LM.C - LIVE TOUR 2012 -STRONG POP- in Santiago de Chile

On May 3rd, hundreds of fans gathered at the Teletón Theatre to enjoy the second of LM.C’s shows in Chile. This long-awaited show was part of the LM.C LIVE TOUR 2012 -STRONG POP- world tour that promised to be full of the duo’s greatest hits following the band’s fifth anniversary.

When the clock struck 9pm the lights went out and Be STRONG, Be POP, the same song that starts off the band’s newest album, opened the concert. The cheerful audience shouted with excitement as they moved along to the catchy rhythm of the intro. DENKI-MAN appeared first, followed by bassist mACKAz, drummer SASSY and NomNom on the keyboard. Finally, maya and Aiji appeared on stage jumping, and started the first song Ah Hah!.

The fans started jumping as soon as they recognised the opening notes of Ah Hah! and silver balloons were released to indicate the beginning of the great party taking place at the Teletón Theatre. On the red-lit stage maya sang happily, performing choreography with his arms as he moved from one side of the stage to the other, followed by the loyal audience who sang “Ah Hah! Ah Hah!” again and again. Aiji then started to play BABY TALK, a song with a more synthetic sound that maintained the joyful atmosphere in the venue. LM.C proved they had no problem faithfully playing the renewed sound of their latest album, which is full of synthetic pop.

After BABY TALK it was time for the first MC of the show, during which maya took the opportunity to greet the audience in Spanish, as he had done three years ago after LM.C’s first appearance in Chile. However, he soon began to clap his hands to indicate the start of the classic Bell the CAT, which filled the fans with joy. The sound of trumpets, combined with the lively jazz rhythm from Aiji’s guitar and mACKAz’s bass, acted as the perfect pretext for DENKI-MAN and maya to go from one side of the stage to the other encouraging the audience to clap along. The song ended with the vocalist sending a silent kiss to the crowd from the centre of the stage.

Soon it was time for another of the band’s hits, SUPER DUPER GALAXY, which once again transformed the concert into a party. DENKI-MAN launched laser rays from his fingers while performing energetic dance moves, surprising the audience who jumped and waved their arms from side to side. Meanwhile, maya’s raps were chanted by the whole venue. Given the popularity of the song and the lively performance from maya, Aiji and co, this was one of the best moments of the concert. The party continued with Goak-On-SOUL, another song from their latest album Strong Pop. The stage was filled with colour and the audience followed maya and DENKI-MAN’s choreography.

After that, it was time for a short break. maya started the second MC of the show but was suddenly interrupted by fans who shouted “Mijito rico” and “La colita” (slang for ‘handsome’ and ‘butt’). With no clue as to what they were saying, he looked around with a puzzled expression while putting together the syllables “ra korita?”. He then turned round and wiggled his butt, delighting the fans. After greeting the audience in English with “Chile, we’ve come back. Thank you!” he introduced the next song, OH MY JULIET.

There was an explosion of excitement as the fast riffs of OH MY JULIET, one of the band’s most popular songs, sounded. Aiji moved to stand close to maya and together they sang the song with the entire audience from beginning to end. This was followed by a short guitar solo, during which Aiji interrupted the song’s melody with some acoustic flamenco sounds. The audience beat their arms to the rhythm and sang passionately as Latinos do.

Making the most of the climax left by the previous song, the band began to play We Are LM.C!!~The Anthem of Strong Pop~. During this new LM.C anthem, the band encouraged the crowd to sing along while mACKAz and the other musicians moved closer to them and two masked assistants ran around the stage carrying two huge LM.C flags. At the same time, Aiji’s powerful guitar riffs accompanied the voices of maya and the fans. Then, after several repetitions of these interactions, maya finished the song by expelling some water that he had kept in his mouth.

The next song was COMBAT mode, its quick pace reflected in SASSY’s druming. The fast rhythm of NomNom’s keyboard created an atmosphere of madness and maya rapped while DENKI MAN encouraged fans to join in, shooting green lasers from his hands. Soon, the trash metal riffs at the beginning of METALLY could be heard. The most rock-orientated song of the show, METALLY extended the mood of COMBAT mode and caused the fans to become even more hyperactive. In the middle of the song, mACKAz and Aiji moved to the centre of the stage to surprise the fans with a bass solo and a guitar solo respectively, which were both met with the screams of fans that continued even after the song had finished.

The electronic sounds of the next song, GAME of LIFE, echoed throughout the entire venue and the catchy synthetic voice of maya made the fans dance. Soon after, the anticipated GHOST†HEART began and fans echoed the lyrics as they moved from side to side. The song finished with a pink-coloured smoke, a perfect start to the next MC in which fans sang “Olé olé olé maya, Olé olé olé Aiji”. maya and Aiji were stunned by this spontaneous display of affection from the audience and, in a strange combination of Spanish and English, maya said “Can we sing together? Scream please!”. This was met with an immediate response from the audience who sang along to the beginning of 88, another LM.C classic. Fans mimicked the arm movements of DENKI-MAN, who used two light sticks to show them the choreography and then accompanied Aiji as he brought the song to a close, singing the melody with him. A wave of excitement spread through the venue as the vibrant voices of the LM.C boys and hundreds of fans sang in unison.

maya soon began to sing Nanimo hajimaranakatta ichinichi no owari ni, creating the most emotional moment of the concert. Romantic fans embraced their companions while others waved their hands along to the song. But the band quickly picked up the mood with the jazzy rhythms of peekaboo, during which the audience accompanied the group with their clapping. After that, maya declared his love for Chilean fans saying “I love you” in Spanish, the perfect start for The LOVE SONG. It was easy to see the band’s excitement as a result of playing in front of such a participatory audience in a country so far from their own.

When the following songs CRAZY A GO GO and LET ME' CRAZY!! came to an end, the band announced the last song: Hoshi no arika. The brightly shining LM.C logo marked the occasion perfectly. In the middle of the song Aiji moved to the centre of the stage to perform an incredibly fast guitar tapping, while fans released silver balloons into the air. After a huge applause the band left the stage but the fans remained, eagerly awaiting the encore.

The band soon returned as the audience sang ☆Rock the LM.C☆ and the members began preparing for PUNKY♥HEART. However, their plans changed when maya asked the audience what song they wanted to hear, to which fans answered BOYS & GIRLS. One of the highlights of the show was definitely when they started to play the first notes of the song. Everyone sang along with maya, who was absorbed by the enthusiasm of the audience and looked at his band mates in surprise. The voices in the crowd became louder and louder to the point where they became even louder than maya, who at times left the crowd singing alone in a very beautiful scene.

Finally, it was time for ☆Rock the LM.C☆, another song that was sung by the entire audience as they marched from side to side with their flags. This was accompanied by the lasers that flowed from DENKI-MAN’s hands while Aiji's guitar underlined the song’s rhythm and maya threw water to the attendees.

When the song ended, it was time to say goodbye. DENKI-MAN took a photo with his pink phone to capture the memory forever, while mACKAz, SASSY and NomNom said their goodbyes with a bow. Aiji thanked all of the passionate fans who had accompanied him on that unforgettable night and maya closed the show with a few words in Spanish: "Thank you, we are LM.C, goodbye". He then asked for some silence and put the microphone aside, shouting "I love you!" in Spanish a capella. After clapping hands with each of the members as they left the stage, maya said a final farewell with "Peace, see you soon!" in Spanish. The band left the stage and Ah Hah! SE sounded as the excited fans started to leave the venue.

And with that, LM.C’s concert in Chile ended. Filled with some of the band's greatest hits, this show proved that one time is not enough and that the band are able to come back with an even better spectacle than before, leaving each of the fans with some unforgettable memories.


Setlist:

SE. Be STRONG, Be POP
01. Ah Hah!
02. BABY TALK
MC
03. Bell the CAT
04. SUPER DUPER GALAXY
05. Goak-On-SOUL
MC
06. OH MY JULIET.
07. We Are LM.C!!~The Anthem of Strong Pop~
08. COMBAT mode
09. METALLY
MC
10. GAME of LIFE
11. GHOST†HEART
MC
12. 88
13. Nanimo hajimaranakatta ichinichi no owari ni.
14. peekaboo
MC
15. The LOVE SONG
16. CRAZY A GO GO
17. LET ME' CRAZY!!
18. Hoshi no arika.

Encore:
19. BOYS & GIRLS
20. ☆Rock the LM.C☆
SE. Ah Hah! Instrumental ver.