Best na heidi. Tour Final at Shibuya O-East

After a 14 show tour, heidi. wrapped things up at Shibuya O-East on March 20th. It began with a nostalgic reel of single and album covers from the first mini-album Doukoku to the latest release, Kaisou heidi. Indies Best, carrying the crowd on a ride through five years of history and dropping them in the present.

Moments later, the band’s silhouettes shadowed the screen and the show began with Hakuchuumu. Fans bounced with springs under their feet and the curtain fell to reveal the band, Nao bouncing along with as much energy as the crowd. His retro black lips made his expression seem meaner than his bounding energy would suggest. “Hey, East! Everyone jump!” cried Yoshihiko, and Kohsuke gave them a reason to, grinding the bass.

Hello! began with a huge shout, the crowd already riding the wave while Kiri threw himself into drumming with total abandon. Then Yuuyake to kodomo began the moshing, angry and desperate music, herding fans this way and that. Deep purples and reds overlooked the verses while the chorus was an orange sunset. “Can you feel it, East?” growled Yoshihiko, Kiri standing as he smacked out the big finish on the cymbals. “Thank you!”

“Welcome to our tour final! We are heidi.!” the vocalist greeted the cheerful crowd in a short emcee. Hyururi started with shouts and pumping fists, the fun tune daring hands into the air. “Hora,” whispered Yoshihiko, holding out the mic for the crowd to fill the silence. Following a sweet vocal solo, he rose to an immediate shout, “Lend me your voices!” and the crowd complied. Straight legged and bouncing, Nao greeted the fans at the opposite end of the stage while Kohsuke bent right down into the music at stage left for an affecting contrast. As the next song played in, Nao broke out a quick, approving double clap to further inspire the audience and Yoshihiko talked over the music in his deep, radio voice. “We have many fond memories of this song. Please listen. Machikado bojou.” His voice took on a light timbre, playful, sexy, and melancholy in turns until he ripped into the emotional lows with a grating growl, suddenly submerged in a deep red glow upon a dark stage. The dark undertone of the song was crystal clear, but the ending music saw the vocalist take a moment of appreciation for a number with many memories before grooving cheerfully away to the end.

Twilight Town followed in immediately, drums and bass working in collusion to set a groovy beat. A highlight among highlights, the number inspired the band to even greater energy, Yoshihiko ripping out the pre-chorus “Ah’s” with growled relish and Nao’s harmony halfway into the chorus escalating the elation of the piece even further. Even the guitarist began bending into the powerful beats while the crowd danced through every last moment. Natsu ichizu had its work cut out for it, but the summer heat of the number ("natsu" means summer) was a perfect match to the heat of the hall.

Synchro brought the temperature down fractionally through cool music and a playful beat. Nao was in constant motion, bouncing tirelessly while Yoshihiko mimicked the crowd with an unfailing grin. The warm, unified atmosphere gave credence to the title, bringing the denizens of O-East together as Yoshihiko bent down to them, Kohsuke and Nao behind him all but dancing a ho-down.

When the music came to an end, the lights dimmed and the fans shouted but the pause held the air of a ballad and sure enough, Yasashii uta began with gentle music and poignant vocals. Emotion ran high throughout the number, Yoshihiko’s performance breath-taking as he heaved and gasped, seemingly on the edge of tears. A final crash of cymbals and a neat chord concluded in silhouette. A pause. The drums rolled in, beginning Ganbou with a sultry tingle that continued throughout, Yoshihiko clinging to the mic stand in sways and covetous caresses. Lazy, deep and quiet, the vocals were well-matched to the strong bass and tsking cymbals, guitar a subtle touch on the edge of awareness. The sudden violent finale swept in like a storm and blew the crowd away. When it was over, Yoshihiko dragged the mic stand with an eerie carelessness, dropping it against the drums platform.

Ennui means boredom, and the vocalist's actions became clear, his lethargic attitude echoed in the endless cycle of chiming guitar though his tone was light as he began to sing. Drums buoyed the atmosphere, bringing a spark to the number further escalated when cymbals joined the fray. The further into the number, the more exciting it grew, vocals ringing like a bell over the top. It was a fitting warm-up for Rem which jump-started the set with a vengeance. The guitar solo stood out afresh, Nao’s notes ringing out soulfully at the high end of the scale backed up by deep rolling drums down several octaves. The fever sparked in Rem continued into Gekkou Showtime, the crowd throwing themselves into riffs and leaping into vocal pauses throughout the funky number while the band stomped around to the gut-wrenching beats.

The tone grew solemn as the vocalist confessed, “We have reached the tour final and despite being happy to be here we don’t really want it to end!” Revealing a bit about the recent heidi. Kaisou Indies Best release, he added, “When playing the older songs, we have tried to give them a different tinge so that when you hear the song, especially the ones we play often, there is always something new and fresh to it!” The crowd cheered as Yoshihiko thanked the fans for their unconditional support before easing the mood and saying with a proud, teasing grin, “And the emcees are getting better, too!” The crowd laughed, knowing that the slow and somewhat shy emcee was a clear improvement considering emcees were not the front man’s strong point. “The radio show has been helping a lot!” Yoshihiko explained.

For something new, Monochrome Gradation, yet unrecorded, was full of spunk. Guitars jamming a throw-back to funk, Yoshihiko’s half-crooned vocal line captivated the senses. Of course, the number required some really great bass and Kohsuke provided it, rhythm rocking the instrumental. Drowned in the new music, the crowd were ripe for Urusai, heads whipping into the music, arms and voices flying a total rampage from start to finish. “Genki ii na, East!” the vocalist said, praising the crowd's energy. The crowd’s reward for their spirit was the heidi. classic, Sentimental. Flashing red and purple light sent the crowd moshing wildly right on into Omaesan. Yoshihiko was in the moment, holding the final note of the chorus until Nao’s signature guitar solo broke in. Without a pause, he spun away, arms held out to pass the song into the guitarist’s hands. The vocals resumed, deeply sung over a riff that dragged the crowd forward from the sternum before there chorus seeded chaos once more. The song paused for Yoshihiko to address the crowd, expressing his joy and gratitude, and he begged the crowd to remember the five syllables that sang the song to completion: “O-ma-eeeeeeeeee-sa-nnnnnnn!”

“There’s more to go, East! Come on Nao!” Guitar churned the air, but it wasn’t until bass and drums crashed in that the jumping began, Yoshihiko urging the crowd on. He spent the number watching the crowd go while Nao and Kohsuke traded sides of the stage. Shouts rang out the moment the music ended.

The atmosphere shifted and Yoshihiko said solemnly, “This will be the last song. Please listen. Sono yukue.” There was a lazy, dreamy tone to the ballad yet in moments it was fierce, dream solidifying into reality in the driving chorus. Everything about the piece was ambient yet expectant, building towards the climax with half-raw cries breaking down to sobs and Yoshihiko’s shoulders trembled with emotion as he bent over the mic, bringing the show to an inexorably powerful finish.

When the band returned, it was in black tour shirts sporting an obnoxiously hot pink heizo. A wave of announcements such as the Shinjuku Blaze 6th anniversary live on June 3rd and the summer album release and resulting tour. Then Yoshihiko’s passionate shout of “MARIA!” picked up where they left off--chaos. The crowd’s shouts as they hurled fists through the air to the bass-ridden intro were second only to the energy poured into elated moshing. The band pulled out all the stops for Synchro, Yoshihiko holding out the mic for Kohsuke’s off-tune rendition of “Ima ha…!” Drums ruled hearts, heads, and hands, the fans tapping out quaver beats in the air. Parade made for a fitting alternate ending, the words, “Let’s all become one!” encouraging the crowd to band together, jumping and clapping and singing along to the uplifting song.

It couldn’t end there. Though exhaustion had to be seeping into tired legs and arms, there was too much adrenaline for the show to be over and heidi. were determined to wring every last drop of energy from the crowd and from themselves. Returning with the angry, head-thrashing Mukuro and high-speed Tsuta tsuta, they certainly did their damnedest.

Before the final numbers, each member greeted the crowd, the word "amazing" cropping up all over the place. Yet nothing was more amazing than the earning smiles adorning the faces of both band and crowd, proving that the “Best na heidi. tour final” lived up to its name.

Set List
1. Hakuchuumu
2. Hello!
3. Yuuyake to Kodomo
4. Hyururi
5. Machikado Bojou
6. Twilight Town
7. Natsu Ichizu
8. Synchro
9. Yashashii Uta
10. Ganbou
11. Ennui
12. Rem
13. Gekkou Showtime
14. Monochrome Gradation
15. Urusai
16. Sentimental
17. Omaesan
18. Utakata
19. Sono Yukue

Encore 1
20. Maria
21. Shinkiro
22. Parade

Encore 2
23. Mukuro
24. Tsuta Tsuta