A9 Tour 2015 Re:birth -Tensyou- Live in Singapore

On October 25th, A9 returned to Singapore with a rocking, long-awaited and highly anticipated live at The Singapore Airlines Theatre at LASALLE College of the Arts as part of their Re:birth -Tensyou- Asian tour. They have travelled through China, Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia in the company of their devoted fans. A9 supporters gathered with a common denominator of tour t-shirts among a diverse crowd of styles and ages. In fact, there were a number of male fans in the audience. Aesthetically, the stage mirrored the hyped up audience with white and black lights.

With no introduction, guitarist Hiroto, vocalist Shou, bassist Saga, guitarist Tora and drummer Nao's stage arrival was instantly greeted by their screaming fans. Blinding lights fell on the central stage as the first song took over the venue. At once, the crowd started pumping their fists to match the powerful drumming and either jumped or shook their heads fervently with the beat. Shou’s performance in Phoenix was definitely a highlight for the night, both for his superb voice control and passion on stage. The song built up with the band members headbanging frantically to make for a visually stunning effect. With nonstop momentum, Heart of Gold and a series of upbeat songs continued.

“Hi! Good to see you again, Let’s get pumped up today!” Shou greeted the fans and started getting them to clap along for the next song, Blue Planet. Upbeat riffs filled the atmosphere with Velvet and Ryuuseigun. Like a fierce black wave, the crowd moved back and forth with the songs and headbanging was rampant.

Slowing down the pace, A9 transitioned into melodic softer songs with Scarlet and Freesia no sakubasho. Hiroto showcased his melodic playing skills in these few songs especially. Nao, Tora and Saga left the stage momentarily, leaving Hiroto and Shou on stage. Both of them sat at the center of the stage, with Shou resting his left arm on Hiroto’s shoulder while singing White Prayer. The fans went crazy as they yelled loudly for their favorite members in this fan service. While the other members prepared for the next number, Hiroto and Tora started on their solos, inciting the crowd to yell louder. Accompanied by rolling fists, screams filled the floor just in time for Spiegel. The heat was rising literally.

Out came Nao, aka the comedian. He introduced the concert merchandise of the Re:birth -Tensyou- tour, “Singapore! I’ll be introducing the merchandise! Ho bo₁? Fans on level one, ho bo?! Fans on level two, ho bo?! Are you enjoying yourself? Buy my goods hor₂.” He introduced the tattoo stickers, blue concert towels, the light sticks and the t-shirts like a pushy salesman. “I am a handsome guy!” Nao finished with a comical one-liner that made the day for fans.

Rainbows, Kowloon -NINE HEADS RODEO SHOW-, Shunkashuutou and TSUBASA. followed and the venue seemed to have been transported to the land of nostalgia, the warm lights contributing to the atmosphere. The band did a great job entertaining the fans, moving around constantly and interacting with a crowd that had no trouble following the routines and lyrics. After saying their goodbyes, fans screamed for the encore as usual. After a few minutes, Saga and Nao returned to the stage for their rhythmic solos.

Haikara naru rinbu kyoku, one of their heavier rock songs, started. The two guitars added intensity to the tune and Saga and Hiroto were impressive, shredding away to matching Shou’s high pitched screams. In the middle of the song, Saga kissed Hiroto as fan service, much to the delight of the screaming fans. There were more guitar solos and also a drum solo by Nao.

Shou ended the show with Subete e, with a performance full of emotional energy. Perhaps due to the emotion he put into the performance, his vocal control faltered, but among the fans, this fault went almost unnoticed by merit of the strong performance. The five men combined their efforts to bring the song to its climax, easily making it the best song of the night.

All in all, it was a remarkable show with undeniable stage flair and who knows what adventures will come with A9 future tours? Regardless, the journey is sure to be one hell of a rock ride.

_{1 "Ho bo?" means "Ok?" in Hokkien
2 "Buy my goods hor" means "Please buy my goods" in Singlish}

Set list (Day 2)

SE PRAY

01. Phoenix
02. Heart of Gold
03. Doukeshi
04. Judan
05. Blue Planet
06. Velvet
07. Ryuuseigun
08. Scarlet
09. Freesia no saku basho
10. WHITE PRAYER
11. Hiroto’s session
12. Tora’s session
13. Spiegel
14. RAINBOWS
15. Kowloon -NINE HEADS RODEO SHOW-
16. Shunkashuutou
17. TSUBASA.

ENCORE

01. Saga×Nao SESSION
02. Haikara naru rinbu kyoku
03. Subete e