DaizyStripper's Ninth Anniversary Live Special at Hibiya Yagai Dai Ongakudou

DaizyStripper celebrated their ninth anniversary at Tokyo’s Hibiya Yagai Dai Ongakudou on June 5th, the band’s birthday. It was the band’s first outdoor solo show and concluded their 47 Runners High tour after literally touring around all 47 prefectures in Japan from February as part of their tenth anniversary project decade.

The clear sky of an early summer day welcomed the band and fans. In new stage outfits, the band members entered the stage one by one. Drummer Kazami, bassist Rei, guitarists Mayu and Nao, and vocalist Yugiri opened the show with Tresor. Fans fist-pumped to the breezy song that embraced the strong bond they have with the band. Yugiri’s signature clear, high-tone vocals touched the sky and lifted fans’ spirits. The positivity that the band communicated during their second song, TRUTH, showed the band’s musical style perfectly matched the outdoor venue. Kazami played drums with a big smile on his face while the three other instrumentalists also enjoyed interacting with fans.

“How are you doing, Tokyo! Today is our ninth birthday. We actually have TV cameras in this venue so you know what that means!” Yugiri stirred up fans before the band played Jiiteki Show Time.

Aggressive guitar riffs and powerful drum beats provoked fans to shout and fist-pump. However, the band yet again completely changed the atmosphere by bringing a cheerleading squad onstage during SUMMER VACATION. The surprise guests invited fans to a summer dance party. During the song, Rei entertained fans with his bass solo in the center of a formation formed by the cheerleading squad and Yugiri. Later, the band directly communicated their love to fans by showing the lyrics on the stage screen during Wind of Venus. Some fans looked up to the sky while the melody of Nao’s guitar solo flowed freely from the stage.

“It was raining this morning, but look at this! Tokyo’s sky is so beautiful,” Yugiri said to fans. He went on instructing fans with choreography for the chorus part of ARREST and asked fans to shout out loud when they did the heart massage move. “Please imagine your precious band members lying unconscious on the floor when you do the heart massage move!” Faithful fans of course went full-strength giving shouts and heart massages when the song came to its chorus.

Rampaging song BLACK DROPPer liberated fans’ souls. Yugiri aimed a big water gun at fans while violent guitar riffs and a relentless drum beat made them jump around soaking wet. During the song, Mayu wowed fans with his guitar tricks. He sometimes played guitar putting it at the back of his head, and flipped it around his shoulders. Nao also enjoyed letting himself go by sometimes becoming frenzied and also by going for a crowd surf.

“There is nothing to stop you, and there is nobody to suppress you in here! We are more than a family to each other!” Yugiri stirred fans. Fans responded giving shouts to the vocalist. “You guys are the best!” Yugiri thanked fans at the end of the song.

Yugiri shared his heart with fans before the last song. “It still feels like as if it was just yesterday when we started on this very day back in 2007. 2007 was the year when some bands we looked up to went on hiatus and even disbanded. It was really shocking for us. We thought it would be difficult for us to keep the band going for all of our lives, but we also believed that we would be able to make it happen if we could reach a tenth year. We will not disband. You guys are the meanings of our lives. Please smile for us today, and please smile for yourself from tomorrow.”

“Mosh this way!” Yugiri shouted to fans when the last song decade started to play. Fans held each other’s hands and swayed left and right at his call. During the song, the band live recorded fans singing along for the 10th anniversary release of decade next year. Finally, Kazami closed the song with a furious drum solo.

During the encore, all the band members took time to speak to their fans. “We have finally been able to thank you guys by touring every prefecture in Japan. I found new possibilities in us and I am very excited about our future,” said Mayu.

“DaizyStripper is the place we all belong and can return to. I will keep protecting it,” Rei said.

“I have nothing but gratitude for you guys and my band members because this band is the only thing in my life I could continue with for nine years,” said Nao.

“I really respect all of you. You guys will be all right whatever comes your ways because you guys have such great smiles,” Kazami thanked the crowd.

Finally, Yugiri shared his discovery made on the tour. “I realized it is warmth that really characterizes DaizyStripper and the people around us.”

Kazami’s gentle piano sounds and Yugiri’s crystalline high-tone voice indeed filled fans with warmth when the band played SMILE WORLD. During the song, Yugiri sung without a microphone while mirror balls onstage showered rays of light on fans, some of them were tearful, and the night sky. Fans’ applause filled the venue as the vocalist took a deep bow to them.

The show actually had a double encore. The band played BIRTHDAY SONG, the song only played once a year on June 5th and, afterwards, fans surprised the band by singing along to the instrumental version of BIRTHDAY SONG. The band members gathered center stage and appreciated the gift from their beloved fans. “Let us play one more song,” Yugiri delighted fans, and Dandelion closed the birthday celebration.

The band’s future activities can be found at DaizyStripper’s official site.


Set List

01. Tresor
02. TRUTH
03. Juliet no Knife
04. Jiiteki Show Time
05. STARGAZER
06. SUMMER VACATION
07. Diamond Glitter
08. Shikisai Vivid
09. Wind of Venus
10. ARREST
11. GIRL HUNT
12. Manekin
13. BlackDROPPer
14. decade

Encore

15. SMILE WORLD
16. DEAR MY SIRIUS
17. STAY GOLD

Second Encore

18. BIRTHDAY SONG
19. Dandelion