GLAY - Live Report 02
And here we go again, more than 3 months after the second best day of my life, the second part of the immense love Mari feels for GLAY, as well as "leveldevil" does for her creators and the fan for her heroes.
I set my alarm clock to 5h30, but I only managed to get up 1 hour later. The girls had told me that they would try to get to the line earlier than me because they were staying closer to the House of Blues (a.k.a. HOB xD), so I was a bit more relaxed regarding this aspect of the day. Still, I only got there around 9AM, when I had finished showering, having breakfast at the same Starbucks near the hotel and had also found a cab to take us back to Hollywood.
The House of Blues! As seen really early in the morning and pretty much closed.
And as seen from Sunset Blvd., also early at the morning. XD
And dude! The girls were there, but the same group of people who had gotten 1st row the day before were just ahead us AGAIN, which left me extremely irritated. Meredith had planned to arrive earlier, but she slept in and we ended up at the same place from the first day (which was a good place!).
My mom decided to take a stroll around and I remained back at the HOB with everyone. Chibi was with the most amazing make up ever on her right eye, and she and Meredith also had the tour t-shirts on. Bix was dressed just like Hisashi - and dude, srsly: I can't include myself in the Hisashi fans' list because I'm not stylish, haha. Bix also has this very impressive shi-ne glare, especially when she removed her sunglasses to do it. 8D I'm so glad -I- wasn't the target of any of those glares, hehe.
Awesome make up is awesome! Jiro even pointed at her later during the live, I think! XD
We started talking about GLAY songs and then Bix made that question: which is your least favourite song? She said she couldn't stand "WHY DON'T WE MAKE YOU HAPPY", but I voted for "It's dying, It's not dying" - but allow me to say that I have a few songs I just don't listen to and therefore I don't really care about them. I asked if the setlist was going to be the same and Chibi replied that last year they played exactly the same songs and I pouted. :X I wanted to see "MERMAID" live - but I was told that it was highly unlikely, since they'd played that tune in 2008. ç__ç
Then I said something about "Shitto" and I found out that it's one of Bix's favourites, haha. The "kiss me more deep" line always makes me cringe at the wrong English there, but the song kicks ass anyway! Meredith commented that if Bix was allowed to make a top 10 songs for GLAY to play live, we'd only have "Shitto". 83
I remember we also discussed something about the member produced lives which had taken place during the 1st semester. There was no arguing among us: Jiro's concert had the best setlist, even if it was for couples. XD We knew that Teru's had been a men-only live and that Takuro was for old HAPPY SWING members who had joined the FC 10 years ago or more (I believe I've had the same number for 4 or 5 straight years now. *___* I'm a member since 2003, though, if we count the time from when I first applied to the HS but then had a problem with the membership renewal, which became the one I have at the moment), but we had no idea about Hisashi's theme for his concert - at which Bix promptly replied that the requirement must have been one's desire to sleep, because it had been kind of dull and boring. XD I have to agree, really - I hadn't even noticed that there were PEOPLE watching the live until they clapped after the songs were done, it was so... Silent. o_o'
Eventually the people from the HOB opened the place and we moved inside - and we ended up EXACTLY at the same spot from the other day, on top of the wooden stairs! XD Impressive but kinda boring, since we really wanted to stay closer to the front, ne~.
The area the line was formed later. :3 We were right behind that wooden parlour...
...See? EXACTLY the same place from Friday. 8D
This time people Bix and Chibi knew dropped by - they were sisters and they were both incredibly beautiful and stylish. n_n And I can't remember their names. 8D *fails* One of the sisters said something like "Wow, last night there were people saying from where they had came from and did I hear things or was there someone from Brazil?" and the girls then pointed at me and I raised my hand. 8D She seemed really surprised and asked me if I had travelled all the way to the United States just to see them and I said yes. :D I also added that my mom was with me (and that she was playing something on her cellphone just behind us) and she said that she had seen an older lady with glasses having fun the night before at the back of the crowd - and she could totally be my mom. 8D She likes GLAY! \o/
Chibi, Bix and one of the gorgeous girls I can't remember the name. :x
Then we made two new friends: Erika and Jennifer, the girls who were immediately behind us in the line. :D I also told them that I was from Brazil and all that long story about getting an American visa, which included the stupid questions in the forms about your intentions regarding your trip ("Do you intend to commit terrorist attacks in the US?" was one of the questions, I kid you not!) - and it quickly became one of our major talks, since no one believed that they could actually ask that. XD
Erika is studying to become a nurse, so she had a lot of stories about her college, childbirth and... Well, let's just say that it was enough to almost completely remove any idea I had about having a kid of my own someday. 8D Boredom has this power of taking normal conversations into stranger and unlikely topics, so we spent a good time wondering what made someone want to have her own kid's birth videotaped or what parents are exactly thinking when they take their very small kids to soccer matches with very violent people. XD
Someone from the HOB came to check on us and divide the line into two, already asking for the US$ 25,00 receipt - and I didn't have one when the guy came over (it was so EARLY), but I didn't bother to leave my place because I planned on having dinner there - but the restaurant only opened at 5PM. I ended up buying a pair of bracelets anyway, just to avoid any problems with the "line control". xD
At some point my mom decided that she wanted to call my grandmother in Brazil and I left the line to look for a payphone, but we found NONE at the Sunset Blvd. -__- Rich people have no need for public phones, guh! I think we inquired about payphones at a couple of hotels, kombinis and I don't know what else, but there was nothing on the streets, save for a few ATMs. A lady said that there was a payphone at a 7/11 down a few blocks, but we gave up walking all the way there just to phone my grandma - we only left the HOB to buy lunch anyway.
Back to the line, time was dragging itself like whoa, but at least we distracted ourselves talking about bizarrely named people, the mystery involving Takuro's English (how can he write so well at their MySpace and then write things like "NO ESCAPE"? 8D) and Miyavi - you know you're getting old when this guy, who you knew when he was starting his solo career, is suddenly married and has a DAUGHTER. T_T The girls also shared their experience from the S.K.I.N. concert (never mind the fact that the band is pretty much dead since then xD), which was kind of disappointing since whoever came before them took foooorever on the stage and they barely had time to play. :/
TWILIGHT BASHING! I'm so glad there're still sane people who hate Twilight! *___* So we promptly made fun of this horrible series for a good while, including the talk about Robert Pattinson's (lack of) personal hygiene, the Twilight Moms and other things which are also scary. x.x
It was still the beginning of the afternoon when the girls decided to ask a couple of GLAY staff members who were VERY nice for pictures - one of the girls was 21 years old, blonde and had a 2008 tour pink t-shirt on, being a Jiro fan; the other girl was a brunette, had her hair done in a fashion similar to Teru's, had a white coat on and was a Hisashi fan, so we dubbed them "Jiro-chan" and "Hisa-chan". XDDD Bix took their picture and then they wanted a pic of us, so Meredith and I stepped to the side because we didn't want to get in the way, but they asked us to go back and we ended up in the picture! 8D I totally opened the white gym-thing I was wearing in order to show off my Brazilian shirt, hehe. XD
Jiro-chan then asked us to wait for a bit and then started rummaging through her backpack, finally giving us a couple of pens and a small notebook which were for written messages to GLAY! *__* I wrote a very short message, just saying that seeing them live had been a dream and that Brazil loved them. ^__~ The two staff girls were very kind and they tried very hard to communicate with us even if they didn't know much English, but Meredith worked as a translator for us. 8D I decided to speak up and I said that I was really happy to be there, since I had come all the way from Brazil just to see them and they were surprised and then asked "Aa, so it was you who Teru-san spoke to last night?". I replied that they were correct and that I was "ureshii" since I had been WAY too happy after managing to speak to him and they were all happy and excited for me and awwwwuuu~. ♥ Meredith then proceeded to tell them from where each one of us had come from and they were also impressed by Alaska. 83
Then I tried a little bit of Japanese, explaining that I had been to Japan in July, but that I couldn't see GLAY there. ç___ç They told me that July isn't a good month for concerts in Japan, but that from August onwards it got better - but then I said that I had college and I wouldn't be able to make it. x.x They praised my nihongo! *_* But of course I stumbled with the words and said almost -nothing- to them, but then I guess that every Japanese must get really impressed when they see a gaijin speaking anything differently from "arigatou" or "sayounara" without a heavy accent. xD
They also asked for our ages and our favourite members. XD They had no trouble guessing (correctly) that Bix was a Hisashi fan, then Chibi said Jiro was her favourite and Meredith claimed to be a Teru fan. I went for Takuro (my idol, ne~). :D We thanked them for their time and Jiro-chan kept repeating "global communication" (or rather gorubaru komunikeishon) and "one love" to symbolise the union of GLAY fans from such different places. XD
There was also a place to take an "official" picture of the show for everyone who was on the line and it was free! They actually had it on both days and we were supposed to take the pictures in front of a green background, which was replaced by a brick wall where you could see "GLAY" painted with yellow paint on top, as if it was some kind of street art. :D Ysa and I were the guinea-pigs for the first day - but since my Brazilian shirt was green, I ended up with a brick-wall-coloured shirt! 8D At least on Saturday I remembered to zip up my coat and then squeezed myself with the rest of the girls into the picture - and all we six managed to be in the same picture. Never mind we were supposed to take pictures in PAIRS, hehe. *whistles innocently* And speaking about pictures, a HOB employee earlier came to us to warn everyone about the cameras and saying it wasn't allowed inside to come back moments later and take back his words, thus allowing the cameras. XDDD
Picture from Friday! Note how well I blend in. 8D Me and Ysa.
And a big group picture from Friday! On top: Me, Luka and Mer. Below: Chibi, Ysa and Yuki.
Group picture of Saturday! It was hard to pose for this, but we did it! 1st row from the top: Chibi and Erika; 2nd row: Chibi (almosty invisible due to my height xD) and Mer; 3rd row: me and Jennifer!
I didn't see it when GLAY arrived at the HOB, but I think they got inside from the Sunset Blvd. entrance, really - there was quite a number of staff members getting in and out from the place from there. o_o They started rehearsing later this time and I actually went to the restroom (where we could listen to the rehearsal) and recorded the wooden floor just to get the "Yuuwaku" audio on the background! XD My mom was talking to me as I recorded it, but still!
My mom and I had dinner at the HOB, but we only had cheeseburgers and lemonades. x3 I must say that most of the Californian food didn't appeal to me, probably because it's too mixed with Mexican food (which I find very spicy) and bacon. @_@ And since I'm not fond of bacon and I'm not used to Mexican food, I was afraid of sampling it and then having stomach problems later. xD As soon as I was done with the food I returned to the line and it was around 6PM, so I thought the line would start moving at 7PM and the concert would start at 8PM.
WRONG!
I don't know why, but GLAY rehearsed until a bit later than the previous day and it delayed everything. T_T Since the line wasn't moving, we tried to take pictures of two rather interesting boys who were around, but we stared at them for so long (they were at this balcony you could reach through the HOB's 2nd floor and we were downstairs, outside and in the line for the stage) that they noticed us being obvious like that and then, even when I was pretending to take pictures of Bix and Chibi, they played hard to get and turned to the side and so on. And there was this really weird Japanese woman with them. O___o Oh well, at least we had something to look at. xDDD
The hot guys. See how they're totally avoiding the camera, even if I wasn't pointing it at them? xD
Playing hard to get. Again.
Before that someone also had the HAPPY SWING magazine issues 50 and 53 there, if I'm not mistaken. :3 Issue 50 was about the USA concerts from 2008 and 53 was about the Nissan Stadium lives and everything else, but I had already seen them. *dances* No, seriously, I was surprised that none of the girls was a member of HS, I thought there would be more people from the official fan club in the US. o_ob I showed Bix the page in which Hisashi acted out the best comic strip sent to the magazine! 8DDD It's hilarious and Bix draws really well, so I thought she could do one and mail him. x3 Jennifer almost made it to one of the pictures from the 2008 lives found in the magazine, but only her arm was visible. 8D
The Saturday line!
We went after Jiro-chan and Hisa-chan again because of Bix and we found out that they spent the WHOLE afternoon in the line, talking to people the best they could with their Engrish and also collecting messages for the band with the very same notebook we had written on earlier. ♥ Bix then asked if she could give the two a hug and they let her, and in the ending everyone was hugging everyone and we did this human circle (like the one soccer players do at the field before starting the match? xD) and Jiro-chan said "furiendo da!" and we repeated "hai, tomodachi~!". It was so CUTE and the people in the line gave us REALLY WEIRD looks, but I don't care. 8D It was impossible NOT to hug them, haha. Later we also took a picture of them with Andrew, a friend of Jennifer and Erika's and who resembled T.M. Revolution! 8D It was so hard to convince him to pose like Takanori for the pic. 83
It was almost 8PM when we finally got inside and it was rather chilly outside, since the sun was gone and there was a little wind. 83 The human heat from inside the HOB was welcome during the first... 20 seconds, because it filled up so quickly! I had plans to stay to Hisashi's side, but I ended up to his left, in front of where Jiro was (but he stood further to the back) and almost in front of Teru too. I was in the 2nd row, the girls being to my left and in the 3rd row and, since this time I couldn't talk to them in order to pass the time, it took forever until the live began. ç__ç We saw Hisa-chan and Jiro-chan upstairs, at the last floor and with a flag celebrating GLAY's 15th anniversary - we waved to them and they waved back. *__* SO LOVELY, REALLY.
The biggest issue Saturday was the crowd - there were a lot more people and there were also 2 lazy Japanese girls who wanted, at any cost, to infiltrate themselves in the 2nd row and... I didn't let them. 8D I mean, I spent pretty much 10 HOURS in the line until the concert started so sorry, it wasn't going to work for them. The girl who was just behind me had the audacity to even LEAN against me as if I was a wall of some sorts and then I purposely shifted my position every now and then just to make her realise that I didn't like being used like that. ¬¬ The girls in the 1st row, though, weren't that tall and I managed to stay right in the MIDDLE of their heads so I had an awesome view of the stage! \o/
The concert itself started at 9PM, but the crowd had gone crazy moments before when the staff members just tested the instruments to make sure everything was okay. XD I think the entrance order was more or less the same and ooonce more Hisashi brought his lightsaber and got on the stage with his hood on - I was actually surprised to realise how much that toy of his glowed in the dark and it looked more like a pink lightsaber instead of the red one I think it was supposed to be? 8D I wouldn't know, really, I'm not a Star Wars fan, so~. >> Hisashi and Takuro were the only ones who had changed their outfits from the day before: Takuro had a red sleeveless shirt on and Hisashi changed his skirt/kilt thing to a different one in black, but with something written in English over the fabric that I couldn't make out since it was kind of divided into two halves and he moved A LOT, so we couldn't read it.
Teru and Takuro on the second night!
And Hisashi and Jiro!
Teru was all excited and back with his usual "Are you ready?", and they played "GREAT VACATION" first. I had the impression that everyone looked more relaxed if compared to the first night, maybe because it was their second time and they already knew what to expect or it was the side effect of it being "THE GREAT VACATION Tour Final", as Teru put it earlier. It only when the song started that I realised how -insanely- close to Teru I ended up being, even without planning it. 8D Awesome!
...But I also realised I'd die crushed. x__x The crowd tried to remove my lungs due to the sheer pressure I felt against my back, I swear! While I had a certain room to dance and move around on Friday and I was only crushed when one of them came to the edge of the stage, on Saturday it was pretty much the status quo of the whole concert - but I kind of expected it, taking into account the size of the line for the second day. The screaming caused by anything was three times worse and it felt like I was taking the underground at Sé, at 6PM! x_x (Sé = biggest underground station we have in São Paulo and which often looks like this during weekdays, at rush hours. It's scary.)
"Yuuwaku" was the next song and I was pleasantly surprised to notice that the audience was singing the first lines really loud - and I think I also saw a bit of surprise on Teru's face for the same reason - and he let us sing without him~. :D It was sooo moving to listen to such a big crowd of voices singing "Yuuwaku" with all that energy and vigour and I assure you that I did not stop singing, moving my arms or jumping with them on the stage for the whole song. *___* Teru hugged Hisashi AGAIN during this song (standard "Yuuwaku" fan service? XD) and Hisa gifted us with all his orgasmic faces, comme d'habitude. xD I was particularly mesmerised by Hisashi's fingers on his guitar during the solo, looking at the way his black nail polish reflected the stage lights and thinking about how much I loved (and still love!) that song and how insanely happy I was to see it -live-, again!
Then we had our first MC, with Teru thanking everyone for being there and saying that he loved us. ♥ I swear I heard something about Jackie Chan, too. XD Another thing: the crowd was visibly more agitated and wilder and there was almost never a moment of complete silence because a random fan would scream. Teru replied to pretty much everything he heard! xD Each "I love you!" which came from the audience was gifted with a big smile and then "Thank you!" or "Really? I love you too!" *___* I love the man, srsly. ♥ I believe it also during this MC that someone threw a green bracelet to Teru from the audience and he CAUGHT IT IN THE AIR (ninja!Teru), which he slipped around his left wrist and kept it there until the ending of the concert. n_n The bracelet was really similar to the ones I had bought earlier at the HOB store and I'm pretty certain they were part of someone's US$ 25,00. XD
Teru then asked everyone to sing together and they launched into "Ikiteku Tsuyosa". I've always thought of this song being "classic" but rather generic, but it made me so happy to see it live. "Ikiteku Tsuyosa" has a particularly optimistic message and the atmosphere of both days was VERY cheerful, happy and fun! :DD I believe only "BE WITH YOU" and "HOWEVER" contrasted with this "festive" mood, since even "I'm in Love" didn't sound so melancholic as usual to me. o_ob
We had our first and last change regarding the setlist: "Glorious"! That caught me by surprise because I was totally expecting the same setlist and Meredith had said earlier that she would love to hear that song, so I was happy for her! :D I see why "Glorious" is such a loved song by so many people - it leaves you kind of drunk from so much happiness, I think. It's very similar to "Ikiteku Tsuyosa" regarding this aspect~. And the lyrics are gorgeous, except for that infamous Engrish. 8DDD
"Cynical" was the next song and Hisashi was jumping around the stage like mad, occasionally throwing a guitar pick to the crowd with drama and flair as he did so. XD The way he looked at us whenever he threw us anything (with NO previous warning) was hilarious and I'm sure he was the one with less picks by the end of the live. 83 I also noted that he "visited" Toshi for several times and played facing him and with his back to the crowd. x3
We had another MC - and we could tell the next song was "STARLESS NIGHT". xDD Teru once more played with us, making us repeat everything he sang as the rest of the band kept playing in the background. Saturday, however, brought a change as he divided us eventually into girls and boys, first asking only the girls to mimick his singing and occasionally resting his hand against his hip as he danced while he invented those crazy things for us. XD Suddenly he stopped and pointed to someone in the middle of the crowd and said "No, girls only! You're boys." and kept reiterating (in his trademark Engrish) that only women were supposed to sing after him. 8D I'm sure that it was some random Japanese guy who failed to understand Teru's instructions in English and sang with us, oho. 83
Then finally came the time for the boys to sing and... I must confess that I thought it wouldn't be great since I didn't think there were many male fans there (but I have to say that I saw more men in the line for Saturday than I did on Friday), but it turned out more than okay! O_Ob Teru did some lines in a very looow tone for the boys, haha. xD And yeah, he laughed again after doing it. 8D
But apparently our dear vocalist wasn't satisfied, since he kept going on and on regarding the time he could hold the notes, always telling us that he wanted to hear us stronger and louder and for a longer time - and there was one time when we did everything so perfectly that I was proud of the thumbs up Hisashi gave us. xD He looked genuinely impressed by our devotion. \o/
Teru then said that he'd try to hold the notes for EVEN longer (emphasis on "try") and he started, his voice faltering a little at the beginning - but he DID IT. He hold it FOREVER and ended up on his KNEES on the floor, his back arching up and after more than half a minute, certainly! I think he hold it longer than in "HEAVY GAUGE". Takuro's expression when he saw Teru dropping to his knees and all surprised merited a picture!
We did it, too - but it doesn't really count because we were in 300-400 people there so whenever one of us paused to breathe someone else kept singing, so~. 8D Even so Hisashi and Jiro clapped their hands for us and Teru taught us the chorus of "STARLESS NIGHT" exactly like he had done on Friday, making us repeat after him like good trained monkeys and everything. XD Sometimes he just shouted "motto!" without the aid of the microphone or asked for us to sing louder. x3
"STARLESS NIGHT" is a song that I wished I knew the lyrics better so I could have enjoyed it more. :x It's odd - I never thought it was a fan favourite or anything before those two lives and deserving such long MCs before it. o_o' Weeell, the setlist also had "Cynical" and "Sen no Naifu ga Mune wo Sasu" and those two were also unusual choices. XDD
Then "RUN" began (according to the setlist from this report) and this song almost made me tear my hair out because I couldn't memorise the lyrics and the "hashiru, hashiru, hashiruuuu~" from the beginning is ridiculously catchy! XD I can see why Takuro said that it could have been a -single-. I also think that Teru looked particularly radiant as he sang his own song, but I can be wrong, ne. x3
Things calmed down and I knew it was time for "HOWEVER", which had a brief instrumental introduction and this "blue feeling" (since the stage lights were changed to blue), exactly like the last night. However, the crowd wasn't behaving that well so there was some screaming along the introduction, which left me kind of disappointed - I mean, "HOWEVER" is not the time for hysterics, right? ¬¬
It's impossible not to get moved when this song is played live, especially at the ending - it's so powerful and dramatic! "HOWEVER" was succeeded then by a keyboard solo and, still under the same blue light, by Teru singing "ahs" and "ohs" right next to the microphone, in a very different style from his usual one and making it beautifully ethereal - just like the night before. While the rest of GLAY was still and waiting for the beginning of the next song (or, in Jiro's case, fixing and drying his bass off with a towel with such vigour that surprised me XD), the crowd did the opposite.
All it took was a dumbass to scream for EVERYONE ELSE to do the same. If before "HOWEVER" I was annoyed at the fellow fans, this blatant disrespect before "BE WITH YOU" shocked me. From high-pitched screams of the band members to random "sexy!" whistles and whatnot, there was a LOT of noise as Teru worked that beautiful introduction. -__- What irked me is that I know that Teru was probably very focused on his sing since that wasn't easy to do and all that yelling and screaming certainly made things harder for him. I -get- that they're handsome and talented - I think the same thing! - but... I dunno, it was very disappointing and I'm sure Takuro and everyone will think 2847655 times before trying to make a different arrangement to any song again for American audiences.
During "BE WITH YOU" I was reminded of the PV and I watched Hisashi closely, especially when the solo came... It was so magical, really! From where I was standing I could see the way Hisashi's chest went up and down as he -breathed-, how the pendant from the silver string he had around his neck shone under the stage lights and even follow the sweat droplets which were visibly only on the small area of exposed skin there, near his neck. He was so incredibly real, alive, human - and in front of me, not in a screen or anything like that!
Then it was time for another MC and Teru asked for permission to ask a question. XD After saying that he was from Japan (in English!), he asked where we had come from, wanting to know who was from Japan too - and when there was a good deal of screaming, he looked surprised and said "Oh, many many Japans". 8D He inquired about China, Canada and then repeated a few countries people shouted from the audience to him, like Korea, Taiwan and Bolivia. I find that going from Bolivia to the USA as impressive as it was for me to go from Brazil to Los Angeles, but Teru didn't look like he knew where Bolivia was located exactly, as he didn't look surprised. 83 I think Geography wasn't his favourite subject at school. XD
BUT then he turned to me and said "Brazil?", smiling widely as I raised my hand, aaall excited and goofy. *___* Waaah, another 15 seconds of pure happiness as he also looked very proud to have someone from such a far away country there. 8D Then he said that he remembered me from the other night and asked if I was the -same- Brazilian girl from Friday and I... Totally failed to understand what he said. 8DDD And thus I answered "no" (I thought he had asked me if I was a nisei. Yeah, go figure, I have hearing problems. -___-b), at which he looked EVEN MORE surprised (I mean, he must have thought "What are the chances of having two different Brazilian fans here?" XD), of course. Waaah, I'm so sad, I really wanted to have answered correctly. T__T He then asked about Alaska and Meredith was right to my left - and she started jumping to attract his attention and he eventually found her and smiled as if he was saying "Aa, good, you're all here!". XD I think Teru was so cute, just assuming that everyone from the bizarre places from Friday (Alaska + Brazil) would be there again on Saturday. 8D
Anyway~. He said that he was very happy to see everyone there and that he loved us and awwwwn~. *___* The rest of the band seemed really happy to see the place so packed up, too - Takuro was much more relaxed and at ease than he was the night before and, as Teru talked to us, he repeatedly hit his chest with his fist in that way of his, reinforcing Teru's words and showing how much the concerts meant to him. ♥ I was deeply moved to see him like that.
They broke into "VERB", but I think only Takuro sung the English introduction of the song (I'm fairly sure that Teru did that on Friday) as everyone started head banging to it! \o/ I must admit that I find "VERB"'s intro very good to a little head banging, but I was afraid of doing that and thus closing my eyes and losing something on the stage! @_@ Apparently Teru forgot the lyrics on Friday, but I didn't notice anything like that on the second night. XD It was so nice to see everyone excited during this song, especially Teru kneeling on the floor/crouching a but as he sang as the other band members played with enthusiasm. ♥
"VERB" is so good live, dude. 8D I've always favoured GLAY's more upbeat songs and I still think so after seeing them live! The audience enjoyed "VERB" on both days, especially the chorus - which is catchy, addictive and Teru always put his foot down on the amp before throwing his body back to sing "doooooushite". xD I think it was during this song (the solo, to be more specific) that Teru drank some water and then spit it on us again, slightly to my right - and then I think he must have hit a fan really hard or someone was caught off-guard or coughed or something, because Teru laughed very hard and with such genuine amusement that I thought he wouldn't be able to resume his singing. 8D
The next song was "Synchronicity", and this time I was ready for that low intro in the darkness, since the lights only came back on when the song effectively started. *___* I really liked how the fans sung/screamed the first verses in English along with Teru! Since this is one of my favourite songs, I knew the lyrics by heart and I was so happy, throwing my arms up and elbowing the girl who was still trying to get to the 2nd row when Hisashi walked to the edge of the stage and was merely inches away from my fingers! ;___; And his facial expressions! ♥
"Synchronicity" was followed by "I am xxx", with red stage lights. >D I love this song and the majority of the crowd also knew the lyrics (at least the English bits), so the "yes I am, oh yes I am~!" bit from the chorus was so POWERFUL. It sent shivers down my spine. ♥ And just like Friday, there was no pre-recorded female backing vocal, but it was awesome. *___*
Suddenly, sirens went off! It was the prelude to "HIGHCOMMUNICATIONS" with the parapara above our heads and with Teru madly inciting us to scream with him. I think he eventually stopped the song just to hear us singing the "oh oh" from the beginning of the song, always asking for more, for us to be louder, stronger! xD
Something I noticed was that whenever the band took a break to drink something or just wipe the sweat away, the crowd squealed and screamed the band members' names - and Jiro was the most popular, hands down. XD It usually was fruitless except for occasional smiles and waves, but there was one time during which Teru actually grabbed the microphone and complained about hearing too much "Jiro Jiro" and nothing for him. 8D He was JEALOUS! xDDD Of course Jiro smiled broadly to us then, but then the crowd started screaming "Teru Teru" and when he looked like he was pleased with the results, he said "May I introduce the members?"
He started with the drums, yelling "on drums!" and waiting for us to answer "Toshi!". He did that for a couple of times before asking for Toshi to stand up, in English ("stand up, please"), then turned to the audience and claimed that he was "the teacher" for that night. 8D After telling Toshi to sit down and doing the same with Sei-chan (also asking for him to stand up), everyone knew that the next one to be introduced would be Jiro, so his fangirls went mad and started squealing. 8D
Jiro grinned at us and Teru, after glancing at all the ruckus we were doing, slowly started to walk towards Hisashi as he did a negative sign with his hand, teasing us and implying that Jiro wouldn't be the first one just because everyone wanted him to be. 8D Suddenly, when everyone was already screaming "Hisashi! Hisashi!", he turned around and yelled "on bass!", making everyone go back to "Jiro!" XD Dude, Hisashi was MAD. 8DDD
He was looking all fine and dandy until the moment Teru tricked him and he DID look angry for a second before throwing a pick at Teru, who left to the centre of the stage, giggling. XDDD It was so unexpected, really - but Hisashi wasn't truly annoyed, since he was the next and he did make his teasing expressions and kept his "cool" demeanour, as always - I think he actually licked his own lips, hehe. xD Takuro was right after that, raising his arms and pointing to himself like always and then Teru finally introduced himself.
Still following that setlist I've linked earlier, it was time for "More than Love" (but I could swear it had been played earlier on Saturday). Teru always had us yelling the "yes! yes!" from the song and the ending ("you're just a modern girl"), too. Once more I noticed that the crowd was behaving more "Japanese"-like during this song, but since I was really up to the front, I couldn't look back due to the lack of room (to breathe and move), so I can't say for sure I'm right about this. During this song I raised both arms and made a heart sign with my hands because it seemed appropriated. XD My mom later told me that, at first, I was the only one doing it, but eventually other fans did the same. u.u Funny that I was already dead by then, hurting all over, crushed AND thirsty, but I was still moving like a madwoman and finding energy to go on like that from God-knows-where (perhaps from seeing them?). 8D Sometimes I was the only one moving my arms and dancing and such. 8D
Suddenly all the lights were turned off and then quickly turned on, but all of them on Jiro - who did a similar solo to the one from Friday (and, according to that live report I've been referring to, he "raped" his bass, haha). I confess: I thought it was only possible with guitars! O.O He broke into "Shutter Speeds no Teema" and Teru resumed his singing just like the night before, right at the ending of the first verse and then stealing the mic all for himself. :3 Hisashi singing along with the crowd was funny to me - I dunno, it's rare to see him singing like Takuro, especially a Jiro song!
I didn't see when it happened, but Teru's shirt was suddenly COMPLETELY opened and the fans went crazy (I remember watching Hisashi/Jiro and when I got back to Teru his shirt buttons were GONE!). I don't remember if it was still during "Shutter Speeds no Teema" or already during "ACID HEAD", but he just... TOOK OFF his shirt.
I kid you not - he did!
Wow.
WOW.
I totally didn't expect that. XD I have to confess that, as Teru seemed quite annoyed at one staff member who came up to him to fix something on his clothing, that 2 thoughts hit me very FAST:
1. Teru has such a flat stomach! He may be thin, but his -arms-, my darlings, are strong. *_*
2. Teru has an almost hairless body! O.o His skin seemed ridiculously smooth and it was shining under the lights due to all the sweat, which left me to believe that it must be really soft to the touch. 8DDD
Later Teru posted about this moment on his blog and everything made sense: he said that he was just excited and that tearing his shirt off (something he hadn't done since his "Otoko Naito" in the first semester) had been a spontaneous gesture, but the staff guy thought he was about to stage dive. XD Teru was slightly annoyed because he didn't understand why the staff member grabbed him by his belt, but he didn't jump and later thanked the staff member for being concerned about him. It's a good thing he didn't jump, since there was a lady in a wheelchair on the front row.
And "ACID HEAD" started, but it left me with mixed feelings because... Well, I ♥ it, but it's an ending song! ;__; I think Saturday's performance of this song was better, since they ran more across the stage, yelled more and there were more people to scream with them, too. xD Jiro ignored his usual lines again (he was standing right at the edge of the stage and I saw him mouthing the words, at least! XD) and Teru hugged Hisashi -again- (standard fan service again? XD). Hisa brought one of his hands to his ear at one moment, making a very funny face as he wanted to say "more, more, I can't hear you!" just like Miyavi used to do in his Dué le quartz era. xDD
Teru had us yelling and screaming until we couldn't take it anymore - the band included! XD Just for you guys to have an idea of how it was, Teru just dropped to the floor and stood there, as if he was sleeping while we yelled, clapped our hands and the rest of GLAY thanked us for our support and love. XD Teru explained what happened in his blog: he said that he put so much energy into that last song that he passed out. 8DDD Everything was white and his head hurt a little and, when he came back to his senses, he was looking at the ceiling, could hear our screaming and felt like sleeping right there. xD
They thanked us some more and left the stage, leaving us chanting for an encore. The waiting bit, though, was very STRESSFUL, imho: people like the crazy Japanese gal just behind me were pushing a LOT, up to the point where I barely could stand on the floor! x.x I did turn around to yell "STOP THE PUSHING!" and a HOB employee came over to ask us to step back, but there wasn't room! X_X The girl in the wheelchair must have been suffocated by the crowd, not to mention that one of the girls just in front of me didn't look very well - maybe because she was crushed against that barrier before the stage by the crazy crowd, who knows~. >>
Of course GLAY came back to the encore, all of them wearing the tour shirts (and I thought: "A-ha! I have one of those too!" Or not, since theirs had a "v"-shaped neck and Takuro had a sleeveless one, so mine wasn't so similar to theirs xD), and, if I'm not mistaken, Takuro chose that moment to talk to us in English, speaking to us for the first time! :D Bix understood everything he said, so I quote:
"Thank you for dancing, smiling, everything! And thank you for coming Mr. Jackie Chan. Ok, you want more rock?! MORE ROCK?! Ok, let's rock the House of Bluuuues!" (see the video she made of this moment here!)
So I did hear something about Jackie Chan at the beginning, haha. XDD How bizarre was that? I also learned that Tak Matsumoto was there and... Yoshiki! O_O Well, Takuro posted about Yoshiki being there, but he didn't say in which LA concert that happened. XD And I missed him - but oh well, with GLAY on stage, I hardly had eyes for anything else besides them. xP They broke into "Kanojo no "Modern..."" and it was then I realised that they had not played it during the live. o.o "Survival" and "Sen no Naifu ga Mune wa Sasu" were eliminated from Saturday's setlist indeed.
This song is so cheerful~! ♥ We had more of them running across the (small!) stage and everyone was really excited - and I was dying for a glass of water, but I still kept on yelling "hey! hey!" with Teru. XD ALL the band came forward to the edge of the stage for the "kimi no sex, drugs and rock'n'roll!", and since we also yelled it very strongly, this bit echoed inside the HOB. 8D It was amazing and such a classical and epic song deserves it! \o/
The girls from the 1st row started singing "Mata Koko de Aimashou", but Teru just laughed and followed their setlist, starting "Peak Hateshinaku Soul Kagirinaku". From where I was standing I could see a few paper sheets glued to the floor and next to every band member's position, but on both days, when Teru wanted to say anything about the next songs, he didn't let us look at the setlist, as if we could actually READ it from where we were. 8D Teru, you amuse me. ♥
"Oh glory days oh oh" went ad eternum and eventually everyone stopped playing and we kept repeating it a capella. o_o Teru asked us to move our arms from the right to the left at the beginning and at the ending of the song. n_n This song's intro has a different musical instrument, a brass instrument - but there was no one playing it, so I'm guessing Sei-chan did it, hehe.
Ah! Small detail about Hisashi: the weird coat he was wearing over his tour shirt left a bit of the skin of his forearm exposed, so we could see that there was something tattooed there - written in a very thin but elegant handwriting, which made it hard for us to see. x.x Teru had 3 visible tattoos when he took his shirt off, but with the sole exception of the tattoo he told us about the night before, I couldn't read what was written on the heart he has on the left side of his chest. :x
And and and and... Teru was given a guitar. ;___; Wah, I was actually hoping for more songs since they removed 2 songs from the setlist and left "Kanojo no "Modern..."" for the encore, too. And last year played 2 encores and one of them had 4 songs~. But no such luck.
Teru talked a lot with us, then. :D He said that it was one of the best days of his life and that everyone was very happy. Someone yelled "I love you!" and he replied to it! XD I think it was around this time people randomly started to suggest new places for they to play and when someone mentioned New York Teru pouted and nodded, saying "Aa, ikitai, ikitai!" 8D He looked like a child!
And "I'm in Love" started. I admit: I cried. Me and tout le monde et son voisin, of course. xD On the 1st night I knew it wasn't the end because there was still Saturday, but it was different at that moment... Yeah, it was the "confirmation" of the ending of my dream - to finally be able to listen to and sing "I'm in Love" without feeling that bitter sensation which was always with me, burning my throat and almost making me cry from frustration. I always said that I would only love this song after I had seen GLAY live and now I have the best memories one can have linked to that song! ♥ I see why everyone wants them to perform this song, just like they pray for "ACID HEAD" and "Shutter Speeds no Teema" to be included in the setlist - the studio version can't be compared to the sheer emotion you feel when you're clapping your hands in sync with Jiro or when you see the serene yet proud smile on Takuro's face or when Teru removes his earplugs to listen to the crowd better and ask for more or Hisashi mouthing the lyrics and moving his head to the side together with the song. It's a "certificate" of the love this band has for its fans and vice-versa; it's a connection stronger than any other I've ever felt.
Bix has two clips of this magical moment here and here. ♥
I didn't want it to end. ;___; I screamed, I cried, I clapped my hands and it was only then that I realised that I had done it. I had seen them live. Wah, overwhelming. Sometimes I woke up and I still wonder if I actually saw them and if Teru did talk to me and if I did manage to represent my country at the concert... My first job as a diplomat, hehe. XD
I don't think any of them cried, but they were certainly moved. We sung "I'm just in love / I'm just in love / I'm just in love oh singin' my life" for an eternity and I would sing it for much more! ♥
When it was over I clapped and screamed until I couldn't take it and they thanked us a lot. Then one of the staff members came with a camera and took a picture of us with the band sitting on the stage floor. XD Since I was close to the centre of the stage and in the middle of two relatively short girls, I think I might have made it to the picture. *___* Let's wait for the next HS issue to see. 8D And they threw their picks (only Hisashi and Jiro did, by the way) and the girl right in front of me got Jiro's. O___O I ALMOST did it, damn. x__x It wasn't meant for me, I see.
It's unfair to say Jiro -threw- his picks, to be honest - he walked to the edge of the stage and put them almost into someone's hands. x3 Hisashi, however, was dramatic like always to throw his, usually further than Jiro's. I heard promises regarding their return (Teru said something like "I'll be back" and then quickly corrected himself, replacing "I" with "we". xD Kawaii!) and many other declarations of undying love. ♥ Takuro, apparently very moved (and perhaps teary-eyed?) was the last one to leave the stage and the fans. T____T
I just remembered something very nice which took place during the concert: Teru asked this really tall and western-looking guy (in English) since when he knew GLAY, and he replied "1988". I thought that he had said 1998 and Teru also thought that, but then the dude repeated the date and assured Teru he meant the eighties. o__o Just between you and me: I think he was lying. 8D Without internet or anything like that back then, only if said dude lived in Hakodate and went to small venues to be able to know GLAY! O__o Teru then asked the same to doku_rock17 and she replied "7 years". n__n He also said "cute girl!" to her and everyone cheered. XDDD
Well, after the concert I was past dead and I suddenly bumped into my mother who had a glass with icy water (there was more ice than water! XD) and I was so happy. *___* The girls found me and we ordered more water (which was free! 8D). And then... Goodbyes. ç____ç Waaaah, I hugged everyone tightly and I wished them all the best and a very happy life, since I dunno if I'll see them again... But I honestly hope so! :DDDD The lives were awesome, but they were even better with them!
After that mom and I found a cab and passed out at our hotel - but I don't think I've ever slept better. Funny, I'm not used to dreaming before going to bed, haha. I had intense but mixed feelings as I left the HOB on Saturday... I was exhilarated after seeing and living those two days; sad because it was over; upset because I didn't get to keep a pick or stand in the front row; fulfilled because I had managed to say that I had come from Brazil to Teru and the band.
Brazil loves GLAY! ♥
But all of this left me sure of one thing: it wasn't the beginning and the ending of a dream... I truly believe that this was nothing but a prelude to MUCH MORE!
GLOBAL COMMUNICATION! ♥
PS: Bix has much more pictures of the second day here.
PPS: Click here to read a report on the Sep. 11th concert.
I set my alarm clock to 5h30, but I only managed to get up 1 hour later. The girls had told me that they would try to get to the line earlier than me because they were staying closer to the House of Blues (a.k.a. HOB xD), so I was a bit more relaxed regarding this aspect of the day. Still, I only got there around 9AM, when I had finished showering, having breakfast at the same Starbucks near the hotel and had also found a cab to take us back to Hollywood.
The House of Blues! As seen really early in the morning and pretty much closed.
And as seen from Sunset Blvd., also early at the morning. XD
And dude! The girls were there, but the same group of people who had gotten 1st row the day before were just ahead us AGAIN, which left me extremely irritated. Meredith had planned to arrive earlier, but she slept in and we ended up at the same place from the first day (which was a good place!).
My mom decided to take a stroll around and I remained back at the HOB with everyone. Chibi was with the most amazing make up ever on her right eye, and she and Meredith also had the tour t-shirts on. Bix was dressed just like Hisashi - and dude, srsly: I can't include myself in the Hisashi fans' list because I'm not stylish, haha. Bix also has this very impressive shi-ne glare, especially when she removed her sunglasses to do it. 8D I'm so glad -I- wasn't the target of any of those glares, hehe.
Awesome make up is awesome! Jiro even pointed at her later during the live, I think! XD
We started talking about GLAY songs and then Bix made that question: which is your least favourite song? She said she couldn't stand "WHY DON'T WE MAKE YOU HAPPY", but I voted for "It's dying, It's not dying" - but allow me to say that I have a few songs I just don't listen to and therefore I don't really care about them. I asked if the setlist was going to be the same and Chibi replied that last year they played exactly the same songs and I pouted. :X I wanted to see "MERMAID" live - but I was told that it was highly unlikely, since they'd played that tune in 2008. ç__ç
Then I said something about "Shitto" and I found out that it's one of Bix's favourites, haha. The "kiss me more deep" line always makes me cringe at the wrong English there, but the song kicks ass anyway! Meredith commented that if Bix was allowed to make a top 10 songs for GLAY to play live, we'd only have "Shitto". 83
I remember we also discussed something about the member produced lives which had taken place during the 1st semester. There was no arguing among us: Jiro's concert had the best setlist, even if it was for couples. XD We knew that Teru's had been a men-only live and that Takuro was for old HAPPY SWING members who had joined the FC 10 years ago or more (I believe I've had the same number for 4 or 5 straight years now. *___* I'm a member since 2003, though, if we count the time from when I first applied to the HS but then had a problem with the membership renewal, which became the one I have at the moment), but we had no idea about Hisashi's theme for his concert - at which Bix promptly replied that the requirement must have been one's desire to sleep, because it had been kind of dull and boring. XD I have to agree, really - I hadn't even noticed that there were PEOPLE watching the live until they clapped after the songs were done, it was so... Silent. o_o'
Eventually the people from the HOB opened the place and we moved inside - and we ended up EXACTLY at the same spot from the other day, on top of the wooden stairs! XD Impressive but kinda boring, since we really wanted to stay closer to the front, ne~.
The area the line was formed later. :3 We were right behind that wooden parlour...
...See? EXACTLY the same place from Friday. 8D
This time people Bix and Chibi knew dropped by - they were sisters and they were both incredibly beautiful and stylish. n_n And I can't remember their names. 8D *fails* One of the sisters said something like "Wow, last night there were people saying from where they had came from and did I hear things or was there someone from Brazil?" and the girls then pointed at me and I raised my hand. 8D She seemed really surprised and asked me if I had travelled all the way to the United States just to see them and I said yes. :D I also added that my mom was with me (and that she was playing something on her cellphone just behind us) and she said that she had seen an older lady with glasses having fun the night before at the back of the crowd - and she could totally be my mom. 8D She likes GLAY! \o/
Chibi, Bix and one of the gorgeous girls I can't remember the name. :x
Then we made two new friends: Erika and Jennifer, the girls who were immediately behind us in the line. :D I also told them that I was from Brazil and all that long story about getting an American visa, which included the stupid questions in the forms about your intentions regarding your trip ("Do you intend to commit terrorist attacks in the US?" was one of the questions, I kid you not!) - and it quickly became one of our major talks, since no one believed that they could actually ask that. XD
Erika is studying to become a nurse, so she had a lot of stories about her college, childbirth and... Well, let's just say that it was enough to almost completely remove any idea I had about having a kid of my own someday. 8D Boredom has this power of taking normal conversations into stranger and unlikely topics, so we spent a good time wondering what made someone want to have her own kid's birth videotaped or what parents are exactly thinking when they take their very small kids to soccer matches with very violent people. XD
Someone from the HOB came to check on us and divide the line into two, already asking for the US$ 25,00 receipt - and I didn't have one when the guy came over (it was so EARLY), but I didn't bother to leave my place because I planned on having dinner there - but the restaurant only opened at 5PM. I ended up buying a pair of bracelets anyway, just to avoid any problems with the "line control". xD
At some point my mom decided that she wanted to call my grandmother in Brazil and I left the line to look for a payphone, but we found NONE at the Sunset Blvd. -__- Rich people have no need for public phones, guh! I think we inquired about payphones at a couple of hotels, kombinis and I don't know what else, but there was nothing on the streets, save for a few ATMs. A lady said that there was a payphone at a 7/11 down a few blocks, but we gave up walking all the way there just to phone my grandma - we only left the HOB to buy lunch anyway.
Back to the line, time was dragging itself like whoa, but at least we distracted ourselves talking about bizarrely named people, the mystery involving Takuro's English (how can he write so well at their MySpace and then write things like "NO ESCAPE"? 8D) and Miyavi - you know you're getting old when this guy, who you knew when he was starting his solo career, is suddenly married and has a DAUGHTER. T_T The girls also shared their experience from the S.K.I.N. concert (never mind the fact that the band is pretty much dead since then xD), which was kind of disappointing since whoever came before them took foooorever on the stage and they barely had time to play. :/
TWILIGHT BASHING! I'm so glad there're still sane people who hate Twilight! *___* So we promptly made fun of this horrible series for a good while, including the talk about Robert Pattinson's (lack of) personal hygiene, the Twilight Moms and other things which are also scary. x.x
It was still the beginning of the afternoon when the girls decided to ask a couple of GLAY staff members who were VERY nice for pictures - one of the girls was 21 years old, blonde and had a 2008 tour pink t-shirt on, being a Jiro fan; the other girl was a brunette, had her hair done in a fashion similar to Teru's, had a white coat on and was a Hisashi fan, so we dubbed them "Jiro-chan" and "Hisa-chan". XDDD Bix took their picture and then they wanted a pic of us, so Meredith and I stepped to the side because we didn't want to get in the way, but they asked us to go back and we ended up in the picture! 8D I totally opened the white gym-thing I was wearing in order to show off my Brazilian shirt, hehe. XD
Jiro-chan then asked us to wait for a bit and then started rummaging through her backpack, finally giving us a couple of pens and a small notebook which were for written messages to GLAY! *__* I wrote a very short message, just saying that seeing them live had been a dream and that Brazil loved them. ^__~ The two staff girls were very kind and they tried very hard to communicate with us even if they didn't know much English, but Meredith worked as a translator for us. 8D I decided to speak up and I said that I was really happy to be there, since I had come all the way from Brazil just to see them and they were surprised and then asked "Aa, so it was you who Teru-san spoke to last night?". I replied that they were correct and that I was "ureshii" since I had been WAY too happy after managing to speak to him and they were all happy and excited for me and awwwwuuu~. ♥ Meredith then proceeded to tell them from where each one of us had come from and they were also impressed by Alaska. 83
Then I tried a little bit of Japanese, explaining that I had been to Japan in July, but that I couldn't see GLAY there. ç___ç They told me that July isn't a good month for concerts in Japan, but that from August onwards it got better - but then I said that I had college and I wouldn't be able to make it. x.x They praised my nihongo! *_* But of course I stumbled with the words and said almost -nothing- to them, but then I guess that every Japanese must get really impressed when they see a gaijin speaking anything differently from "arigatou" or "sayounara" without a heavy accent. xD
They also asked for our ages and our favourite members. XD They had no trouble guessing (correctly) that Bix was a Hisashi fan, then Chibi said Jiro was her favourite and Meredith claimed to be a Teru fan. I went for Takuro (my idol, ne~). :D We thanked them for their time and Jiro-chan kept repeating "global communication" (or rather gorubaru komunikeishon) and "one love" to symbolise the union of GLAY fans from such different places. XD
There was also a place to take an "official" picture of the show for everyone who was on the line and it was free! They actually had it on both days and we were supposed to take the pictures in front of a green background, which was replaced by a brick wall where you could see "GLAY" painted with yellow paint on top, as if it was some kind of street art. :D Ysa and I were the guinea-pigs for the first day - but since my Brazilian shirt was green, I ended up with a brick-wall-coloured shirt! 8D At least on Saturday I remembered to zip up my coat and then squeezed myself with the rest of the girls into the picture - and all we six managed to be in the same picture. Never mind we were supposed to take pictures in PAIRS, hehe. *whistles innocently* And speaking about pictures, a HOB employee earlier came to us to warn everyone about the cameras and saying it wasn't allowed inside to come back moments later and take back his words, thus allowing the cameras. XDDD
Picture from Friday! Note how well I blend in. 8D Me and Ysa.
And a big group picture from Friday! On top: Me, Luka and Mer. Below: Chibi, Ysa and Yuki.
Group picture of Saturday! It was hard to pose for this, but we did it! 1st row from the top: Chibi and Erika; 2nd row: Chibi (almosty invisible due to my height xD) and Mer; 3rd row: me and Jennifer!
I didn't see it when GLAY arrived at the HOB, but I think they got inside from the Sunset Blvd. entrance, really - there was quite a number of staff members getting in and out from the place from there. o_o They started rehearsing later this time and I actually went to the restroom (where we could listen to the rehearsal) and recorded the wooden floor just to get the "Yuuwaku" audio on the background! XD My mom was talking to me as I recorded it, but still!
My mom and I had dinner at the HOB, but we only had cheeseburgers and lemonades. x3 I must say that most of the Californian food didn't appeal to me, probably because it's too mixed with Mexican food (which I find very spicy) and bacon. @_@ And since I'm not fond of bacon and I'm not used to Mexican food, I was afraid of sampling it and then having stomach problems later. xD As soon as I was done with the food I returned to the line and it was around 6PM, so I thought the line would start moving at 7PM and the concert would start at 8PM.
WRONG!
I don't know why, but GLAY rehearsed until a bit later than the previous day and it delayed everything. T_T Since the line wasn't moving, we tried to take pictures of two rather interesting boys who were around, but we stared at them for so long (they were at this balcony you could reach through the HOB's 2nd floor and we were downstairs, outside and in the line for the stage) that they noticed us being obvious like that and then, even when I was pretending to take pictures of Bix and Chibi, they played hard to get and turned to the side and so on. And there was this really weird Japanese woman with them. O___o Oh well, at least we had something to look at. xDDD
The hot guys. See how they're totally avoiding the camera, even if I wasn't pointing it at them? xD
Playing hard to get. Again.
Before that someone also had the HAPPY SWING magazine issues 50 and 53 there, if I'm not mistaken. :3 Issue 50 was about the USA concerts from 2008 and 53 was about the Nissan Stadium lives and everything else, but I had already seen them. *dances* No, seriously, I was surprised that none of the girls was a member of HS, I thought there would be more people from the official fan club in the US. o_ob I showed Bix the page in which Hisashi acted out the best comic strip sent to the magazine! 8DDD It's hilarious and Bix draws really well, so I thought she could do one and mail him. x3 Jennifer almost made it to one of the pictures from the 2008 lives found in the magazine, but only her arm was visible. 8D
The Saturday line!
We went after Jiro-chan and Hisa-chan again because of Bix and we found out that they spent the WHOLE afternoon in the line, talking to people the best they could with their Engrish and also collecting messages for the band with the very same notebook we had written on earlier. ♥ Bix then asked if she could give the two a hug and they let her, and in the ending everyone was hugging everyone and we did this human circle (like the one soccer players do at the field before starting the match? xD) and Jiro-chan said "furiendo da!" and we repeated "hai, tomodachi~!". It was so CUTE and the people in the line gave us REALLY WEIRD looks, but I don't care. 8D It was impossible NOT to hug them, haha. Later we also took a picture of them with Andrew, a friend of Jennifer and Erika's and who resembled T.M. Revolution! 8D It was so hard to convince him to pose like Takanori for the pic. 83
It was almost 8PM when we finally got inside and it was rather chilly outside, since the sun was gone and there was a little wind. 83 The human heat from inside the HOB was welcome during the first... 20 seconds, because it filled up so quickly! I had plans to stay to Hisashi's side, but I ended up to his left, in front of where Jiro was (but he stood further to the back) and almost in front of Teru too. I was in the 2nd row, the girls being to my left and in the 3rd row and, since this time I couldn't talk to them in order to pass the time, it took forever until the live began. ç__ç We saw Hisa-chan and Jiro-chan upstairs, at the last floor and with a flag celebrating GLAY's 15th anniversary - we waved to them and they waved back. *__* SO LOVELY, REALLY.
The biggest issue Saturday was the crowd - there were a lot more people and there were also 2 lazy Japanese girls who wanted, at any cost, to infiltrate themselves in the 2nd row and... I didn't let them. 8D I mean, I spent pretty much 10 HOURS in the line until the concert started so sorry, it wasn't going to work for them. The girl who was just behind me had the audacity to even LEAN against me as if I was a wall of some sorts and then I purposely shifted my position every now and then just to make her realise that I didn't like being used like that. ¬¬ The girls in the 1st row, though, weren't that tall and I managed to stay right in the MIDDLE of their heads so I had an awesome view of the stage! \o/
The concert itself started at 9PM, but the crowd had gone crazy moments before when the staff members just tested the instruments to make sure everything was okay. XD I think the entrance order was more or less the same and ooonce more Hisashi brought his lightsaber and got on the stage with his hood on - I was actually surprised to realise how much that toy of his glowed in the dark and it looked more like a pink lightsaber instead of the red one I think it was supposed to be? 8D I wouldn't know, really, I'm not a Star Wars fan, so~. >> Hisashi and Takuro were the only ones who had changed their outfits from the day before: Takuro had a red sleeveless shirt on and Hisashi changed his skirt/kilt thing to a different one in black, but with something written in English over the fabric that I couldn't make out since it was kind of divided into two halves and he moved A LOT, so we couldn't read it.
Teru and Takuro on the second night!
And Hisashi and Jiro!
Teru was all excited and back with his usual "Are you ready?", and they played "GREAT VACATION" first. I had the impression that everyone looked more relaxed if compared to the first night, maybe because it was their second time and they already knew what to expect or it was the side effect of it being "THE GREAT VACATION Tour Final", as Teru put it earlier. It only when the song started that I realised how -insanely- close to Teru I ended up being, even without planning it. 8D Awesome!
...But I also realised I'd die crushed. x__x The crowd tried to remove my lungs due to the sheer pressure I felt against my back, I swear! While I had a certain room to dance and move around on Friday and I was only crushed when one of them came to the edge of the stage, on Saturday it was pretty much the status quo of the whole concert - but I kind of expected it, taking into account the size of the line for the second day. The screaming caused by anything was three times worse and it felt like I was taking the underground at Sé, at 6PM! x_x (Sé = biggest underground station we have in São Paulo and which often looks like this during weekdays, at rush hours. It's scary.)
"Yuuwaku" was the next song and I was pleasantly surprised to notice that the audience was singing the first lines really loud - and I think I also saw a bit of surprise on Teru's face for the same reason - and he let us sing without him~. :D It was sooo moving to listen to such a big crowd of voices singing "Yuuwaku" with all that energy and vigour and I assure you that I did not stop singing, moving my arms or jumping with them on the stage for the whole song. *___* Teru hugged Hisashi AGAIN during this song (standard "Yuuwaku" fan service? XD) and Hisa gifted us with all his orgasmic faces, comme d'habitude. xD I was particularly mesmerised by Hisashi's fingers on his guitar during the solo, looking at the way his black nail polish reflected the stage lights and thinking about how much I loved (and still love!) that song and how insanely happy I was to see it -live-, again!
Then we had our first MC, with Teru thanking everyone for being there and saying that he loved us. ♥ I swear I heard something about Jackie Chan, too. XD Another thing: the crowd was visibly more agitated and wilder and there was almost never a moment of complete silence because a random fan would scream. Teru replied to pretty much everything he heard! xD Each "I love you!" which came from the audience was gifted with a big smile and then "Thank you!" or "Really? I love you too!" *___* I love the man, srsly. ♥ I believe it also during this MC that someone threw a green bracelet to Teru from the audience and he CAUGHT IT IN THE AIR (ninja!Teru), which he slipped around his left wrist and kept it there until the ending of the concert. n_n The bracelet was really similar to the ones I had bought earlier at the HOB store and I'm pretty certain they were part of someone's US$ 25,00. XD
Teru then asked everyone to sing together and they launched into "Ikiteku Tsuyosa". I've always thought of this song being "classic" but rather generic, but it made me so happy to see it live. "Ikiteku Tsuyosa" has a particularly optimistic message and the atmosphere of both days was VERY cheerful, happy and fun! :DD I believe only "BE WITH YOU" and "HOWEVER" contrasted with this "festive" mood, since even "I'm in Love" didn't sound so melancholic as usual to me. o_ob
We had our first and last change regarding the setlist: "Glorious"! That caught me by surprise because I was totally expecting the same setlist and Meredith had said earlier that she would love to hear that song, so I was happy for her! :D I see why "Glorious" is such a loved song by so many people - it leaves you kind of drunk from so much happiness, I think. It's very similar to "Ikiteku Tsuyosa" regarding this aspect~. And the lyrics are gorgeous, except for that infamous Engrish. 8DDD
"Cynical" was the next song and Hisashi was jumping around the stage like mad, occasionally throwing a guitar pick to the crowd with drama and flair as he did so. XD The way he looked at us whenever he threw us anything (with NO previous warning) was hilarious and I'm sure he was the one with less picks by the end of the live. 83 I also noted that he "visited" Toshi for several times and played facing him and with his back to the crowd. x3
We had another MC - and we could tell the next song was "STARLESS NIGHT". xDD Teru once more played with us, making us repeat everything he sang as the rest of the band kept playing in the background. Saturday, however, brought a change as he divided us eventually into girls and boys, first asking only the girls to mimick his singing and occasionally resting his hand against his hip as he danced while he invented those crazy things for us. XD Suddenly he stopped and pointed to someone in the middle of the crowd and said "No, girls only! You're boys." and kept reiterating (in his trademark Engrish) that only women were supposed to sing after him. 8D I'm sure that it was some random Japanese guy who failed to understand Teru's instructions in English and sang with us, oho. 83
Then finally came the time for the boys to sing and... I must confess that I thought it wouldn't be great since I didn't think there were many male fans there (but I have to say that I saw more men in the line for Saturday than I did on Friday), but it turned out more than okay! O_Ob Teru did some lines in a very looow tone for the boys, haha. xD And yeah, he laughed again after doing it. 8D
But apparently our dear vocalist wasn't satisfied, since he kept going on and on regarding the time he could hold the notes, always telling us that he wanted to hear us stronger and louder and for a longer time - and there was one time when we did everything so perfectly that I was proud of the thumbs up Hisashi gave us. xD He looked genuinely impressed by our devotion. \o/
Teru then said that he'd try to hold the notes for EVEN longer (emphasis on "try") and he started, his voice faltering a little at the beginning - but he DID IT. He hold it FOREVER and ended up on his KNEES on the floor, his back arching up and after more than half a minute, certainly! I think he hold it longer than in "HEAVY GAUGE". Takuro's expression when he saw Teru dropping to his knees and all surprised merited a picture!
We did it, too - but it doesn't really count because we were in 300-400 people there so whenever one of us paused to breathe someone else kept singing, so~. 8D Even so Hisashi and Jiro clapped their hands for us and Teru taught us the chorus of "STARLESS NIGHT" exactly like he had done on Friday, making us repeat after him like good trained monkeys and everything. XD Sometimes he just shouted "motto!" without the aid of the microphone or asked for us to sing louder. x3
"STARLESS NIGHT" is a song that I wished I knew the lyrics better so I could have enjoyed it more. :x It's odd - I never thought it was a fan favourite or anything before those two lives and deserving such long MCs before it. o_o' Weeell, the setlist also had "Cynical" and "Sen no Naifu ga Mune wo Sasu" and those two were also unusual choices. XDD
Then "RUN" began (according to the setlist from this report) and this song almost made me tear my hair out because I couldn't memorise the lyrics and the "hashiru, hashiru, hashiruuuu~" from the beginning is ridiculously catchy! XD I can see why Takuro said that it could have been a -single-. I also think that Teru looked particularly radiant as he sang his own song, but I can be wrong, ne. x3
Things calmed down and I knew it was time for "HOWEVER", which had a brief instrumental introduction and this "blue feeling" (since the stage lights were changed to blue), exactly like the last night. However, the crowd wasn't behaving that well so there was some screaming along the introduction, which left me kind of disappointed - I mean, "HOWEVER" is not the time for hysterics, right? ¬¬
It's impossible not to get moved when this song is played live, especially at the ending - it's so powerful and dramatic! "HOWEVER" was succeeded then by a keyboard solo and, still under the same blue light, by Teru singing "ahs" and "ohs" right next to the microphone, in a very different style from his usual one and making it beautifully ethereal - just like the night before. While the rest of GLAY was still and waiting for the beginning of the next song (or, in Jiro's case, fixing and drying his bass off with a towel with such vigour that surprised me XD), the crowd did the opposite.
All it took was a dumbass to scream for EVERYONE ELSE to do the same. If before "HOWEVER" I was annoyed at the fellow fans, this blatant disrespect before "BE WITH YOU" shocked me. From high-pitched screams of the band members to random "sexy!" whistles and whatnot, there was a LOT of noise as Teru worked that beautiful introduction. -__- What irked me is that I know that Teru was probably very focused on his sing since that wasn't easy to do and all that yelling and screaming certainly made things harder for him. I -get- that they're handsome and talented - I think the same thing! - but... I dunno, it was very disappointing and I'm sure Takuro and everyone will think 2847655 times before trying to make a different arrangement to any song again for American audiences.
During "BE WITH YOU" I was reminded of the PV and I watched Hisashi closely, especially when the solo came... It was so magical, really! From where I was standing I could see the way Hisashi's chest went up and down as he -breathed-, how the pendant from the silver string he had around his neck shone under the stage lights and even follow the sweat droplets which were visibly only on the small area of exposed skin there, near his neck. He was so incredibly real, alive, human - and in front of me, not in a screen or anything like that!
Then it was time for another MC and Teru asked for permission to ask a question. XD After saying that he was from Japan (in English!), he asked where we had come from, wanting to know who was from Japan too - and when there was a good deal of screaming, he looked surprised and said "Oh, many many Japans". 8D He inquired about China, Canada and then repeated a few countries people shouted from the audience to him, like Korea, Taiwan and Bolivia. I find that going from Bolivia to the USA as impressive as it was for me to go from Brazil to Los Angeles, but Teru didn't look like he knew where Bolivia was located exactly, as he didn't look surprised. 83 I think Geography wasn't his favourite subject at school. XD
BUT then he turned to me and said "Brazil?", smiling widely as I raised my hand, aaall excited and goofy. *___* Waaah, another 15 seconds of pure happiness as he also looked very proud to have someone from such a far away country there. 8D Then he said that he remembered me from the other night and asked if I was the -same- Brazilian girl from Friday and I... Totally failed to understand what he said. 8DDD And thus I answered "no" (I thought he had asked me if I was a nisei. Yeah, go figure, I have hearing problems. -___-b), at which he looked EVEN MORE surprised (I mean, he must have thought "What are the chances of having two different Brazilian fans here?" XD), of course. Waaah, I'm so sad, I really wanted to have answered correctly. T__T He then asked about Alaska and Meredith was right to my left - and she started jumping to attract his attention and he eventually found her and smiled as if he was saying "Aa, good, you're all here!". XD I think Teru was so cute, just assuming that everyone from the bizarre places from Friday (Alaska + Brazil) would be there again on Saturday. 8D
Anyway~. He said that he was very happy to see everyone there and that he loved us and awwwwn~. *___* The rest of the band seemed really happy to see the place so packed up, too - Takuro was much more relaxed and at ease than he was the night before and, as Teru talked to us, he repeatedly hit his chest with his fist in that way of his, reinforcing Teru's words and showing how much the concerts meant to him. ♥ I was deeply moved to see him like that.
They broke into "VERB", but I think only Takuro sung the English introduction of the song (I'm fairly sure that Teru did that on Friday) as everyone started head banging to it! \o/ I must admit that I find "VERB"'s intro very good to a little head banging, but I was afraid of doing that and thus closing my eyes and losing something on the stage! @_@ Apparently Teru forgot the lyrics on Friday, but I didn't notice anything like that on the second night. XD It was so nice to see everyone excited during this song, especially Teru kneeling on the floor/crouching a but as he sang as the other band members played with enthusiasm. ♥
"VERB" is so good live, dude. 8D I've always favoured GLAY's more upbeat songs and I still think so after seeing them live! The audience enjoyed "VERB" on both days, especially the chorus - which is catchy, addictive and Teru always put his foot down on the amp before throwing his body back to sing "doooooushite". xD I think it was during this song (the solo, to be more specific) that Teru drank some water and then spit it on us again, slightly to my right - and then I think he must have hit a fan really hard or someone was caught off-guard or coughed or something, because Teru laughed very hard and with such genuine amusement that I thought he wouldn't be able to resume his singing. 8D
The next song was "Synchronicity", and this time I was ready for that low intro in the darkness, since the lights only came back on when the song effectively started. *___* I really liked how the fans sung/screamed the first verses in English along with Teru! Since this is one of my favourite songs, I knew the lyrics by heart and I was so happy, throwing my arms up and elbowing the girl who was still trying to get to the 2nd row when Hisashi walked to the edge of the stage and was merely inches away from my fingers! ;___; And his facial expressions! ♥
"Synchronicity" was followed by "I am xxx", with red stage lights. >D I love this song and the majority of the crowd also knew the lyrics (at least the English bits), so the "yes I am, oh yes I am~!" bit from the chorus was so POWERFUL. It sent shivers down my spine. ♥ And just like Friday, there was no pre-recorded female backing vocal, but it was awesome. *___*
Suddenly, sirens went off! It was the prelude to "HIGHCOMMUNICATIONS" with the parapara above our heads and with Teru madly inciting us to scream with him. I think he eventually stopped the song just to hear us singing the "oh oh" from the beginning of the song, always asking for more, for us to be louder, stronger! xD
Something I noticed was that whenever the band took a break to drink something or just wipe the sweat away, the crowd squealed and screamed the band members' names - and Jiro was the most popular, hands down. XD It usually was fruitless except for occasional smiles and waves, but there was one time during which Teru actually grabbed the microphone and complained about hearing too much "Jiro Jiro" and nothing for him. 8D He was JEALOUS! xDDD Of course Jiro smiled broadly to us then, but then the crowd started screaming "Teru Teru" and when he looked like he was pleased with the results, he said "May I introduce the members?"
He started with the drums, yelling "on drums!" and waiting for us to answer "Toshi!". He did that for a couple of times before asking for Toshi to stand up, in English ("stand up, please"), then turned to the audience and claimed that he was "the teacher" for that night. 8D After telling Toshi to sit down and doing the same with Sei-chan (also asking for him to stand up), everyone knew that the next one to be introduced would be Jiro, so his fangirls went mad and started squealing. 8D
Jiro grinned at us and Teru, after glancing at all the ruckus we were doing, slowly started to walk towards Hisashi as he did a negative sign with his hand, teasing us and implying that Jiro wouldn't be the first one just because everyone wanted him to be. 8D Suddenly, when everyone was already screaming "Hisashi! Hisashi!", he turned around and yelled "on bass!", making everyone go back to "Jiro!" XD Dude, Hisashi was MAD. 8DDD
He was looking all fine and dandy until the moment Teru tricked him and he DID look angry for a second before throwing a pick at Teru, who left to the centre of the stage, giggling. XDDD It was so unexpected, really - but Hisashi wasn't truly annoyed, since he was the next and he did make his teasing expressions and kept his "cool" demeanour, as always - I think he actually licked his own lips, hehe. xD Takuro was right after that, raising his arms and pointing to himself like always and then Teru finally introduced himself.
Still following that setlist I've linked earlier, it was time for "More than Love" (but I could swear it had been played earlier on Saturday). Teru always had us yelling the "yes! yes!" from the song and the ending ("you're just a modern girl"), too. Once more I noticed that the crowd was behaving more "Japanese"-like during this song, but since I was really up to the front, I couldn't look back due to the lack of room (to breathe and move), so I can't say for sure I'm right about this. During this song I raised both arms and made a heart sign with my hands because it seemed appropriated. XD My mom later told me that, at first, I was the only one doing it, but eventually other fans did the same. u.u Funny that I was already dead by then, hurting all over, crushed AND thirsty, but I was still moving like a madwoman and finding energy to go on like that from God-knows-where (perhaps from seeing them?). 8D Sometimes I was the only one moving my arms and dancing and such. 8D
Suddenly all the lights were turned off and then quickly turned on, but all of them on Jiro - who did a similar solo to the one from Friday (and, according to that live report I've been referring to, he "raped" his bass, haha). I confess: I thought it was only possible with guitars! O.O He broke into "Shutter Speeds no Teema" and Teru resumed his singing just like the night before, right at the ending of the first verse and then stealing the mic all for himself. :3 Hisashi singing along with the crowd was funny to me - I dunno, it's rare to see him singing like Takuro, especially a Jiro song!
I didn't see when it happened, but Teru's shirt was suddenly COMPLETELY opened and the fans went crazy (I remember watching Hisashi/Jiro and when I got back to Teru his shirt buttons were GONE!). I don't remember if it was still during "Shutter Speeds no Teema" or already during "ACID HEAD", but he just... TOOK OFF his shirt.
I kid you not - he did!
Wow.
WOW.
I totally didn't expect that. XD I have to confess that, as Teru seemed quite annoyed at one staff member who came up to him to fix something on his clothing, that 2 thoughts hit me very FAST:
1. Teru has such a flat stomach! He may be thin, but his -arms-, my darlings, are strong. *_*
2. Teru has an almost hairless body! O.o His skin seemed ridiculously smooth and it was shining under the lights due to all the sweat, which left me to believe that it must be really soft to the touch. 8DDD
Later Teru posted about this moment on his blog and everything made sense: he said that he was just excited and that tearing his shirt off (something he hadn't done since his "Otoko Naito" in the first semester) had been a spontaneous gesture, but the staff guy thought he was about to stage dive. XD Teru was slightly annoyed because he didn't understand why the staff member grabbed him by his belt, but he didn't jump and later thanked the staff member for being concerned about him. It's a good thing he didn't jump, since there was a lady in a wheelchair on the front row.
And "ACID HEAD" started, but it left me with mixed feelings because... Well, I ♥ it, but it's an ending song! ;__; I think Saturday's performance of this song was better, since they ran more across the stage, yelled more and there were more people to scream with them, too. xD Jiro ignored his usual lines again (he was standing right at the edge of the stage and I saw him mouthing the words, at least! XD) and Teru hugged Hisashi -again- (standard fan service again? XD). Hisa brought one of his hands to his ear at one moment, making a very funny face as he wanted to say "more, more, I can't hear you!" just like Miyavi used to do in his Dué le quartz era. xDD
Teru had us yelling and screaming until we couldn't take it anymore - the band included! XD Just for you guys to have an idea of how it was, Teru just dropped to the floor and stood there, as if he was sleeping while we yelled, clapped our hands and the rest of GLAY thanked us for our support and love. XD Teru explained what happened in his blog: he said that he put so much energy into that last song that he passed out. 8DDD Everything was white and his head hurt a little and, when he came back to his senses, he was looking at the ceiling, could hear our screaming and felt like sleeping right there. xD
They thanked us some more and left the stage, leaving us chanting for an encore. The waiting bit, though, was very STRESSFUL, imho: people like the crazy Japanese gal just behind me were pushing a LOT, up to the point where I barely could stand on the floor! x.x I did turn around to yell "STOP THE PUSHING!" and a HOB employee came over to ask us to step back, but there wasn't room! X_X The girl in the wheelchair must have been suffocated by the crowd, not to mention that one of the girls just in front of me didn't look very well - maybe because she was crushed against that barrier before the stage by the crazy crowd, who knows~. >>
Of course GLAY came back to the encore, all of them wearing the tour shirts (and I thought: "A-ha! I have one of those too!" Or not, since theirs had a "v"-shaped neck and Takuro had a sleeveless one, so mine wasn't so similar to theirs xD), and, if I'm not mistaken, Takuro chose that moment to talk to us in English, speaking to us for the first time! :D Bix understood everything he said, so I quote:
"Thank you for dancing, smiling, everything! And thank you for coming Mr. Jackie Chan. Ok, you want more rock?! MORE ROCK?! Ok, let's rock the House of Bluuuues!" (see the video she made of this moment here!)
So I did hear something about Jackie Chan at the beginning, haha. XDD How bizarre was that? I also learned that Tak Matsumoto was there and... Yoshiki! O_O Well, Takuro posted about Yoshiki being there, but he didn't say in which LA concert that happened. XD And I missed him - but oh well, with GLAY on stage, I hardly had eyes for anything else besides them. xP They broke into "Kanojo no "Modern..."" and it was then I realised that they had not played it during the live. o.o "Survival" and "Sen no Naifu ga Mune wa Sasu" were eliminated from Saturday's setlist indeed.
This song is so cheerful~! ♥ We had more of them running across the (small!) stage and everyone was really excited - and I was dying for a glass of water, but I still kept on yelling "hey! hey!" with Teru. XD ALL the band came forward to the edge of the stage for the "kimi no sex, drugs and rock'n'roll!", and since we also yelled it very strongly, this bit echoed inside the HOB. 8D It was amazing and such a classical and epic song deserves it! \o/
The girls from the 1st row started singing "Mata Koko de Aimashou", but Teru just laughed and followed their setlist, starting "Peak Hateshinaku Soul Kagirinaku". From where I was standing I could see a few paper sheets glued to the floor and next to every band member's position, but on both days, when Teru wanted to say anything about the next songs, he didn't let us look at the setlist, as if we could actually READ it from where we were. 8D Teru, you amuse me. ♥
"Oh glory days oh oh" went ad eternum and eventually everyone stopped playing and we kept repeating it a capella. o_o Teru asked us to move our arms from the right to the left at the beginning and at the ending of the song. n_n This song's intro has a different musical instrument, a brass instrument - but there was no one playing it, so I'm guessing Sei-chan did it, hehe.
Ah! Small detail about Hisashi: the weird coat he was wearing over his tour shirt left a bit of the skin of his forearm exposed, so we could see that there was something tattooed there - written in a very thin but elegant handwriting, which made it hard for us to see. x.x Teru had 3 visible tattoos when he took his shirt off, but with the sole exception of the tattoo he told us about the night before, I couldn't read what was written on the heart he has on the left side of his chest. :x
And and and and... Teru was given a guitar. ;___; Wah, I was actually hoping for more songs since they removed 2 songs from the setlist and left "Kanojo no "Modern..."" for the encore, too. And last year played 2 encores and one of them had 4 songs~. But no such luck.
Teru talked a lot with us, then. :D He said that it was one of the best days of his life and that everyone was very happy. Someone yelled "I love you!" and he replied to it! XD I think it was around this time people randomly started to suggest new places for they to play and when someone mentioned New York Teru pouted and nodded, saying "Aa, ikitai, ikitai!" 8D He looked like a child!
And "I'm in Love" started. I admit: I cried. Me and tout le monde et son voisin, of course. xD On the 1st night I knew it wasn't the end because there was still Saturday, but it was different at that moment... Yeah, it was the "confirmation" of the ending of my dream - to finally be able to listen to and sing "I'm in Love" without feeling that bitter sensation which was always with me, burning my throat and almost making me cry from frustration. I always said that I would only love this song after I had seen GLAY live and now I have the best memories one can have linked to that song! ♥ I see why everyone wants them to perform this song, just like they pray for "ACID HEAD" and "Shutter Speeds no Teema" to be included in the setlist - the studio version can't be compared to the sheer emotion you feel when you're clapping your hands in sync with Jiro or when you see the serene yet proud smile on Takuro's face or when Teru removes his earplugs to listen to the crowd better and ask for more or Hisashi mouthing the lyrics and moving his head to the side together with the song. It's a "certificate" of the love this band has for its fans and vice-versa; it's a connection stronger than any other I've ever felt.
Bix has two clips of this magical moment here and here. ♥
I didn't want it to end. ;___; I screamed, I cried, I clapped my hands and it was only then that I realised that I had done it. I had seen them live. Wah, overwhelming. Sometimes I woke up and I still wonder if I actually saw them and if Teru did talk to me and if I did manage to represent my country at the concert... My first job as a diplomat, hehe. XD
I don't think any of them cried, but they were certainly moved. We sung "I'm just in love / I'm just in love / I'm just in love oh singin' my life" for an eternity and I would sing it for much more! ♥
When it was over I clapped and screamed until I couldn't take it and they thanked us a lot. Then one of the staff members came with a camera and took a picture of us with the band sitting on the stage floor. XD Since I was close to the centre of the stage and in the middle of two relatively short girls, I think I might have made it to the picture. *___* Let's wait for the next HS issue to see. 8D And they threw their picks (only Hisashi and Jiro did, by the way) and the girl right in front of me got Jiro's. O___O I ALMOST did it, damn. x__x It wasn't meant for me, I see.
It's unfair to say Jiro -threw- his picks, to be honest - he walked to the edge of the stage and put them almost into someone's hands. x3 Hisashi, however, was dramatic like always to throw his, usually further than Jiro's. I heard promises regarding their return (Teru said something like "I'll be back" and then quickly corrected himself, replacing "I" with "we". xD Kawaii!) and many other declarations of undying love. ♥ Takuro, apparently very moved (and perhaps teary-eyed?) was the last one to leave the stage and the fans. T____T
I just remembered something very nice which took place during the concert: Teru asked this really tall and western-looking guy (in English) since when he knew GLAY, and he replied "1988". I thought that he had said 1998 and Teru also thought that, but then the dude repeated the date and assured Teru he meant the eighties. o__o Just between you and me: I think he was lying. 8D Without internet or anything like that back then, only if said dude lived in Hakodate and went to small venues to be able to know GLAY! O__o Teru then asked the same to doku_rock17 and she replied "7 years". n__n He also said "cute girl!" to her and everyone cheered. XDDD
Well, after the concert I was past dead and I suddenly bumped into my mother who had a glass with icy water (there was more ice than water! XD) and I was so happy. *___* The girls found me and we ordered more water (which was free! 8D). And then... Goodbyes. ç____ç Waaaah, I hugged everyone tightly and I wished them all the best and a very happy life, since I dunno if I'll see them again... But I honestly hope so! :DDDD The lives were awesome, but they were even better with them!
After that mom and I found a cab and passed out at our hotel - but I don't think I've ever slept better. Funny, I'm not used to dreaming before going to bed, haha. I had intense but mixed feelings as I left the HOB on Saturday... I was exhilarated after seeing and living those two days; sad because it was over; upset because I didn't get to keep a pick or stand in the front row; fulfilled because I had managed to say that I had come from Brazil to Teru and the band.
Brazil loves GLAY! ♥
But all of this left me sure of one thing: it wasn't the beginning and the ending of a dream... I truly believe that this was nothing but a prelude to MUCH MORE!
GLOBAL COMMUNICATION! ♥
PS: Bix has much more pictures of the second day here.
PPS: Click here to read a report on the Sep. 11th concert.