At the tour final Plastic Tree let the audience dive into a fantasy.
It’s been more than twenty years now since Plastic Tree first offered us a premium quality visual kei experience, making them one of the most famous bands in this particular Japanese musical style. This year, vocalist Ryutaro, bassist Tadashi, guitarist Akira and drummer Kentarou went back on the road for a tour of Japan called "Slow Dive". JaME was there at Shibuya Public Hall for the tour final.
An almost sold out Shibuya Public Hall - approximately 2000 people - stands ready to enjoy the performance of their favorite band. Funnily enough, the audience is composed almost exclusively of women. Ranging in age from fifteen to forty years old, it is clear from how ardently everyone is screaming the members’ names that all generations are united in their love for Plastic Tree.
The scene onstage is a no-frills affair. Some simple decorations, a screen, a curtain and that’s all. In fact, that's all we need to enjoy the band’s music. The first song Kuchu buranko begins, and one by one, the members start to play their instruments as they’re illuminated by the lights. Immediately the magic begins, and the crowd dives into the world of Plastic Tree. Melancholic, tortured, all that we love!
Although the songs and light effects are great, the members don’t move too much on stage during the first part of the show. Not that this prevents the audience from getting fired up, though. During the MC, Ryutaro, very complicit with the public, makes the audience laugh. He's also sad that the “slow dive” tour is about to finish.
The slow part of the set list is amazing, with songs like the brand new slow, the classic Mizuiro Girlfriend and the dazzling Kuchizuke! It’s a real pleasure to hear those wonderful melodies. Then the air becomes electric, both members and public get more and more excited. The show is filled with energy, with everyone jumping and singing the songs. In the blink of an eye, it is already time for the encore!
It starts with the beautiful Chaos riron and its great solo guitar, and ends with the song that everyone’s been waiting for: Melancholic. It can be said that this is probably Plastic Tree’s most popular song. All the audience members know the lyrics and sing with the band while they are giving every last drop of their energy.
Overall, this performance was on par with what one would expect from a band like Plastic Tree. We can only hope to see them again in Europe!
Set List:
1. Kuchu buranko
2. Gessekai
3. Mirai iro
4. Paranoia
5. Slow
6. Mizuiro Girlfriend
7. Kuchizuke
8. Glider
9. Maimu
10. Hate red, dip it
11. Angel Dust
12. Ame ni uta eba
13. Last Fruit
Encore
01. Chaos riron
02. Andro Metamorphose
Second Encore
01. Puppet talk
02. Melancholic
