Dir en grey: 11/23/2009 - The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
I don't really know what to write here. It's been four days since the show and it was really good. I think that their show last year was better, but I still enjoyed myself. I guess that the reason why this show wasn't as good as last year's is because it was too short and I would have preferred seeing older songs besides THE FINAL and Agitated Screams of Maggots, both of which are overplayed. Also they took an hour and a half just to start the show (and my feet already hurt from standing outside all day), and then the show lasted only maybe 75 minutes. Last year they played 22 songs, this time around they only played 17, and the oldest ones were OBSCURE and SHOKUBENI, which I'd seen before; I might just sound like I'm bitching and moaning, but I think it's fucked up that LA and New York got all of the older songs (except for -kigan-). At least REPETITION OF HATRED and Merciless Cult were surprises.
It might sound weird, but before the concert was actually better than the concert itself. Know why? Because I met Die, Kaoru, and Toshiya. Yes, be jealous. First Die came out for a smoke break and I didn't know which member it was so I walked over, and there he was. I asked him for a handshake, and he smiled and gave me one. I walked back to Kendra and some other fans who were watching me, with a huge smile on my face.
Later, Die went out of the tourbus again with a member of the tour's crew. Once Kendra and I made it to the front of the tourbus, though, we saw he was heading over to Japan Town, so Kendra, myself, and a couple of other fans walked behind him into the large complex. But once inside, we could not find him. Soon, though, he emerged from a bathroom and walked upstairs. We all walked behind him, enthralled in the fact that a member of Dir en grey was just out walking around. Soon I approached him and asked if I could get my picture taken with him, and he smiled and nodded. I also took one of Kendra, and after we got back to the line, Jesse and I went over to Japan Town so Jesse could get his picture taken. We saw Die, and I took a picture of him and Jesse, and we walked behind Die downstairs and outside. I talked to Die a little bit, as well. I told him I'd seen Dir en grey at the Fillmore a couple years ago, and he said, "2007, yes." I asked if he was relieved to get done with touring for a little and he smiled and said he was. Then I just smiled and said I was trying not to look like an idiot around him, but he didn't really understand what I was trying to say so I had to rephrase it a couple more times for him to completely understand. After that, Jesse and I walked with Die back to the tourbus. I told Die I would see him at the show tonight, and he smiled and said, "See you later."
Meeting Kaoru was a completely different story; I had to go to the bathroom, and when I came back, Kendra was gone. I asked this huge security guy if he saw her go anywhere, and he said he saw her "and a couple others go after a guy into Japan Town." Of course, I thought it was Die, since that's where I'd met him, and I wanted to get my picture taken with him again (since my first one had accidentally gotten deleted). I ran over there and couldn't find Kendra or anyone, so I called her. She said "Guess who I just got my picture taken with?" I asked who, and she said Kaoru. I asked where he was, and right as she said, "I don't know," he walked about a foot in front of me. I hung up on her and kept my distance walking a bit behind him and Nora (who was escorting him). I walked forward and asked if I could get my picture taken with him, and he smiled and nodded. There was a girl and her boyfriend nearby, and she took a picture of me and e-mailed it to me. I then took a picture of her and Kaoru. I thanked him, and shook his hand. He smiled and nodded again and then walked away.
I went back to the line and there was Kendra. A little later Die came out for a smoke break. I told him my first picture with him had gotten deleted, and if I could get another one with him, and he smiled and nodded. I then asked what his favorite song to play live was, and he smiled and said, "Everything."
A bit later Toshiya came out of the tourbus to go into the venue, and I went up to him and asked if I could get a picture taken with him. He nodded, and, well here it is:
Of course the actual concert itself was good and all, but getting the chance to talk to some of the members and being able to ask Die (my favorite member) some questions just really made my day and planted a smile on my face that lasted all day.
Die and Toshiya were signing after the show. I got my copy of AVERAGE BLASPHEMY signed by them and my Japanese limited edition of UROBOROS (even though last year Die signed the lyric page of TOGURO).
The setlist was:
SA BIR
RED SOIL
Agitated Screams of Maggots
REPETITION OF HATRED
Merciless Cult
STUCK MAN
OBSCURE
INWARD SCREAM
SHOKUBENI
BUGABOO
TOGURO
GLASS SKIN
INWARD SCREAM
INCONVENIENT IDEAL
VINUSHKA
DOZING GREEN
REIKETSU NARISEBA
THE FINAL
KODOU
GAIKA, CHINMOKU GA NEMURU KORO
It might sound weird, but before the concert was actually better than the concert itself. Know why? Because I met Die, Kaoru, and Toshiya. Yes, be jealous. First Die came out for a smoke break and I didn't know which member it was so I walked over, and there he was. I asked him for a handshake, and he smiled and gave me one. I walked back to Kendra and some other fans who were watching me, with a huge smile on my face.
Later, Die went out of the tourbus again with a member of the tour's crew. Once Kendra and I made it to the front of the tourbus, though, we saw he was heading over to Japan Town, so Kendra, myself, and a couple of other fans walked behind him into the large complex. But once inside, we could not find him. Soon, though, he emerged from a bathroom and walked upstairs. We all walked behind him, enthralled in the fact that a member of Dir en grey was just out walking around. Soon I approached him and asked if I could get my picture taken with him, and he smiled and nodded. I also took one of Kendra, and after we got back to the line, Jesse and I went over to Japan Town so Jesse could get his picture taken. We saw Die, and I took a picture of him and Jesse, and we walked behind Die downstairs and outside. I talked to Die a little bit, as well. I told him I'd seen Dir en grey at the Fillmore a couple years ago, and he said, "2007, yes." I asked if he was relieved to get done with touring for a little and he smiled and said he was. Then I just smiled and said I was trying not to look like an idiot around him, but he didn't really understand what I was trying to say so I had to rephrase it a couple more times for him to completely understand. After that, Jesse and I walked with Die back to the tourbus. I told Die I would see him at the show tonight, and he smiled and said, "See you later."
Meeting Kaoru was a completely different story; I had to go to the bathroom, and when I came back, Kendra was gone. I asked this huge security guy if he saw her go anywhere, and he said he saw her "and a couple others go after a guy into Japan Town." Of course, I thought it was Die, since that's where I'd met him, and I wanted to get my picture taken with him again (since my first one had accidentally gotten deleted). I ran over there and couldn't find Kendra or anyone, so I called her. She said "Guess who I just got my picture taken with?" I asked who, and she said Kaoru. I asked where he was, and right as she said, "I don't know," he walked about a foot in front of me. I hung up on her and kept my distance walking a bit behind him and Nora (who was escorting him). I walked forward and asked if I could get my picture taken with him, and he smiled and nodded. There was a girl and her boyfriend nearby, and she took a picture of me and e-mailed it to me. I then took a picture of her and Kaoru. I thanked him, and shook his hand. He smiled and nodded again and then walked away.
I went back to the line and there was Kendra. A little later Die came out for a smoke break. I told him my first picture with him had gotten deleted, and if I could get another one with him, and he smiled and nodded. I then asked what his favorite song to play live was, and he smiled and said, "Everything."
A bit later Toshiya came out of the tourbus to go into the venue, and I went up to him and asked if I could get a picture taken with him. He nodded, and, well here it is:
Of course the actual concert itself was good and all, but getting the chance to talk to some of the members and being able to ask Die (my favorite member) some questions just really made my day and planted a smile on my face that lasted all day.
Die and Toshiya were signing after the show. I got my copy of AVERAGE BLASPHEMY signed by them and my Japanese limited edition of UROBOROS (even though last year Die signed the lyric page of TOGURO).
The setlist was:
SA BIR
RED SOIL
Agitated Screams of Maggots
REPETITION OF HATRED
Merciless Cult
STUCK MAN
OBSCURE
INWARD SCREAM
SHOKUBENI
BUGABOO
TOGURO
GLASS SKIN
INWARD SCREAM
INCONVENIENT IDEAL
VINUSHKA
DOZING GREEN
REIKETSU NARISEBA
THE FINAL
KODOU
GAIKA, CHINMOKU GA NEMURU KORO