FORMOZ Festival - Part 2

The last day of FORMOZ began ominously as typhoon warnings were broadcast. Ambulances were present in case accidents occurred and the Mountain and Light stages were closed, but eager attendees remained undeterred as they lined up at the gates. Fans met the waves of drizzling rain and howling winds with an enthusiasm born from true rock spirit. As the doors opened, fans poured in and ran screaming for the Wind stage, where the biggest acts of the night - LM.C and Plastic Tree - were to take place.

Because of the schedule changes, Japanese bands naan and te' were moved over to the Wind stage.

naan, made up of SUNAGUCHI (guitar) and KENSUKE (drums), opened tremendously. The instrumental rock duo impressed the crowd with their winding, lyrical melodies and progressive beats, and SUNAGUCHI's trumpet lent a jazz feel to their sound. The forty-minute set was soothing and calmed the crowd down somewhat, but that didn't mean the audience was still. naan received plenty of cheering and applause from the appreciative concert goers.

Things revved up as te' came on stage. Although also an instrumental band, their style was definitely different. If most rock bands induce headbanging, the deep, pounding bass and explosive guitars of te' induced the whole body to move. The music's heavy beat took a physical toll, leaving the body tired, but the antics of the four-member band kept everyone's energy level up as the set concluded.

While the stage was being set for Plastic Tree, most people sat down to rest, but the moment the band walked on stage everyone was standing again. Arms went up and Plastic Tree's opening songs, Irogoto and Alone Again Wonderful World, were met with cheers of delight.

During MCs, Ryutaro read some Chinese off a piece of paper, much to the delight of the fans. He also changed the lyrics during hate red, dip it and sang "ni hao" instead of "hello." Though it rained on and off throughout their performance, the band gave their all. Ryutaro, barefoot, jumped around as much as he could given the circumstances, and bassist Tadashi was particularly energetic, constantly motioning at the fans to scream louder.

For the last few songs, which included what was clearly a crowd favorite, Ruisen kairo, Ryutaro picked up his guitar and joined the band. They finished with Andro Metamorphose, allowing the sweet refrains to linger as they put down their instruments. Both Tadashi and Akira tossed out handfuls of guitar picks before leaving the stage.

Unfortunately, because of the rain, the sound quality was a little off; the speakers distorted a bit of Ryutaro's usually flawless singing. However, fans were hard pressed to care. For them, their night with Plastic Tree was a moment of perfection.

After a twenty minute wait, No.9 announced the entrance of LM.C. The group was greeted with screams, and Aiji and maya took a moment to pose before diving into OH MY JULIET.. During each song, maya made it a point to throw out at least one water bottle, and in the middle of one song, a fan passed a homemade present to the stage. Even though he was singing, maya reached out to accept the gift with a smile.

During MCs, maya spoke in Japanese, but most of the fans understood. In his usual cute, teasing manner, he joked with the crowd, asking the people in the back to not be scared and come closer. Aiji, however, who spoke only two lines during an MC, did speak Chinese. He told the crowd "xie xie," and the crowd declared his MC a success.

While it rained almost continuously during LM.C's set (which seemed most appropriate when they played 88), spirits were high and everyone partied all the way to the end. LM.C ended with ☆Rock the LM.C☆, and after they were done performing maya brought out a "cake" of Chupa Chups lollipops and the band began tossing them out. Once the candy had run out, the band bid everyone farewell and exited the stage, leaving the fans buzzing, ecstatic and eager for LM.C's return to Taiwan.

Freddy Lim, organizer of the festival, has said that FORMOZ 2008 may be the last one held, as there are no plans right now to continue it in the future. If that ends up the case, it will be one for the ages. Undaunted by the threatening weather, fans gathered together and gave the amazing music festival one last, deserved hurrah, showing the passion of those who truly rock.