Houston Inward Scream Rundown!
Wow… it seems like this show was forever ago already. I was so about the moment that I didn’t really take any time to press the ‘record’ button in my head. I was just lost in a sea of (smelly) bodies and music, trying to cram every bit of myself into the two hours Deg were on stage.
I do want to say this one was probably the best I’ve seen- but then again, they’re headlining, so they had more time to shine. And wow… just wow.
Okay, I didn't really pare this down... you're basically getting what I typed up in a giddy daze late last night, unfiltered! Warnings: I can be vain and kinda bitchy. Don't get all booty-hurt, yeah? Also (and as usual) this report is ridiculously Kyo-centric. I'd shrug or apologize, but I'm not really sorry!
Pixie told me she couldn't make it on Saturday. In a panic, I called Sproutout, but she wasn’t answering her phone. My entire mood plummeted. I was moping around. I mean, I was gonna go regardless, but Houston can be a scary place and I heard that the Meridian wasn’t in the best of neighborhoods. It was just the fact that I’m really isolated here and don’t have many friends, much less friends that would be open-minded enough to go to this sort of concert with me. Let me rework that. The only friend I have here IS Sproutout, and I don’t have any here, home, or in Austin who are into the same things I am. So all my hopes lay with Sproutout. I called three times, once every hour, and finally at 11 as I was glumly leaving Subway with my grilled chicken sammich, she answered. I was so tense I shrilled the question to her so fast that I’m surprised she understood me. But it only took her a moment to agree. She likes new experiences, and she didn’t want me in Houston by myself. Oh, I was so grateful! I called my mom next and expanded in glowing terms just how much I love Sproutout. Let me repeat that for all y’all. Sproutout is AWESOME!
Anyway, hehe. I decided on the skull tank hoodie, red fishnet shirt, and ass-hugging jeans combo that I had in my last LJ post. The buckle shirt looked cool, but it was hot and really restrictive. Plus, I was worried about the buckles snagging on somebody’s hair or skin or eyes. The jeans were more comfortable anyhow. So, right, yellow contacts this time and a belly chain that would get me absolutely murdered if my mom ever saw it. Heheh. Sunday morning I woke up and blasted Marrow while I got ready. Sprout came over and I gave her a short and dirty intro to Dir en grey while I printed out the Yahoo map. We headed out about 12:45, got Wendy’s, then made for Houston with all due haste. (We took my car this time.) All in all, that was really good for me- I planned to be out by 12:30, so that’s a lot closer to my estimated time of departure than I usually end up. Sprout is a very good navigator and we made it to downtown Houston with no problems. It was a little after two, and by all accounts I’d heard on the Internet, the Meridian wasn’t going to be letting people even line up until around 3. Ooops. Imagine my surprise and dismay when we turned the corner ‘round the Meridian and saw a line of people already wrapping halfway around the damn building. I was verklempt!
Since we were already going to be pretty far back in line, we left and went to a nearby gas station for a restroom break and some Gatorade. We came back, parked just across the street from the club, and went all the waaaay back to the end of the line.
For a while it seemed like we were the last people to line up, but soon enough more people started coming and the line wrapped around the third wall of the club. Sprout and I gabbed about random stuff. She’s really worried about the future- the kids, in her opinion, are NOT all right. Hehe, we were kind of doing the ‘you young whippersnappers!’ thing, with un-fond memories of not being allowed to even THINK about getting to go to a concert (or basically anywhere) when we under our parents’ roofs while all these people had parents attending the concert with them or dropping them off and driving away (WTF, mate?! I WISH.) Oh and, making fun of people’s outfits. I don’t apologize or make excuses about it. You know, I have never once claimed to be nice- I won’t make fun of anyone to their face or where they can hear me, but if you look a hot mess I will call it. And trust you me, there were some SHIT-ASS MESSES out there. (Rule of thumb-if you buy your entire outfit at Hot Topic, you will LOOK like you bought your entire outfit at Hot Topic (read: like you are trying too hard)-- and don’t come crying to me when after two washes that expensive-ass outfit falls completely apart!) I thought we were to be let in around six, but it got to be six and nothing happened. Then without warning the line started to move. We scrambled up and went around one corner and came to another dead stop. A guy came through selling the FYE pre-CD flyers. I took my money out, drew one of the flyers, and-- nothing. I wanted to pout, but I know my luck and I wasn’t really expecting to be one of the lucky winners. Still, it would have been sweet, wouldn’t it?
They split the lines up into physical tickets, need to buys, and will-call. This was actually a good thing, as it put us up a little further than we had been. It was getting dark and chilly by then, so me and Sprout were huddled up and I realized ‘dammit, I have to pee!’ I must have the smallest bladder in existence, grrr. There would have been time, but there was no place to go! (Unless you count behind a dumpster across the street, and since I’ve been out of the desert for almost three years now, I don’t anymore, heheh.) I decided again that, since we were so far back anyway we’d find a bathroom once we got inside.
So, a guy came through the line, checked my e-mail printout, then gave us our tickets. The line finally started moving, and I started to get excited. (Had to take my belly chain off though, since security came through yelling, ‘no spikes, no chains, no safety pins!’ I hate that! Half of the line has to halfway disrobe before they can get in. Are ickle wallet chains really THAT dangerous?) We got patted down and metal-detected (yes, I’ve made that into a verb!), and then up the stairs and into the Meridian! I was in a damn hurry for the bathroom. We found it, came out, and followed the still-streaming crowd into the main room. And Oh LAWD, it was already packed. Sprout started to make comforting noises to me, but I gritted my teeth and said to her fiercely, “Hold on to my arm and for God’s sake, don’t lose me.” And then I dove in. Well okay, not really dove. But I stepped up with confidence and determination with Sprout holding onto my arm and seeming either bemused or bewildered. She told me later that she was pretty sure we weren’t going to make it anywhere near the front. See, the problem is that nobody listens to me. If I’m going to bother to open my mouth, I most likely mean exactly what I say. Not to go off like I’m badassed-- I know a fair bit of luck and my bendiness are a large factor to being able to move up. But I figured if I could get to the front at a Nine Inch Nails concert from waaaaaaaaaaaay in the back in a crowd of fat, sweaty metal-head dudes, then I had a chance here if I played it right.
So, Bleed the Dream came out. They weren’t bad at all, though Sprout was, to put it nicely, less than impressed by the lead singer. Problem was, he looks like every dude down here in Bumblefuck who tries to be all ‘indie’, even down to the hat. Luckily the audience here was nice and cheered politely for them after each song. We even jumped a little bit when the singer tried to get us pumped. That of course gave me something to work with. By the time they went off stage, I was about five people back from the front with Sprout behind me holding onto my arm. It started to get crushed, and between Bleed the Dream going off and Fair to Midland coming on, the first fainter went down. Security wasn’t even paying attention. It took a ridiculous amount of time for the crowd to catch one of the roadie’s attentions. I felt really bad for the girl they pulled out. I wasn’t hot though, nor was Sprout. But I did take off my jacket before Fair to Midland came on, just to help with maneuverability. It was hella crowded already and I basically had to do some contortionist-shit to get out of it. But I figured that once they got finished the crush would come for real and then I really wouldn’t have any space.
Now, Fair to Midland. Oh man. Okay, the music wasn’t bad. I think it had potential-- lots of random techno-like radio noise, good guitars. But the singer… I hear now that he has anxiety problems, so I feel bad about it, but at the time I was really wondering what the fuck was up with the bald patches. Obviously it wasn’t a skin disease-I KNOW skin disease, thanks- but it really looked like he’d shaved them out. They didn’t look jagged or ripped enough to have been torn out to me, but whatever. That didn’t really bother me. No, it was his attitude. The drooling? Okay, sure. Sprout was absolutely disgusted by it, but whatever. The pinching his throat to produce certain sounds? Hey, do what you gotta. But during their, I don’t know, second song, something happened and his mic stopped working. He stood there by the drums looking so pissed and copped this eye-rolling ‘this isn’t even worth it’ attitude. The rest of the band was jamming away and he was glaring at them and the roadies and the crowd. When one of the roadies handed him a replacement mic, he glared at it and took his good sweet time coming back to the front, started singing and then just stopped again. Sprout was pissed! She was all, “he’s being such a pussy bitch! What the hell, I just want to hit him! I should go to their table after the show and just slap the shit out of him! That is NOT how you act on stage!” I have to agree. Maybe he was having a bad day, but it really made it seem like he thought he was above the rest of the band and the roadies and especially the audience. Yes, we were all mainly there to see Dir en grey, but for God’s sake man! That really ISN’T how to be if you want to connect with your audience. You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar! Bleed the Dream’s probably got some new fans, but I bet Fair to Midland ain’t.
Anyway, they went of finally. The lead just dropped the mic and left in a little piss fit while the rest of the band finished out the last song. I for one, was ready for him to go. (The other dudes were all right by me though.) So, the lights came up and damn if the crush didn’t start for real. I had moved up so that there were maybe three people between me and the barrier. There was a girl in a white shirt in front of me- basically her ponytail was in my mouth because the crush was so bad that I couldn’t move. But, if I peered over her shoulder I could see directly center stage, so I wasn’t that upset about it. It was like a can of sardines in there, and more and more people started fainting or yelling to be let out. Some were demanding water. I dunno man, I know it’s good policy for the staff to hand out water, but demanding it just seems like some people have an entitlement-complex. They did start bring out bottles and yelling for us to pass them back, but some greedy ass people were hoarding them and keeping them for themselves. That’s just bad concert etiquette. Give somebody else a chance! Who knows, that person behind you might reach for a drumstick, miss, and drop it right into your hands, heheh!
Ah, right so… I’m going to let you know that I’m a little evil. I was okay where I was, but I really wanted further up. And the girl in front of me was sweating and her skin was clammy. She was also one of the water hoarders. ‘She’s going to faint,’ I thought, and as evil of me as I knew it was, I was glad. Sure enough, she went down as they were taping down Kyo’s crate. I helped haul her up and out, feeling awfully wicked, but… Second row, bitches!
I kept turning around to explain things to Sprout-“that’s Kyo’s crate, he’ll stand on it and ‘round it and maybe throw it at the end. Oooh! There’s his bucket! If he’s happy he’ll put it on his head!” and “when they uncover the drumset, the crowd will go nuts,” (she asked ‘why?’ and I replied, “Because- SHINYA!” Not very helpful, but it was hard to communicate in such an uproar.) There was no room to wiggle or dance in anticipation this time, because I tell you again, SARDINES, but I could feel the excitement in my rising to fever pitch. Why is it that just watching the (cute) roadies set up is so exciting?
Ah, and! One of the cute roadies was testing Toshiya’s bass, standing in Toshiya’s spot. I stared at him for a second, then laughed. “Look! It’s like a wind machine!” I don’t know if it was the air conditioning or if they’d set up a fan somewhere, but right in that spot there was a breeze that was making his hair blow artistically like he was in a music video (or a shoujo anime, hee!). I wonder if Toshiya has a hidden wind-machine to make himself look all wind-blown and tousled. Hey, it works!
Anyway! Finally, finally, after all the waiting… G.D.-muthafuckin-- S! After they didn’t play it at either of the FVT shows I went to, I was worried that it was gone for good, but no, the techno came screaming out of the speakers and the crowd surged forward (I don’t know HOW), screaming “Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!” I can’t even explain... G.D.S is the perfect opener- it gets you ready to go careening down the rabbit hole where all the dark, compelling, terrifying, and beautiful are waiting to eat you alive. You can’t hope to contain it! Just let it carry you away!
First Die, then Shinya, then Toshiya and Kaoru, and finally the man himself, Kyo! He jumped onto his crate and glared out at us with his eyes just slightly crossed, looking deranged, looking an absolute genius. He wore jeans with a wallet chain (hey, how come he gets to have one and we don’t? Hehe!), converse shoes, and a black velvet jacket. As G.D.S came to its pounding end, he clapped his hands together as if in prayer and bowed low to all of us. If it all possible, I’m sure we all would have bowed back. Instead, the crowd pushed forward even MORE, which actually put me in an even better position. I just let them keep pushing, and by the fourth song or so, I was in the front row, pressed against the barrier but joyous beyond all belief.
For the life of me, I can’t remember the order of the songs. I just know that each one was absolute brilliance. For all the naysayers out there who think that Kyo’s lost his touch, let me say, again- FUCK YOU. Wait wait, let me make that clearer-- FUCK YOU. That boy SANG. This was honestly the best I’ve heard him. And it wasn’t just hitting notes- though he certainly did do that, but I mean he has this way of taking a simple tune and turning it into something that can rip the heart right out of your chest. I’m constantly amazed by him and his intensity and the fact that he does that repeatedly during the course of a tour. I’d go NUTS. His range has improved, his voice has evolved and matured. He does this high-pitched scream now, that sends chills and nails and spiders skittering down my spine-- it’s absolute love. I wasn’t sure he’d do it live, but sure enough, during Grief he got to it, opened his mouth and effortlessly let out the sort of shriek that could break hearts and minds.
After the first two or three songs, they all took a short break to set up for the next song-- I think it was the Final. Kyo went back and knelt at the foot of Shinya’s drumset while the others turned their backs. It gave the crowd just the break we needed. I wasn’t up front at that point, but I was able to see and be seen. When they turned round again Toshiya came to the edge of the stage to egg us on. Wind machine!
Oooh! I’ve found a setlist online! Here ‘tis:
G.D.S
The Fatal Believer
Agitated Screams of Maggots
Mr. Newsman
The Final
Saku
Grief
Kyo Solo
Itoshisa Ha Fuhainitsuki
Kodoku Ni Shisu, Yueni Kodoku
Obscure
Kyo Solo
Kasumi
Ryoujyoku no Ame
Merciless Cult
Dead Tree
Encore:
Bottom of the Death Valley
C
The IIID Empire
Beautiful Dirt
Clever Sleazoid
YUSS! I do remember correctly… they pause to set up for the Final, I remember that from FVT, since it has a different tuning and has to be synched up with the intro. So yeah, Kyo was kneeling at the foot of the drums, preparing himself for the Final. I imagine that’s a song that you have to really prepare yourself to perform-- shoot, I have to prepare myself to listen to it. Everytime I hear it unexpectedly, whether in concert or if it randomly pops up when I do shuffle mode on my iPod, without noticing I slow down until I stop whatever it is I’m doing and just listen. It wrings a lot out of you, because it demands a lot out of you. The fact that he gets up and performs it so beautifully at each stop really makes me envious of his-- what shall I call it? Conviction? I dunno. I just know that damn, he’s amazing. He stood atop his crate and held his arms out to his sides with his head tilted back, and I would seriously do just about anything to know how he was feeling and what he was thinking at that moment. Like it was all too big or too much, and only by opening himself up wide could he hope to pass some of it on to us. And trust, we drank it up and begged for more. He’s BRILLIANT.
Mr. Newsman came as a surprise, though it shouldn’t have. I’ve read other reports that said they played it, but I guess it was hearing it right after two new songs that made it so great. As already expanded upon, The Final was gorgeous and Saku kicked ass as usual. I luuuurve Saku live. Grief though, was amazing. I really like the song-- especially the horror movie high-pitched shriek he lets out, and I could go on and on about how it just blows my mind and it’s my favorite new vocal trick of his and how every time I hear it I just about fall out, but I’ll stop now-- but on the album version I’ve never been able to really tell that he’s saying “Blood tastes like vanilla.” Yeah well, this night he articulated that shit, first facing the other side of the stage. Then he came forward and looked down into the front row and dead at me, and snarled in falsetto (and I don’t know how he does THAT, either) “Blood tastes like vanilla!” I howled.
You know, it can’t be nice to look down and see me in the front row. I go absolutely fucking nuts. I’m headbanging, and screaming along, (cuz seriously, it’s the only time my shy-ass gets to let it OUT like it’s meant to be let out. This is how I know to myself that I could be in a band-- cuz I can indeed holler-- it’s just my damn low-self esteem and lack of confidence that prevents me from doing it in front of others or in public. This is my sadface :< One day I will grow the balls to do it!), and I look fierce (in a bad ‘I’m going to eat your children and pick my teeth with their finger bones’ way, not in the good ‘ooh girl your outfit is bangin’ way), and laughing horribly when a lyric or sound hits the part of me that has to laugh mirthlessly lest I burst into tears or start hitting myself. But I don’t know, maybe looking down and seeing fans get really into it is cool to them. Besides, I like headbanging with Toshiya and guitar-god Kaoru! By the end of the night they and the entire front row in front of them had exceedingly poofy headbang-hair. We all looked like we’d come through a tornado grinning, hehe.
Speaking of hitting though, Kyo actually didn’t do all that much, and it sort of made me glad. The fact that there are different reports of such activity saying sometimes ‘yes, a lot’ and sometimes ‘no, not so much’ reinforces my position that that is something Kyo does when he feels it, and not to impress or appease the fanits. He smacked his chest with the mic a couple of times, and early on (I forget during which song), started scratching wildly at his left arm with his nails, but lost interest and instead started throwing himself around the stage. Another time he had one leg on his crate and was leaning out towards our side of the stage, and he scratched the inside of his mouth while panning his eyes across the front row. He paused on me for a second (my heart stopped… it always does, dammit, and I can’t do a thing about it. I would like to look cool and impressive, but it’s impossible in the face of such intensity. It’s like he’s looking directly INTO you for something, and when he casts his eyes elsewhere you are at once relieved to be no longer so snared and disappointed that he didn’t seem to find that something in you. Or maybe I’m waxing purple-prose again. Whatev.)
He did take a razor to his chest and opened up a few cuts underneath his left nipple. The blood was bright crimson and hung there like a badge of pain. During (I think) Ryoujoku, he smeared some with his fingers and brought them up to his mouth to taste. Let the church say Amen! Dir en grey, getting fans into bloodplay since 1997! Hide your children!
But the most beautiful parts of the evening came when Kyo sang alone. Right after Grief, right after the rush and the rage, he slowed it down. It was just Kyo with a blue light shining on him. He closed his eyes and started to sing, softly at first in a high falsetto. The entire crowd shut up. A couple of people started to scream but they were quickly shushed. I don’t know what he was saying, and a part of me is glad (not a big part, though). I think whatever he was singing would have broken my heart. His voice spiraled higher and higher, holding notes and letting them go with soft gasps. The volume rose and fell, carrying us on a wave, trying to convey to us a desperate sense of longing that somehow crested past pain and turned into something beautiful. (Or at least, that’s what I heard.) Kyo held one hand out as he sang, not looking at any of us, lost in his own mind. I change my mind. I’d pay so much money to know what he was singing about, and who he was singing it to. Like I said, so beautiful it could crack your heart in two. I don’t know how he does it.
That gorgeous solo lead into Itoshisa, but I was confused. The background music was definitely Itoshisa, but Kyo’s words and melody weren’t what I was expecting to hear. It was like he was doing another song over Itoshisa, but it all worked together anyway. I’m probably missing something. Was there another version of Itoshisa or something? In any case, it gave the audience a chance to breathe a little, and I think we all needed it. People were passing out left and right still. Actually, a girl behind me went down in the middle of Obscure--
Oooo, Obscure. I won’t say that’s my all-time favorite Dir en grey song (or hell, favorite song) because that’s always shifting. But I will say that it’s always in my top two, and when I read that they were playing it at some dates I screamed and started hopping about (I think I scared my neighbor, which is fine by me cuz I don’t like her, hehe.) It’s just so insidious, so subtly menacing, so Diru. I love the song, I love the video, I love the noises that Kyo makes in it. I heard the opening notes and just hollered. There wasn’t really room to fling myself about, but I did it anyway as did the girl beside me. We just grinned at one another and let loose. Man, it just gets in my veins! And Kyo was crouched on his crate like a wicked gargoyle, his eyes crossed slightly, howling and growling. (I don’t think he did the high whines, but the audience filled in there, hehe.) Oh, it was unbelievable. Now, a girl did come down almost on my head and I had to have a momentary calm to help get her up and out, but that was only like 10 seconds and I GOT TO SEE OBSCURE LIVE. Oh, and I yelled over my shoulder for Sprout to pay close attention to the screen for this one, but I don’t know if she did.
After Obscure I probably could have gone home happy… okay, that’s a complete and utter lie, knowing full well my ass wanted more! Kyo had another solo and here I think knelt on his crate and made the sign of the cross. I swear, that man is incredible… there almost aren’t words. And then, and then-- KASUMI. Wasn’t expecting that one! It was like, “Buh?... Oh shit yeah! *scream flail scream*” I swayed and closed my eyes, letting it wash over me. Kasumi, y’all!
Ryoujoku no Ame is awesome live. I’m pretty sure I went on and on about it in my FVT report but let me just say… if you’ve listened to it on CD and went simply ‘hey that’s a good song,’ wait ‘till you get it live. You’ll fall completely in love with the song. Also for the record, I like the single version a little better than the album version because the single had this eerie quality and weird computer noises, but I do love how in-your-face Kyo’s voice is on the album version. Merciless Cult was brilliant with the entire crowd singing along at the chorus-- Kaoru, Toshiya, and Die yelling “GASP!” and us enthusiastically screaming back “FOR BU-RESZ!” (Heehee!) LOTS of headbanging. Toshiya and Kaoru (but especially Toshiya) were playing the crowd like crazy the entire night-- throwing up the rock fist and making “Love me, bitches!” faces, kissing picks and then flicking them out into the audience with the cool air of guitar and bass gods granting their lowly subjects precious manna. While I was still in the second row a pick fell short of the audience and a girl in front of me got the security guard to pick it up and give it to her. Once I got to the front I decided that if another pick came anywhere near, it was mine (RARR!).
They ended the set with Dead Tree. Kyo did his writhing dance but crossed his arms up in front of his face so that all you could see of him was muscular, undulating torso. I say again, can the church say AMEN?! Dead Tree actually has more effect on me than the Final. I think it’s the fact that it backs off, but then pulls you back in and doesn’t let go again. Or maybe it’s that opening riff. Actually, I think it’s the screams and the way it ends on that high fleeting note. Mm, I dunno. But Kyo pulling teasingly on his pants is certainly a sight to behold! His jeans were low enough already that you could just see the waistband of his black Calvin Kleins, but now he pulled them down far enough to show hipbones. Maybe I’ve never mentioned this before, but hipbones? Get me every time. I’m sick, I know, hehehe. But the screams, the screams… Lawdamighty the screams. And then it was over and Kyo crouched over and left the stage, followed by the others.
The lights went up. “That can’t be it!” the girl beside me said. “No way, that better not be it!” Of course it wasn’t! The crowd got to chanting “Dir en grey!” and “Encore!” Me, I was saving my energy cuz I was beat up. Mind you, the crowd had never once stopped pressing, and since I was at the barrier there was metal digging into everything from my boobs down. Hey, it was absolutely worth it, I wouldn’t have wanted to be everywhere else. We were all soaking wet though, with our own sweat and the sweat of everyone nearby. I swiped at my face with my wristband and wondered, ridiculously, how rough and crazy we all must have looked by then. But just the thought of them coming back out gave me a second wind and soon I was yelling loudly, begging them to come back out. The roadies were setting up the guitars again, and after some long minutes, the lights went down again. The crowd screamed in joy.
The encore? Five songs. Soooooo great. And they came out with Bottom of the Death Valley. Hoshit! (Actually I knew they were going to play it because you could hear them practicing it while we were outside in line, but still-- hoshit). That was unexpected too, but very very welcome. I never thought I’d get that one live. The baseline, the violence, the screaming… Kyo must have vocal chords of steel to be able to handle the sheer amount of holleration (hehe) in that song and keep going. The audience loved it. You know, I’m glad they decided to play some older songs. I’m looking at my iTunes, and their discography is astounding. Just-- wow.
So! C! Always, always a crowd-pleaser, and you can tell because everyone sings along and jumps. In the front, we had our fists in the air screaming and hopping and wailing “Dead Freedom!” Then the IIID Empire, which wasn’t one of my favorite songs off of Vulgar until they blew me away with it at SXSW. Toshiya pumped his fists and we screamed “Spark and Spark!” at him, much to his delight. (Except some girl behind me had the words wrong and was screaming “Rock and rock!” in my ear. That’s okay, she’ll go home and look at the lyrics and feel like a dumb-shit. Then she’ll get over it and the world will be right again. *snort* can you tell it’s getting late and I’m getting loopy?) Beautiful Dirt was loud and angry like it should be and I think I actually flung myself more violently during it than I had at any other point during the night. (With the exception of G.D.S.) During Beautiful I got my last eye contact of the night (pout). I was going wild with it, flinging my hair about. It was half wet and half poufy, so I’m sure I looked insane. Apparently that was all right by Kyo, though. He had one leg up on his box and reached his hands out to the crowd. Unfortunately we were all too far away to reach him, but he leaned to the left side first and then sang that way for a while. Then he twitched, turned to the right side, and tilted his head down towards me. We looked at each other for maybe two seconds, then he whirled away and jumped onto the crate. He turned his back to the crowd and then launched himself into this OMGROCKSTAR leap off of it (great form too, bent his knees behind him and everything) landed, and then thrashed around for a bit before turning to clutch at his crate. He MANHANDLED that thing up and flung it behind him. It sorta bounced off of the left side of Shinya’s drums. HELLZ YEAH. Then sadly Kyo called out “Last song!” CLEVER SLEZOID! Wake up, you’re dead! Kyo threw himself this way and that, and we screamed the lyrics along with him. (Remember of course that my favorite part of Clever Slezoid is the “Witherwitherwitherwitherwither” bit, yeah!) Ooh, and then he went for his bucket. The bucket! I’d never had the pleasure of seeing Kyo douse himself with water and then drop the bucket down over his head, so this was a treat for me. I hope that meant that he’d had a good night. This time, the bucket said “Rape me”. Nirvana reference, for the win! Lawdamighty, I love that boy! The entire crowd joined Kyo in shrieking, “One day I will fuck your parents!” and then he reeled and collapsed in front of the drums with one arm flung over his face. Toshiya came forward, raising his hands and egging us to cheer louder, louder! Even Kaoru, cool as he is, seemed pleased. They walked back and forth from our side to the other, demanding love and receiving it from us like crazy! They were both kissing pics and tossing them into the audience. ‘I want one!’ I thought, but they were tossing them farther back. But wait, Kaoru took one of his last ones and gave it a shallow toss. It was coming towards me! But… it fell short. I slammed my stomach into the barrier and motioned wildly at the security guard. He held up a hand to tell me to wait a minute-- I don’t think anyone else had noticed it-- and then he stealthily sneaked it into my greedy hand. I put it into my pocket straightaway… I certainly didn’t want a repeat of the Nine Inch Nails incident, thanks very much. The less people saw I had it, the better.
Anyway, Die pretty much stayed on his side of the stage, then Shinya came out behind his drumset. The audience went nuts! We don’t get to see a lot of him so it’s always lovely to have him visible. He gave such an endearingly shy smile as he strolled to the edge of the stage and tossed his drumsticks out. Then he held up his hands as if to say ‘sorry, no more’, waved, and left the stage. Kyo finally rolled over, raised a hand, and then staggered off the stage. Toshiya and Kaoru ran out of pics, raised their rock fists one final time, and exited as well.
It was over, and I was tired and exhilarated and buzzed out and so many other emotions that I felt like I was a live wire full of crackling electricity. I’d gotten to the front, I’d gotten multiple occasions of eye contact from Kyo, (which is all I ask for, really. Hehe) and I’d gotten an actual keepsake-- a guitar pic from the guitar-god Kaoru himself! What I did not have, was Sprout. She took off as soon as the lights went up because it was just to hot and squished. I stuck around for a couple more minutes chatting and watching people desperately search the floor for missed pics. But I had mine-- I was happy!
Want to see?
Only one thing could have made the night better, but it didn’t happen. No, I didn’t get to meet the band, but I was THIS MOTHERFUCKING CLOSE. I was so pissed at myself. Eh, maybe it was karma for being glad when people fainted and making fun of outfits. Boo. However, I need sleep so I’ll finish this up tomorrow so I don’t upset myself thinking about it.
Anyway, I needed this concert like you wouldn't even believe. Things have been crappy, but now I have a good buzz to go off of for a while. It was such an AWESOME show! Diru, please come back again, and we'll show you even more rowdy-assed Texas love!
I do want to say this one was probably the best I’ve seen- but then again, they’re headlining, so they had more time to shine. And wow… just wow.
Okay, I didn't really pare this down... you're basically getting what I typed up in a giddy daze late last night, unfiltered! Warnings: I can be vain and kinda bitchy. Don't get all booty-hurt, yeah? Also (and as usual) this report is ridiculously Kyo-centric. I'd shrug or apologize, but I'm not really sorry!
Pixie told me she couldn't make it on Saturday. In a panic, I called Sproutout, but she wasn’t answering her phone. My entire mood plummeted. I was moping around. I mean, I was gonna go regardless, but Houston can be a scary place and I heard that the Meridian wasn’t in the best of neighborhoods. It was just the fact that I’m really isolated here and don’t have many friends, much less friends that would be open-minded enough to go to this sort of concert with me. Let me rework that. The only friend I have here IS Sproutout, and I don’t have any here, home, or in Austin who are into the same things I am. So all my hopes lay with Sproutout. I called three times, once every hour, and finally at 11 as I was glumly leaving Subway with my grilled chicken sammich, she answered. I was so tense I shrilled the question to her so fast that I’m surprised she understood me. But it only took her a moment to agree. She likes new experiences, and she didn’t want me in Houston by myself. Oh, I was so grateful! I called my mom next and expanded in glowing terms just how much I love Sproutout. Let me repeat that for all y’all. Sproutout is AWESOME!
Anyway, hehe. I decided on the skull tank hoodie, red fishnet shirt, and ass-hugging jeans combo that I had in my last LJ post. The buckle shirt looked cool, but it was hot and really restrictive. Plus, I was worried about the buckles snagging on somebody’s hair or skin or eyes. The jeans were more comfortable anyhow. So, right, yellow contacts this time and a belly chain that would get me absolutely murdered if my mom ever saw it. Heheh. Sunday morning I woke up and blasted Marrow while I got ready. Sprout came over and I gave her a short and dirty intro to Dir en grey while I printed out the Yahoo map. We headed out about 12:45, got Wendy’s, then made for Houston with all due haste. (We took my car this time.) All in all, that was really good for me- I planned to be out by 12:30, so that’s a lot closer to my estimated time of departure than I usually end up. Sprout is a very good navigator and we made it to downtown Houston with no problems. It was a little after two, and by all accounts I’d heard on the Internet, the Meridian wasn’t going to be letting people even line up until around 3. Ooops. Imagine my surprise and dismay when we turned the corner ‘round the Meridian and saw a line of people already wrapping halfway around the damn building. I was verklempt!
Since we were already going to be pretty far back in line, we left and went to a nearby gas station for a restroom break and some Gatorade. We came back, parked just across the street from the club, and went all the waaaay back to the end of the line.
For a while it seemed like we were the last people to line up, but soon enough more people started coming and the line wrapped around the third wall of the club. Sprout and I gabbed about random stuff. She’s really worried about the future- the kids, in her opinion, are NOT all right. Hehe, we were kind of doing the ‘you young whippersnappers!’ thing, with un-fond memories of not being allowed to even THINK about getting to go to a concert (or basically anywhere) when we under our parents’ roofs while all these people had parents attending the concert with them or dropping them off and driving away (WTF, mate?! I WISH.) Oh and, making fun of people’s outfits. I don’t apologize or make excuses about it. You know, I have never once claimed to be nice- I won’t make fun of anyone to their face or where they can hear me, but if you look a hot mess I will call it. And trust you me, there were some SHIT-ASS MESSES out there. (Rule of thumb-if you buy your entire outfit at Hot Topic, you will LOOK like you bought your entire outfit at Hot Topic (read: like you are trying too hard)-- and don’t come crying to me when after two washes that expensive-ass outfit falls completely apart!) I thought we were to be let in around six, but it got to be six and nothing happened. Then without warning the line started to move. We scrambled up and went around one corner and came to another dead stop. A guy came through selling the FYE pre-CD flyers. I took my money out, drew one of the flyers, and-- nothing. I wanted to pout, but I know my luck and I wasn’t really expecting to be one of the lucky winners. Still, it would have been sweet, wouldn’t it?
They split the lines up into physical tickets, need to buys, and will-call. This was actually a good thing, as it put us up a little further than we had been. It was getting dark and chilly by then, so me and Sprout were huddled up and I realized ‘dammit, I have to pee!’ I must have the smallest bladder in existence, grrr. There would have been time, but there was no place to go! (Unless you count behind a dumpster across the street, and since I’ve been out of the desert for almost three years now, I don’t anymore, heheh.) I decided again that, since we were so far back anyway we’d find a bathroom once we got inside.
So, a guy came through the line, checked my e-mail printout, then gave us our tickets. The line finally started moving, and I started to get excited. (Had to take my belly chain off though, since security came through yelling, ‘no spikes, no chains, no safety pins!’ I hate that! Half of the line has to halfway disrobe before they can get in. Are ickle wallet chains really THAT dangerous?) We got patted down and metal-detected (yes, I’ve made that into a verb!), and then up the stairs and into the Meridian! I was in a damn hurry for the bathroom. We found it, came out, and followed the still-streaming crowd into the main room. And Oh LAWD, it was already packed. Sprout started to make comforting noises to me, but I gritted my teeth and said to her fiercely, “Hold on to my arm and for God’s sake, don’t lose me.” And then I dove in. Well okay, not really dove. But I stepped up with confidence and determination with Sprout holding onto my arm and seeming either bemused or bewildered. She told me later that she was pretty sure we weren’t going to make it anywhere near the front. See, the problem is that nobody listens to me. If I’m going to bother to open my mouth, I most likely mean exactly what I say. Not to go off like I’m badassed-- I know a fair bit of luck and my bendiness are a large factor to being able to move up. But I figured if I could get to the front at a Nine Inch Nails concert from waaaaaaaaaaaay in the back in a crowd of fat, sweaty metal-head dudes, then I had a chance here if I played it right.
So, Bleed the Dream came out. They weren’t bad at all, though Sprout was, to put it nicely, less than impressed by the lead singer. Problem was, he looks like every dude down here in Bumblefuck who tries to be all ‘indie’, even down to the hat. Luckily the audience here was nice and cheered politely for them after each song. We even jumped a little bit when the singer tried to get us pumped. That of course gave me something to work with. By the time they went off stage, I was about five people back from the front with Sprout behind me holding onto my arm. It started to get crushed, and between Bleed the Dream going off and Fair to Midland coming on, the first fainter went down. Security wasn’t even paying attention. It took a ridiculous amount of time for the crowd to catch one of the roadie’s attentions. I felt really bad for the girl they pulled out. I wasn’t hot though, nor was Sprout. But I did take off my jacket before Fair to Midland came on, just to help with maneuverability. It was hella crowded already and I basically had to do some contortionist-shit to get out of it. But I figured that once they got finished the crush would come for real and then I really wouldn’t have any space.
Now, Fair to Midland. Oh man. Okay, the music wasn’t bad. I think it had potential-- lots of random techno-like radio noise, good guitars. But the singer… I hear now that he has anxiety problems, so I feel bad about it, but at the time I was really wondering what the fuck was up with the bald patches. Obviously it wasn’t a skin disease-I KNOW skin disease, thanks- but it really looked like he’d shaved them out. They didn’t look jagged or ripped enough to have been torn out to me, but whatever. That didn’t really bother me. No, it was his attitude. The drooling? Okay, sure. Sprout was absolutely disgusted by it, but whatever. The pinching his throat to produce certain sounds? Hey, do what you gotta. But during their, I don’t know, second song, something happened and his mic stopped working. He stood there by the drums looking so pissed and copped this eye-rolling ‘this isn’t even worth it’ attitude. The rest of the band was jamming away and he was glaring at them and the roadies and the crowd. When one of the roadies handed him a replacement mic, he glared at it and took his good sweet time coming back to the front, started singing and then just stopped again. Sprout was pissed! She was all, “he’s being such a pussy bitch! What the hell, I just want to hit him! I should go to their table after the show and just slap the shit out of him! That is NOT how you act on stage!” I have to agree. Maybe he was having a bad day, but it really made it seem like he thought he was above the rest of the band and the roadies and especially the audience. Yes, we were all mainly there to see Dir en grey, but for God’s sake man! That really ISN’T how to be if you want to connect with your audience. You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar! Bleed the Dream’s probably got some new fans, but I bet Fair to Midland ain’t.
Anyway, they went of finally. The lead just dropped the mic and left in a little piss fit while the rest of the band finished out the last song. I for one, was ready for him to go. (The other dudes were all right by me though.) So, the lights came up and damn if the crush didn’t start for real. I had moved up so that there were maybe three people between me and the barrier. There was a girl in a white shirt in front of me- basically her ponytail was in my mouth because the crush was so bad that I couldn’t move. But, if I peered over her shoulder I could see directly center stage, so I wasn’t that upset about it. It was like a can of sardines in there, and more and more people started fainting or yelling to be let out. Some were demanding water. I dunno man, I know it’s good policy for the staff to hand out water, but demanding it just seems like some people have an entitlement-complex. They did start bring out bottles and yelling for us to pass them back, but some greedy ass people were hoarding them and keeping them for themselves. That’s just bad concert etiquette. Give somebody else a chance! Who knows, that person behind you might reach for a drumstick, miss, and drop it right into your hands, heheh!
Ah, right so… I’m going to let you know that I’m a little evil. I was okay where I was, but I really wanted further up. And the girl in front of me was sweating and her skin was clammy. She was also one of the water hoarders. ‘She’s going to faint,’ I thought, and as evil of me as I knew it was, I was glad. Sure enough, she went down as they were taping down Kyo’s crate. I helped haul her up and out, feeling awfully wicked, but… Second row, bitches!
I kept turning around to explain things to Sprout-“that’s Kyo’s crate, he’ll stand on it and ‘round it and maybe throw it at the end. Oooh! There’s his bucket! If he’s happy he’ll put it on his head!” and “when they uncover the drumset, the crowd will go nuts,” (she asked ‘why?’ and I replied, “Because- SHINYA!” Not very helpful, but it was hard to communicate in such an uproar.) There was no room to wiggle or dance in anticipation this time, because I tell you again, SARDINES, but I could feel the excitement in my rising to fever pitch. Why is it that just watching the (cute) roadies set up is so exciting?
Ah, and! One of the cute roadies was testing Toshiya’s bass, standing in Toshiya’s spot. I stared at him for a second, then laughed. “Look! It’s like a wind machine!” I don’t know if it was the air conditioning or if they’d set up a fan somewhere, but right in that spot there was a breeze that was making his hair blow artistically like he was in a music video (or a shoujo anime, hee!). I wonder if Toshiya has a hidden wind-machine to make himself look all wind-blown and tousled. Hey, it works!
Anyway! Finally, finally, after all the waiting… G.D.-muthafuckin-- S! After they didn’t play it at either of the FVT shows I went to, I was worried that it was gone for good, but no, the techno came screaming out of the speakers and the crowd surged forward (I don’t know HOW), screaming “Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!” I can’t even explain... G.D.S is the perfect opener- it gets you ready to go careening down the rabbit hole where all the dark, compelling, terrifying, and beautiful are waiting to eat you alive. You can’t hope to contain it! Just let it carry you away!
First Die, then Shinya, then Toshiya and Kaoru, and finally the man himself, Kyo! He jumped onto his crate and glared out at us with his eyes just slightly crossed, looking deranged, looking an absolute genius. He wore jeans with a wallet chain (hey, how come he gets to have one and we don’t? Hehe!), converse shoes, and a black velvet jacket. As G.D.S came to its pounding end, he clapped his hands together as if in prayer and bowed low to all of us. If it all possible, I’m sure we all would have bowed back. Instead, the crowd pushed forward even MORE, which actually put me in an even better position. I just let them keep pushing, and by the fourth song or so, I was in the front row, pressed against the barrier but joyous beyond all belief.
For the life of me, I can’t remember the order of the songs. I just know that each one was absolute brilliance. For all the naysayers out there who think that Kyo’s lost his touch, let me say, again- FUCK YOU. Wait wait, let me make that clearer-- FUCK YOU. That boy SANG. This was honestly the best I’ve heard him. And it wasn’t just hitting notes- though he certainly did do that, but I mean he has this way of taking a simple tune and turning it into something that can rip the heart right out of your chest. I’m constantly amazed by him and his intensity and the fact that he does that repeatedly during the course of a tour. I’d go NUTS. His range has improved, his voice has evolved and matured. He does this high-pitched scream now, that sends chills and nails and spiders skittering down my spine-- it’s absolute love. I wasn’t sure he’d do it live, but sure enough, during Grief he got to it, opened his mouth and effortlessly let out the sort of shriek that could break hearts and minds.
After the first two or three songs, they all took a short break to set up for the next song-- I think it was the Final. Kyo went back and knelt at the foot of Shinya’s drumset while the others turned their backs. It gave the crowd just the break we needed. I wasn’t up front at that point, but I was able to see and be seen. When they turned round again Toshiya came to the edge of the stage to egg us on. Wind machine!
Oooh! I’ve found a setlist online! Here ‘tis:
G.D.S
The Fatal Believer
Agitated Screams of Maggots
Mr. Newsman
The Final
Saku
Grief
Kyo Solo
Itoshisa Ha Fuhainitsuki
Kodoku Ni Shisu, Yueni Kodoku
Obscure
Kyo Solo
Kasumi
Ryoujyoku no Ame
Merciless Cult
Dead Tree
Encore:
Bottom of the Death Valley
C
The IIID Empire
Beautiful Dirt
Clever Sleazoid
YUSS! I do remember correctly… they pause to set up for the Final, I remember that from FVT, since it has a different tuning and has to be synched up with the intro. So yeah, Kyo was kneeling at the foot of the drums, preparing himself for the Final. I imagine that’s a song that you have to really prepare yourself to perform-- shoot, I have to prepare myself to listen to it. Everytime I hear it unexpectedly, whether in concert or if it randomly pops up when I do shuffle mode on my iPod, without noticing I slow down until I stop whatever it is I’m doing and just listen. It wrings a lot out of you, because it demands a lot out of you. The fact that he gets up and performs it so beautifully at each stop really makes me envious of his-- what shall I call it? Conviction? I dunno. I just know that damn, he’s amazing. He stood atop his crate and held his arms out to his sides with his head tilted back, and I would seriously do just about anything to know how he was feeling and what he was thinking at that moment. Like it was all too big or too much, and only by opening himself up wide could he hope to pass some of it on to us. And trust, we drank it up and begged for more. He’s BRILLIANT.
Mr. Newsman came as a surprise, though it shouldn’t have. I’ve read other reports that said they played it, but I guess it was hearing it right after two new songs that made it so great. As already expanded upon, The Final was gorgeous and Saku kicked ass as usual. I luuuurve Saku live. Grief though, was amazing. I really like the song-- especially the horror movie high-pitched shriek he lets out, and I could go on and on about how it just blows my mind and it’s my favorite new vocal trick of his and how every time I hear it I just about fall out, but I’ll stop now-- but on the album version I’ve never been able to really tell that he’s saying “Blood tastes like vanilla.” Yeah well, this night he articulated that shit, first facing the other side of the stage. Then he came forward and looked down into the front row and dead at me, and snarled in falsetto (and I don’t know how he does THAT, either) “Blood tastes like vanilla!” I howled.
You know, it can’t be nice to look down and see me in the front row. I go absolutely fucking nuts. I’m headbanging, and screaming along, (cuz seriously, it’s the only time my shy-ass gets to let it OUT like it’s meant to be let out. This is how I know to myself that I could be in a band-- cuz I can indeed holler-- it’s just my damn low-self esteem and lack of confidence that prevents me from doing it in front of others or in public. This is my sadface :< One day I will grow the balls to do it!), and I look fierce (in a bad ‘I’m going to eat your children and pick my teeth with their finger bones’ way, not in the good ‘ooh girl your outfit is bangin’ way), and laughing horribly when a lyric or sound hits the part of me that has to laugh mirthlessly lest I burst into tears or start hitting myself. But I don’t know, maybe looking down and seeing fans get really into it is cool to them. Besides, I like headbanging with Toshiya and guitar-god Kaoru! By the end of the night they and the entire front row in front of them had exceedingly poofy headbang-hair. We all looked like we’d come through a tornado grinning, hehe.
Speaking of hitting though, Kyo actually didn’t do all that much, and it sort of made me glad. The fact that there are different reports of such activity saying sometimes ‘yes, a lot’ and sometimes ‘no, not so much’ reinforces my position that that is something Kyo does when he feels it, and not to impress or appease the fanits. He smacked his chest with the mic a couple of times, and early on (I forget during which song), started scratching wildly at his left arm with his nails, but lost interest and instead started throwing himself around the stage. Another time he had one leg on his crate and was leaning out towards our side of the stage, and he scratched the inside of his mouth while panning his eyes across the front row. He paused on me for a second (my heart stopped… it always does, dammit, and I can’t do a thing about it. I would like to look cool and impressive, but it’s impossible in the face of such intensity. It’s like he’s looking directly INTO you for something, and when he casts his eyes elsewhere you are at once relieved to be no longer so snared and disappointed that he didn’t seem to find that something in you. Or maybe I’m waxing purple-prose again. Whatev.)
He did take a razor to his chest and opened up a few cuts underneath his left nipple. The blood was bright crimson and hung there like a badge of pain. During (I think) Ryoujoku, he smeared some with his fingers and brought them up to his mouth to taste. Let the church say Amen! Dir en grey, getting fans into bloodplay since 1997! Hide your children!
But the most beautiful parts of the evening came when Kyo sang alone. Right after Grief, right after the rush and the rage, he slowed it down. It was just Kyo with a blue light shining on him. He closed his eyes and started to sing, softly at first in a high falsetto. The entire crowd shut up. A couple of people started to scream but they were quickly shushed. I don’t know what he was saying, and a part of me is glad (not a big part, though). I think whatever he was singing would have broken my heart. His voice spiraled higher and higher, holding notes and letting them go with soft gasps. The volume rose and fell, carrying us on a wave, trying to convey to us a desperate sense of longing that somehow crested past pain and turned into something beautiful. (Or at least, that’s what I heard.) Kyo held one hand out as he sang, not looking at any of us, lost in his own mind. I change my mind. I’d pay so much money to know what he was singing about, and who he was singing it to. Like I said, so beautiful it could crack your heart in two. I don’t know how he does it.
That gorgeous solo lead into Itoshisa, but I was confused. The background music was definitely Itoshisa, but Kyo’s words and melody weren’t what I was expecting to hear. It was like he was doing another song over Itoshisa, but it all worked together anyway. I’m probably missing something. Was there another version of Itoshisa or something? In any case, it gave the audience a chance to breathe a little, and I think we all needed it. People were passing out left and right still. Actually, a girl behind me went down in the middle of Obscure--
Oooo, Obscure. I won’t say that’s my all-time favorite Dir en grey song (or hell, favorite song) because that’s always shifting. But I will say that it’s always in my top two, and when I read that they were playing it at some dates I screamed and started hopping about (I think I scared my neighbor, which is fine by me cuz I don’t like her, hehe.) It’s just so insidious, so subtly menacing, so Diru. I love the song, I love the video, I love the noises that Kyo makes in it. I heard the opening notes and just hollered. There wasn’t really room to fling myself about, but I did it anyway as did the girl beside me. We just grinned at one another and let loose. Man, it just gets in my veins! And Kyo was crouched on his crate like a wicked gargoyle, his eyes crossed slightly, howling and growling. (I don’t think he did the high whines, but the audience filled in there, hehe.) Oh, it was unbelievable. Now, a girl did come down almost on my head and I had to have a momentary calm to help get her up and out, but that was only like 10 seconds and I GOT TO SEE OBSCURE LIVE. Oh, and I yelled over my shoulder for Sprout to pay close attention to the screen for this one, but I don’t know if she did.
After Obscure I probably could have gone home happy… okay, that’s a complete and utter lie, knowing full well my ass wanted more! Kyo had another solo and here I think knelt on his crate and made the sign of the cross. I swear, that man is incredible… there almost aren’t words. And then, and then-- KASUMI. Wasn’t expecting that one! It was like, “Buh?... Oh shit yeah! *scream flail scream*” I swayed and closed my eyes, letting it wash over me. Kasumi, y’all!
Ryoujoku no Ame is awesome live. I’m pretty sure I went on and on about it in my FVT report but let me just say… if you’ve listened to it on CD and went simply ‘hey that’s a good song,’ wait ‘till you get it live. You’ll fall completely in love with the song. Also for the record, I like the single version a little better than the album version because the single had this eerie quality and weird computer noises, but I do love how in-your-face Kyo’s voice is on the album version. Merciless Cult was brilliant with the entire crowd singing along at the chorus-- Kaoru, Toshiya, and Die yelling “GASP!” and us enthusiastically screaming back “FOR BU-RESZ!” (Heehee!) LOTS of headbanging. Toshiya and Kaoru (but especially Toshiya) were playing the crowd like crazy the entire night-- throwing up the rock fist and making “Love me, bitches!” faces, kissing picks and then flicking them out into the audience with the cool air of guitar and bass gods granting their lowly subjects precious manna. While I was still in the second row a pick fell short of the audience and a girl in front of me got the security guard to pick it up and give it to her. Once I got to the front I decided that if another pick came anywhere near, it was mine (RARR!).
They ended the set with Dead Tree. Kyo did his writhing dance but crossed his arms up in front of his face so that all you could see of him was muscular, undulating torso. I say again, can the church say AMEN?! Dead Tree actually has more effect on me than the Final. I think it’s the fact that it backs off, but then pulls you back in and doesn’t let go again. Or maybe it’s that opening riff. Actually, I think it’s the screams and the way it ends on that high fleeting note. Mm, I dunno. But Kyo pulling teasingly on his pants is certainly a sight to behold! His jeans were low enough already that you could just see the waistband of his black Calvin Kleins, but now he pulled them down far enough to show hipbones. Maybe I’ve never mentioned this before, but hipbones? Get me every time. I’m sick, I know, hehehe. But the screams, the screams… Lawdamighty the screams. And then it was over and Kyo crouched over and left the stage, followed by the others.
The lights went up. “That can’t be it!” the girl beside me said. “No way, that better not be it!” Of course it wasn’t! The crowd got to chanting “Dir en grey!” and “Encore!” Me, I was saving my energy cuz I was beat up. Mind you, the crowd had never once stopped pressing, and since I was at the barrier there was metal digging into everything from my boobs down. Hey, it was absolutely worth it, I wouldn’t have wanted to be everywhere else. We were all soaking wet though, with our own sweat and the sweat of everyone nearby. I swiped at my face with my wristband and wondered, ridiculously, how rough and crazy we all must have looked by then. But just the thought of them coming back out gave me a second wind and soon I was yelling loudly, begging them to come back out. The roadies were setting up the guitars again, and after some long minutes, the lights went down again. The crowd screamed in joy.
The encore? Five songs. Soooooo great. And they came out with Bottom of the Death Valley. Hoshit! (Actually I knew they were going to play it because you could hear them practicing it while we were outside in line, but still-- hoshit). That was unexpected too, but very very welcome. I never thought I’d get that one live. The baseline, the violence, the screaming… Kyo must have vocal chords of steel to be able to handle the sheer amount of holleration (hehe) in that song and keep going. The audience loved it. You know, I’m glad they decided to play some older songs. I’m looking at my iTunes, and their discography is astounding. Just-- wow.
So! C! Always, always a crowd-pleaser, and you can tell because everyone sings along and jumps. In the front, we had our fists in the air screaming and hopping and wailing “Dead Freedom!” Then the IIID Empire, which wasn’t one of my favorite songs off of Vulgar until they blew me away with it at SXSW. Toshiya pumped his fists and we screamed “Spark and Spark!” at him, much to his delight. (Except some girl behind me had the words wrong and was screaming “Rock and rock!” in my ear. That’s okay, she’ll go home and look at the lyrics and feel like a dumb-shit. Then she’ll get over it and the world will be right again. *snort* can you tell it’s getting late and I’m getting loopy?) Beautiful Dirt was loud and angry like it should be and I think I actually flung myself more violently during it than I had at any other point during the night. (With the exception of G.D.S.) During Beautiful I got my last eye contact of the night (pout). I was going wild with it, flinging my hair about. It was half wet and half poufy, so I’m sure I looked insane. Apparently that was all right by Kyo, though. He had one leg up on his box and reached his hands out to the crowd. Unfortunately we were all too far away to reach him, but he leaned to the left side first and then sang that way for a while. Then he twitched, turned to the right side, and tilted his head down towards me. We looked at each other for maybe two seconds, then he whirled away and jumped onto the crate. He turned his back to the crowd and then launched himself into this OMGROCKSTAR leap off of it (great form too, bent his knees behind him and everything) landed, and then thrashed around for a bit before turning to clutch at his crate. He MANHANDLED that thing up and flung it behind him. It sorta bounced off of the left side of Shinya’s drums. HELLZ YEAH. Then sadly Kyo called out “Last song!” CLEVER SLEZOID! Wake up, you’re dead! Kyo threw himself this way and that, and we screamed the lyrics along with him. (Remember of course that my favorite part of Clever Slezoid is the “Witherwitherwitherwitherwither” bit, yeah!) Ooh, and then he went for his bucket. The bucket! I’d never had the pleasure of seeing Kyo douse himself with water and then drop the bucket down over his head, so this was a treat for me. I hope that meant that he’d had a good night. This time, the bucket said “Rape me”. Nirvana reference, for the win! Lawdamighty, I love that boy! The entire crowd joined Kyo in shrieking, “One day I will fuck your parents!” and then he reeled and collapsed in front of the drums with one arm flung over his face. Toshiya came forward, raising his hands and egging us to cheer louder, louder! Even Kaoru, cool as he is, seemed pleased. They walked back and forth from our side to the other, demanding love and receiving it from us like crazy! They were both kissing pics and tossing them into the audience. ‘I want one!’ I thought, but they were tossing them farther back. But wait, Kaoru took one of his last ones and gave it a shallow toss. It was coming towards me! But… it fell short. I slammed my stomach into the barrier and motioned wildly at the security guard. He held up a hand to tell me to wait a minute-- I don’t think anyone else had noticed it-- and then he stealthily sneaked it into my greedy hand. I put it into my pocket straightaway… I certainly didn’t want a repeat of the Nine Inch Nails incident, thanks very much. The less people saw I had it, the better.
Anyway, Die pretty much stayed on his side of the stage, then Shinya came out behind his drumset. The audience went nuts! We don’t get to see a lot of him so it’s always lovely to have him visible. He gave such an endearingly shy smile as he strolled to the edge of the stage and tossed his drumsticks out. Then he held up his hands as if to say ‘sorry, no more’, waved, and left the stage. Kyo finally rolled over, raised a hand, and then staggered off the stage. Toshiya and Kaoru ran out of pics, raised their rock fists one final time, and exited as well.
It was over, and I was tired and exhilarated and buzzed out and so many other emotions that I felt like I was a live wire full of crackling electricity. I’d gotten to the front, I’d gotten multiple occasions of eye contact from Kyo, (which is all I ask for, really. Hehe) and I’d gotten an actual keepsake-- a guitar pic from the guitar-god Kaoru himself! What I did not have, was Sprout. She took off as soon as the lights went up because it was just to hot and squished. I stuck around for a couple more minutes chatting and watching people desperately search the floor for missed pics. But I had mine-- I was happy!
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Only one thing could have made the night better, but it didn’t happen. No, I didn’t get to meet the band, but I was THIS MOTHERFUCKING CLOSE. I was so pissed at myself. Eh, maybe it was karma for being glad when people fainted and making fun of outfits. Boo. However, I need sleep so I’ll finish this up tomorrow so I don’t upset myself thinking about it.
Anyway, I needed this concert like you wouldn't even believe. Things have been crappy, but now I have a good buzz to go off of for a while. It was such an AWESOME show! Diru, please come back again, and we'll show you even more rowdy-assed Texas love!