Gackt - 2009/01/05 東京国際フォーラムホールA; Tokyo, JP (ネタばれ！）
This one's for you, Karyn :P"
Spoiler warning, Just In Case: mixiからのユーザーへの注意：ネタばれ！ ^^;
Got to the Tokyo Int'l Forum around 5 (doors were at 6), looked at the goods area from as close as I could get, & followed the line around to wait for Girl. And waited, and waited, & barely moved by the time she got there. Turns out I wasn't in the goods line (if there was one out there), I was in the "waiting for doors to go in" line. T_T; Finally got up to the front & let into the LOBBY at around 6:20, but they didn't even let us go up & into the main venue until later... the place was still half-empty by 7, when the show was supposed to start- it didn't end up starting 'til about 7:35, so we got to listen to the same pre-show song over & over again (some classical Russian piece that I know I recognize, but can't place (I'm thinking either Prok or Tchaik, though- the main theme goes F----EFGFEDF-FDF---- etc. Anyone? Anyone?)). But then it did... and since most of the songs were NEW, and there's a bunch of commentary for each, I'm gonna try a different format here...
edit: actual setlist added! (see next post for more notes on that)
Oh yeah- before the show, a couple sat next to us on my side, & I noted aloud "At least the guy's sitting next to me instead of the girl, who's more likely to be screaming 'Gack-tooooooo!' in my ear all night...", to which Girl was like "Just watch, he'll be the screamer..." And of course she had to be right- not only was he the first to scream "GACKTOOOOO!" in our general area as soon as the lights went down, but he was screaming it between nearly every freakin' song! At least they switched places fairly soon, though, so he wasn't next to me anymore. :P"
Anyway, it's nearly 2 past 2:30 (damn corrections!)- bedtime!
Spoiler warning, Just In Case: mixiからのユーザーへの注意：ネタばれ！ ^^;
Got to the Tokyo Int'l Forum around 5 (doors were at 6), looked at the goods area from as close as I could get, & followed the line around to wait for Girl. And waited, and waited, & barely moved by the time she got there. Turns out I wasn't in the goods line (if there was one out there), I was in the "waiting for doors to go in" line. T_T; Finally got up to the front & let into the LOBBY at around 6:20, but they didn't even let us go up & into the main venue until later... the place was still half-empty by 7, when the show was supposed to start- it didn't end up starting 'til about 7:35, so we got to listen to the same pre-show song over & over again (some classical Russian piece that I know I recognize, but can't place (I'm thinking either Prok or Tchaik, though- the main theme goes F----EFGFEDF-FDF---- etc. Anyone? Anyone?)). But then it did... and since most of the songs were NEW, and there's a bunch of commentary for each, I'm gonna try a different format here...
edit: actual setlist added! (see next post for more notes on that)
- (intro film) - some doctor doing some lines, a bunch of cuts to operating rooms, etc., & eventually Gackt in a black uniform, standing in the rain while mechanical whirring "Hey, I'm a robot! This is what it sounds like when I move!" sounds play, & there's a bunch of intertitled voice-overs blabbing some kind of story about wondering who he is & why he exists, blah blah blah...
- Jesus - the new single, complete w/ crowd yelling the "HEY!"s... not quite as bad live, but since Gackt pretty much ALWAYS has a backing track playing (even when his full band is up there), the bad drawn-out "HEEEEYYYYY!"s were still audible. And it seemed like the crowd wasn't quite familiar enough with it to get them all on cue (esp. the first of each batch)
- uncontrol - the title (as w/ Jesus) came up on the giant film screen behind him, so I'm thinking "Wow, this is great- I'm not gonna have to struggle to remember titles, or write down lengthy pseudo-notation & lyrical snippets to get the setlist right!" Wrong- this was the last time they had the title on the screen. T_T;
- ? Suddently - new song. Background film had pages of words (in English) flying forward continuously, and every once in a while a word from the lyrics would appear as it was sung- the first was 突然, & the chorus had 愛しい声を、優しい声を…
- ? No Reason - new song, which I'm inclined to think is called "No Reason".. featured a recurring もう戻れない (which also popped up as a line in some of the later film clips)
- ? In Flames - new song, chorus has 目を閉じて、もう一度 something something
sfx: war/machine gun sounds - Sayonara -ЯR II ver.- - started w/ just Gackt on piano w/ a video backdrop of a big warehouse or something- one of the band members poured him a glass of wine halfway through, which he held in one hand while he played w/ the other for a bit before putting it down... YOU did the violin solo, then more piano/singing, then Gackt grabbed another violin from a cabinet (at which point Girl made a wanking gesture (one of many for the show) ^^;) & they dueted for a bit
(sfx: more war/machine gun sounds) - ? Dance - instrumental; not sure if this was an actual new album "song" (like Ares, 4th, Noah, etc.) or just a live-only intermediary piece, but the film screen showed what looked like pouring melted wax, w/ faces appearing & melting every once in a while, and then 4 performers in white masks rose from the floor, each holding a mask head in each hand, & all kinda joined together, so that it looked like a big mass with 12 heads bobbing crazily...
(set change)- some big metallic frame thingies are brought in on each side - ? Ghost - new song; the band are now wearing something that from the 32nd row look like helmets w/ glowing red stripes over the eyes, like a cross between Daft Punk & Cylons, although it could've just been visor hats- hard to tell from that far, and I'm sure they still had to be able to see. Oh, and they were "plugged into" the big frame thingies that were just wheeled in. Like, big wires connecting them to the rig. 'Cause like, they're robots & stuff.
- ? Blue Lagoon - new song; bg screen shows 4 giant water-filled tubes (floor to ceiling) with Gackt clones swimming around in them (well, not really swimming, but.. moving around in that small amount of water).. then suddenly the middle two tubes are empty and there are 2 dancers on stage all in black vinyl & capes w/ Cylon helmets on (these are definitely full-head-covering masks, w/ Gackt in black vinyl & a big black trench coat thingy... Did I mention yet that there's a helluva lot of choreography, and Gackt has yet to hold a guitar? Oh well..
- ? Oblivious - new song; Gackt alone on stage w/ backing music (or else the band was playing from offstage).. sounded kinda similar to Last Song, w/ acoustic guitar, synth & strings.. first line 暗闇の中, chorus includes 静かな、ただ
(film clip) - Gackt in the trenches w/ machine guns & a few other "cyborg" soldiers.. he throws in a few English lines, where he's on the radio going "Do you copy? What's going on?" & then the (foreign) CO answers in (badly dubbed) Japanese (and you can tell it's like, the same voice actor who does every fucking middle-aged angry military leader anime character (probably Gundam, too))... The CO tells them to go home, but then the radio goes dead, & he's left there wondering if they'll be able to escape... camera slowly moves into a closeup on Gackt's face (profile) as he sits there looking anguished.. then starts sniffing... and wondering out loud (people were laughing at this point, although I don't remember what the lines were, they clearly indicated that it was about to turn into comedy)... and then pulls back to reveal a bunch of cat suits, & fireworks in the background instead of weapons fire. Gee, didn't see THAT joke coming! :P"
- ? My Father's Day - new song, possibly called "neo universe" (warning: English lines in chorus!) Oh, and Gackt grabs a guitar for the first time!
- Mirror - complete w/ 4-minute "YAA! YAA! YAYA!! YAYA! YAYAYA! YAYAYA! YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYA!" Gackt/audience scream wank in the middle, and then even more at the end, for a ~13m total. I'm guessing this is A Thing, like having Pyromania at every show. -_-; Not that I don't like the song, but not w/ all the bullshit in the middle. We're here to hear you play/sing, not to have you make us scream back & forth w/ you for 5 freakin' minutes. :P"20m of banter & band intro, featuring such gems as
- Gackt trying to throw water bottles up to the balcony
- talking about watching TV for the first time in 3 years at YOU's house (they had nabe), & having a straight-from-a-commercial moment of 「これはハイビジョンという！」「ハイビジョンって凄いよな」
- something about "I'm a sponge... sucking & absorbing..." & then some other word I don't know, but everyone laughed at, & he claimed the press would be quoting in tomorrow's news (?)
- a stage hand coming out & adjusting something around his neck from behind him while he was still talking, & Gackt turning around & smacking him on the head & saying shit like "Hurry the fuck up!"
- During the band intro, when everyone yells "YOU-kun!" Gackt is all "Hey- how come he gets a -kun, & you just say my name by itself? Even though I'm the main event here? I'm a top-rate celebrity! At least, at least, at least, I don't need a -san, or a -kun, or a -chan, but at least give me a -sama!" >_<
- U+K - complete w/ cat dancers- if you've ever seen a Gackt video or show, I'm sure you know the drill. If not- here.
- ? 小悪魔 Heven (sic) - new song, with audience-participation hand choreography in the form of a giant fake DDR/Guitar Hero screen... it's labelled "KOAKUMANIA" (no idea if that's related to the song title), and the screen drops cat paws in 4 locations (left out, left up, right up, right out), and does waves & claps & shit... there's also 2 chibi-Gackt cartoon characters on the sides doing the "Good!" "Bad..." things on every beat/hit.. and it increases in level, from 1 to 3 to 5 to 30, to "Max". It was actually hard to remember anything about the actual song, the little choreography game was so freakin' amusing >_<
- Papa lapped a pap lopped - with more dancers. I knew I recognized this one, but couldn't remember the title. Am a little annoyed that the only old songs were from the first 2 albums, completely skipping everything from Moon thru RETURNER... oh well. Maybe they'll shuffle the old songs between shows...
- ?Faraway - new song, sounds sorta like 忘れないから. chorus has この星空に
- ? Flower in the War - yet another new song- all I got out of this was a chord progression, vi-IV-I-V
- 君のためにできること - starts w/ ac. gtr & vox from the chorus before the normal beginning- both guitarists had an electric on their strap & an acoustic on a stand/mount so they could switch back & forth. halfway through the song silver ribbons shot out, but didn't make it back to where we were (but we're in row 13 tomorrow!). bg screen was cathedral stained glass windows, which they slowly zoomed in on at the very end
- Lost Angel - last new song; first line is この手で抱きしめて眠れるのなら & chorus has 君を忘れはしない (a Gackt lyrical staple, apparently). fake snow falls from the ceiling.
(film clip) - final film show cyborg Gackt lying in rubble, missing a hand & both legs, & the doctor that built him, some asshole military officer, & a couple soldiers come up- the officer (annoyingly dubbed foreigner) insults & taunts GacktBorg while he sits there motionless, then orders the kill as he walks away- Gackt manages to laugh "looks like we're the ones that are more human", which, of course, enrages the officer, who then grabs the soldiers machine guns & opens fire... they leave, & the doc puts a picture in GB's hand, cries, & apologizes, then quickly runs off... Gackt reboots briefly, looks at the picture, which magically (i.e. from his memory) turns from the ripped copy the doc put in his hand (of just him) to the whole thing (w/ the doc & his wife (?)), voice-overs about how he hopes there can eventualy be a world without war, and then shuts down for good (i.e. his Terminator viewscreen/HUD interfaces turns off like an old analog TV). Oh look- a video that ends in Gackt dying! Shock!*
*I should point out here that Girl insists that she tried to insist that all Gackt's videos involve war & battle & end in him dying, and that I tried to disagree, but I don't seem to remember that particular conversation :P")
After that was the credits roll w/ 再会〜story〜 (instr), & then some post-credits titles, saying Happy New Year & shit, & how this month is "MZR: M:まじで, Z:ずっと, R:レコーディング". So who knows what that means for the next album.
Oh yeah- before the show, a couple sat next to us on my side, & I noted aloud "At least the guy's sitting next to me instead of the girl, who's more likely to be screaming 'Gack-tooooooo!' in my ear all night...", to which Girl was like "Just watch, he'll be the screamer..." And of course she had to be right- not only was he the first to scream "GACKTOOOOO!" in our general area as soon as the lights went down, but he was screaming it between nearly every freakin' song! At least they switched places fairly soon, though, so he wasn't next to me anymore. :P"
Anyway, it's nearly 2 past 2:30 (damn corrections!)- bedtime!