A live report of ONE OK ROCK's final show for their 2008 tour.
The stage was simple in its design; the minimum necessary instruments and materials were set with the drum kit placed in the center. Background music was piped quietly into the venue which was filled with young fans wearing t-shirts, jeans and red towels around their necks. When the drums sounded and upbeat rock music started, the audience started clapping and cheering. The venue became dark, a guitar sounded gently, and suddenly bright lights shone on the audience as members made their entrance on stage. The cheering from the audience turned into screams of excitement.
All eyes in the audience then fell on vocalist Taka, standing with his hands wide open at the front of the stage. The live started with a bright rock tune (You can do) everything. It's a song that gives you that encouraging push needed to make you go ahead when life becomes uncertain. Fans sang, raised their hands, and jumped together. Taka pointed to the audience sometimes as he sang and walked around on the stage. Ryota's low bass sounded, then guitar and drums sounds were added, and Nothing started. Taka let his inner impulses spill out, like he was throwing sharp knives into the audience.
When Full moon that only blossoms in the nights started with its catchy guitar intro, fans shouted for joy. Tomoya hit the drums and sang the chorus, Alex jumped as he played the guitar riff, and Toru played guitar while waving his long hair. "Good evening! We are ONE OK ROCK! Welcome to the final live of our one-man tour! Tonight, there are so many people here. Thank you very much!" Taka, on a natural high, told the audience to enjoy themselves so much that the boys would break their bones and girls' makeup would come off.
Mirage started with quiet vocals, and Taka sang a sorrowful love story putting deep emotion into the song. Listeners sympathized with his honest, heart penetrating words and sang loudly together. They did the same thing during Smoke, and when heavy drums, rolling bass and a clear guitar were added to the main melody, it flooded the venue in a deluge of sound. The lyrics, cynical about the environment around them, showed anxiety and anger about society and hit the audience in loud and soft waves.
"Are you enjoying yourselves!? I’m surprised so many people are here! I will have to make sure that you have a good time!" Taka gave a spirited MC, then the members each said a few words one by one. In Borderline, four of the members went to the front and head banged in the flashing light. Cheerful and sweaty fans raised their fists and jumped. "I hope that your coincidences in life are really part of your destinies!", and with Taka's words their new song Necessity maker started. Taka started singing as though he was speaking to the audience one by one with his gentle voice. The song ran high and climaxed gradually, with an explosion of Tomoya's drums and Ryota's rolling bass, which brought out the beautiful main melodies.
Crow started with a crisp and clear intro, and the live entered its middle stage. Taka seemed to let out his insides as he sang, stretching his hand as though he was trying to grab something, then sat on the stage floor and shouted in the red light. From the beautiful intro, guitar sounds and drums were added, and then a slow heavy tune, Et Cetera, started. Taka expressed his undigested anxiety and irritation with honest words, which stayed in listeners’ hearts. The dramatic sounds of the beautiful guitar solo from Toru and Alex empasized the sadness caused by the bitter love expressed in the song. Green light illuminated the dim smoky stage, and Taka, who had finished singing, seemed spaced out and looked like he had sunk down into a watery grave on the stage. In the deep slow ballad And I know, Alex's guitar solo sounded calm and beautiful, and Taka sang with a husky voice, waving his body and looking up to the ceiling with a blank expression on his face.
Here the mood changed totally. The members asked the fans to clap, then Ambitious Young Men started. "This song is about my past." Taka showed great strength and persuasiveness, being able to take things straight from his bitter past and say, "The more it hurts, the more you learn." He skipped some of the lyrics accidentally and got a little confused as he sang, but the audience soon joined in with the chorus gently lifting him up. The audience and band members did some call and response to the drum rhythm set by Tomoya, then they dashed into P.P.S.H. Ryota and Alex faced each other smiling, and Taka and Toru sang the chorus together. In this fresh and maybe a little comical song, the audience joined in by clapping and jumping around. In Bitterness turns to happiness, Taka and Toru took turns singing, while fans waved their hands from side to side and jumped all together. When Taka turned the microphone to the audience, they sang loudly en masse, and the venue was filled with a very happy mood.
When Ryota's bass sounded and Never stop dreaming started with an impressive intro, fans shouted for joy, raised their fists, and jumped together. Taka used his gentle voice and huskily shouted, while Toru's upbeat rap rode well on the rhythmical rock sound. The venue was shaking because of the sweaty fans who were singing and jumping all together. In Past is in our schoolbook, Future is our homework, the members head banged together to the explosion of sound. The audience flooded forward more and more, and the venue was a surging mass of sweaty men and women. Ryota's bass roared heavily, Toru played his guitar wildly and did rap vocals. Finally, Taka who had sung with all his strength, finished singing and shouted heartily with his face shining, "I’m very happy to be with you today. We are still young, but please continue to support us!"
The last song was I keep it inside which opened with an impressive guitar intro. The members turned towards each other cheerfully, and fans raised their fists, singing loudly. "Let everything out and then go home! Take out everything inside you!" Taka sang enthusiastically bending his body, and finally spent, he dived into the the audience.
In the encore, the members appeared on the stage again and announced their one-man live at Shibuya AX on September 12th. "To be honest, I was afraid of the Quattro tour in December 2007. There were a lot of things I didn't know. But when the final live in Tokyo finished, I understood. We are a band not only with us, five members, but all of you, who stand by us and we stand by you. I realized that." Taka's honest words were refreshing. "I made a song from what I said at the end of the Quattro live." The audience cheered in surprise at ONE OK ROCK and Beam of Light, which opened with Alex's guitar. This new song about a 'cloudy sky turned bright by a beam of light' is in their second album BEAM OF LIGHT which will be released on May 28th.
Taka, who turned twenty on April 17th, was able to connect with young people whose future is filled with anxiety, impatience, and impulsiveness. The concert seemed to be giving the audience the courage to follow their ideals and instincts honestly, and move forward boldly into a new world, unafraid of being hurt. The last song was a well known one, a heavy twin vocal song, Keep it real. Toru did rap vocals and the audience raised their fists, singing together. The direct words rode on a great melody with an upbeat rock sound, penetrating into the hearts of young people who loose their ways at times, but still live with all their might, for their dream of tomorrow.
Set list
1. (You Can Do) Everything
2. Nothing
3. Full moon that only blossoms in the nights
4. Mirage
5. Smoke
6. Borderline
7. Necessity maker
8. Crows
9. Et Cetera
10. And I know
11. Ambitious Young Men
12. P.P.S.H.
13. Bitterness turns to happiness
14. Never stop dreaming
15. Past is in our schoolbook, Future is our homework
16. I keep it inside
En1. Beam of Light
En2. Keep it real
