For all you people who so patiently waited...
The moment you have waited for is here... I give you Gackt`s `The Sixth Day and the Seventh Night` tour review!!
It is looooong. Consider yourself warned...
Intro Video - Starting with the Requiem et Rèminiscence (later to be referred to as just ЯR) concert, Gackt has often opened his concerts with a video of some kind; this concert was no exception. In this video, an old man was walking slowly down the road when he eventually comes upon a group of boys playing. One of the kids helps the old man to where the road ends at a beach, and over to where three white crosses are stuck in the ground. The old man says something like, “It’s been a long time, old friend. Yeah, I remember. I’ve been thinking about us…” and lays a picture down in front of the middle cross, which shows the band gathered together, making silly faces (*cough* Moon Child..*cough*). The camera finally pans around and we see the cross says “Gackt 1973-2004”. *cue dramatic music* The video then faded out and the real show began.
Intro - The show opened with Oasis, but before that was a small intro song. I’d read about this in a review but forgot about it entirely until the moment the drums kicked in. Ju-kun and Ryu (the drummer) stood on a slightly raised platform, playing traditional oodaiko drums (the giant drums), while Gackt, Chacha and You knelt in front of them, playing shamisen. And boy, did they play them. I don’t think I ever really loved shamisen music until this night. The band was wearing gorgeous white kimono (I could see the blazing white from where I was at least), and in front of them wove a group of dancers, also wearing white kimonos (and possibly face masks similar to Nō theater). The music absolutely rocked and the dance (a mixture of traditional movements and modern ones) blew me away, even at the far end of the arena. I would pay money to have this song. In fact, I’ll probably buy the DVD when it comes out just so I can have it, whenever I get around to getting a region 2 DVD player.
Oasis - Finally Oasis kicked in and I should mention here all “old” songs played during the concert were the revised editions released on the “Sixth Day” album, so it had a few new quirks to it here and there. No fire this time, but it did show up in another song later. In the middle of the song, during the guitar solo and bridge, Gackt joined the group of dancers (everyone still in the gorgeous white kimonos) and did some impressive dancing. At the end of the song, the taiko drums thundered a bit more as the lights went down, allowing the dancers to escape and the band to shed their kimono.
Secret Garden - Ah...the song that owns my soul. Being as far away as I was, I couldn’t see Gackt’s (assumedly) tortured expression, but I could still be blown away by the power of this song. Gackt’s vocals were perfect and haunting and absolutely beautiful and this song, along with Seki Ray, had in a lump in my throat from the overwhelming power of seeing it live. Had I been close enough to see Gackt as more than a wee figure on a brilliantly lit stage, I might have actually cried. The band had switched into black outfits (the details escaped me since I had no binoculars) except for Gackt, who had this white mask (with long white hair, very similar to Nō masks) on his shoulder. Even as far away as I was, the doofiness of the mask-thing drove me insane until the next song.
Lu;na - Having had the benefit of seeing this in the Jougen no Tsuki concert VCD I bought, I had an idea what would be coming during the instrumental break. However, Gackt still managed to surprise me, much to my delight. Before, in earlier concerts, the “Luna dancers” (dancers in long black outfits and those horrid white masks that remind me of Larva from Vampire Princess Miyu but creepier) who had been surrounding him and dancing weirdly, would “attack” Gackt at this point in the song. They did that here, surrounding him once he’d dropped the mike, and then they all whipped out katanas. And Beth’s eyes got as big as dinner plates as she very nearly launched herself at the stage. (But miraculously, I held myself back. ^__~) They fought a little, Gackt’s katana shining especially brightly in the stage lights (*swoon*), then the dancers crowded in (rather like that Burly Brawl in The Matrix Reloaded), before suddenly falling back, as if shoved off. But *gasp* Gackt was gone! Suddenly, he appeared off to the left of the stage, now with the white mask on, and taunted the dancers, who rushed after him, but he disappeared just as they got there. They repeated this for the right of the stage, the back of the stage, and then Gackt exploded out of a trapdoor in the center of the stage and threw off the white mask as they continued the song. It was really all quite impressive and while at first, his vocal during the verses bothered me (they seemed too nasal), I got into the song like the rest of the fans and cheered wildly when it ended.
Miserable - Cue You on the violin and Beth’s heart bursting out of her chest in joy. After the ЯR tour, any time they perform this song in a concert, the violin part is a pre-recorded track and You is on the guitar. Thus my eternal joy when the spotlight hit You at the beginning of the song and he once again had his violin. I wasn’t the only happy fan either; the entire arena shook with our delighted screams. And just after the violin intro, when the other instruments kick in, the stage exploded in flames (well not really, they just burst up in jets) and practically blew the audience over. Had we not all screamed in delight at this too, we might have actually fallen back. ^__~;; Not too much happened during this one (no dancers) but I was singing along with all my heart, even though I still don’t think I had stood up at this point. It ended with a bit of piano playing the usual violin bit, slowing it down a bit before trailing off beautifully.
鶺鴒~seki-ray~ (Sekirei ~seki-ray~) - Ah..yet another song that owns me. Perhaps it’d be okay to just say the Mars album owns my soul, because there are so many good songs from that era. As soon as the harp notes drifted out of the speakers and the spot light lit up a huddled Gackt on the stage, I had goosebumps. This song is a beautiful peace not only for its moving lyrics, but also because of the crescendos and the rising and falling piano that mixes with a wailing guitar and an alternately hushed and howling Gackt. Just before the second big crescendo, they paused a bit longer and added the sound of wind whistling across an empty plain, which they also threw in at the end. Gackt outdid himself yet again with the final note before the decrescendo, holding it out longer and stronger than any other performance I’ve seen. This is such an emotionally-charged song, that it was almost painful to see it live (but in a good way!).
Last Song (unplugged) - He opened this song with a bit of impromptu piano that was absolutely lovely and reminded me of “Sayonara” from the RR concert, actually. Then after a breath, it became the low, steady beats of “Last Song,” the version from the Seventh Night album. For those who haven’t heard it, it’s just him and some simplistic piano work similar to the guitar part from the original version, which he embellishes during the instrumental break. An absolutely incredible performance, really, and yet another that had my throat tight with emotion. The piano eventually trailed off and all the women around me starting screaming variations of Gackt’s name. ::rolls eyes:: yeesh..
君が待っているから(Kimi ga matteiru kara) (unplugged) - I really think I like this version better than the original. Not to say that I don’t like the original, because it’s an awesome song in its own way, but I just like the acoustic version a little more. At this point, the band sat very casually on the steps/tiered platform on the stage, they turned the lights down real low and because everyone was still wearing black, I couldn’t see a thing. ::crashes:: I had a vague idea of where Chacha was because of a light behind him, sort of half-silhouetting his shoulder and guitar. Same for You. Unfortunately, Gackt was sitting a step or two lower than them with no light behind him, so I just guessed that the dark spot below them was him. Occasionally his rings would catch the light. ^__^;; Gackt sang especially well during this number (as with all the others, I suppose) and we all swooned in response. (hehe, you can tell when I was extra impressed by a song because on this pitiful recording I have, you can hear one person’s clapping louder than the others and that’s me. ^__~;;)
Mind forest (unplugged) - Now this song I actually think is better as it originally was. As with many acoustic songs, the singing shines beautifully without having any extra amplification from electric instruments. However, when I first heard this song on the “Crescent” album, I loved it because of its eerie quality, a haunting beauty that as an acoustic song it loses. (see my review of “Crescent” here to see what I’m talking about). And Gackt forgot a line! *gasp* Or part of one at least. Yup, in the first chorus, the beginning of the third line is “azayaka ni saita” and for whatever reason, he didn’t sing it. He picked up with the rest of that line and continued the song just fine, but for a moment there was a pause and I thought, “Wait…did he forget something?”
(video) - At the end of “Mind forest,” the lights went down completely and another video started. Now, even the people in the front row on the floor, who could see what Gackt was wearing before he left the stage, should have realized this video was filmed in advance and shown to give the guys a water break. However, the premise of the video was just that: the band rushing to get to their changing room, get some water, and get back on stage. But it was so much more! It was hilarious! First we have lots of shots of the cameramen trying to keep up with the band, watching everyone pass by time and time again, sometimes getting bumped into. The band finally arrives at the changing room and starts getting undressed/ready for the rest of the show, and this is where things just get silly.
First, You is attempting to style his hair and eventually starts trying on different wigs, ranging from a wild frock that would have suited your average 80’s rocker, to a “bald” wig with just one hair sticking up, rather similar to Major Armstrong from FMA. *giggles* Ryu starts by first fixing his hair, and then touching up his facial hair with a razor. In the midst of this, there’s a knock at the door and while the helpers are still running around, trying to get the band members ready, someone answers the door and it’s a food delivery guy with an order of something (I didn’t catch the name of the food). All movement ceases and everyone’s looking at the guy with this sort of “…huh?” expression until Gackt says, “Ah, that’s me,” walks calmly over, pays the guy, takes the food, and shuts the door. He goes back to his chair (with everybody still in shock, staring at him), opens the container, and then hollers that this isn’t what he ordered. *grins*
The frenzy of movement resumes, You still trying to find the right wig, Ryu now has shaving cream smeared all over his face and is shaving everywhere (^____^;;) when there’s another knock at the door. Someone opens it and this time it’s a package (I thought the guy said it was for “You”, but it must of have “Ryu”) and Ryu (the drummer) goes over to sign and accept the package. He shuts the door, sets the long rectangular box down on a table, and opens it gleefully, pulling out what looked like a long, skinny bow (it is called a body blade and you can see it here XD). He then holds it out on both hands and begins shaking it up and down with a sort of “Ha!”. After a minute of staring, You gets out of his chair and asks if it’s all right, and when Ryu nods, he takes another one of the bows out of the box and starts doing it too. Pretty soon, Ju-kun, Chacha and then Gackt had joined them so that all five of them are wiggling these bow-like things that made silly noises and occasionally shouting “ha!” rather like martial artists. ^__^;; It was fantastic.
Someone shouted about the show getting ready to start and everyone rushed to put down their bow and get back on stage. Again, we watched from a camera in the hall as the band members ran by, but this time we were left waiting and waiting for Gackt to come out of the dressing room, while one of the stage hands says, “Gackt-san! Gackt-san!” Now, this point of the video was different for every night. There were 3 things that could have happened, and they were mixed up so if you went two nights in a row, you didn’t see the same thing. I think the one we had was the best.
Gackt skips out of the dressing room, dressed in a classic Japanese school girl “sailor uniform,” with a cell phone pressed to one ear. He then does the best imitation of a Japanese girl I’ve ever seen, (think Valley girl and you’ll be close enough), practically whining “Hi~~i. Yeeaaaah, I’m at Gackt’s live…it’s soooo great, etc.” Eventually, he looks at the camera and says in this voice that was both pitiful and about to crack up, “Is that enough?” At which point, the camera switched off and the lights on stage began to flash once more.
U+K (Seventh night version) - This song deserves mention even if the band wasn’t technically playing it. I’ve mentioned before it was like some hyped-up, video-game version of the old song, even more bright and cheerful than the original; I wasn’t kidding. As soon as this song kicked in, the lights on stage began whirling all sorts of colors and an announcer’s voice (in English, and rather like a guy from a circus) came on and began to do introductions. They were awesome, just…insane. Things like, “The man with 5-Finger Weapons of MASS DESTRUCTION.... JU-KEN!” Probably the best part was I was the only one cracking up. ^__^;; I guess no one else understood. Anyways, everyone was introduced, Gackt of course receiving the longest intro, and when the band was all set (now wearing those lovely pinstriped suits-minus shirts), the show continued with…
Papa lapped a pap lopped - Since making the comment I made the night I returned from the concert, I have become a little embarrassed and would like to blame it entirely on Gackt’s dancing during this song. Of course, my eyes nearly popped out of my head when the two scantily-clad female dancers were all over Gackt (and I mean literally…like, American-style dancing or something!) but really, it’s that hip-swivel thing that sold me. This was the original and not the unplugged (and thank goodness, because the unplugged is just kind of…odd) and it rocked. The dancers were back and as usual, they did their interesting dancing, but Gackt did this fantastic hip-swivel-rotation thing at one point that just outdid the rest. Even the outright thrusting of “Vanilla” wasn’t as sexy as this move, but I’ll get to that in a minute. ^__^;;;;; The song’s just damn sexy, what can I say. No wonder I once made it into a LJ-theme.
Mirror - It was either during this song or “Papa lapped…” that I got up, but it doesn’t really matter because by the time the song really kicked into gear, I was standing with the rest of the crowd, doing that ridiculous “flicking water” hands thing and grinning and singing like a love-struck fool. But hey, it’s “Mirror” and that’s what you have to do when that song is played at a live. *cheeky grin* It started as it always does, with the first few lines of the guitar that suddenly stop and the audience screams “Gackt!”, then more revving and screaming and eventually Gackt starts saying things like, “I can’t hear you…” and we all go even crazier, etc. So that’s what happened here, and I hollered with everyone else, until the song finally got started. During the number, he jumped down off at the stage and wandered up both the right and lefts sides, along the audience on the arena floor (*cue nasty flash of jealously!*) and eventually clambered back on stage. They paused right before the last big chorus and Gackt riled us with what I thought were “Nya!”s, but I couldn’t really tell if we were just yelling or yelling words. He’d do patterns, like “Nya nyanyanya NYA!” and then we’re repeat it, and then he’d point to different sections of the audience and we’d scream, and it was all so incredibly fun. I’d yell myself hoarse any day for that man.
(speeches) - They took another break after all that fun and Gackt spoke for a while. Before he actually began talking, though, there’s always a bit of “wind-down” time, and on that night, he walked out on the stage extensions that put him closer to the fans on either side. First he’d spray the contents of a bottle of water onto the fans (much to their delight; I thought it was just kind of wasteful and silly), then he’d toss the bottle into the crowd (I’m sure you can imagine how well that went over). He actually got one bottle up to the third level on the left side, though. I was quite impressed. He tossed out some other things, but I couldn’t tell if they were cds or coasters or what, and then he finally got down to speaking. He talked about how this was such a great atmosphere and how he felt like we were family. Sorry, but I don’t remember all of it. He introduced the band (as usual) and then the show went on.
U+K (original version) - KITTIES! Giant stuffed kitties! Dancing like crazy while we fans waved our arms back and forth and sang along. Had anyone else been with me at the concert, I would have even done the little dance during the instrumental break. I saw other people doing it and was dying to join them, but I just waved my arms instead. We also did The Wave, where first the cats and the band would start it, and it went all the way around the arena and then came back and everyone on stage fell down. Then we did it from the stage to the back of the arena and back again, and everyone fell over again. It was awesome. Eventually, somehow, they brought the song to a close, the audience quieted somewhat and then immediately afterward we heard…
“Aishite-aishite-aishite-a-a-a-aishite…”
Vanilla (Sixth day version) - And the crowd goes wild… Damn, Gackt has fun concerts! A classic song, I shouldn’t have to say what sort of dancing might have entailed, but we fans screamed for more. Similar to the first performance I saw of “Vanilla” on tv (after this new version was released), he dropped down to his knees and began thrusting his hips during one chorus; I’d actually be curious if any Japanese ladies fainted that night. As I said before, I still think the hip-swivel thing was sexier, but “to each his or her own,” I suppose. ^__^;; It was still an awesome number.
君が追いかけた夢(Kimi ga oikaketa yume) - After that, we just kept rocketing onward. I don’t know if it was because of the excitement of the concert or what, but I really got into this song, even though I’m not a big fan of it. I prefer the acoustic version more, but I was throwing out my hands and hollering like all the others. Same for the song that followed…
Another World - This song is insane live. It’s almost impossible not to get into it when Gackt’s on stage, jamming on a guitar, waving his arm back and forth for the “la la laaa”s and so forth. What can I say, it has some sort of quirky charm, I guess.
君のためにできること(Kimi no tame ni dekiru koto) - I used to really like this song (despite it’s pop-ish nature on an album that is otherwise quite dark) and then I made it into a cell phone ringer and grew to hate it. It starts on relatively high notes, very strong, and there’s nothing like being woken up at 5:30 am from a wrong number caller (who argues with you, no less!) by a ringer that’s shrill and piercingly loud. So lately I haven’t been too into it. But when Gackt gives a speech about you feeling like his family, and says that he’ll keep working hard, making music, playing it for you, forever, because that’s what he can do for you…it can really change your opinion of a song. ^__^;; I never loved this song as much as I did during that concert, singing my heart out, waving my arms, feeling overwhelmed by the music, the beauty of Gackt’s voice (if I hear snickers, I’ll punch you), just the whole atmosphere. It was incredible. I never wanted it to end…
But of course it did, as all songs do, and things got kinda quiet; at least, as quiet as they can get with Japanese girls and women still occasionally calling out, “Gackt-san!” (Do you think he’s going to answer you?! I mean, seriously, WTF?!! If it were that easy to get his attention, I’d just take a deep breath, reach deep down inside for the genes I must have inherited that give my dad such a booming voice, and out scream ALL of you. Yeesh.) People actually left during this short break. *appalled* Not any big numbers or anything, but still, people got up and walked out the door. Come on, people! Every one knows there’s always an encore. It’s part of the glamour of a live show. Duh. So while I was sitting there, waiting patiently for the final song (and relatively sure of what it would be), I reminisced on my first concert, when Sean took me to see Oasis and the show ended (I think they maybe had a final song that seemed like an encore) and mass amounts of people started to leave and Sean said, “No, they did this in DC, too. Just wait, they’ll be back.” And they came back, sure enough, and Liam started cussing out the people who had left and were scrambling to get back in. It was kind of amusing.
再会~story~ (Saikai ~story~) - Honestly, I couldn’t tell you if this was the original or re-released Sixth Day version; they sound the same. But I was pretty sure he would close the show with this song, since he has for tours in the past, and I was really happy to that he didn’t disappoint. This song is absolutely beautiful, if not a little sad, and seeing it live was just as heartbreakingly beautiful as “Secret Garden” or “Seki Ray”. I like it because it’s a quiet, beautiful blend of strings and piano, really allows Gackt to show his incredible singing talent. Of course, there were already a couple of songs in the show that did that, but this is another personal favorite and a perfect way to end the night. When the final piano strands faded into silence, the audience started crying for Gackt again and then the final video of the evening began.
End Video - We see the boy from before standing alone now, looking down at the picture in front of the crosses and after a moment, he lays down the flower he’s holding and runs off to be with his friends. The cross he laid the flower down in front of is a new one (the fourth one) and it says, “You” on it (re: the old dude from before, remember?). When the camera pans up, we see a slightly transparent You standing there and as he looks down at the crosses, Gackt walks up from behind him (also slightly transparent) and puts a hand on his shoulder. They contemplate the crosses a moment more before Gackt says, “Let’s go,” and You replies with, “Yeah…” They turn and start walking into the sunset and we see the rest of the band (yup, you guessed it, everyone slightly transparent) greet them with grins and hugs before they all walk off and fade away (omg, they’re dead!). Then there was a short slideshow of various photos, taken from as far back as the Mars concert and to the present, before “The Sixth Day and the Seventh Night” appeared on the screen and faded to black.
And that was, as they say in the old country, ZEE END! It was actually a little sad and had this been The Final Concert (as in, FOREVER, like with the Weiss concert I have), I probably would have been bawling. But I don’t think Gackt’s giving up any time soon so I instead left with a weird sort of elation and the regret that I wish I’d sat closer. (You can see pictures of the concert provided by the ever-wonderful Gakuhai here.)
After reading through and looking at all the screencaps Gakuhai provided, why oh WHY didn’t I buy a ticket to Sunday’s show?! ::beats head in against desk:: RAR. Anyway, nothing I can do about it now except pray that these rumors of a new album and tour are not a lie, and that Gackt doesn’t exhaust/kill himself trying to bring us new music. ~__~ Just when I thought I was getting over the man (or not really over; more like used to that fact that even as close as I am now, I can’t get any closer to him ^_~;) those pictures and my memories of the concert hook me all over again. Man, I would have been bawling for sure if I’d gone Sunday.
But for now, my lovely people, that is, as they say, The End.
As I was desperately trying to get my economics report written yesterday (and spending aaaall day trying very hard), I decided to put some music on to help me. Instead of just a cd, though, I popped first the Mars concert and then the ЯR concert to fuel my drive to finish that report. As it's (LOOK AN APOSTOPHE! I CAN DO IT NOW!) been a while since I last watched these concerts, I got to enjoy them once more.
I'd have to say so far that the ЯR concert is still probably my favorite out of all the ones I've seen (yes, even though this most recent one was live and probably should beat out all the others). I just really like his look during that concert. Sure, go ahead and laugh at the orange pants, but when he unzips that silly jacket, you won't be laughing for long. ^__~;; With the Mars concert, he's just starting out and he looks young all over (he's a skinny little punk in that concert!), but the ЯR concert is like...I don't know, 'Gackt the Adult'. Kagen no Tsuki had the omgPUKE permed hair and the clothes that made me want to beat my head against a wall wailing, 'WHYYY?' The one after that (Jougen no Tsuki..yeah, he likes the moon a lot) was heavily-laden with 'Moon Child' references, right down to Wong Lee Holm coming out to sing 'Orenji no Taiyou' with Gackt. But with The Rat™ and that ridiculous outfit from the 'Kimi ga oikaketa yume' PV (why the jacket? Whyyy?) I just can't get into that concert as much either. And then there's this latest one, which of course, will always have a special place in my heart, but just not as The Best™. But who knows... After I see the DVD (and Gackt all up close and personal) I might just have to change my mind. ^__~
You know..it's funny. If the st00pid people who always make faces and say, 'You like Gackt?' would ever be patient enough for me to explain why, similar to this review and those I have done for his PVs and cds, they might actually understand and accept it. They don't have to change their opinions, but it would irritate me a lot less than just rolling your eyes and wearing a giant sign (that maybe you can't see but we all can) that says, 'I'm a stuck-up idiot!' *forced smile* Ah, c'est la vie....
It is looooong. Consider yourself warned...
Intro Video - Starting with the Requiem et Rèminiscence (later to be referred to as just ЯR) concert, Gackt has often opened his concerts with a video of some kind; this concert was no exception. In this video, an old man was walking slowly down the road when he eventually comes upon a group of boys playing. One of the kids helps the old man to where the road ends at a beach, and over to where three white crosses are stuck in the ground. The old man says something like, “It’s been a long time, old friend. Yeah, I remember. I’ve been thinking about us…” and lays a picture down in front of the middle cross, which shows the band gathered together, making silly faces (*cough* Moon Child..*cough*). The camera finally pans around and we see the cross says “Gackt 1973-2004”. *cue dramatic music* The video then faded out and the real show began.
Intro - The show opened with Oasis, but before that was a small intro song. I’d read about this in a review but forgot about it entirely until the moment the drums kicked in. Ju-kun and Ryu (the drummer) stood on a slightly raised platform, playing traditional oodaiko drums (the giant drums), while Gackt, Chacha and You knelt in front of them, playing shamisen. And boy, did they play them. I don’t think I ever really loved shamisen music until this night. The band was wearing gorgeous white kimono (I could see the blazing white from where I was at least), and in front of them wove a group of dancers, also wearing white kimonos (and possibly face masks similar to Nō theater). The music absolutely rocked and the dance (a mixture of traditional movements and modern ones) blew me away, even at the far end of the arena. I would pay money to have this song. In fact, I’ll probably buy the DVD when it comes out just so I can have it, whenever I get around to getting a region 2 DVD player.
Oasis - Finally Oasis kicked in and I should mention here all “old” songs played during the concert were the revised editions released on the “Sixth Day” album, so it had a few new quirks to it here and there. No fire this time, but it did show up in another song later. In the middle of the song, during the guitar solo and bridge, Gackt joined the group of dancers (everyone still in the gorgeous white kimonos) and did some impressive dancing. At the end of the song, the taiko drums thundered a bit more as the lights went down, allowing the dancers to escape and the band to shed their kimono.
Secret Garden - Ah...the song that owns my soul. Being as far away as I was, I couldn’t see Gackt’s (assumedly) tortured expression, but I could still be blown away by the power of this song. Gackt’s vocals were perfect and haunting and absolutely beautiful and this song, along with Seki Ray, had in a lump in my throat from the overwhelming power of seeing it live. Had I been close enough to see Gackt as more than a wee figure on a brilliantly lit stage, I might have actually cried. The band had switched into black outfits (the details escaped me since I had no binoculars) except for Gackt, who had this white mask (with long white hair, very similar to Nō masks) on his shoulder. Even as far away as I was, the doofiness of the mask-thing drove me insane until the next song.
Lu;na - Having had the benefit of seeing this in the Jougen no Tsuki concert VCD I bought, I had an idea what would be coming during the instrumental break. However, Gackt still managed to surprise me, much to my delight. Before, in earlier concerts, the “Luna dancers” (dancers in long black outfits and those horrid white masks that remind me of Larva from Vampire Princess Miyu but creepier) who had been surrounding him and dancing weirdly, would “attack” Gackt at this point in the song. They did that here, surrounding him once he’d dropped the mike, and then they all whipped out katanas. And Beth’s eyes got as big as dinner plates as she very nearly launched herself at the stage. (But miraculously, I held myself back. ^__~) They fought a little, Gackt’s katana shining especially brightly in the stage lights (*swoon*), then the dancers crowded in (rather like that Burly Brawl in The Matrix Reloaded), before suddenly falling back, as if shoved off. But *gasp* Gackt was gone! Suddenly, he appeared off to the left of the stage, now with the white mask on, and taunted the dancers, who rushed after him, but he disappeared just as they got there. They repeated this for the right of the stage, the back of the stage, and then Gackt exploded out of a trapdoor in the center of the stage and threw off the white mask as they continued the song. It was really all quite impressive and while at first, his vocal during the verses bothered me (they seemed too nasal), I got into the song like the rest of the fans and cheered wildly when it ended.
Miserable - Cue You on the violin and Beth’s heart bursting out of her chest in joy. After the ЯR tour, any time they perform this song in a concert, the violin part is a pre-recorded track and You is on the guitar. Thus my eternal joy when the spotlight hit You at the beginning of the song and he once again had his violin. I wasn’t the only happy fan either; the entire arena shook with our delighted screams. And just after the violin intro, when the other instruments kick in, the stage exploded in flames (well not really, they just burst up in jets) and practically blew the audience over. Had we not all screamed in delight at this too, we might have actually fallen back. ^__~;; Not too much happened during this one (no dancers) but I was singing along with all my heart, even though I still don’t think I had stood up at this point. It ended with a bit of piano playing the usual violin bit, slowing it down a bit before trailing off beautifully.
鶺鴒~seki-ray~ (Sekirei ~seki-ray~) - Ah..yet another song that owns me. Perhaps it’d be okay to just say the Mars album owns my soul, because there are so many good songs from that era. As soon as the harp notes drifted out of the speakers and the spot light lit up a huddled Gackt on the stage, I had goosebumps. This song is a beautiful peace not only for its moving lyrics, but also because of the crescendos and the rising and falling piano that mixes with a wailing guitar and an alternately hushed and howling Gackt. Just before the second big crescendo, they paused a bit longer and added the sound of wind whistling across an empty plain, which they also threw in at the end. Gackt outdid himself yet again with the final note before the decrescendo, holding it out longer and stronger than any other performance I’ve seen. This is such an emotionally-charged song, that it was almost painful to see it live (but in a good way!).
Last Song (unplugged) - He opened this song with a bit of impromptu piano that was absolutely lovely and reminded me of “Sayonara” from the RR concert, actually. Then after a breath, it became the low, steady beats of “Last Song,” the version from the Seventh Night album. For those who haven’t heard it, it’s just him and some simplistic piano work similar to the guitar part from the original version, which he embellishes during the instrumental break. An absolutely incredible performance, really, and yet another that had my throat tight with emotion. The piano eventually trailed off and all the women around me starting screaming variations of Gackt’s name. ::rolls eyes:: yeesh..
君が待っているから(Kimi ga matteiru kara) (unplugged) - I really think I like this version better than the original. Not to say that I don’t like the original, because it’s an awesome song in its own way, but I just like the acoustic version a little more. At this point, the band sat very casually on the steps/tiered platform on the stage, they turned the lights down real low and because everyone was still wearing black, I couldn’t see a thing. ::crashes:: I had a vague idea of where Chacha was because of a light behind him, sort of half-silhouetting his shoulder and guitar. Same for You. Unfortunately, Gackt was sitting a step or two lower than them with no light behind him, so I just guessed that the dark spot below them was him. Occasionally his rings would catch the light. ^__^;; Gackt sang especially well during this number (as with all the others, I suppose) and we all swooned in response. (hehe, you can tell when I was extra impressed by a song because on this pitiful recording I have, you can hear one person’s clapping louder than the others and that’s me. ^__~;;)
Mind forest (unplugged) - Now this song I actually think is better as it originally was. As with many acoustic songs, the singing shines beautifully without having any extra amplification from electric instruments. However, when I first heard this song on the “Crescent” album, I loved it because of its eerie quality, a haunting beauty that as an acoustic song it loses. (see my review of “Crescent” here to see what I’m talking about). And Gackt forgot a line! *gasp* Or part of one at least. Yup, in the first chorus, the beginning of the third line is “azayaka ni saita” and for whatever reason, he didn’t sing it. He picked up with the rest of that line and continued the song just fine, but for a moment there was a pause and I thought, “Wait…did he forget something?”
(video) - At the end of “Mind forest,” the lights went down completely and another video started. Now, even the people in the front row on the floor, who could see what Gackt was wearing before he left the stage, should have realized this video was filmed in advance and shown to give the guys a water break. However, the premise of the video was just that: the band rushing to get to their changing room, get some water, and get back on stage. But it was so much more! It was hilarious! First we have lots of shots of the cameramen trying to keep up with the band, watching everyone pass by time and time again, sometimes getting bumped into. The band finally arrives at the changing room and starts getting undressed/ready for the rest of the show, and this is where things just get silly.
First, You is attempting to style his hair and eventually starts trying on different wigs, ranging from a wild frock that would have suited your average 80’s rocker, to a “bald” wig with just one hair sticking up, rather similar to Major Armstrong from FMA. *giggles* Ryu starts by first fixing his hair, and then touching up his facial hair with a razor. In the midst of this, there’s a knock at the door and while the helpers are still running around, trying to get the band members ready, someone answers the door and it’s a food delivery guy with an order of something (I didn’t catch the name of the food). All movement ceases and everyone’s looking at the guy with this sort of “…huh?” expression until Gackt says, “Ah, that’s me,” walks calmly over, pays the guy, takes the food, and shuts the door. He goes back to his chair (with everybody still in shock, staring at him), opens the container, and then hollers that this isn’t what he ordered. *grins*
The frenzy of movement resumes, You still trying to find the right wig, Ryu now has shaving cream smeared all over his face and is shaving everywhere (^____^;;) when there’s another knock at the door. Someone opens it and this time it’s a package (I thought the guy said it was for “You”, but it must of have “Ryu”) and Ryu (the drummer) goes over to sign and accept the package. He shuts the door, sets the long rectangular box down on a table, and opens it gleefully, pulling out what looked like a long, skinny bow (it is called a body blade and you can see it here XD). He then holds it out on both hands and begins shaking it up and down with a sort of “Ha!”. After a minute of staring, You gets out of his chair and asks if it’s all right, and when Ryu nods, he takes another one of the bows out of the box and starts doing it too. Pretty soon, Ju-kun, Chacha and then Gackt had joined them so that all five of them are wiggling these bow-like things that made silly noises and occasionally shouting “ha!” rather like martial artists. ^__^;; It was fantastic.
Someone shouted about the show getting ready to start and everyone rushed to put down their bow and get back on stage. Again, we watched from a camera in the hall as the band members ran by, but this time we were left waiting and waiting for Gackt to come out of the dressing room, while one of the stage hands says, “Gackt-san! Gackt-san!” Now, this point of the video was different for every night. There were 3 things that could have happened, and they were mixed up so if you went two nights in a row, you didn’t see the same thing. I think the one we had was the best.
Gackt skips out of the dressing room, dressed in a classic Japanese school girl “sailor uniform,” with a cell phone pressed to one ear. He then does the best imitation of a Japanese girl I’ve ever seen, (think Valley girl and you’ll be close enough), practically whining “Hi~~i. Yeeaaaah, I’m at Gackt’s live…it’s soooo great, etc.” Eventually, he looks at the camera and says in this voice that was both pitiful and about to crack up, “Is that enough?” At which point, the camera switched off and the lights on stage began to flash once more.
U+K (Seventh night version) - This song deserves mention even if the band wasn’t technically playing it. I’ve mentioned before it was like some hyped-up, video-game version of the old song, even more bright and cheerful than the original; I wasn’t kidding. As soon as this song kicked in, the lights on stage began whirling all sorts of colors and an announcer’s voice (in English, and rather like a guy from a circus) came on and began to do introductions. They were awesome, just…insane. Things like, “The man with 5-Finger Weapons of MASS DESTRUCTION.... JU-KEN!” Probably the best part was I was the only one cracking up. ^__^;; I guess no one else understood. Anyways, everyone was introduced, Gackt of course receiving the longest intro, and when the band was all set (now wearing those lovely pinstriped suits-minus shirts), the show continued with…
Papa lapped a pap lopped - Since making the comment I made the night I returned from the concert, I have become a little embarrassed and would like to blame it entirely on Gackt’s dancing during this song. Of course, my eyes nearly popped out of my head when the two scantily-clad female dancers were all over Gackt (and I mean literally…like, American-style dancing or something!) but really, it’s that hip-swivel thing that sold me. This was the original and not the unplugged (and thank goodness, because the unplugged is just kind of…odd) and it rocked. The dancers were back and as usual, they did their interesting dancing, but Gackt did this fantastic hip-swivel-rotation thing at one point that just outdid the rest. Even the outright thrusting of “Vanilla” wasn’t as sexy as this move, but I’ll get to that in a minute. ^__^;;;;; The song’s just damn sexy, what can I say. No wonder I once made it into a LJ-theme.
Mirror - It was either during this song or “Papa lapped…” that I got up, but it doesn’t really matter because by the time the song really kicked into gear, I was standing with the rest of the crowd, doing that ridiculous “flicking water” hands thing and grinning and singing like a love-struck fool. But hey, it’s “Mirror” and that’s what you have to do when that song is played at a live. *cheeky grin* It started as it always does, with the first few lines of the guitar that suddenly stop and the audience screams “Gackt!”, then more revving and screaming and eventually Gackt starts saying things like, “I can’t hear you…” and we all go even crazier, etc. So that’s what happened here, and I hollered with everyone else, until the song finally got started. During the number, he jumped down off at the stage and wandered up both the right and lefts sides, along the audience on the arena floor (*cue nasty flash of jealously!*) and eventually clambered back on stage. They paused right before the last big chorus and Gackt riled us with what I thought were “Nya!”s, but I couldn’t really tell if we were just yelling or yelling words. He’d do patterns, like “Nya nyanyanya NYA!” and then we’re repeat it, and then he’d point to different sections of the audience and we’d scream, and it was all so incredibly fun. I’d yell myself hoarse any day for that man.
(speeches) - They took another break after all that fun and Gackt spoke for a while. Before he actually began talking, though, there’s always a bit of “wind-down” time, and on that night, he walked out on the stage extensions that put him closer to the fans on either side. First he’d spray the contents of a bottle of water onto the fans (much to their delight; I thought it was just kind of wasteful and silly), then he’d toss the bottle into the crowd (I’m sure you can imagine how well that went over). He actually got one bottle up to the third level on the left side, though. I was quite impressed. He tossed out some other things, but I couldn’t tell if they were cds or coasters or what, and then he finally got down to speaking. He talked about how this was such a great atmosphere and how he felt like we were family. Sorry, but I don’t remember all of it. He introduced the band (as usual) and then the show went on.
U+K (original version) - KITTIES! Giant stuffed kitties! Dancing like crazy while we fans waved our arms back and forth and sang along. Had anyone else been with me at the concert, I would have even done the little dance during the instrumental break. I saw other people doing it and was dying to join them, but I just waved my arms instead. We also did The Wave, where first the cats and the band would start it, and it went all the way around the arena and then came back and everyone on stage fell down. Then we did it from the stage to the back of the arena and back again, and everyone fell over again. It was awesome. Eventually, somehow, they brought the song to a close, the audience quieted somewhat and then immediately afterward we heard…
“Aishite-aishite-aishite-a-a-a-aishite…”
Vanilla (Sixth day version) - And the crowd goes wild… Damn, Gackt has fun concerts! A classic song, I shouldn’t have to say what sort of dancing might have entailed, but we fans screamed for more. Similar to the first performance I saw of “Vanilla” on tv (after this new version was released), he dropped down to his knees and began thrusting his hips during one chorus; I’d actually be curious if any Japanese ladies fainted that night. As I said before, I still think the hip-swivel thing was sexier, but “to each his or her own,” I suppose. ^__^;; It was still an awesome number.
君が追いかけた夢(Kimi ga oikaketa yume) - After that, we just kept rocketing onward. I don’t know if it was because of the excitement of the concert or what, but I really got into this song, even though I’m not a big fan of it. I prefer the acoustic version more, but I was throwing out my hands and hollering like all the others. Same for the song that followed…
Another World - This song is insane live. It’s almost impossible not to get into it when Gackt’s on stage, jamming on a guitar, waving his arm back and forth for the “la la laaa”s and so forth. What can I say, it has some sort of quirky charm, I guess.
君のためにできること(Kimi no tame ni dekiru koto) - I used to really like this song (despite it’s pop-ish nature on an album that is otherwise quite dark) and then I made it into a cell phone ringer and grew to hate it. It starts on relatively high notes, very strong, and there’s nothing like being woken up at 5:30 am from a wrong number caller (who argues with you, no less!) by a ringer that’s shrill and piercingly loud. So lately I haven’t been too into it. But when Gackt gives a speech about you feeling like his family, and says that he’ll keep working hard, making music, playing it for you, forever, because that’s what he can do for you…it can really change your opinion of a song. ^__^;; I never loved this song as much as I did during that concert, singing my heart out, waving my arms, feeling overwhelmed by the music, the beauty of Gackt’s voice (if I hear snickers, I’ll punch you), just the whole atmosphere. It was incredible. I never wanted it to end…
But of course it did, as all songs do, and things got kinda quiet; at least, as quiet as they can get with Japanese girls and women still occasionally calling out, “Gackt-san!” (Do you think he’s going to answer you?! I mean, seriously, WTF?!! If it were that easy to get his attention, I’d just take a deep breath, reach deep down inside for the genes I must have inherited that give my dad such a booming voice, and out scream ALL of you. Yeesh.) People actually left during this short break. *appalled* Not any big numbers or anything, but still, people got up and walked out the door. Come on, people! Every one knows there’s always an encore. It’s part of the glamour of a live show. Duh. So while I was sitting there, waiting patiently for the final song (and relatively sure of what it would be), I reminisced on my first concert, when Sean took me to see Oasis and the show ended (I think they maybe had a final song that seemed like an encore) and mass amounts of people started to leave and Sean said, “No, they did this in DC, too. Just wait, they’ll be back.” And they came back, sure enough, and Liam started cussing out the people who had left and were scrambling to get back in. It was kind of amusing.
再会~story~ (Saikai ~story~) - Honestly, I couldn’t tell you if this was the original or re-released Sixth Day version; they sound the same. But I was pretty sure he would close the show with this song, since he has for tours in the past, and I was really happy to that he didn’t disappoint. This song is absolutely beautiful, if not a little sad, and seeing it live was just as heartbreakingly beautiful as “Secret Garden” or “Seki Ray”. I like it because it’s a quiet, beautiful blend of strings and piano, really allows Gackt to show his incredible singing talent. Of course, there were already a couple of songs in the show that did that, but this is another personal favorite and a perfect way to end the night. When the final piano strands faded into silence, the audience started crying for Gackt again and then the final video of the evening began.
End Video - We see the boy from before standing alone now, looking down at the picture in front of the crosses and after a moment, he lays down the flower he’s holding and runs off to be with his friends. The cross he laid the flower down in front of is a new one (the fourth one) and it says, “You” on it (re: the old dude from before, remember?). When the camera pans up, we see a slightly transparent You standing there and as he looks down at the crosses, Gackt walks up from behind him (also slightly transparent) and puts a hand on his shoulder. They contemplate the crosses a moment more before Gackt says, “Let’s go,” and You replies with, “Yeah…” They turn and start walking into the sunset and we see the rest of the band (yup, you guessed it, everyone slightly transparent) greet them with grins and hugs before they all walk off and fade away (omg, they’re dead!). Then there was a short slideshow of various photos, taken from as far back as the Mars concert and to the present, before “The Sixth Day and the Seventh Night” appeared on the screen and faded to black.
And that was, as they say in the old country, ZEE END! It was actually a little sad and had this been The Final Concert (as in, FOREVER, like with the Weiss concert I have), I probably would have been bawling. But I don’t think Gackt’s giving up any time soon so I instead left with a weird sort of elation and the regret that I wish I’d sat closer. (You can see pictures of the concert provided by the ever-wonderful Gakuhai here.)
After reading through and looking at all the screencaps Gakuhai provided, why oh WHY didn’t I buy a ticket to Sunday’s show?! ::beats head in against desk:: RAR. Anyway, nothing I can do about it now except pray that these rumors of a new album and tour are not a lie, and that Gackt doesn’t exhaust/kill himself trying to bring us new music. ~__~ Just when I thought I was getting over the man (or not really over; more like used to that fact that even as close as I am now, I can’t get any closer to him ^_~;) those pictures and my memories of the concert hook me all over again. Man, I would have been bawling for sure if I’d gone Sunday.
But for now, my lovely people, that is, as they say, The End.
As I was desperately trying to get my economics report written yesterday (and spending aaaall day trying very hard), I decided to put some music on to help me. Instead of just a cd, though, I popped first the Mars concert and then the ЯR concert to fuel my drive to finish that report. As it's (LOOK AN APOSTOPHE! I CAN DO IT NOW!) been a while since I last watched these concerts, I got to enjoy them once more.
I'd have to say so far that the ЯR concert is still probably my favorite out of all the ones I've seen (yes, even though this most recent one was live and probably should beat out all the others). I just really like his look during that concert. Sure, go ahead and laugh at the orange pants, but when he unzips that silly jacket, you won't be laughing for long. ^__~;; With the Mars concert, he's just starting out and he looks young all over (he's a skinny little punk in that concert!), but the ЯR concert is like...I don't know, 'Gackt the Adult'. Kagen no Tsuki had the omgPUKE permed hair and the clothes that made me want to beat my head against a wall wailing, 'WHYYY?' The one after that (Jougen no Tsuki..yeah, he likes the moon a lot) was heavily-laden with 'Moon Child' references, right down to Wong Lee Holm coming out to sing 'Orenji no Taiyou' with Gackt. But with The Rat™ and that ridiculous outfit from the 'Kimi ga oikaketa yume' PV (why the jacket? Whyyy?) I just can't get into that concert as much either. And then there's this latest one, which of course, will always have a special place in my heart, but just not as The Best™. But who knows... After I see the DVD (and Gackt all up close and personal) I might just have to change my mind. ^__~
You know..it's funny. If the st00pid people who always make faces and say, 'You like Gackt?' would ever be patient enough for me to explain why, similar to this review and those I have done for his PVs and cds, they might actually understand and accept it. They don't have to change their opinions, but it would irritate me a lot less than just rolling your eyes and wearing a giant sign (that maybe you can't see but we all can) that says, 'I'm a stuck-up idiot!' *forced smile* Ah, c'est la vie....