A memorable end to an epic word tour.
L’Arc~en~Ciel embarked on an epic world tour to celebrate 20 years on the road. On May 13th, Yokohama’s infamous Nissan Stadium welcomed the band with open arms and L’Arc~en~Ciel made sure to shine, not with their energy and freshness on stage but with an impressive pyrotechnical work. Bright lights and lasers danced unflaggingly between fireworks and many more surprises in a visually stunning performance where the band reviewed songs of old and new. If you are a fan on the band’s recorded works, you will not be disappointed as they sound just like that—just don’t expect them to be spontaneous.
Over the stage, chariots and images that resembled those of roman conquests stood imposingly wile on both ends a globe pierced by an arrow, similar to the ones used for the Planet Hollywood sign. Footage from the band’s lives during the world tour entertained the crowd, the band definitely trying to make a strong impact with their audacious tour and plans for world domination.
The crowed seemed quite impressed, “Wows!” rising above the pompous intro. The footage continued in a “Star Wars” fashion with the names of venues moving dramatically through space and a blue butterfly made its way over cities and to the stars—the next venue the band wishes to conquer, perhaps.
The names of each member was flashed on the screen and hyde appeared inside an inverted pyramid that seemed flooded by water. Ibara no namida went on and the crowd glanced around as if expecting the members to show up from above. The pyramid seemed to explode and the black structure that covered the stage parted to reveal hyde, tetsu, ken and yukihiro. A bright sphere shone behind the band, the crowd now holding colorful light sticks right and left with the tune. The guitar solo set the stage on fire, red lights engulfing it while hyde danced sensuously, showing impeccable vocals as he flirted with the cameras.
CHASE and GOOD LUCK MY WAY made for a good warm up, tetsu and ken moving around zealously to fire up the crowd while on the screen the band’s world conquest seemed to continue, images of deserts, cities and forests coming and going with the catchy tunes.
“We are back!” the vocalist grinned happily with the loud cheer he got in response. “For us, to be Japanese and be able to have a tour like we did, it’s amazing!” he proudly confessed. The audience danced to the catchy Killing me, the vocalist swaying his hips to the pop beat before the drummer took the honors for the fan favorite, SHINE. Words in English assaulted the venue, the universe in the background. The determined ballad saw the vocalist at his best, playing with his voice effortlessly, from sweet to strong in a glimpse. The crowd jumped euphorically to hyde’s yells of “Japan!” enthusiastically, singing each word with him.
A haunting vocal solo opened wild flower, the sun shining shyly on the screen amid rain and on a deserted landscape. Guitar, bass and vocals mingled skillfully for the sweet ballad, a melancholic piano joining hyde for the finale. MY HEART DRAWS A DREAM opened to guitar cries, flowers blooming one after the other on the screen as the solo speeded up. The venue seemed to be carried through sound over deserts, valleys and rivers, the guitarist twirling lost in the tune. Visually the song made for a memorable scene, with clouds and crowd meeting over the screens while the fans joined voices to sing the chorus.
Red lights twirled behind four spheres, red light beams flashing through them, giving the appearance of giant eyes, piercing through the crowd. “Oi! Oi!” the audience shouted repeatedly at the bassist’s demand. The band disappeared for a few seconds to appear, in groups of two, on huge car-like structures. Firing balls to the crowd the cars moved, circling the stadium. The crowd went wild seeing their idols close by. hyde and tetsu shared a car while yukihiro and ken kept it cool on the opposite one. They met on the opposite side of the venue, where a smaller stage had been prepared. Stepping out of the cars the four men coolly interacted with the crowd who cheered loudly. metropolis was forgettable, but REVELATION made up for it with hot instrumentals and an energetic contribution from the four members. Smoke circled the stage and all hell broke loose. In the crowd, shirts came off and a few fans stood in their bras. Back in the cars, the four returned to the main stage, blowing kisses at the fans and waving, the bassist playfully firing water at the audience with a water pistol.
The crowd pulsed as they waited for the band to come back on stage, not seeming to mind the overly repetitive music that played in the back. Green lasers and a cloud of smoke took the stage and with a blast colorful strings of shiny paper flashed through the sky as SEVENTH HEAVEN kicked off. The disco beat got the vocalist sawing sensuously like a wild snake, licking his lips as he locked eyes with the camera. The tone became fiercer with words cutting defiantly through the air. Inside the inverted pyramid images of a city flashed, upside down, faster and faster as the drum beat grew.
The old time favorite Driver’s High drove the audience crazy, yelling loudly the moment the car started roaring for the intro. As the engine growled a curtain of flames rose to the sky, concealing the stage. The temperature rose and the guitar speeded away in an electrifying solo. All hands in the air the crowd jumped in unison, the light show contributing to make this one of the night’s highlights.
“It’s hot!” the guitarist blurted with a grin. “Yesterday was cold. This reminds me of an episode, so my stylist and I decided to jump in the pool and mailed a bunch of people. We said we would be there till eight but no one showed up. Since we had said we would be there, we had to spend the day in the pool… it was very troublesome.” The crowd laughed through the casual MC, restoring energy for what was yet to come.
While lasers cut the air, a pink cloud took over the screen for the feisty DRINK IT DOWN. With the night sky engulfing the stadium the light show gained a new power. Red and blue crossed the air as the song built up, the words “DRINK IT DOWN” shining on and off in vibrant neon. Slow and dark shade of season changed the mood, torches casting dim light on stage, black clouds slowly carried over the night sky. The vocalist finally showed his versatility, a malefic tinge to his moves and words, voice clear yet fierce through the strong and memorable number.
Two more familiar numbers followed. STAY AWAY and READY STEADY GO brought instrumentals to the forefront for some catchy riffs, the bassist throwing bananas to the crowd between laughs. Robots dancing on the screen gave way to slot machine-like images. Fireworks added to the party to the crowd’s surprise, the lights insanely fast as they swept the audience.
The lights moved rapidly for the heated drum solo that followed. The vocalist returned, a hat covering half his face as he took his place in the center of the stage for the lulling Mirai sekai. Double bass in hand tetsu contributed to the number with some smooth lines while guitar and drums shyly accompanied. The starry night saw the song home, light sticks slowly dancing as Pieces took over in a haunting moment. The song showed hyde at his best, vocals clear and sweet over mournful guitar riffs. As a blue cloud rose to the sky the vocalist let out a cry, eyes seeming to fill with tears for this memorable number.
The mood eased with X X X and NEXUS 4, the colorful lights and catchy tunes backing the vocals which gradually became more determined and fierce. “Come on Japan!” the words cut through the air and the crowd started jumping for Link, clapping effusively while the bassist twirled to the steady drums. tetsu took over the MC, showing his hairstyle to the audience before welcoming all with a “Good afternoon!” with a heavy English accent. The crowd kept on laughing as he moved forward with two lollipops in hand, asking with a mischievous grin, “Who wants my lollipop?” Bananas flew toward the crowd again between jumps, claps and funky instrumentals.
The vocalist introduced the night’s final song but not without a statement that could be considered slightly controversial: “We are the first Japanese band to go on a world tour… well among the big bands anyway… and we are happy to have you all here with us today!”
Dramatic and pompous BLESS brought the heavy artillery out, white beams of light flashing to the sky while stars floated in the background, small paper flakes showering the audience. Visually it was an impressive number, the acoustic guitar adding warmth to the ballad while the vocals shone with impeccable control. Between cheers and waves the band bid farewell to the devoted crowd. It was a warm and memorable show, welcoming L’Arc~en~Ciel home after an audacious world tour.
Set List:
01. Ibara no namida
02. CHASE
03. GOOD LUCK MY WAY
04. Killing Me
05. SHINE
06. wild flower
07. MY HEART DRAWS A DREAM
08. metropolis
09. REVELATION
10. SEVENTH HEAVEN
11. Driver’s High
12. DRINK IT DOWN
13. shade of season
14. STAY AWAY
15. READY STEADY GO
16. Mirai sekai
17. Pieces
18. X X X
19. NEXUS 4
20. Link
21. BLESS
