Kagrra Live at the Shibuya-AX

In Tokyo, the first days of August are the hottest of the whole year. Shibuya was hot and humid even in the evening, and crowded with young people as always. In front of SHIBUYA-AX which is in the same ground of Kokuritsu-Yoyogi Stadium, there were many girls dressed in colourful Yukata or Kimono with pink or gold wigs.

In the live house, there were many people dressed in Kimono and Gothic Lolita fashion and there were even some foreign fans there. The stage was quite large, with a high ceiling, and there were small square stages with wooden rails, in the centre and on both sides of the stage. The live house was full, but the background pre-show music of female vocals made the atmosphere of the live house seem cool, clear and not so crowded. Kagrra's musical style incorporates many traditional Japanese elements, in a way that the old style of Japanese beauty sublimates into rock music. Concerning their style, the band present their [Neo Japanesque] look, and it is easy to see how much they influence their fans by looking at the people here at the concert.

Suddenly the lights dimmed, and the audience cheered. A blue light was shone on the back curtain of the stage, and the members appeared from the centre high stage. Vocalist isshi appeared and the cheering became louder. All of a sudden, fireworks appeared on the stage, spinning and sparkling gorgeously. This was a reference to the title of the tour Various Fireworks. On the stage while the smoke was still floating, they began their first song Yume Izuru Chi.

Vocalist isshi wore a silver sash as a belt, and his hair was unexpectedly black with light make-up. The other band members wore simple costumes and light make-up too. The audience raised their hands waving side to side according to the melodies, and jumped together, so the building shook with the vibration. During the song Bikuni, the audience raised their hands and turned them around to copy isshi's movements in the flashing lights, and during Jajauma Kiden, the audience was jumping, and cheered loudly when four members came to the front of the stage.

During the MC, isshi told the crowd that this was the bands' live house tour after a two year interval, and that the SHIBUYA-AX was the final concert of this tour. The following song Koi, which is a simple familiar song sounded like a good old Japanese nursery song. nao and akiya performed their solo parts on the small square stages on both sides. During Gen-ei no Katachi, through the thin curtains of both sides on the stage, shadows of male and female dancers were projected, and akiya's guitar solo sounded sorrowfully in the red light. During the following song Satsuki, Shin and akiya played acoustic guitars, performing the melody surrounded by red and purple colored lights.

Later on in the concert, isshi took his jacket off revealing a sleeveless shirt. The song Oumaga Toki, a Taiko (Japanese drum) and Fue (Japanese flute) sounded mysteriously over the hard and heavy rock rhythms while shadows of dancers and members were projected on to the curtain. It was not until the next song Uta that the dancers finally came out from behind the curtain and danced passionately in full view. The ardent and mysterious world of their onstage Japanese festival began. When the lighting was turned down, izumi hit the Taiko drum and isshi went up on the small center stage at which the audience cheered even louder than before. Along to the drum beat, the spotlight shone on the band members one by one, and the audience called the names of the members in turn. During the song Yousai, flames appeared through the thin curtain on both sides of the stage. Dancers moved in the style of Awa-odori (a Japanese traditional dance.) making the mood even closer to that of a real festival. As Kisai began with nao's bass solo, the flames became bigger, and the audience yelled and turned around their arms in the colourful light. Then Himitsu followed, the call and response of members and the audience continued, and the festival reached its climax.

During the next MC, isshi explained how the band was able to go for the first time to Shizuoka and Kobe during their live tour. He then followed by then saying "If you feel sick during the live, don't hesitate to tell the staff!" isshi always mentions this to the audience during every live show, and his words make me feel his kindness. "Our summer has ended now, so let's forget about tomorrow, be wild!" he shouted, before the band started to play again. Hana began with Shin's guitar solo. Thousands of petals fluttered onto the stage, shining in the blue light. akiya's guitar solo sounded sorrowfully, while isshi sang enthusiastically. The lights then changed to red and the dramatic ballad developed so beautifully that I had goose pimples. The lighting changed once again to yellow, and a bright upbeat song Asaki Yume mishi began. The rhythm and tune change enormously throughout the song, which means it is worthwhile to listen closely. Another bright upbeat song Rin followed, with the chorus of the audience accompanied by Shin's acoustic guitar.

isshi then announced the photo book Sacra which was shot in April and published in July. He held a Japanese folding fan, and asked the audience to dance beautifully, at which cue Kagrra's fans opened their paper fans all at once, which made the floor seem like a flowery sea of Japanese fans. As 7 gatsu 7 ka began, the audience fluttered their fans together according to isshi's movements. During Arishihi no Bishou, the sea of colourful fans swayed with the sorrowful beautiful melody of the song, it was a breathtaking moment. From the beginning of Kotodama in response to izumi's harder drums and nao's rhythmical bass, fans everywhere fluttered up and down. Shin and akiya went up to the small square stages to play their guitar solos. When Urei began with a piano introduction, silver streamers burst into the air. The audience caught the silver streamers in their hands, and sang the song chorus accompanied by Shin's acoustic guitar, bringing the live to an end with a bang.

For the encore, the members changed their costumes to black T shirts, and reappeared on stage. akiya played acoustic guitar and Shin played Koto (Japanese stringed instrument). They performed a brand new song. isshi sang the main melody which sounded like a good old style Japanese traditional song. The bright upbeat song Chikai no Tsuki which was released in February 2006 followed, akiya played guitar very hard, and the audience danced and waved their hands towards the big moons which were projected on the curtains on both side of stage. The last song of encore was Sakura maichiru ano Oka de. The performance stopped, but the audience continued to sing the songs' chorus as cherry blossom petals fell and fluttered about the stage. Watching the continuous falling petals, and listening to repeated chorus of the audience, I was moved. People who were strangers to each other gathered here and kept singing with all their might. This moment seemed like a miracle and an accident which may never happen again.

Listening to Kagrra's music and watching their performance on the stage, I directly felt the meaning of [Neo Japanesque] which they express. A fragile aesthetic sense which was carried on modestly in Japanese culture sympathized with our minds through the expression of rock music. It gives it a new sense of beauty. This sense seems to be spreading, not only among Japanese, but also beyond geographic borders. Japanese and foreigners, people of all ages wore Kimonos arranged in new and traditional styles and were waving their Japanese fans whilst enjoying Kagrra's live performance. Before leaving the band members threw many drum sticks int the audience, they then disappeared from the stage. After the live, people returned home with precious memories, and in the future they will gather at Kagrra's lives again, feeling the same sense of identity as they did today.


Set List:

1. Yume Izuru Chi
2. Bikuni
3. Jajauma Kiden
MC
4. Koi
5. Gen-ei no Katachi
6. Satsuki
7. Oumaga Toki
8. Uta
Drum solo
9. Yousai
10. Kisai
11. Himitsu
MC
12. Hana
13. Asaki Yume mishi
14. Rin
MC
15. 7 gatsu 7 ka(=July 7th)
16. Arishihi no Bishou
MC
17. Kotodama
18. Urei

En1. Untitled new song
En2. Chikai no Tsuiki
MC
En3. Sakura maichiru ano Oka de


Special thanks to PS Company for the invitation and offering Kagrra's photograph.