D'espairsRay World Tour 2010 Human-clad Monsters @ the Bottom Lounge Chicago, IL [8/9/10]
DISCLAIMER: Hello. If you've been directed to this report through my website The Michelle Times, please be aware that it was written when I was in high school and was for the sake of my own memory and for my fellow D'espairsRay fans. This report is not in AP style and may have typos. Please understand that this is my personal journal and therefore am keeping this post as is for memories' sake and to use for reference of how my writing has changed. Thank you.
This was an awesome day indeed.
I woke up before 7 AM because excitement is an annoying fellow that doesn't allow you to sleep. I wanted to leave the hotel at 8 AM, but as per usual, my father took his good ol' time and we ended up leaving around 8:45.
The website I used to estimate how far the venue was from our hotel is a LIAR. It said the venue was less than two miles away from us, but hell no. That was not a 2-mile walk. My mom and I can do a 3-mile walk fast as hell, and we do it often. This... this was torture. It felt like we were walking FOREVER. We went from nice, upscale Chicago to suddenly an industrial area with loud-ass train tracks over us. Me? I'm not used to cities. I'm used to my corn flieds and soybean fields and grass. I felt like I was going slightly crazy with the mad rush around me, but overall I got a friendly vibe from Chicago.
When I got to the venue, it was a little past 9:30 and I had some nasty-ass blisters on my feet. I got in line and met some nice people. The line wasn't too long. Probably 20-30 people? Right above the street the venue was on was a train rail. It was louuuuuud. Every time someone wanted to say something, the train would roll right on by and end our conversations. EVERYBODY in line would get the grumpiest expression on their faces and roll their eyes. It was hilarious for the first 5 hours, but after that it got really annoying.
After a few hours, one of the ladies I was talking to in line screamed, "BUS! BUS!" and I had, like, no idea what she was talking about. I turned around a lo' and behold, D'espairsRay's tour bus passed us! A while after that, James was walking around us, being his creeper self with his creeper self haircut. I thought, "Damn, this guy is just as creepy as the pictures online!" He walked right by me and I said Hello. He quickly and coldly said hi and kept right on walking.
Shortly after that, Andrea (shoucake ) and her brother Chris came and they jumped in line with me. They are seriously, seriously nice. I had a great time talking to them and it made the hours of waiting go by quickly. A bit after they arrived, D'espairsRay's tour bus passed us to park next to the venue. We saw creeper James and Karubi up in the front, but someone on the side was pressing their face to the window. We have no clue who it was since the windows were tinted, but it was really endearing. <3 The bus took FOREVER to park and it caused a HUGE traffic jam. It was hilarious! While everyone was just standing and watching the bus, I waved frantically and suddenly someone in the bus waved back, to which everyone in line started waving. Again, I have no clue who it was because I was too far away (I hear it was Karyu), but I totally got someone in D'espairsRay to wave at me! *proud* Finally, they managed to park. Apparently the band ran into the venue as fast as they could. XD
At some point after this, I went trekking to the bathroom, and when I came back, Andrea told me James had almost run her over on a bike! Way to go, James! D:< *wishes James would get run over instead* At around 5, Princess (yuunao) showed up with her brother and friend. They were also really nice, if not a bit shy, but that's OK! I myself was trying really hard not to be shy, so I'm sure I came off annoying instead. XD
Doors surprisingly opened on time at 6 PM. As soon as I got in, I went shooting to Karyu's side, while Andrea and Princess left me for ZERO. TT__TT I managed to get fourth row. For the next hour until the show, I talked to the Mania around me. Everyone for the most part was super nice. This guy in the second row left TWICE for drinks, and we were all so cool that we let him back in both times. They also let my mom in to hand me some band-aids for my blisters, and one girl even said it was OK to lean on her while I put them on. /loves D'espairsRay fans.
After a bit, Taguchi came on stage and did some final sound checks. I shouted his name several times because he acts like a grumpy old man, and I wanted to see him react. He checked Karyu's guitars and everyone cheered for him. Some girl behind me said, "What the hell. He's just a roadie." I turned to her and said that roadies work hard, too. So I called Taguchi's name a few more times and... he smiled! He actually smiled! He had been trying so hard to pretend we weren't there and was staring at the ground, but he actually turned to look at me and he smiled! Mission accomplished! Next he checked ZERO's bass, in which everyone cheered more. Finally, when we were all least expecting it, he hit TSUKASA's bass drum and scared the living shit out of everyone. I'm sure everyone in the audience jumped 2 feet in the air. The sudden beat sent a gush of air out of the speakers and onto us, and when I looked around, everyone was clutching their chests in shock. It was hilarious!
When the sound check was over, we started cheering for D'espairsRay. Problem was, we couldn't exactly decide upon a method of cheering for them. It started with "D'espairsRay! D'espairsRay!" then everyone would scream, then WHOO!, then back to cheering their name. We were one funny mess of a crowd, but it was fun. XD
At long last, the band came on stage. Honestly, I know TSUKASA must've come out first, but it was more like one second the stage was empty, and the next they were there and Karyu was right in front of me. And Oh my gosh, the screaming. O__O I have NEVER heard anything like it. It was louder than the train (which I thought wasn't possible) and louder than the music. It was so loud, I literally felt my eardrums shaking within my skull. It was the strangest sensation I have ever felt. It was just... bizarre. So I covered my ears and screamed along with everyone. XD Karyu looked... well, he was certainly putting on a show. He was playing the creepy MONSTER with his contacts. It was cool.
They immediatly launched into DEATH POINT. And it was clear early on that it was going to be a bit hard to hear HIZUMI. TT__TT But I guess it wasn't sooooo bad.
Setlist (accurate because... some really nice chicks who got the setlists let me take pictures of them, so...):
1. DEATH POINT
2. dope
--MC--
3. LOVE IS DEAD
4. going on!
5. REDEEMER
6. 13-Thirteen-
7. SIXty∞NINe
8. PROGRESS
--MC--
9. Human-clad monster
10. Angeldust
11. Infection
12. CROSSED ARROWS
--MC--
13. abyss
14. FALLING
--MC--
15. DEVIL'S PARADE
16. MIЯROR
17. Hollow
18. Garnet
EN.
1. Reddish -DIVA ver.-
2. 「浮遊した理想」
DEATH POINT was awesome. Karyu was awesome. Seriously, he was a real monster! He had his contacts in and was doing this low, snake-like head movement, staring at the fans like a predator about to pounce on its prey. He really got into it, and it looked so cool!
dope was so dope. I bet that's getting lame and cliche, but it seriously fits. I was really surprised that it was being played so early on. Ther band was totally moving like doped-up rock stars to this song, and everyone was slow headbanging to it with them. This is the song that left the greatest impression on me. It was great! I honestly can't explain how cool it was. It created a thick atomosphere and... I just love this song so much. It was the best. Absolutely brilliant.
I was also really surprised that they were playing LOVE IS DEAD so early on in the show. Everyone was jumping and it was really fun, however HIZUMI's voice and the background recordings were seriously drowned out. It was to the point that I thought, "What part of the song are we at?"
Somewhere within this point, Karyu had his head tilted back, y'know how he did in the making of DEATH POINT, where his big lips are accentuated and he looks like one heck of a sexy pornstar? Yeah, he looked like that. Man can be sexy, yes he can.
going on! was also fun, but it was also hard to hear HIZUMI sing. However, singing "going on! going on!" and fist pumping to it was GREAT!
REDEEMER also left a strong impression on me. It was just... really cool live. I am personally not a huge fan of the PV (I think it's kinda silly, whereas the song is not), but the feeling of the song comes out so well live. I really love it. <3
13-Thirteen-. Oh shit, dudes. This song. OMFG. Along with dope, it probably left the strongest impression on me. The atmosphere it created was so potent. I literally marched along to it. HIZUMI was motioning to get us to fist pump to the rythm. It was so awesome. It was amazing yelling "We can't take more! Hey! Twisted scales! We can create! Hey! Brand new world!" Personally, it's my favorite part of the song and I thought the feeling came out so perfectly live. The feeling was very heavy and it was awesome. It really felt like a death march. Just... awesome live.
Karyu and ZERO did the mini-switch solos they did in Closer to ideal -Brand new scene- for SIXty∞NINe. It was so cool. Everyone was yelling. HIZUMI would point at Karyu when he was playing, then at ZERO when it was ZERO's turn. It was very impressive and I got so into it. Depending on which side you were on, you'd either yell for Karyu or ZERO when either was playing. It was totally rad..
At some point in the group of first songs, Karyu leaned on the speakers which were hanging from the ceiling, and it kinda swung. He made a very brief, almost unnoticable face that showed that he hadn't realized they were hanging. But he kept leaning on it like he didn't notice. Cool dude. XD Also, between songs and rare moments when the audience wasn't completely deafening, I'd shout, "WE'RE FUCKING MONSTERS!" to which everyone around me laughed. It was really fun and I think the band liked it. XD
PROGRESS left a huuuuuge impression on me also. Right with dope and 13-Thirteen-. I just found it very touching, very powerful live. It was amazing. I really, really loved it. One of my favorite songs they played. At this show, though, Karyu didn't sing the "Woaah-ohs!" parts. When I heard it coming up and he was still toward the back of the stage, I was like, "Oh, I guess he doesn't sing it live. :/" But he did sing it at the Toronto show. Hm...
Ahahaha, the MC for Human-clad monster. I knew it from reading other people's live reports, and lemme tell ya, it was nothing short of hilarious. HIZUMI said something like this: "This next song is very *breath* special to us. We named our *breath* tour after it... HUMAN-CRAD MONSTAS!!!" I DIED. It was so CUTE! He said "Crad"! "Crad"! I thought to myself, "Oh my gosh, Michelle. You have to remember this. Do not forget how it." It was like he never even bothered to pronounce it the right way. It was so cute! XD The song was great live, of course. It's a great song.
Angeldust was next. It kinda came and went. I could barely hear HIZUMI or Karyu singing AT ALL during it. Karyu's guitar totally drowned everything out. It was still recognizable, but I think it was WAY better when I saw it at RTOC because I could actually hear more than just Karyu's guitar. Also, I thought about Amandie-kinz, because that was one of the songs she wanted to hear live most. ;__;
For the first part of this setlist, I couldn't keep my tongue in my mouth. Just... totally sticking my tongue out at Karyu the whole time. XD Karyu recipricated this, becuase during the rest of the live I didn't stick my tongue out as often, and neither did he.
Then came Infection, which sent the crowd yelping in excitement. It's a very atompsheric song, and it was great to sing along to and slow headbang to. Karyu whipped around like a maniac and HIZUMI was very into it and EVERYONE knew the lyrics and sang along. In fact, even I sang along. I usually don't like singing at concerts (I prefer to lip synch), but D'espairsRay is so awesome that I just couldn't help myself and sang along to EVERY song..
CROSSED ARROWS was AWESOME. It was a touching, touching song. It's another song with a heavy atmosphere. The slowed down bit were... wow. When HIZUMI sang "Bright and clear" and then "The dream of all dreams"... the atmospere felt really thick and sorrowful. Then part where everything speeds up again and HIZUMI screams, I got so into it. Headbanged like a crazy person. It was so emotional.
Next, HIZUMI did an MC to introduce the next song. He said, "This next song, I was inspired by the deep, deep sea. abyss." Oh my GOSH, people! Words cannot describe how beautiful this song is, especially live. It definately felt like you were being ladled by dark waves, pulled into a deep sea of emotion. So gorgeous. It was just beautiful.
FALLING was also lovely, but it flew by. I can't really remember any specific details. XD
Then came DEVIL'S PARADE! The band went totally NUTS to this one, totally parading around on stage like MONSTERS! And the audience followed along. It was KILLER! At the pause, the band just stopped and stayed motionless, and Karyu gave us this look like, "Ha! See if you can figure out when we'll start again." His contacts and height made him feel very intimidating, the way he loomed over us like some incredible creature of ROCK. This song was so cool.
MIЯROR was great as per. HIZUMI let us sing, and everyone did. It was nice singing "Why don't you break the mirror! Just what you need now!" However, they didn't do that cool intro they've been using recently, which I was really hoping to hear, but Oh well.
Hollow was next. Unfortunately, everything was really drowned out by Karyu's guitar. The song actually became indistinguishable. I kept thinking, "What part of the song are we at?" And I could not hear "Nanananananana nanananananananana" AT ALL. That kind of sucked. Even Karyu had this face like, "We're doing everything right, but..." They did the everlasting loop, which also became a bit confusing because things were so indistinguishable. The band still kept up their energy, which was awesome, and overall it was still fun.
ZERO came over to our side of the stage about 3 or 4 times. He was super cute, smiley and bouncy. And he'd motion for us to scream louder, to which I thought, "Stop it, ZERO! I'm going to go deaf!" There was one point where we screamed, then told us to be louder, so everyone screamed louder. But apparently that wasn't enough for him, so he made us scream even more. Even then, it wasn't enough, and I wanted to punch him. So he motioned once more for us to scream. Now, I'm not really the screaming type. I just kind of open my mouth and pretend I'm screaming, but when he motioned for us to be louder a third time, I just got fed up and screamed as absolutely loud as I possibly could. He seemed really satisfied with that and smiled really, really wide and was totally content looking. It was so cute. *dies*
Right after Hollow, the background chimes to Garnet played. I think the crowd lost their collective shit. At this point, or during the previous song, the guy in front of me whom I had spoken to before the show (and who was letting me hold onto his shoulders/chest O.O) let me go infront of him. The crowd went cazy to Garnet. I heard people around me say, "Oh my gosh! Garnet!" The lighting was very cool in this song. The band also went nuts. It was great.
After that, the band left the stage. The audience was only quiet for a mere moment before was started chanting, "D'espairsRay!! D'espairsRay!!" As in the begining, it didn't seem like we could decide how exactly to cheer for them, because we'd switch of between chanting the band's name, to screaming, to shouting, to whoo-ing, to their name again. I guess we really couldn't make up our minds. It was kinda funny. XD Also, chanting for them was exhausting. I felt like I didn't have enough air inmy lungs to yell for them, but I did it anyway. In fact, I was tired a minute into DEATH POINT. There were points where I'd just kind of fall backward and the people behind would have to hold me up. I kept thinking, "Gosh. I thought I was in good shape." But I guess not eating (I was waaaaay to excited to eat the day of the show and a few days before)+walking 4 miles+waiting in the sun all day long=early exhaustion.
Anyway, the band came back on stage pretty quickly. I think they were all wearing their tour shirts. Karyu was wearing the black one with red print, and he cut the collar sooooo low. I thoroughly enjoyed looking at his collar bones. They were pretty. *__* HIZUMI did an MC. He said, "I *breath* used to pray *breath* basketbaru *breath*," and.... that's pretty much all I understood. XD It was so cute. At first I thought, "Am I hearing him right? Is he really talking about basketball?"
Then they launched into Reddish. By this point I had been pushed into the second row which... I can't really complain about. I think this was the time when I got close enough to Karyu that I touched his arm, right above his elbow, and I thought, "OMFG. He's so freaking sweaty!" I was WAY more excited about getting to touch his sweaty arm than I should have been, but it felt so awesome. Like, he was just totally drenched and it did not gross me out one bit. In fact, I contemplated rubbing my Karyu sweat-slicked hand on my face but... I didn't. Thinking I should have, now. XD
But during the whole show, Karyu came close A LOT. Tons. He was so close, I could see the individual drops of sweat on him, which glittered in the lighting and actually looked really cool. I also touched his pants, which shocked me because they were so thick and no wonder he was so sweaty. Also touched Micawber a few times and his thigh and knee. There was this big girl up in the front who looked totally grumpy in line/before the show, but she was just... all over Karyu. I mean, really all over him. Like mustard on a sanwhich. She stroked his thigh like there was no tomorrow, which quickly moved onto stroking his butt. Karyu really didn't seem to mind, because he would stand there playing and kept letting her do it. I found it so cute because she was just so grumpy-looking before the show, but was really content when she could flirt with him. A lot of other girls went along and also groped his ass. He totally liked it. I... I almost wish I would have, but alas I was too far away and too short. TT__TT
But, yeah. I headbanged like a nut to Reddish and 「浮遊した理想」. I mean, the most I headbanged the entire time. Who didn't? Fist pumping to Reddish was SUPERMEGAAWESOMEFUN. It was badass. And over far too quickly. Also, apparently Karyu humped the amp during 「浮遊した理想」and I completely missed it. DAMMIT! D:< But I did see him take off his guitar by pressing up against the speaker and just sliding out of the strap. I thought the speaker might swing and he'd fall. XD
As soon as they finished, they did their usual water-spitting-pick-launching. Karyu dumped his water on me and it shocked me because it was so cold and the pit was hot as Hades. It felt soooo good. Best surprise water in my face of my life. HIZUMI came over and touched all of our hands. Actually, I didn't really get to touch his, maybe just a bit. My direct spot kept getting skipped over. D:< But Oh, well. Then ZERO came over, took a big slug of water into his mouth, and spat it all over us. I got a bit on me, just on my left side. And I'm going to be gross and tell the honest truth: When ZERO spat on us, I opened my mouth to catch the water because I was so FREAKING thirsty. I know it's nasty blahblahblah, but I don't care. I don't mind ZERO's spit one bit. So, yeah. ZERO then put a pick in his mouth and leaned down for us to grab. It looked like a mad rush of hands going to his face, and it almost looked like he was going to get knocked out by how fast those hands shot out, but when someone grabbed the pick, he stood back up AND LICKED HIS LIPS. It was... Oh my gosh. He got that little cocky smirk of his, perfectly pleased that girls were so desperate to get his pick from his mouth, and licked his upper lip in the most exaggerated of ways. It was... beyond hot. I think ZERO is a handsome fellow, but that... I think everyone who saw that spontaniously came.
He threw a few more, and then Karyu came back to shoot more picks at us. While this was happening, I looked at TSUKASA, who was just in front of his drumset with a bottle cap between his lips. He leaned ever so slightly forward to spit it out... but it just dropped onto the ground from between his lips. He gave this sort of embarrassed smile like, "You did not just see that That did not just happen It wasn't me." It was so cute. XD I think I almost died. Karyu threw some picks towards the back in his characteristic over-dramatic kissy way, shot some from between his lips, and handed some out. I didn't get any, but... XD
When they were finished with that, and it seemed like TSUKASA and ZERO had all ready made their way off the stage and Karyu was doing just that, HIZUMI put his finger to his lips to shush us. He had a HUUUUGE, sweet grin on his face that was so wonderful and beautiful that feel like crying thinking about it. When we shut up, he shouted, "ARIGATOOOOOU!" and the crowd screamed like mad as he left the stage. It was a truly touching moment and I'll never forget it.
Soon after that, Satou and Taguchi started cleaning up the stage. The poor guys had to mop up the stage with towels because D'espairsRay are the kings of getting water EVERYWHERE (ZERO!) At this point, I felt totally worn out. I spent the time waiting for the signing to start crouching on the ground and gripping my stomach. I felt like I'd just run a fast mile. Actually, no, it was worse than that. I feel perfectly fine after running a mile. This was more like... I don't even know what. I was so beat. I did occasionally stand up to talk to people, but... I have no idead what I said or what anyone else said because I was DEAF! Everything sounded like it was underwater, or I had cotton crammed in my ears-- it was AWESOME! I think I was too brain-scrambled by then to even comprehend anything had I heard anyway. XD
The signing started not too long after the show ended. They set up a table towards the left side of the pit surrounded by a black curtain, so while you were getting your poster signed, it felt like it was just you and the band. Or maybe they just set it up so you wouldn't see the band pick their wedgies from behind. It was nice. The lined moved pretty quickly, and before I knew it, I was up. It seemed like there were things I wanted to tell them, but I completely forgot while waiting in line, but that's how things go. My mom went ahead before me to get a poster for tomandakaulitz signed. She went up to ZERO, he signed the poster, then stuck out his hand for my mom to shake. My mom had something in her right hand, so she went, "OOOOOH!" and quickly switched it to her other hand to shake ZERO's, and I saw him give her such a sweet smile. <3
Next was my turn. I was not shy at all. AT ALL. I went right up to him, gave him my poster to sign, and told him, "HEY ZERO!! You were awesome! You were a freaking MONSTER!" and gave him the hard rock sign. XD He gave me that characteristic, ZERO embarrased-happy look where he presses his lips together real hard and wants to look down shyly. But he kept eye contact and I think I fell in love. ♥ __♥ It was so cute and so sweet. He looked really happy. <3 He mumbled something-- a sankyuu, I assume-- but I couldn't hear him too well because 1)I was deaf and 2)He seemed really shy because I was so outgoing. He was such a sweetie, but what really caught me off gaurd was that his voice... SOUNDED HIGH-PITCHED! I'm sure it's because he was trying to speak English, but it made me shocked and laugh internally. XD
I skipped over to TSUKASA next. I'm sure I said something along the lines of, "HI TSUKASA!! You rock! Thank you so much!" or something. I was so surprised by how tiny TSUKASA is in real life-- even his face. It just seemed like it he holds less mass than I had imagined. I've realized before that he was tiny and muscular, but even his face was thinner or something. I don't know. Anyway! He signed my poster, shook my hand and... I asked him for a high-five. I had been planning for a while to high-five all of them, but it took me meeting ZERO to build up the courage. Therefore, ZERO didn't get a high-five from me at this signing, but all the other members did. When I asked TSUKASA, he had a slightly mortified expression on his face, as if totally culture shocked (and he probably was-- smiley, loud American girl running up and high-fiving him? Probably pretty shocking. XDD.) He high-fived me, and although he looked shocked at first, I think he had fun with it. He also told me thank you and... HIS VOICE WAS HIGH-PITCHED TOO. I was like, "NO! Even TSUKASA? The man with the deepest, announcer-sounding voice in D'espairsRay?" Then I thanked TSUKASA again, and moved on.
Next was HIZUMI. I honestly don't think I looked him in the eye or even at his face much. I just gave him my poster to sign and thanked him a kazillion and a half times, bowing like crazy. I mean, I seriously must have said thank you over 10 times. I wonder why I said thank you more to HIZUMI than any of the other members? I did look at him when I asked him for a high-five, though. He looked more comfortable with it than TSUKASA did. He even smiled at it. Didn't notice his chin fuzz. And I'm not sure if he said thank you (guessing he did, but I was deaf). But after the high-five, I bowed more and said, "Really, truly, thank you so much," and went over to Karyu.
Oh, Karyu. Karyu, Karyu, Karyu, Karyu. Mark this signing down as Reason #185793487489329475 Why I Love Karyu. I went to him, cheery as could be, said, "HI KARYU! 8D," and layed my poster out for him. He looked up at me, smiled wide... and dropped his sharpie. *facepalm* It went rolling towards me, and he scrambled and fumbled over the table like an idiot to get it. I was about to move to grab it for him, but he got it before I had the chance. He held it up, gave me an embarrassed grin, and signed my stuff. He signed it quickly, so I just kind of stared at it for a moment in confusion before I looked back up at him. When I did, I was met with the best thing I have ever seen in my entire life: He had his mouth gaping open, eyes wide (you guys know which Karyu-expression I mean, right?) and had his hand held back behind him ready to high-five me. For a mili-second, I stood there thinking, "Oh my gosh. Karyu's really excited about this!" And then Karyu gave me a high-five. He kind of whipped his head excitedly when he high-fived me (you know how he does that) and was like, "Tcha! 8D" Afterward, my hand hurt! It really hurt! Karyu's high-fives hurt! It was GREAT! He was so into it and totally had fun with it. It made my heart melt into a pool of sticky, drippy DAAAAAAWS. The look on his face... THAT MAN IS JUST TOO PRECIOUS. There's no way around it. I love Karyu. I don't care what people say about "You don't know him, it could just be an act"-bullshit. No, I may not "know" him, but I listen to his music enough to gather he's an honest man. I've read the interviews where he discusses his less-than-happy family life (how could he ever possibly be mean after that?). And I've met him three times, and each time he's been a total sweetheart. You can just feel the genuine kindness radiating off him. He's a nice guy through and through, no way to argue that.
In fact, they're all like that. They are all super, super nice people, and I'm so glad I had the chance to meet them.
So that was the end of the signing. My mom did tell me that HIZUMI gave her one of the sweetest smiles she's ever seen when she went up to him, so she's totally endeared by him now. XD
After getting our stuff signed, the venue staff told us we had to leave. So I went out to where the tourbus was, and while walking to the road, Taguchi and Satou passed by me. At first I only saw Taguchi, so I told him yoroshiku and... he said it back. I don't know why that surprised me so much, but it did. O.O Then I saw Satou, so I told him the same and he also said it back. I like these guys. I'm totally a Taguchi fan now. XD
While waiting for my dad to pick us up, I sat against a gate and watched everyone around me, fahabalahba-ing over Karyu's high-five. I still felt sick, but thrilled about the whole day. And my hand still hurt. XD I talked to some fans, looked at the merch I got (the three different T-shirts, the hoodie, and two posters) and such. A girl I had met in line (Tina? Trina? Gosh I'm so bad with names D8) let me take pictures of the setlists she and her friend got. Then I tried taking pictures of Karubi, who was placed on the dashboard of the tourbus in a waving position. Next thing I knew, James was out letting us all take pictures with him and Karubi. I got one with them, which I'll post later.
And then, the next thing I know, I'm walking around the gate and my mom looks through it and says, "Isn't that Karyu?" I look to see, and lo' and behold, it is Karyu! Karyu and HIZUMI, I think, right by the venue doors. Karyu was smoking of course. TSUKASA suddenly appears walking to the tourbus. We cheer for him. He waves at us, then goes in. Then ZERO walks by and goes into the tourbus. While he was walking to it, he had his head down looking at his cell phone-- blogging, no doubt. The crowd and I all cheered, so he looked up and waved at us with the hand he still had his cell in. It was really bright and blinking. Then he went inside. I can't believe that guy and his blog-addiction. XD Next was, HUZZAH! Karyu! He looked all tall and cool and his usual laid-back self. We cheered, he waved, and went in. Actually, to be honest, I'm not sure of the order the guys went in to their tourbus. I just remember that TSUKASA was first. XP Also, after the 3 of them went in, a guy delivered two pizzas to them. I wonder if it was deep-dish?
After that, James video taped us and let us say a message to the band. I got right up in the camera's grill and shouted, "YOU GUYS ARE FREAKING MONSTERS! WHOOO!" or something like that. I will be so freaking embarrassed if that ends up on a DVD or something. I think I will die... but I still want to be in it. XD
Right around this time, my dad arrived to pick us up. James was still taping people. He asked us to shout. I run up to the crowd to shout. My dad, ever a racist, annoying, SOB, shouted RICE! in Spanish very loudly, and was asking me if they were going to eat rice for dinner. Trying to shut him up, I told him that, No, they were in fact having pizza for dinner, and pushed his ass outta there. I really wanted to wait for HIZUMI to get onto the bus, but my dad was getting too rowdy, so I pushed him away and we drove back to the hotel.
It was an emotional day. Upon entering my hotel room, I promptly keeled over and dry-heaved into a recycle bin. I stood up, walked to the bathroom, and hurled into the toilet. I think it was a combination of lots of fun, no food, and strong emotions. Really stong emotions. I mean, I had been waiting to see D'espairsRay live for 5 years, so it's not exactly without feeling that I went through this day.
Overall, it was wonderful. dope, 13-Thirteen- and PROGRESS are my new lovers live. The entire live was truly impacting and powerful, and meeting the band was great, too. It will not be a day I forget. The first full set by D'espairsRay I have ever seen live. Simply wonderful.
Typos are probably very abudant. I told shoucake I'd have this done today, so I was commited to posting it. That saying, it's 4 AM and I am very tired, meaning I'm shunning spell check for the moment. I will most likely edit later and correct things and/or add in other things as I remember them.
Also, expect a live report for D'espairsRay World Tour 2010 Human-clad Monsters @ the Mod Club Theatre Toronto, ON [8/11/10]-- D'espairsRay's first show in Canada!-- soon! :D
This was an awesome day indeed.
I woke up before 7 AM because excitement is an annoying fellow that doesn't allow you to sleep. I wanted to leave the hotel at 8 AM, but as per usual, my father took his good ol' time and we ended up leaving around 8:45.
The website I used to estimate how far the venue was from our hotel is a LIAR. It said the venue was less than two miles away from us, but hell no. That was not a 2-mile walk. My mom and I can do a 3-mile walk fast as hell, and we do it often. This... this was torture. It felt like we were walking FOREVER. We went from nice, upscale Chicago to suddenly an industrial area with loud-ass train tracks over us. Me? I'm not used to cities. I'm used to my corn flieds and soybean fields and grass. I felt like I was going slightly crazy with the mad rush around me, but overall I got a friendly vibe from Chicago.
When I got to the venue, it was a little past 9:30 and I had some nasty-ass blisters on my feet. I got in line and met some nice people. The line wasn't too long. Probably 20-30 people? Right above the street the venue was on was a train rail. It was louuuuuud. Every time someone wanted to say something, the train would roll right on by and end our conversations. EVERYBODY in line would get the grumpiest expression on their faces and roll their eyes. It was hilarious for the first 5 hours, but after that it got really annoying.
After a few hours, one of the ladies I was talking to in line screamed, "BUS! BUS!" and I had, like, no idea what she was talking about. I turned around a lo' and behold, D'espairsRay's tour bus passed us! A while after that, James was walking around us, being his creeper self with his creeper self haircut. I thought, "Damn, this guy is just as creepy as the pictures online!" He walked right by me and I said Hello. He quickly and coldly said hi and kept right on walking.
Shortly after that, Andrea (shoucake ) and her brother Chris came and they jumped in line with me. They are seriously, seriously nice. I had a great time talking to them and it made the hours of waiting go by quickly. A bit after they arrived, D'espairsRay's tour bus passed us to park next to the venue. We saw creeper James and Karubi up in the front, but someone on the side was pressing their face to the window. We have no clue who it was since the windows were tinted, but it was really endearing. <3 The bus took FOREVER to park and it caused a HUGE traffic jam. It was hilarious! While everyone was just standing and watching the bus, I waved frantically and suddenly someone in the bus waved back, to which everyone in line started waving. Again, I have no clue who it was because I was too far away (I hear it was Karyu), but I totally got someone in D'espairsRay to wave at me! *proud* Finally, they managed to park. Apparently the band ran into the venue as fast as they could. XD
At some point after this, I went trekking to the bathroom, and when I came back, Andrea told me James had almost run her over on a bike! Way to go, James! D:< *wishes James would get run over instead* At around 5, Princess (yuunao) showed up with her brother and friend. They were also really nice, if not a bit shy, but that's OK! I myself was trying really hard not to be shy, so I'm sure I came off annoying instead. XD
Doors surprisingly opened on time at 6 PM. As soon as I got in, I went shooting to Karyu's side, while Andrea and Princess left me for ZERO. TT__TT I managed to get fourth row. For the next hour until the show, I talked to the Mania around me. Everyone for the most part was super nice. This guy in the second row left TWICE for drinks, and we were all so cool that we let him back in both times. They also let my mom in to hand me some band-aids for my blisters, and one girl even said it was OK to lean on her while I put them on. /loves D'espairsRay fans.
After a bit, Taguchi came on stage and did some final sound checks. I shouted his name several times because he acts like a grumpy old man, and I wanted to see him react. He checked Karyu's guitars and everyone cheered for him. Some girl behind me said, "What the hell. He's just a roadie." I turned to her and said that roadies work hard, too. So I called Taguchi's name a few more times and... he smiled! He actually smiled! He had been trying so hard to pretend we weren't there and was staring at the ground, but he actually turned to look at me and he smiled! Mission accomplished! Next he checked ZERO's bass, in which everyone cheered more. Finally, when we were all least expecting it, he hit TSUKASA's bass drum and scared the living shit out of everyone. I'm sure everyone in the audience jumped 2 feet in the air. The sudden beat sent a gush of air out of the speakers and onto us, and when I looked around, everyone was clutching their chests in shock. It was hilarious!
When the sound check was over, we started cheering for D'espairsRay. Problem was, we couldn't exactly decide upon a method of cheering for them. It started with "D'espairsRay! D'espairsRay!" then everyone would scream, then WHOO!, then back to cheering their name. We were one funny mess of a crowd, but it was fun. XD
At long last, the band came on stage. Honestly, I know TSUKASA must've come out first, but it was more like one second the stage was empty, and the next they were there and Karyu was right in front of me. And Oh my gosh, the screaming. O__O I have NEVER heard anything like it. It was louder than the train (which I thought wasn't possible) and louder than the music. It was so loud, I literally felt my eardrums shaking within my skull. It was the strangest sensation I have ever felt. It was just... bizarre. So I covered my ears and screamed along with everyone. XD Karyu looked... well, he was certainly putting on a show. He was playing the creepy MONSTER with his contacts. It was cool.
They immediatly launched into DEATH POINT. And it was clear early on that it was going to be a bit hard to hear HIZUMI. TT__TT But I guess it wasn't sooooo bad.
Setlist (accurate because... some really nice chicks who got the setlists let me take pictures of them, so...):
1. DEATH POINT
2. dope
--MC--
3. LOVE IS DEAD
4. going on!
5. REDEEMER
6. 13-Thirteen-
7. SIXty∞NINe
8. PROGRESS
--MC--
9. Human-clad monster
10. Angeldust
11. Infection
12. CROSSED ARROWS
--MC--
13. abyss
14. FALLING
--MC--
15. DEVIL'S PARADE
16. MIЯROR
17. Hollow
18. Garnet
EN.
1. Reddish -DIVA ver.-
2. 「浮遊した理想」
DEATH POINT was awesome. Karyu was awesome. Seriously, he was a real monster! He had his contacts in and was doing this low, snake-like head movement, staring at the fans like a predator about to pounce on its prey. He really got into it, and it looked so cool!
dope was so dope. I bet that's getting lame and cliche, but it seriously fits. I was really surprised that it was being played so early on. Ther band was totally moving like doped-up rock stars to this song, and everyone was slow headbanging to it with them. This is the song that left the greatest impression on me. It was great! I honestly can't explain how cool it was. It created a thick atomosphere and... I just love this song so much. It was the best. Absolutely brilliant.
I was also really surprised that they were playing LOVE IS DEAD so early on in the show. Everyone was jumping and it was really fun, however HIZUMI's voice and the background recordings were seriously drowned out. It was to the point that I thought, "What part of the song are we at?"
Somewhere within this point, Karyu had his head tilted back, y'know how he did in the making of DEATH POINT, where his big lips are accentuated and he looks like one heck of a sexy pornstar? Yeah, he looked like that. Man can be sexy, yes he can.
going on! was also fun, but it was also hard to hear HIZUMI sing. However, singing "going on! going on!" and fist pumping to it was GREAT!
REDEEMER also left a strong impression on me. It was just... really cool live. I am personally not a huge fan of the PV (I think it's kinda silly, whereas the song is not), but the feeling of the song comes out so well live. I really love it. <3
13-Thirteen-. Oh shit, dudes. This song. OMFG. Along with dope, it probably left the strongest impression on me. The atmosphere it created was so potent. I literally marched along to it. HIZUMI was motioning to get us to fist pump to the rythm. It was so awesome. It was amazing yelling "We can't take more! Hey! Twisted scales! We can create! Hey! Brand new world!" Personally, it's my favorite part of the song and I thought the feeling came out so perfectly live. The feeling was very heavy and it was awesome. It really felt like a death march. Just... awesome live.
Karyu and ZERO did the mini-switch solos they did in Closer to ideal -Brand new scene- for SIXty∞NINe. It was so cool. Everyone was yelling. HIZUMI would point at Karyu when he was playing, then at ZERO when it was ZERO's turn. It was very impressive and I got so into it. Depending on which side you were on, you'd either yell for Karyu or ZERO when either was playing. It was totally rad..
At some point in the group of first songs, Karyu leaned on the speakers which were hanging from the ceiling, and it kinda swung. He made a very brief, almost unnoticable face that showed that he hadn't realized they were hanging. But he kept leaning on it like he didn't notice. Cool dude. XD Also, between songs and rare moments when the audience wasn't completely deafening, I'd shout, "WE'RE FUCKING MONSTERS!" to which everyone around me laughed. It was really fun and I think the band liked it. XD
PROGRESS left a huuuuuge impression on me also. Right with dope and 13-Thirteen-. I just found it very touching, very powerful live. It was amazing. I really, really loved it. One of my favorite songs they played. At this show, though, Karyu didn't sing the "Woaah-ohs!" parts. When I heard it coming up and he was still toward the back of the stage, I was like, "Oh, I guess he doesn't sing it live. :/" But he did sing it at the Toronto show. Hm...
Ahahaha, the MC for Human-clad monster. I knew it from reading other people's live reports, and lemme tell ya, it was nothing short of hilarious. HIZUMI said something like this: "This next song is very *breath* special to us. We named our *breath* tour after it... HUMAN-CRAD MONSTAS!!!" I DIED. It was so CUTE! He said "Crad"! "Crad"! I thought to myself, "Oh my gosh, Michelle. You have to remember this. Do not forget how it." It was like he never even bothered to pronounce it the right way. It was so cute! XD The song was great live, of course. It's a great song.
Angeldust was next. It kinda came and went. I could barely hear HIZUMI or Karyu singing AT ALL during it. Karyu's guitar totally drowned everything out. It was still recognizable, but I think it was WAY better when I saw it at RTOC because I could actually hear more than just Karyu's guitar. Also, I thought about Amandie-kinz, because that was one of the songs she wanted to hear live most. ;__;
For the first part of this setlist, I couldn't keep my tongue in my mouth. Just... totally sticking my tongue out at Karyu the whole time. XD Karyu recipricated this, becuase during the rest of the live I didn't stick my tongue out as often, and neither did he.
Then came Infection, which sent the crowd yelping in excitement. It's a very atompsheric song, and it was great to sing along to and slow headbang to. Karyu whipped around like a maniac and HIZUMI was very into it and EVERYONE knew the lyrics and sang along. In fact, even I sang along. I usually don't like singing at concerts (I prefer to lip synch), but D'espairsRay is so awesome that I just couldn't help myself and sang along to EVERY song..
CROSSED ARROWS was AWESOME. It was a touching, touching song. It's another song with a heavy atmosphere. The slowed down bit were... wow. When HIZUMI sang "Bright and clear" and then "The dream of all dreams"... the atmospere felt really thick and sorrowful. Then part where everything speeds up again and HIZUMI screams, I got so into it. Headbanged like a crazy person. It was so emotional.
Next, HIZUMI did an MC to introduce the next song. He said, "This next song, I was inspired by the deep, deep sea. abyss." Oh my GOSH, people! Words cannot describe how beautiful this song is, especially live. It definately felt like you were being ladled by dark waves, pulled into a deep sea of emotion. So gorgeous. It was just beautiful.
FALLING was also lovely, but it flew by. I can't really remember any specific details. XD
Then came DEVIL'S PARADE! The band went totally NUTS to this one, totally parading around on stage like MONSTERS! And the audience followed along. It was KILLER! At the pause, the band just stopped and stayed motionless, and Karyu gave us this look like, "Ha! See if you can figure out when we'll start again." His contacts and height made him feel very intimidating, the way he loomed over us like some incredible creature of ROCK. This song was so cool.
MIЯROR was great as per. HIZUMI let us sing, and everyone did. It was nice singing "Why don't you break the mirror! Just what you need now!" However, they didn't do that cool intro they've been using recently, which I was really hoping to hear, but Oh well.
Hollow was next. Unfortunately, everything was really drowned out by Karyu's guitar. The song actually became indistinguishable. I kept thinking, "What part of the song are we at?" And I could not hear "Nanananananana nanananananananana" AT ALL. That kind of sucked. Even Karyu had this face like, "We're doing everything right, but..." They did the everlasting loop, which also became a bit confusing because things were so indistinguishable. The band still kept up their energy, which was awesome, and overall it was still fun.
ZERO came over to our side of the stage about 3 or 4 times. He was super cute, smiley and bouncy. And he'd motion for us to scream louder, to which I thought, "Stop it, ZERO! I'm going to go deaf!" There was one point where we screamed, then told us to be louder, so everyone screamed louder. But apparently that wasn't enough for him, so he made us scream even more. Even then, it wasn't enough, and I wanted to punch him. So he motioned once more for us to scream. Now, I'm not really the screaming type. I just kind of open my mouth and pretend I'm screaming, but when he motioned for us to be louder a third time, I just got fed up and screamed as absolutely loud as I possibly could. He seemed really satisfied with that and smiled really, really wide and was totally content looking. It was so cute. *dies*
Right after Hollow, the background chimes to Garnet played. I think the crowd lost their collective shit. At this point, or during the previous song, the guy in front of me whom I had spoken to before the show (and who was letting me hold onto his shoulders/chest O.O) let me go infront of him. The crowd went cazy to Garnet. I heard people around me say, "Oh my gosh! Garnet!" The lighting was very cool in this song. The band also went nuts. It was great.
After that, the band left the stage. The audience was only quiet for a mere moment before was started chanting, "D'espairsRay!! D'espairsRay!!" As in the begining, it didn't seem like we could decide how exactly to cheer for them, because we'd switch of between chanting the band's name, to screaming, to shouting, to whoo-ing, to their name again. I guess we really couldn't make up our minds. It was kinda funny. XD Also, chanting for them was exhausting. I felt like I didn't have enough air inmy lungs to yell for them, but I did it anyway. In fact, I was tired a minute into DEATH POINT. There were points where I'd just kind of fall backward and the people behind would have to hold me up. I kept thinking, "Gosh. I thought I was in good shape." But I guess not eating (I was waaaaay to excited to eat the day of the show and a few days before)+walking 4 miles+waiting in the sun all day long=early exhaustion.
Anyway, the band came back on stage pretty quickly. I think they were all wearing their tour shirts. Karyu was wearing the black one with red print, and he cut the collar sooooo low. I thoroughly enjoyed looking at his collar bones. They were pretty. *__* HIZUMI did an MC. He said, "I *breath* used to pray *breath* basketbaru *breath*," and.... that's pretty much all I understood. XD It was so cute. At first I thought, "Am I hearing him right? Is he really talking about basketball?"
Then they launched into Reddish. By this point I had been pushed into the second row which... I can't really complain about. I think this was the time when I got close enough to Karyu that I touched his arm, right above his elbow, and I thought, "OMFG. He's so freaking sweaty!" I was WAY more excited about getting to touch his sweaty arm than I should have been, but it felt so awesome. Like, he was just totally drenched and it did not gross me out one bit. In fact, I contemplated rubbing my Karyu sweat-slicked hand on my face but... I didn't. Thinking I should have, now. XD
But during the whole show, Karyu came close A LOT. Tons. He was so close, I could see the individual drops of sweat on him, which glittered in the lighting and actually looked really cool. I also touched his pants, which shocked me because they were so thick and no wonder he was so sweaty. Also touched Micawber a few times and his thigh and knee. There was this big girl up in the front who looked totally grumpy in line/before the show, but she was just... all over Karyu. I mean, really all over him. Like mustard on a sanwhich. She stroked his thigh like there was no tomorrow, which quickly moved onto stroking his butt. Karyu really didn't seem to mind, because he would stand there playing and kept letting her do it. I found it so cute because she was just so grumpy-looking before the show, but was really content when she could flirt with him. A lot of other girls went along and also groped his ass. He totally liked it. I... I almost wish I would have, but alas I was too far away and too short. TT__TT
But, yeah. I headbanged like a nut to Reddish and 「浮遊した理想」. I mean, the most I headbanged the entire time. Who didn't? Fist pumping to Reddish was SUPERMEGAAWESOMEFUN. It was badass. And over far too quickly. Also, apparently Karyu humped the amp during 「浮遊した理想」and I completely missed it. DAMMIT! D:< But I did see him take off his guitar by pressing up against the speaker and just sliding out of the strap. I thought the speaker might swing and he'd fall. XD
As soon as they finished, they did their usual water-spitting-pick-launching. Karyu dumped his water on me and it shocked me because it was so cold and the pit was hot as Hades. It felt soooo good. Best surprise water in my face of my life. HIZUMI came over and touched all of our hands. Actually, I didn't really get to touch his, maybe just a bit. My direct spot kept getting skipped over. D:< But Oh, well. Then ZERO came over, took a big slug of water into his mouth, and spat it all over us. I got a bit on me, just on my left side. And I'm going to be gross and tell the honest truth: When ZERO spat on us, I opened my mouth to catch the water because I was so FREAKING thirsty. I know it's nasty blahblahblah, but I don't care. I don't mind ZERO's spit one bit. So, yeah. ZERO then put a pick in his mouth and leaned down for us to grab. It looked like a mad rush of hands going to his face, and it almost looked like he was going to get knocked out by how fast those hands shot out, but when someone grabbed the pick, he stood back up AND LICKED HIS LIPS. It was... Oh my gosh. He got that little cocky smirk of his, perfectly pleased that girls were so desperate to get his pick from his mouth, and licked his upper lip in the most exaggerated of ways. It was... beyond hot. I think ZERO is a handsome fellow, but that... I think everyone who saw that spontaniously came.
He threw a few more, and then Karyu came back to shoot more picks at us. While this was happening, I looked at TSUKASA, who was just in front of his drumset with a bottle cap between his lips. He leaned ever so slightly forward to spit it out... but it just dropped onto the ground from between his lips. He gave this sort of embarrassed smile like, "You did not just see that That did not just happen It wasn't me." It was so cute. XD I think I almost died. Karyu threw some picks towards the back in his characteristic over-dramatic kissy way, shot some from between his lips, and handed some out. I didn't get any, but... XD
When they were finished with that, and it seemed like TSUKASA and ZERO had all ready made their way off the stage and Karyu was doing just that, HIZUMI put his finger to his lips to shush us. He had a HUUUUGE, sweet grin on his face that was so wonderful and beautiful that feel like crying thinking about it. When we shut up, he shouted, "ARIGATOOOOOU!" and the crowd screamed like mad as he left the stage. It was a truly touching moment and I'll never forget it.
Soon after that, Satou and Taguchi started cleaning up the stage. The poor guys had to mop up the stage with towels because D'espairsRay are the kings of getting water EVERYWHERE (ZERO!) At this point, I felt totally worn out. I spent the time waiting for the signing to start crouching on the ground and gripping my stomach. I felt like I'd just run a fast mile. Actually, no, it was worse than that. I feel perfectly fine after running a mile. This was more like... I don't even know what. I was so beat. I did occasionally stand up to talk to people, but... I have no idead what I said or what anyone else said because I was DEAF! Everything sounded like it was underwater, or I had cotton crammed in my ears-- it was AWESOME! I think I was too brain-scrambled by then to even comprehend anything had I heard anyway. XD
The signing started not too long after the show ended. They set up a table towards the left side of the pit surrounded by a black curtain, so while you were getting your poster signed, it felt like it was just you and the band. Or maybe they just set it up so you wouldn't see the band pick their wedgies from behind. It was nice. The lined moved pretty quickly, and before I knew it, I was up. It seemed like there were things I wanted to tell them, but I completely forgot while waiting in line, but that's how things go. My mom went ahead before me to get a poster for tomandakaulitz signed. She went up to ZERO, he signed the poster, then stuck out his hand for my mom to shake. My mom had something in her right hand, so she went, "OOOOOH!" and quickly switched it to her other hand to shake ZERO's, and I saw him give her such a sweet smile. <3
Next was my turn. I was not shy at all. AT ALL. I went right up to him, gave him my poster to sign, and told him, "HEY ZERO!! You were awesome! You were a freaking MONSTER!" and gave him the hard rock sign. XD He gave me that characteristic, ZERO embarrased-happy look where he presses his lips together real hard and wants to look down shyly. But he kept eye contact and I think I fell in love. ♥ __♥ It was so cute and so sweet. He looked really happy. <3 He mumbled something-- a sankyuu, I assume-- but I couldn't hear him too well because 1)I was deaf and 2)He seemed really shy because I was so outgoing. He was such a sweetie, but what really caught me off gaurd was that his voice... SOUNDED HIGH-PITCHED! I'm sure it's because he was trying to speak English, but it made me shocked and laugh internally. XD
I skipped over to TSUKASA next. I'm sure I said something along the lines of, "HI TSUKASA!! You rock! Thank you so much!" or something. I was so surprised by how tiny TSUKASA is in real life-- even his face. It just seemed like it he holds less mass than I had imagined. I've realized before that he was tiny and muscular, but even his face was thinner or something. I don't know. Anyway! He signed my poster, shook my hand and... I asked him for a high-five. I had been planning for a while to high-five all of them, but it took me meeting ZERO to build up the courage. Therefore, ZERO didn't get a high-five from me at this signing, but all the other members did. When I asked TSUKASA, he had a slightly mortified expression on his face, as if totally culture shocked (and he probably was-- smiley, loud American girl running up and high-fiving him? Probably pretty shocking. XDD.) He high-fived me, and although he looked shocked at first, I think he had fun with it. He also told me thank you and... HIS VOICE WAS HIGH-PITCHED TOO. I was like, "NO! Even TSUKASA? The man with the deepest, announcer-sounding voice in D'espairsRay?" Then I thanked TSUKASA again, and moved on.
Next was HIZUMI. I honestly don't think I looked him in the eye or even at his face much. I just gave him my poster to sign and thanked him a kazillion and a half times, bowing like crazy. I mean, I seriously must have said thank you over 10 times. I wonder why I said thank you more to HIZUMI than any of the other members? I did look at him when I asked him for a high-five, though. He looked more comfortable with it than TSUKASA did. He even smiled at it. Didn't notice his chin fuzz. And I'm not sure if he said thank you (guessing he did, but I was deaf). But after the high-five, I bowed more and said, "Really, truly, thank you so much," and went over to Karyu.
Oh, Karyu. Karyu, Karyu, Karyu, Karyu. Mark this signing down as Reason #185793487489329475 Why I Love Karyu. I went to him, cheery as could be, said, "HI KARYU! 8D," and layed my poster out for him. He looked up at me, smiled wide... and dropped his sharpie. *facepalm* It went rolling towards me, and he scrambled and fumbled over the table like an idiot to get it. I was about to move to grab it for him, but he got it before I had the chance. He held it up, gave me an embarrassed grin, and signed my stuff. He signed it quickly, so I just kind of stared at it for a moment in confusion before I looked back up at him. When I did, I was met with the best thing I have ever seen in my entire life: He had his mouth gaping open, eyes wide (you guys know which Karyu-expression I mean, right?) and had his hand held back behind him ready to high-five me. For a mili-second, I stood there thinking, "Oh my gosh. Karyu's really excited about this!" And then Karyu gave me a high-five. He kind of whipped his head excitedly when he high-fived me (you know how he does that) and was like, "Tcha! 8D" Afterward, my hand hurt! It really hurt! Karyu's high-fives hurt! It was GREAT! He was so into it and totally had fun with it. It made my heart melt into a pool of sticky, drippy DAAAAAAWS. The look on his face... THAT MAN IS JUST TOO PRECIOUS. There's no way around it. I love Karyu. I don't care what people say about "You don't know him, it could just be an act"-bullshit. No, I may not "know" him, but I listen to his music enough to gather he's an honest man. I've read the interviews where he discusses his less-than-happy family life (how could he ever possibly be mean after that?). And I've met him three times, and each time he's been a total sweetheart. You can just feel the genuine kindness radiating off him. He's a nice guy through and through, no way to argue that.
In fact, they're all like that. They are all super, super nice people, and I'm so glad I had the chance to meet them.
So that was the end of the signing. My mom did tell me that HIZUMI gave her one of the sweetest smiles she's ever seen when she went up to him, so she's totally endeared by him now. XD
After getting our stuff signed, the venue staff told us we had to leave. So I went out to where the tourbus was, and while walking to the road, Taguchi and Satou passed by me. At first I only saw Taguchi, so I told him yoroshiku and... he said it back. I don't know why that surprised me so much, but it did. O.O Then I saw Satou, so I told him the same and he also said it back. I like these guys. I'm totally a Taguchi fan now. XD
While waiting for my dad to pick us up, I sat against a gate and watched everyone around me, fahabalahba-ing over Karyu's high-five. I still felt sick, but thrilled about the whole day. And my hand still hurt. XD I talked to some fans, looked at the merch I got (the three different T-shirts, the hoodie, and two posters) and such. A girl I had met in line (Tina? Trina? Gosh I'm so bad with names D8) let me take pictures of the setlists she and her friend got. Then I tried taking pictures of Karubi, who was placed on the dashboard of the tourbus in a waving position. Next thing I knew, James was out letting us all take pictures with him and Karubi. I got one with them, which I'll post later.
And then, the next thing I know, I'm walking around the gate and my mom looks through it and says, "Isn't that Karyu?" I look to see, and lo' and behold, it is Karyu! Karyu and HIZUMI, I think, right by the venue doors. Karyu was smoking of course. TSUKASA suddenly appears walking to the tourbus. We cheer for him. He waves at us, then goes in. Then ZERO walks by and goes into the tourbus. While he was walking to it, he had his head down looking at his cell phone-- blogging, no doubt. The crowd and I all cheered, so he looked up and waved at us with the hand he still had his cell in. It was really bright and blinking. Then he went inside. I can't believe that guy and his blog-addiction. XD Next was, HUZZAH! Karyu! He looked all tall and cool and his usual laid-back self. We cheered, he waved, and went in. Actually, to be honest, I'm not sure of the order the guys went in to their tourbus. I just remember that TSUKASA was first. XP Also, after the 3 of them went in, a guy delivered two pizzas to them. I wonder if it was deep-dish?
After that, James video taped us and let us say a message to the band. I got right up in the camera's grill and shouted, "YOU GUYS ARE FREAKING MONSTERS! WHOOO!" or something like that. I will be so freaking embarrassed if that ends up on a DVD or something. I think I will die... but I still want to be in it. XD
Right around this time, my dad arrived to pick us up. James was still taping people. He asked us to shout. I run up to the crowd to shout. My dad, ever a racist, annoying, SOB, shouted RICE! in Spanish very loudly, and was asking me if they were going to eat rice for dinner. Trying to shut him up, I told him that, No, they were in fact having pizza for dinner, and pushed his ass outta there. I really wanted to wait for HIZUMI to get onto the bus, but my dad was getting too rowdy, so I pushed him away and we drove back to the hotel.
It was an emotional day. Upon entering my hotel room, I promptly keeled over and dry-heaved into a recycle bin. I stood up, walked to the bathroom, and hurled into the toilet. I think it was a combination of lots of fun, no food, and strong emotions. Really stong emotions. I mean, I had been waiting to see D'espairsRay live for 5 years, so it's not exactly without feeling that I went through this day.
Overall, it was wonderful. dope, 13-Thirteen- and PROGRESS are my new lovers live. The entire live was truly impacting and powerful, and meeting the band was great, too. It will not be a day I forget. The first full set by D'espairsRay I have ever seen live. Simply wonderful.
Typos are probably very abudant. I told shoucake I'd have this done today, so I was commited to posting it. That saying, it's 4 AM and I am very tired, meaning I'm shunning spell check for the moment. I will most likely edit later and correct things and/or add in other things as I remember them.
Also, expect a live report for D'espairsRay World Tour 2010 Human-clad Monsters @ the Mod Club Theatre Toronto, ON [8/11/10]-- D'espairsRay's first show in Canada!-- soon! :D