Even if the golden age of the visual kei is behind us, there are groups that remain forever in our hearts. It is evident by the longevity of one of the most emblematic visual kei groups of the 2000s, A9, formerly known as Alice Nine.
Tonight, fans have not hesitated to brave the cold to attend the concert of their favorite band. Even if it’s normal to see more girls than boys at visual kei shows, it was funny to see that 99.9 percent of the audience were girls — very convenient for the few boys that could enjoy the show without anyone to block their view.
Once the Shinagawa Stellar Ball was packed, the show began. From the beginning of the set we knew that the live was going to be epic. Why? Because the band began the concert with two of their most popular and catchy songs, Velvet and RAINBOWS!
Dressed all in black, the five members had decided to give a taste of everything they could do. And obviously the audience was delighted. They bounced during Adam, performed a special choreography during Kiss twice, Kiss me deadly, head banged during -Dice- and danced during G3.
Furthermore, most of them were wearing glow sticks and bracelets, transforming the Stellar Hall into a real night club — it was truly beautiful. The band was also very generous to their fans. Firstly, their visual look was presented well. Secondly, they made the show engaging by interacting a lot both between themselves and the audience. Since they know they are really idolized by their fans, they performed some sexy rituals such as kissing each other during songs or exchanging wine mouth to mouth. Surely the girls in the audience had many heart attacks during the show.
And finally the band took a lot of time to talk to their fans. During the 135-minute show, around 30 minutes were dedicated to that aspect. This time was ideal to thank the fans, to share some anecdotes, and to make fun of each other. It was really pleasant to see that after all these years A9 continue to strengthen the bond with their fans like this.
In the end we can say that it was a typical “feel good” type of concert after which you can only leave with a big smile on your face. Indeed, we could enjoy a very eclectic set symbolizing the evolution of the band after 14 years of activity. From the rock songs of their debut to the electro-rock of their recent era, with funky, metal and ballad songs in between, we experienced a good sample of what A9 is capable of. After all these years, the scenic performance is now well-mastered, same for the musical qualities of each member. Overall, this show was the perfect warm-up for their 15th anniversary in 2019.
Take note that A9 will release on April 24th, 2019 a best album with all tracks re-recorded and specially chosen by the band. This release will be followed by a special 15th anniversary tour across Japan from May to August 2019.
Set list
01. PLANET NINE-INVITATION-
02. VELVET
03. RAINBOWS
04. KŪRON-NINE HEADS RODEO SHOW-］
05. Adam
06. PENDULUM
07. KAISENZENYA
08. Kiss twice,Kiss me deadly
09. HAIKARANARURONDO
10. Scarlet
11. 9th Revolver
12. BYAKUYANIKURONEKO
13. IBARA
14. MENENTO
15. -Dice-
16. YAMINICHIRUSAKURA
17. Le grand blue
18. RUMWOLF
19. G3
20. Heart of Gold
