Live report of 12012 at Oni-con 2006

Friday: 20 October 2006

At anime conventions, it's very exciting to see the array of people that show up for a Japanese band: both old and new fans of the band and people who are curious to explore into the Japanese music scene. This year's Oni-con was held at the George R. Brown Convention Center, which was too large of a facility for the convention, but the perfect size for the crowd who lined up for 12012, waiting to enter the auditorium where the concert would be held.

Upon entering the auditorium, it became clear that there were two sections for the audience: front against the stage (where special tickets had to be purchased before hand) and the seated section. Luckily, I was able to find a seat in the second row of the seated section.

12012 started off strong and heavy, giving fans a major adrenaline rush complete with head banging. It became difficult to tell who was a previous fan of the band or no; there wasn't a single person not getting into the music with their hands up in the air or dancing in their spot. Their vocalist, Miyawaki, seemed to respond to this energy with an almost sexual fervor, grabbing himself and getting rather intimate with the microphone. And let's not forget about Miyawaki's classic spazzy dance moves and, at one point, he ended up laying down flat on the stage. His screams and shouts during the songs also left quite an impression, the emotion expressed seeming to pierce into the collective gathered souls.

The slower songs played were just as strong, if not more so, in particular near the end when the swim was performed. Guitarist Sakai came up closer to the audience during his guitar solo, much to their delight, before the music paused as the lights dimmed and then it was just Miyawaki's voice filling the auditorium and the crowd's ears. Slowly, the lights and the rest of 12012 came back in to join him, with Enya's bass leading them in and Miyawaki pouring himself into the lyrics. It was a truly beautiful moment.

Understandably, 12012 commanded the audience's complete attention and so it wasn't until mid-way through the show that I was able to glance back and found the place completely packed! The whole auditorium was filled with people and not only that but they were all standing and cheering. The mix of enthusiasm from the audience and the heavy beats of the music was enough to entice anyone to want more from 12012.


Setlist
Gallows
hermit
my room agony
Heart
Ms Vampire
cheeky doll
with shallow
the swim
Newspaper
Shinshoku

Encore:
Vomit
Shower

Saturday: 21 October 2006

The show on Saturday started three hours late but it was a testament to 12012's performance the day before that the people lined up didn't leave; instead, the line only got longer and longer as more joined their fellow convention goers in eagerly waiting. When I finally entered into the auditorium, I decided to sit in a seat higher up so I could see the band and the audience below. For this show, there were three sections: front against the stage, a second 'layer' of people who could stand behind those who bought the premium tickets, and then the seated area.

From this view, the concert was absolutely amazing! 12012 was very energetic and their performance of one of their newer songs, "6" Party, in particular was fantastic. The band seemed to be in a great mood and joked around with each other. For example, when returning for the encore, guitarist Suga and drummer Kawauchi had a brief playful moment near the front of the stage much to the delight of the crowd. Then when Miyawaki returned to the stage, he "stole" one of Kawauchi's drumsticks and banged on the drumset before leaving a laughing Kawauchi in peace to launch into want want want.

Seeing how the band interacted with the fans and how they didn't simply play music, but also joked around with each other on stage, was classic. It was as if there weren't a language barrier at all; everything was understood through the music.

This show didn't feel as packed, but I believe since there was an addition of another 'layer' for people to stand, that could have been the reason why. There were people all around me who were also sitting, but there were multiple times throughout the show where if felt as if it were just 12012 and I. They're a band who can truly connect with those in the audience, making it feel as if they're playing just for one specific person as the rest of the crowd, despite their screaming and dancing, seems to just fade away.

Out of the two concerts, I think Saturday's was the best and more enthusiastic! It was definitely one of the best concerts I've been to and I think many in the audience felt the same way.

Setlist
queer passion
vomit
my room agony
icy
"6" party
melanchory
Sheeps
swallow
deep forest
Shudder
itsumo kokoro ni juujika o
hai furu karada
see-saw
newspaper
-venom se-
venom

Encore:
want want want
Heart
Shower

Sunday: 22 October 2006

There wasn't a concert on Sunday, but there were still a couple more events: an opportunity to have a photograph taken with 12012 and an autograph session.

In order to have photograph taken, tickets had to be purchased beforehand, which were sold out by Sunday morning. When I went in to have my photograph taken, there were three seats: Suga, an empty one (for the fan), and Miyawaki. Above them, standing from left to right, were Enya, Kawauchi, and Sakai. Miyawaki quickly greeted me, extending his arm, and saying in English "Hello, thank you for coming." His English was really impressive! Suga then offered his hand, which I shook, and he said "hello." I went ahead and took this opportunity to shake all the other member's hand. Enya and Kawauchi didn't say anything other then bow their head slightly, but Sakai said, in English, "Hello. Nice to meet you." I sat down, posed as did the band, and the photograph was taken.

Next was the autograph session. When I finally made it to the room to have a poster signed, seeing how Miyawaki interacted with the fans was absolutely adorable! He signed his name and made a little face drawing, which he laughed at and looked up at the fan and laughed "with" them. The girl in front of me had an old photoset of the band that she wanted signed. When she showed the photo to each member you could hear him moan and groan and sort of cover their face as if they were embarrassed of the photo. It was a really funny to see the band members react that way.

In conclusion, I went to Oni-con with a certain image in mind of 12012, and left with a wonderful understanding and appreciation of their personalities and music.