Girugamesh and the Reborn - part one

After their faze tour 2007 volcano in the fall, girugamesh reserved us passes for their two exceptional sold out shows at SHIBUYA DESEO. The show on July 15th was centred around the period of girugamesh (written in katakana), that focused around the releases of 13's reborn and Reason of crying. As a contrast, on July 16th, it was girugamesh who made the show, performing more recent tracks. In spite of reports of an incoming typhoon, fans of all ages made the trip to Tokyo.

On July 15th, the staff of SHIBUYA DESEO started letting people into the venue at around 5:30pm. With time to spare before the concert itself began, the video clips of Owari to Mirai and volcano were played to the audience, gaining a positive reaction by some as a few of the crowd started head-banging.

Eventually the show began, girugamesh entering the stage in their customary ensemble, accompanied with black shirts and white ties. Яyo was the first to appear onstage, followed quickly by Nii and ShuU. Needless to say, the already deafening screams escalated to new heights when Satoshi finally made his appearance.

Opening their set with tsumeato, girugamesh propelled the audience back to the past with one of their earlier songs, Dankon shortly after. During the introduction of smash!!, the band invited the audience to clap their hands in time with Nii's lively riffs and Яyo's cymbals. Satoshi sang the chorus with a certain amount of aggressiveness that enforced the meaning of the song's lyrics; ShuU and Nii accentuating this further with their backing vocals accompanied by the cries of the audience. Not even the "calmer" sounding Furubita Shashin could quell the crowd's enthusiasm.

Satoshi then proceeded to address the crowd for a few minutes to thank all those present, despite the announcement of the passage of a typhoon passing near to Tokyo. Following this brief interlude, the band launched into an energetic cover of the theme for Mission: Impossible 2, Take a Look Around, crediting Limp Bizkit as a band they admired. Proceeding from this cover followed Hollow, Having betrayed is why and volcano (the introduction of the latter is only signalled by the resounding thrum of the bass).

Despite volcano being rather energetic, girugamesh turned the atmosphere surrounding the song dark and infectious with Satoshi's vocals rasping over a slower rhythm. The setlist continued with Deceived Mad Pain during which Яyo revealed himself a little more to the public. Since the beginning of the concert, it had been a challenge to see the young drummer due to the smoke that covered the stage. Now however, he was standing behind his drum kit, smiling, engaging in a conversation with the audience and every once in while striking his instrument.

Sadly, we knew the concert was coming to a close when the band began to play Owari to Mirai. Satoshi encouraged the audience to sing the chorus and although shyness was a main factor among many who attended the concert, the vocalist's charm soon won them over and everyone began to sing along.

The band exited the stage to rapturous applause, returning only minutes later after frantic clapping and screams of "encore" from the audience. The encore signalled the performance of a new song Fressia. Composed by Nii, all eyes were riveted on the guitarist, although he remained immersed in the song, holding his head low over his instrument and staring at the audience with calm regard.

Satoshi then left the stage, leaving the remaining members to entertain the audience for a further few minutes before they too left the stage. Following more rapturous applause, the band once again returned to the stage, wearing tour T-Shirts, to perform some of their older songs, Uso, Fujun Ai(L) and Dekiai. During their last curtain call, Nii performed with his guitar against ShuU's bass before Satoshi announced one of their most popular songs: Kaisen Sengen! Needless to say, some fans screamed in a mixture of delight and excitement, others danced along to the song while some sung along with the chorus. With the last notes of the song dying out, this signalled the end to the first of girugamesh's brilliant concerts.

The next day, girugamesh appeared on stage surrounded by smoke tinted with a red glow and began the show with volcano. One would have assumed that after the performance the day before, the band would be slightly weary, however, one can safely say that band had the same amount of energy if not more! The spectacular moments of the evening passed by in what seemed like mere seconds, ShuU glanced around him with a noble air while Nii's face remained hidden by his flowing hair as he skilfully accompanied the rest of the band.

As the band performed Zero, a calm silence gradually returned to the crowd so that when Ame to Fukousha ("The Rain and Being Unlucky") began, the distinct sound of the rain could be heard. Throughout the song, Satoshi remained motionless, his figure illuminated by the spotlight. This was, unquestionably, the most touching performance of the night, with Satoshi's raw emotion reaching all of the fans while the music accompanied this rendition perfectly. Appropriately, at the song's conclusion, the lights were extinguished, plunging the stage into darkness…

Following this staggering performance with Omae ni sasageru minikui koe, the fans, in a startlingly contrast, expressed their joy by swinging their arms, screaming and jumping until the music halted. The enthusiasm toward this particular song was so great that that staff had to request the crowd to move back in order to repair a barrier which had just been broken! Ten minutes later, girugamesh returned to the stage and performed Omae ni sasageru minikui koe once again, creating such an atmosphere that the fans were not bored for even a split second.

The time even seemed to pass quickly throughout the curtain call, with the band playing Owari to Mirai and Kaisen Sengen. Finally the venue lights came back on with people beginning to leave their positions while those in the front row tried their hardest to recall the band. Thankfully their hard work seemed to have paid off when girugamesh returned to the stage for one final song, sending those who were attempting to leave rushing back to their seats. They finished out this particular "Final volcano" to the fans by performing the entertaining song Goku.

However, it was far from the end for girugamesh who provided two additional tours and a performance in Berlin at the Asian Pacific inMotion.

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JaME want to thanks Minori Ueda without whom this live report wouldn't be possible.

Setlist

July 15th:
SE
Tsumeato
Goku
Hakujou no yubiya
Dankon

Jarring fly
smash!!
Furubita Shashin

Real my place
Shadan
crime

Hollow
Having betrayed is why
volcano

Deceived Mad Pain
Owari to Mirai

Encore 1
Freesia

Encore 2
Uso
Fujun-AI(L)
Dekiai

Encore 3
Kaisen Sengen

July 16th:
SE
volcano
Shadan
Яeality

crime
smash!!
Real my place

Zero
Ame to fukousha
Melody

Omae ni sasageru minikui koe
Mouja no koushin
robust conviction

Jarring fly
Deceived Mad Pain

Encore 1
Owari to Mirai
Kaisen Sengen

Encore 2
Goku