The YELLOW FRIED CHICKENz attack Europe! And I was there!!
Thought it was time for another update. Since I went to a Gackt live last Friday. ^_^
Before I start, I have to admit I'm a little bit out of the loop on Gackt things lately - have a lot of stuff going on at the mo - so I didn't really know much about the YFC tour, and no idea what to expect. I'm also not quite as fangirly as I used to be, so not that much squeeing to be found here. :)
The first thing that I have to mention here, before anything else, is how incredibly BIG he was up close. Seriously, the man seemed like a freaking GIANT as he stood there on the stage, only a few metres away... and he looked magnificent. Deliciously and hilariously arrogant, glaring at us, daring us all to be louder. I nearly went deaf with all the screaming!
I pulled the setlist from other reports, because I don't really remember exactly what order the songs were all in. I didn't even recognize some of them straight away because they did sound different than I'm used to.
The whole thing opened with a voice over from "Gackt's secretary", a military sounding type who informed us that the rally was beginning soon and none of the revolutionaries (us) were allowed to take pictures or film with our phonecameras. If we were going to film we should use a real camera! Also, those who smoked should quit, and any failures should commit harakiri. Any of us who passed out were also expected to commit harakiri. This all was brought to us in between much gratuitous use of the F-word, which I personally could have done without, but oh well. We were expected to agree with everything shouting "osu!" whenever he asked us. Which, of course, we did. xD
Then, finally, after over an hour waiting inside (and many more outside), there they were. One by one. The drummer, whose name I forgot. The bassist, whose name I also don't remember but whose face I will never forget because he looked quite scary. Then You, and Chacha, and finally...
OH MY GOD THERE HE IS. And like I said, he was huge. Sleeveless button-down shirt, with tie, black shorts, black shoes, white fingerless gloves with "YFC" embroidered in gold. His hair hanging down the right side of his face, the other side done up in three braided almost cornrows. And a few lines of silver makeup around his eye on that side (maybe the other side, too, but I couldn't see it because his hair was covering it).
Zan
And off we go. Bright shining katana in his hand, glaring into the crowd looking quite dangerous. I didn't recognize this one, but I'm not very familiar with the song.
Dybbuk
Now this one I did recognize. It was the very first song I ever heard of his, and at the time, it nearly turned me off him! Fortunately, the other songs on the CD were more to my liking. Live, though, this was awesome.
Nine Spiral
More awesomeness in this song. To be honest, it all runs a bit together in my mind. Somewhere along the way he lost the katana, but I can't say where. Probably it was already gone right after Zan.
Speed Master
Now this one I do remember quite clearly. As far as I could see, he never did molest any of the band, but he certainly touched himself! At least, I think it was during this song. xD I didn't actually see it myself, my view was blocked by someone's arm right at that moment, but I could tell what happened by the fangirl screams. xD I think it's all more hilarious than sexy, to he honest. ^^
Lu:na
More awesome music. I have always loved this song, it gives me so much energy! And here is of course where the shirt came off. First the tie, then he started unbuttoning the shirt, and RIPPED it the rest of the way open, looking like he totally knew what that would do to the crowd, and loving every second. xD Both items of clothing were instantly devoured by the crowd as fangirl screams reached fever pitch. He was barechested for the rest of the show. And looking very, very fine indeed.
Kimi ga Matteiru Kara
Fortunately, in this song things were a bit quieter. I got a chance to catch my breath and actually sing along. As loud as I could, of course. ^^
Mind Forest
I didn't realize until about halfway through (because I couldn't always hear his voice over the loudness of the music) but he sang this one in English. Let me repeat that. HE SANG IT IN ENGLISH! I didn't catch most of the words (again because of the noise), but I did catch something here and there about memories. And, unlike with December Love, the whole melody seemed to be intact. He needs to release this. ASAP.
Ever
So this is the new single. I knew there was a reason this sounded so completely unfamiliar! I didn't think my knowledge had lapsed that badly! xD
Justified
Another one I didn't really recognize, I've heard it maybe once before. It was, of course, well good.
Jesus
And back in familiar territory again, this being one I know very well and like a lot. It rocked, of course. As it would.
Flower
He started this a cappella. Which was awesome. First time in the concert that I could actually hear his voice properly. Very, very nice. Though I thought it did sound just a little bit worn on the higher notes by that time. But then, of course it would after you've already been singing for over an hour. 'TWas still good.
Kagerou
Ah! So that's what this one was! I heard him sing it and I knew the melody and I knew it was (relatively) obscure. I kept thinking it was something off Mizerable, but that didn't seem right. But of course! It was Chacha's song! It was absolutely glorious, I adore this song. I've had it in my head ever since, but unfortunately I lost the recording of it when my hard drive crashed. It was, for me, the most emotional song of the night.
After that they left the stage, but you knew it wasn't over because the lights stayed off. So, after a couple of minutes of shouting, of course they came back!
uncontrol
Haha, the YFC remix. Uncontrol with a dance-like beat. It took a little getting used to, but it was very good. Nice way to end the evening.
Now, I rarely remember the exact order things happened, so I'll mention a few things here out of sequence.
As you know, he was barechested for most of the show, and he looked amazing. And it really showed how much he sweated, too. He was dripping, droplets practically streaming down his stomach. And when he headbanged, the water sprayed off his head. It was extremely hot in the crowd, and it was really bothering me, but when I saw him like that I thought, well, if he can stand that, I can stand this.
He had a platform on the stage that he stood on most of the time. I was very grateful for that, because otherwise I would only have been able to see his head over everyone's arms sticking up in the air! As it was, I could mostly see him from the waist up, which was good enough. Though sometimes, if I looked really carefully between people's arms and heads, and I stood on tiptoes, I could catch a glimpse of the whole of him, all the way down to his feet.
He did a lot of call-and-response. And I mean, a LOT. Almost every song he had us screaming at him. Most times it was the "Yow! Yow! Yow! Yow!" or the "Sha! Sha! Sha! Sha!" But at one point he said: "Show me how much you love me!" So we screamed. Then: "Show me how much you wanna fuck me!!" So we screamed more. xD
And sometimes he just stood there calmly egging us on in that deliciously arrogant way of his. You know what I'm talking about. ^^
And he glared. Most of the time one eyed, because the other was covered by his hair. But oh my, did he glare at us... The Evil Eye of the Demon King. Arise, my minions!! It was terrifying and thrilling.
But there were smiles, too. And that lovely sentimentality we know he deals in when he's not busy being the Demon King. He said we were all different colours, different countries, but that we were all brothers and sisters, that we were all family. That we were all his family. That was really something special to hear. I mean, as a fan, you know how he thinks of his fans, and you know he says that to those at his concerts, and you know he really means us all, but to hear him actually say it to you in person... for me, for the first time, he truly validated us as foreign fans.
And he promised he'd be back. It took him tree tries to say it, because we wouldn't let him finish, we were so excited. xD But he promised. And he made us promise to come back, too. He'd better book some bigger venues next time though! Or more. Preferably both. xD
And then there was the flag. A bunch of people gave him a British flag, with his name on it, and the date, and messages from all of them. They threw it to him on the stage, at the end of the concert. He caught it and held it for a moment, then Chacha and You and the bassist grabbed it to unfurl it and hold it up in front of him. It took them a few tries before they got it the right way around. They held it upside down, then in reverse, then upside down again before they finally figured it out! xD That made him laugh. And he just stood there and didn't lift a finger. xD
There were some negatives, too, though, to this night. Small ones, of a personal nature, not enough to spoil the general enjoyment, but there nonetheless.
First of all, these types of gigs are usually not my thing - the wild atmosphere with the crowding and the jumping and the shoving is really uncomfortable to me. I get tired jumping very easily, and hate being pushed and squeezed by crowds. And it was quite scary in there at times. There were a few people who fainted and had to be carried off, a couple of times the crowd pushed forward so much that I thought I couldn't breathe, and once or twice we surged sideways so wildly that I thought we would fall over and I was going to be trampled. I got someone's hand in my face, and always seemed to get people in front of me with poofy hair so it was hard to breathe.
Also, there was much gratuitous use of the word "fuck", which I personally could have done without. At one point I was reminded of the anime Detroit Metal City. It's like he learned a new word and couldn't wait to try it out. xD
But the most annoying of all was afterwards. When the venue closed
down the merch table and kicked us all out before everyone had a chance to buy something. At least 50 or so people went home disappointed. Including me.
But still. Even with that, it was a great night. Given half a chance, I would do it all over again. I promised Gackt I would, after all.
And oh yes, he still dances funny. xD
Before I start, I have to admit I'm a little bit out of the loop on Gackt things lately - have a lot of stuff going on at the mo - so I didn't really know much about the YFC tour, and no idea what to expect. I'm also not quite as fangirly as I used to be, so not that much squeeing to be found here. :)
The first thing that I have to mention here, before anything else, is how incredibly BIG he was up close. Seriously, the man seemed like a freaking GIANT as he stood there on the stage, only a few metres away... and he looked magnificent. Deliciously and hilariously arrogant, glaring at us, daring us all to be louder. I nearly went deaf with all the screaming!
I pulled the setlist from other reports, because I don't really remember exactly what order the songs were all in. I didn't even recognize some of them straight away because they did sound different than I'm used to.
The whole thing opened with a voice over from "Gackt's secretary", a military sounding type who informed us that the rally was beginning soon and none of the revolutionaries (us) were allowed to take pictures or film with our phonecameras. If we were going to film we should use a real camera! Also, those who smoked should quit, and any failures should commit harakiri. Any of us who passed out were also expected to commit harakiri. This all was brought to us in between much gratuitous use of the F-word, which I personally could have done without, but oh well. We were expected to agree with everything shouting "osu!" whenever he asked us. Which, of course, we did. xD
Then, finally, after over an hour waiting inside (and many more outside), there they were. One by one. The drummer, whose name I forgot. The bassist, whose name I also don't remember but whose face I will never forget because he looked quite scary. Then You, and Chacha, and finally...
OH MY GOD THERE HE IS. And like I said, he was huge. Sleeveless button-down shirt, with tie, black shorts, black shoes, white fingerless gloves with "YFC" embroidered in gold. His hair hanging down the right side of his face, the other side done up in three braided almost cornrows. And a few lines of silver makeup around his eye on that side (maybe the other side, too, but I couldn't see it because his hair was covering it).
Zan
And off we go. Bright shining katana in his hand, glaring into the crowd looking quite dangerous. I didn't recognize this one, but I'm not very familiar with the song.
Dybbuk
Now this one I did recognize. It was the very first song I ever heard of his, and at the time, it nearly turned me off him! Fortunately, the other songs on the CD were more to my liking. Live, though, this was awesome.
Nine Spiral
More awesomeness in this song. To be honest, it all runs a bit together in my mind. Somewhere along the way he lost the katana, but I can't say where. Probably it was already gone right after Zan.
Speed Master
Now this one I do remember quite clearly. As far as I could see, he never did molest any of the band, but he certainly touched himself! At least, I think it was during this song. xD I didn't actually see it myself, my view was blocked by someone's arm right at that moment, but I could tell what happened by the fangirl screams. xD I think it's all more hilarious than sexy, to he honest. ^^
Lu:na
More awesome music. I have always loved this song, it gives me so much energy! And here is of course where the shirt came off. First the tie, then he started unbuttoning the shirt, and RIPPED it the rest of the way open, looking like he totally knew what that would do to the crowd, and loving every second. xD Both items of clothing were instantly devoured by the crowd as fangirl screams reached fever pitch. He was barechested for the rest of the show. And looking very, very fine indeed.
Kimi ga Matteiru Kara
Fortunately, in this song things were a bit quieter. I got a chance to catch my breath and actually sing along. As loud as I could, of course. ^^
Mind Forest
I didn't realize until about halfway through (because I couldn't always hear his voice over the loudness of the music) but he sang this one in English. Let me repeat that. HE SANG IT IN ENGLISH! I didn't catch most of the words (again because of the noise), but I did catch something here and there about memories. And, unlike with December Love, the whole melody seemed to be intact. He needs to release this. ASAP.
Ever
So this is the new single. I knew there was a reason this sounded so completely unfamiliar! I didn't think my knowledge had lapsed that badly! xD
Justified
Another one I didn't really recognize, I've heard it maybe once before. It was, of course, well good.
Jesus
And back in familiar territory again, this being one I know very well and like a lot. It rocked, of course. As it would.
Flower
He started this a cappella. Which was awesome. First time in the concert that I could actually hear his voice properly. Very, very nice. Though I thought it did sound just a little bit worn on the higher notes by that time. But then, of course it would after you've already been singing for over an hour. 'TWas still good.
Kagerou
Ah! So that's what this one was! I heard him sing it and I knew the melody and I knew it was (relatively) obscure. I kept thinking it was something off Mizerable, but that didn't seem right. But of course! It was Chacha's song! It was absolutely glorious, I adore this song. I've had it in my head ever since, but unfortunately I lost the recording of it when my hard drive crashed. It was, for me, the most emotional song of the night.
After that they left the stage, but you knew it wasn't over because the lights stayed off. So, after a couple of minutes of shouting, of course they came back!
uncontrol
Haha, the YFC remix. Uncontrol with a dance-like beat. It took a little getting used to, but it was very good. Nice way to end the evening.
Now, I rarely remember the exact order things happened, so I'll mention a few things here out of sequence.
As you know, he was barechested for most of the show, and he looked amazing. And it really showed how much he sweated, too. He was dripping, droplets practically streaming down his stomach. And when he headbanged, the water sprayed off his head. It was extremely hot in the crowd, and it was really bothering me, but when I saw him like that I thought, well, if he can stand that, I can stand this.
He had a platform on the stage that he stood on most of the time. I was very grateful for that, because otherwise I would only have been able to see his head over everyone's arms sticking up in the air! As it was, I could mostly see him from the waist up, which was good enough. Though sometimes, if I looked really carefully between people's arms and heads, and I stood on tiptoes, I could catch a glimpse of the whole of him, all the way down to his feet.
He did a lot of call-and-response. And I mean, a LOT. Almost every song he had us screaming at him. Most times it was the "Yow! Yow! Yow! Yow!" or the "Sha! Sha! Sha! Sha!" But at one point he said: "Show me how much you love me!" So we screamed. Then: "Show me how much you wanna fuck me!!" So we screamed more. xD
And sometimes he just stood there calmly egging us on in that deliciously arrogant way of his. You know what I'm talking about. ^^
And he glared. Most of the time one eyed, because the other was covered by his hair. But oh my, did he glare at us... The Evil Eye of the Demon King. Arise, my minions!! It was terrifying and thrilling.
But there were smiles, too. And that lovely sentimentality we know he deals in when he's not busy being the Demon King. He said we were all different colours, different countries, but that we were all brothers and sisters, that we were all family. That we were all his family. That was really something special to hear. I mean, as a fan, you know how he thinks of his fans, and you know he says that to those at his concerts, and you know he really means us all, but to hear him actually say it to you in person... for me, for the first time, he truly validated us as foreign fans.
And he promised he'd be back. It took him tree tries to say it, because we wouldn't let him finish, we were so excited. xD But he promised. And he made us promise to come back, too. He'd better book some bigger venues next time though! Or more. Preferably both. xD
And then there was the flag. A bunch of people gave him a British flag, with his name on it, and the date, and messages from all of them. They threw it to him on the stage, at the end of the concert. He caught it and held it for a moment, then Chacha and You and the bassist grabbed it to unfurl it and hold it up in front of him. It took them a few tries before they got it the right way around. They held it upside down, then in reverse, then upside down again before they finally figured it out! xD That made him laugh. And he just stood there and didn't lift a finger. xD
There were some negatives, too, though, to this night. Small ones, of a personal nature, not enough to spoil the general enjoyment, but there nonetheless.
First of all, these types of gigs are usually not my thing - the wild atmosphere with the crowding and the jumping and the shoving is really uncomfortable to me. I get tired jumping very easily, and hate being pushed and squeezed by crowds. And it was quite scary in there at times. There were a few people who fainted and had to be carried off, a couple of times the crowd pushed forward so much that I thought I couldn't breathe, and once or twice we surged sideways so wildly that I thought we would fall over and I was going to be trampled. I got someone's hand in my face, and always seemed to get people in front of me with poofy hair so it was hard to breathe.
Also, there was much gratuitous use of the word "fuck", which I personally could have done without. At one point I was reminded of the anime Detroit Metal City. It's like he learned a new word and couldn't wait to try it out. xD
But the most annoying of all was afterwards. When the venue closed
down the merch table and kicked us all out before everyone had a chance to buy something. At least 50 or so people went home disappointed. Including me.
But still. Even with that, it was a great night. Given half a chance, I would do it all over again. I promised Gackt I would, after all.
And oh yes, he still dances funny. xD