There’s really only one phrase to describe the most anticipated Live for the year (well, besides Miyavi back in June)… it was awesome!
We arrived at Rams Head around 6:30, and after gathering money to spend on merch, we ended up running into a friend who allowed us to hop in line with her. It was thanks to her that we were able to get the spot in the second row on the left side of the stage. That was definitely a change for me, especially since every show that I have gone to at Rams Head, I’ve always been at the center or right sides of the stage.
The concert started… fifteen minutes later than scheduled. The band that opened for them sucked so much that I don’t even remember their name. The only thing that was memorable was the drum performance they all did together near the end of their set.
After that band got off the stage (thank god), everyone around me kept their eyes on the stage. You could feel the anticipation rising in the group on the floor. The down beats of Sa Bir began playing, and after a minute or so, Die walked out on stage. He was soon followed by Toshiya, Shinya, and Kaoru. It turned out that we were on Kaoru’s and Toshiya’s side. My friends and I were absolutely in awe over the sheer fact that Toshiya walked out on stage wearing a long gray pleated skirt along with a black t-shirt and a pair of engineer boots. As they were putting their guitars on and getting everything else ready, Kyo came out and took center stage. Without any hesitation, Dir picked up on the last beats of Sa Bir and started into Red Soil. Sadly, it was hard to tell one song from another because you could not hear Kyo. Turns out, Spider said that he saw the tech in the sound booth kept pushing up and pulling down on the button on the slide for Kyo’s microphone during the whole show. But, even with the technical dilemmas, it was still an amazing show! I remember rocking out to Obscure, Shokubeni, Dozing Green, Vinushka, The Final, Reiketsu Nariseba, and the encore (that I completely did not realize was Zan until I looked at setlist.com later on).
The Die fan in me was also happy for the sheer fact that he did come over to our side and show off. He’s always been one of my idols in the music industry.
When Zan ended, Die, Kaoru, and Toshiya threw out their picks and water bottles. Shinya was the last to leave, throwing out his drum sticks to the crowd. When the lights came up, the adrenaline in the atmosphere quickly faded from the crowd. My friends and I made our way out of the pit area to the bar to get some water. We watched a bit of Apocalyptica while chilling out for awhile.
All in all, it was definitely a great show. Dir en grey had so much energy that it almost rivaled the energy they had during their Inward Scream show at Rams Head back in 2007. I cannot wait until they come back to the States. I do hope that it’s soon!
*For those who do not know:
Kyo – Vocals
Kaoru – Guitar, Leader
Die – Guitar
Toshiya – Bass
Shinya – Drums