Kagerou in Berlin

After two turbulent hours of pushing and fainting in a room with too many people and too little air, and a long wait that, for some, had lasted since around seven o'clock the previous day, the doors of Huxleys finally open.

The hall is wide and decorated like an old fashioned ballroom with gold ornaments on the walls. The stage itself is a simple black box, discretely decorated with the two Kagerou banners behind the drum set.

Exhausted, the fans get to rest it out in fresh new air for about an hour and a half while a single roadie rushes about on stage checking the equipment.

Even though two girls get sick and security soon run out of fresh water, the mood in the hall is pretty good. These about 1500 people breathing the same air all have one common interest: we're all here to see Kagerou perform for the last time in Berlin.

Finally the lights dim and the fans scream in unition as Shizumi, Kazu, Yuana and lastly Daisuke comes on stage, all as energic as ever and seemingly happy to be there.

They start out with Lily. Kagerou often starts the show with the first song from their last album, which this time somehow seems a bit off. This feeling, however, only lasts until the heartbreaking chorus, and we're sold, the entire hall singing along.

Although the vocals admittedly could have been louder the sound is pretty much beyond complaint and so is the show.

Vocalist Daisuke seems to have a taken a liking to statuettes, and in the beginning he has a thing for striking various poses while he's not singing, but it doesn't take long until he softens up. He does not rob us of the famous water bottle show either as well as some new moves along the same genre.

Guitarist Yuana seems almost electrified, spinning around, making faces and switching places with the others all while cheering the audience on.

Shizumi, known for making himself seen behind the drum set, sings along and beats the drums as if he's in a mad dance (with surprisingly accurate precision, to boot) and throws his bushy hair about. He actually looked kind of latino.

And Kazu... He was just being Kazu. Charming, and incredibly good at what he does. The bass player of Kagerou keeps a cool image, matching his suit with pulled back, blonde hair. He leans back and lets his body pulse along with the beat while throwing satisfied looks at his followers who are faithfully screaming his name.

About halfway through the concert, the band tries to get the audience to sing along on Hakanaki Gekijou. Now this song is off their latest album, Kurohata, and it soon became clear that the audience doesn't know the lyrics well enough to sing on their own. The band, however, won't give up and start the last part over, this time substituting the lyrics with "lalala." Daisuke still doesn't seem completely satisfied and it takes a few more tries before they're either pleased or just give up getting the audience to sing loud enough and in tune.

The concert seemed shorter than it was, and way too soon the band leaves the stage without warning.

The shouting for encore starts right away, but it takes quite some time before they come back on stage.

Meanwhile people have been throwing roses up on stage, or rather towards the stage, as most of them don't reach further than to the speakers in front, hitting the security guards. The guards were nice enough to just laugh and throw the flowers behind them onto the stage.

When the band emerges again, Daisuke is more casually dressed, and he's gotten rid of the white contacts. Shizumi is without the suit he'd been wearing for the occasion and is also more casually dressed.

They all, and especially Yuana, expressed great surprise and gratitude for the flowers that the roadie had to practicially mow off the stage. The whole thing was pretty hilarious.

Kagerou heated up the hall again by playing Akatsuki, a fast song from their ballad-heavy album Guroushokyu. After this Daisuke announces in German that the next song is a "First in the world" premiere.

That's right, a new song! It's upbeat and has an optimistic sound, just like the entire album Kurohata, it is surprisingly fresh. If I hadn't known better this song would have felt like a promise for the future, rather than a last farewell.

After another short break they come back to the stage wearing the tour t-shirts.

Their next to last song is Kusattaumide oborkaketeiru boku o sukuttekureta kimi, a slow ballad and the final track on their last ever album. Despite being pretty new it has become one of Kagerous most beloved songs. Also, for the sake of the soft vocals, the sound is finally turned up a bit.

To get the audience jumping one last time they break into the favourite Zetsubou ni Sayonara as the grand finale.

Then, after some more water showers, throwing of water bottles, plectrums and drum sticks, they walk off stage. Even though the screaming for "enkore" continues for quite a while they do not come back this time.

For most of the people present this was the last time they saw Kagerou, and to some it was also the first. The audience was made up of people from all over Europe, as well as some Americans and a fair share of fans who had come all the way from Japan. There were many and mixed feelings.

With a performance as solid as this one there is still great disappointment regarding the set list. Even though this was our only chance to ever hear the songs of Kurohata performed live here in Europe, the list of songs sorely missed is long. Many felt robbed of classics like XII DIZZY and Yuugure no Shazai not to mention songs like Te and Holy needle, and the list goes on.

With a list that long of songs that people have a strong relationship with, it's hard even for us as fans to pick out which should have been on the last show and which would have to be cut.


The set list:

1- Lily
2- Baita no Yuuutsu
3- Shitsuren toiu na no mujou
4- 3,2,1
5- Rakka suru yume
6- Aka no kyushoku
7- Zettyou Spice
8- Seisai to Hangyaku
9- Junkan kikei shoujo A
10- Rasen Kubi
11- Hikari no kage
12- Setsudan Shittyôshô
13- Shizumu Sora
14- Ochiba to kimi to boku to
15- Kogarashi
16- Hakanaki gekijô
17- Tonari machi no Kanojô
18- Morô epilogue

Encore 1- Kusatta umi de obore kakete iru boku wo sukutte kureta kimi
Encore 2- Akatsuki
Encore 3- Ichirin ha aoku
Encore 4- Zetsubou ni Sayonara


Thanks to GanShin & Neo Tokyo
Photos were taken by Sanaka.