All at once cheers erupted from the audience. The show began amid the applause from the fans. The background music that started off the night was 'THE END' from the album 'NIL'. The members chanted the lyrics and the crowd rhythmically handclapped. As the music got louder, the fans watched on expectantly. They seemed to be wondering what the band had in store for them. The members appeared onstage and surrounded the drum set with their backs toward the audience. The sound of a single gunshot rang clear through the venue. The hall was bathed in red lights as if soaked in blood.
At that moment Kai gripped his drumsticks and swung them down. Uruha's and Aoi's guitars whined, making the floor shake. The members turned to face the crowd. Ruki slammed the microphone stand to the floor. The first song of the night was the aggressive 'Nausea & Shudder'. Stage lights beamed toward the band from all over the place, casting shadows on to the walls on both sides of the hall. The fierceness continued into 'LEECH'. Even though there were lots of people, every single one of them was wildly headbanging. It would have been quite a sight in a larger venue, but watching the place completely packed with fans was equally impressive. Anyone there definitely would have gotten goose bumps. The audience intently watched Aoi's mesmerizing stage performance. They were drunkenly moving their bodies to the never-ending stream of energetic music.
"Buttobe, gokiburi-yaro! (Bug off cockroach!)" That familiar phrase signaled the beginning of 'COCKROACH'. The fans jumped up and down in rhythm with Kai's drums. You could literally feel the venue shaking, but the members apparently weren't satisfied. Ruki taunted the crowd by saying "You're a bit quiet today. Are you guys dead or something?" The audience immediately roared back. Then the band went on to 'SWALLOWTAIL ON THE DEATH VALLEY'. Kai steadily tapped the snare drum. The dance music instantly made everyone move their bodies, causing the hall to shudder once again. The members then performed 'ガンジスに紅い薔薇 / Ganges ni Akai Bara', '生暖かい雨とざらついた情熱 / Namaatatakai Ame to Zaratsuita Jonetsu' and 'Psychedelic Heroine'. All the while the audience on the first floor was churned around inside a mosh pit.
The venue eventually became silent, and blue lights slowly and gently started to shine. The electric guitars of Uruha and Aoi invited the fans further deeply into the world of the GazettE. They played a string of rock ballads, starting with '菫 / Sumire'. Aoi's acoustic guitar gave '花言葉 / Hanakotoba' a unique texture. The following '紅蓮 / Guren' had a powerful melody. The fans were hypnotized by the music created by the 5 members. The audience couldn't keep their eyes off the band and became oblivious to everything else.
In response to the raised fists of the crowd, Ruki said "We haven't played at Zepp Tokyo for a while. Like always, the view from here is great." The adrenaline pumping atmosphere also had a nice and easy feeling to it. After a short MC the band moved on to 'AGONY'. Aoi and Reita moved their entire bodies in rhythm with Ruki's rapping. The melody changed rapidly as if continuously warping between different worlds. It was almost like seeing a DJ scratching a record onstage.
So far the band had played 11 songs, including quite a few hard rock tracks, and that meant they were halfway through the set list. Ruki was wearing leather gloves in bright pink and he pointed his fingers toward the crowd. "Tokyo! Give me some more!" That was a sign for the audience to once again bring forth the energy they had shown in the first part of the show. After 'Hyena' a hardcore melody began 'HEADACHE MAN'. During the chorus Ruki and the fans sang to each other. Earlier the members were the ones that had taunted the crowd, but now it was the audience's turn to coax more energy from the members. At the end of the song Ruki laughed uncontrollably as if he had gone mad. Gradually the lights dimmed. Immediately after that Ruki shouted "We're not finished! Come on!" The stage lights turned back on. They played 'Filth in the beauty' and 'Maggots'. Both of them were teeming with vigor. Uruha's guitar seamlessly continued into 'DISCHARGE'. Short bursts of drumbeats overlapped each other and began to pick up speed. Although it was the last song of the main part of the show, everyone inside was just as energetic as they had been at the beginning. The momentum created by the band never went away, even as the members left the stage.
The brimming audience was able to take a breather. But eventually the few remaining spaces at the back were quickly filled with even more people. The fans continued to proudly chant and shout for an encore. Just like with many other the GazettE concerts, the encore began with Reita and Kai jamming together with 'Ride with the ROCKERS'. When the two reached their positions, the sound of Kai's cymbals reverberated through the air. The low, heavy sounds of the bass and the exhilarating beats of the drums went on for a while, and then Uruha and Aoi appeared. They both gave solo performances that captivated the audience. They were smiling toward the fans and showed no signs of fatigue. When Ruki made his way onto the stage they began 'Ruder'. The atmosphere instantly changed with 'SILLY GOD DISCO'. Ruki sang using a loudspeaker, and along with the disco music it gave the song a unique character.
"Oh yeah, Tokyo! Since this is fan club tour, there are lots of people who're used to the GazettE concerts. It's harder to perform in these kinds of situations. [In normal concerts] When you see people who aren't really into the performance, it makes you want to try harder."
Ruki's comments during the MC weren't well received by some of the fans. But his views showed the band's commitment towards trying to welcome all sorts of different people to their concerts. That's a very important mindset for a band that puts an emphasis on live performances. It also might be the reason why they've been able to constantly evolve.
"I want everybody in this together! Show me what you got!" Ruki's shout cut short the voices of the audience. It also kicked off the next song '関東土下座組合 / Kanto Dogeza Kumiai'. Some violently shook their heads, while some prostrated just like the title of the song. ['土下座 (dogeza)' means 'to prostate' in Japanese.] Kai swung his drumsticks without rest. It was hot inside the venue, making everyone sweat. That provided a stark contrast to the chilly weather of March outside.
So far the GazettE had performed 20 songs, including the instrumental track. But the fans ceaselessly called for the members to come back. The chants and handclaps grew louder. Everyone was hoping that the lights onstage would turn on again. Eventually the members appeared from the side of the stage. The enthusiasm of the fans seemed to make them walk more nimbly than usual.
The set list for this tour was made with an aim to test the 'limits' of the GazettE. That was why they made the astonishing decision to perform over 20 songs, even though it wasn't a one night only concert. The crowd was further surprised when the band began playing the final song of the night. They chose '「春ニ散ケリ、身ハ枯レルデゴザイマス。」 / "Haru ni Chirikeri, Mi wa Kareru de gozaimasu."'. Both screams and cheers went up from the audience. Then the fans quickly adjusted and started to perfectly mimic Ruki's dance moves. Although the song's lyrics suggested a sorrowful theme, the members smiled as they made their way to the front of the stage.
When the music ended, the fans began to call out each member's names. Ruki responded to the fans' calls. "See you again! We love you!" That of course caused more screams to erupt from the crowd.
The tour came to an end on March 31st. At the time when this report was written, no new future schedules had been announced. But the band's 2010 season has just begun. There is sure to be more from the band in the near future. Additional info will be reported in the musicJAPANplus news section. Be sure to regularly check for new developments.
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