked over at them from time to time, & we would grin acknowledgingly at each other. I don't know why I mention them at this point, other than to note that they clapped & cheered & chanted along with the rest of them...& myself, of course! It's still different than American audiences, but this bunch didn't need to have the participation dragged out of them like the Daikanyama crowd, & for that - as I applauded & howled - I was extremely grateful.
I hadn't devil-horned that much since Dir en grey 2007! We followed all of Seth's prompts with gusto (I'll get to those in a minute), head-banged our little brains out (I did it so hard once, I almost fell over!), & there was oh-so-much Lolita hand-waving. I call it the Loli-wave. Took a cue from the EGA to my right, who was Loli-waving with the devil-horns! If you follow the cadence of MdM's music, there are the hard, fast, metal bits, & the slower, flowy, melodic bits (in between the atmospheric, Gothic bits), so you'd see the whole audience - guys, too! - going right along with it: Loli-wave...Loli-wave...head-bang, head-bang, head-bang! Loli-wave...Loli-wave...head-bang, head-bang, head-bang! XD
Back to the band! Having now listened to D+Sect (many, many times!), I can pretty much tell you which songs they did. I hadn't heard any of the new stuff before the live, except for 2 songs, so it's a case of remembering the sounds of those numbers, or the titles Seth announced - I can't find an official set list. The Sect & Dead Scape (the new tracks I knew) both made it into the set, as did Witchcraft & Agnus Dei (those were announced). I'm not sure if Dies Irae was among the new tracks they did, but Ange definitely was. It's actually a Juka-era song that they re-worked for the new album. (Juka, for those who don't know, was their previous vocalist.)
One more new piece, Sanctum Regnum, was a highlight. Last time I saw them, Seth led us in the "D-I-X-Dix" hand motions for the song Dispell Bound (I illustrate these in the entry on that show - http://japanesedream.livejournal.com/184802.html). Sanctum Regnum employs these same motions, but there's so much more power to that song! It's become one of my favourites.
Several of the classics turned up, as well, including some Juka-era numbers I wasn't even aware Seth had been singing - like Front et Baiser, & Dialogue Symphonie-X! Other old faves they performed included Vizard, Xanadu, Metaphysical, Immortal Madness (major participational moment, which I’ll describe shortly), Forbidden, & Deus Ex Machina, one of my all-time faves! I think the encore ended with that, & a very spirited rendition it was, too, the band in top form & the audience right up there with them.
I remember thinking more than once that I wouldn't have missed this for the world.
Immortal Madness is always a trip. During lives, the crowd shouts along with the main phrase, "Dix sight", & then Seth changes it. They performed it at the Club Unit show, as well, only this time, I was much better acquainted with it, so I knew what to expect. Well, sort of. ^_^ As anticipated, he changed "Dix sight" to "Dix love". But this time, he also changed it to "D+Sect". Then they threw in the fun Xmas version. In an abbreviation of the Japanese pronunciation of Merry Christmas, Mana whispered in Seth's ear that it should be ME-KU. (Mana wagging his finger "no" at a full version of the phrase was VERY cute, but I'll get to interactions later.) I believe it was K who threw the "Dix" in there, so we ended up chanting, "Me-ku-Dix!" (For those who know how that song goes, the Ku & Dix almost ran together.) It was pretty funny.
You'll have to forgive me, I'm working from my notes here, which are a bit disjointed, & were written over a period of days - partly on the plane, partly in the days after my return.
I take a moment at this point in my scribbles to detail the physical aspects of the band. They wore the outfits from my favourite of the new pictures (this one), only Mana wore the black corset dress (a la this photo) instead of the more blue one, but he had the tulle shoulder ruffle from the bluer outfit.
These pics are from the photobook, D+Sect Chronicle (which also includes montages of live shots, & each member’s comments on every D+Sect track, in order...except it’s in Japanese, so I have no idea what they said):
Seth does a lot of screaming in songs now. Not like Diru's Kyo or anything, but it's more than straight singing with 1 or 2 well-placed screams. He is DROP-DEAD SEXY, more than ever, with serpentine moves & stoic poses. When he'd slink & slither around K or Mana...oh, WOW!! A few times, I actually had to pull my eyes away from him in order to watch the other members, Mana included! I really want to touch his hair, it looked so soft! He put some curl in it. Oh, & if you check out his shoulder between his old photo & this one, it looks like he got a tattoo!
Mana is still beautiful, & was more active this time. We even got a few twirls! He'd throw his head back a lot, playing his guitar raised up, like a rock star. He used to do that during the Juka days. Just like last time, I noted the little things about him - his hand on his back, or moving the hair out of his eyes, or his watching glances cast at the other members, as if even during the performance he had to keep an eye on things. During a few songs (mainly for the endings), I saw him looking up, as if to the heavens.
All the guys have great hair. It's prob'ly hard as hell, tho'! (I think there was a fan somewhere, btw, 'cuz Seth's looked a bit wind-blown; Mana's too, a little.) When they head-bang - & they really get it whippin'! Seth will go in circles, while Mana & K are classic head-bangers - it doesn't move! Well, it does, but it pops right back into place again. XD
K's hair is shorter than it was last time, but it's longer than the photobook pic. About down to his shoulders on the sides & in back. And he put the red back in it, on the right side. I think he may have had the sides shaved at one time, like a mohawk. He looked mad until they got into the talking bits. I know his stage persona is very hard/edgy, but I got the initial impression maybe he was unhappy with some element of the performance. Once they did the talking, tho', he happied up. As much as he can, anyway.
Hayato & Sugiya both looked good, & seemed quite content.
Hayato is WAY cuter than that picture! He has a cute smile. His hair is lighter in colour these days, a la the photo above (last time I saw them, it was red); in the group photos, it looks like the sides were buzzed, but I couldn't tell. Either it grew back before the live, or the rest of his hair covered it.
Sugiya cut his hair again, except for that piece that hangs in the front.
During the performance, Mana & K, as usual, switched their positions from time to time, giving everyone equal opportunity to see them in all their Gothic glory. But unlike last time, they did a lot of that 'everybody except the drummer playing together at the front of the stage' thing. It was beautiful.
In the middle of the live, just as they'd done at Unit, they broke to talk. A LOT. Unfortunately, it was really difficult for me to follow them. Seth did most of the speaking. Once he pulls out that clipboard, the info starts flying! He had us shout, "Oi!" to a lot of stuff, & he used the phrase "omoikiri" many, many times throughout the evening - I later learned this is tantamount to, 'with all your force/power'...or, as my co-host put it, 'full-swing'); I just tried to shout & cheer & laugh along with the 99% of the people in the room who were able to understand him.
I did note him mentioning D+Sect, that it was/had been on sale, asking if people had heard it yet. He talked about Mana's new guitar, the one he came out playing, & used throughout the main set. It's marble blue with a blue cross in the middle that lights up (I think it also had the MdM decagram on it). I think I read on the translation of his blog (thank you, manaaesthetics) that it's Lapis Lazuli. Seth might've mentioned that, but I'm not sure. For the encore, Mana played the white guitar with the red cross-light that he used the last time I saw them.
Seth might've mentioned the live they're doing in March for Mana's b-day, but I'm not certain. We got a flyer for that in the packet they handed out as we were coming up from the stage area (more on that later). I know he talked about the photobook, tho'. I held mine up when he mentioned it. I later read, on the translation of Mana's blog, that it sold out that night.
That was about all I could get, apart from his instructions during songs, of course (including a humourous moment prior to Sanctum Regnum when he asked the people in the first section to step back a bit; when they did, he said something like, "That was fast, huh?"), & a fair amount of the stuff during the finale.
Of course, the other guys talked, too (except Mana, who never speaks in public - he just nodded or shook his head when Seth addressed him), & Seth passed his mic to Hayato & then Sugiya so they could say...whatever it was they said. I couldn't follow them at all, but they were cute & smiley. K, too. He spoke from his own mic, tho' (he does backing vocals). Is his guitar new? Looks the same as before, tho' I didn't recall the top part appearing so bat-like. Did Sugiya mention his bass is new? Couldn't tell.
At one point, Seth asked if the others wanted to comment on something. Sugiya & K nervously waved him away, shaking their heads, eyes wide, like, "No way!" It was cute. They really are fun & funny guys, despite their darkness & stoicism.
Seth has a neat laugh.
They all look so...BIG when you see them live. Thicker. Not heavy, 'cuz they're thin guys, but it's something I don't experience with Diru or Vamps. Weird. And since I was closer this time than at Unit, I felt it even more.
The girls called out for "Mana-sama!" as usual, but this time, they called out for all the other members, too! MUCH more interactive crowd than at Unit. For some reason, it amuses me to no end to hear fangirls calling out for K. XD But it's infectious! I called out for them each at one point or another.
We got them out after the main set with a persistent chant of, "Moi dix Mois! Moi dix Mois!" It was fantastic! But the best was yet to come. After the encore, we thought we could get them out for a 2nd. The chants began again...
Blue lights came up, on the sides of the stage; I'm not sure whether it was these or the white lights in the shape of large stars that were strung up on those garden gates that stood behind Mana & K. In any case, a choral version of Silent Night, in English, began to play over the P.A. I seriously wanted to cry, it was so beautiful! I'd had a feeling they'd do something special for Xmas, & boy, did they EVER!
The guys all came out in big, sparkly bow-ties & reindeer antlers!! Each member's antlers were a little different - Seth's were sparkly. I can't remember if Hayato changed to a more plain black shirt (he'd worn the one with the ruffles), but he had a single drum strapped to him, inspiring the image of the Little Drummer Boy, but the straps were red, so it kind of looked like he was wearing red suspenders. Made him look even more boyish! The other guys had silver tambourines.
They started to talk, Seth saying how it was Xmas Eve, & this was (or they were having/throwing) an Xmas party! I want to say he also mentioned something about having gifts for us, but I'm not sure. He definitely said something about Santa Claus, tho', like it couldn't be Xmas without a Santa, or they had/we had one of their/our own...but we'd have to wish/pray hard for him to come. "Omoikiri," he said again, telling us we had to call out for...
"Mana-SANTA-sama!"
It was HYSTERICAL, the way he said it, extending the "sama" & going up with it, almost into question form: "Mana-SANTA-samaaaa?"
So he gives us a count of 3, & we all call out...& out pops Mana in THE CUTEST LITTLE BLACK & WHITE XMAS OUTFIT EVER!!!!!!!!
And the other members are there, either on their knees or pretending to be on their knees - like little boys, with their hands in beseeching, prayer-like claps - as he comes out with a teddy bear bag & starts throwing candy into the audience! Sadly, I didn't catch any. Hadn't gotten any guitar picks during the live, either. Everything seemed to go into the first section.
Ye gods, that man has great legs...
Sorry, I fangirled. Seriously, tho', he was really cute & sweet, doing that.
He & the band led us in 3 choruses of Silent Night. Once in Japanese (I never even realised they had a version of it), with Seth feeding us the lines before we'd sing them (which was great, since I didn't know the words), then in English, then in Japanese again (no feed, so I just kinda hummed, since I'd forgotten what I'd sung before). With all 3 renditions, we clapped along with the drum & tambourines.
After that, Seth had us jump up together for one final, "DIX!" & the happy boys bid us good-night & left the stage. Mana left last, waving his teddy.
SO AWESOME!!!
Met up with Bridget again afterward, & we got our post-show goodies - there were 2 club staffers handing them out. First, the customary live house promo packets; this one included the flyer for Mana's b-day live in March (somewhere in Shibuya), & a Sadie flyer (I think for a live in Shinkiba). I almost missed the other staffer, until I saw what Bridget had, & asked who she got it from. It was a postcard featuring the awesome group shot, with the members' signatures!
They'd been selling posters at the merch table, but it was the Mana shot from the covers of the CD & photo book (this one), & we liked the postcard shot better (it's also the back cover of the CD). But they had posters of that shot hung on the wall as you went up the stairs to the lobby area! Would've bought one if they were selling it. We mused on what might happen if we just took them. In America, they would've been GONE! We were good girls, tho', & left them alone.
I was thirsty, & used my drinks badge to get a Coke at the upstairs bar (between the coin lockers & the smoking area - the cafe was in back). Umbrae tried to make a daring escape as I rummaged thru my purse for my coin locker key. A very nice young man (club staffer?) gave her back, & I thanked him. As Bridget & I got our stuff & prepared to leave, we saw that girl dressed as Seth again, taking some parting shots with her Loli-gal friends. (Loli-gals are TOO CUTE! When we were lining up before the live, just prior to them calling the ticket numbers, Bridget & I let a couple of Loli-gals cut in a bit so they could join up with their little Loli friends.) I decided I couldn't leave without getting a picture of that girl. Bridget kindly offered to take a pic of me WITH her, which sealed the deal.
I tapped "Seth" on the shoulder as she was putting her coat on. She didn't seem to feel my taps, but her friend with the pseudo-Mana hair let her know I was trying to attract her attention. She turned around, & I let the Japanese fly. "Sumimasen" ('excuse me'), I said. Can't remember whether I added an "onegai shimasu" (roughly, 'could you please do me a favour?') or not, but I followed with the clincher: "Shashin o tottemo kamaimasen ka." (more or less, 'Would you mind if I take your picture?')
She acted rather surprised. Not sure if she was reacting to my request for a photo or the fact that I asked her in Japanese. Maybe both. She was wonderfully obliging, tho', & posed with me, both of us doing devil-horns.
Afterward, I thanked her (pretty sure I did, in Japanese), & she said a perfect English, "Thank you!" Bridget said, "Good English!" & I seconded. The girl smiled, quite lovely, & we bowed a bit, & parted ways. That photo remains one of my favourites.
Bridget & I were heading in the same direction, so we laughed & joked & mused all the way to the train station. Chatted about this, that, & the other on the train. Her stop was before mine, & with a hug & good wishes & vows to keep in touch (which we have), we parted ways.
Had a call from styxonline on my phone when I reached Akiba, so I quickly hit the subway & made my way to Ryogoku. Soon, I was back at the apartment, where both she & my co-host were home from work. It was around 11 or so then...almost Xmas!
More to come!