Dio - distraught overlord in Paris

Eight months after coming to France to perform at Japan Expo, visual band Dio - distraught overlord returned to Paris to kick off their first European Tour.

The show opened with iLiS, and there was a good atmosphere for this young group, who already had quite a few fans that had come to support them and perhaps gained a few more from this concert. They obviously enjoyed playing, though there was little interaction between the members. The vocalist, who brought Anna Tsuchiya to mind, was a strong point in the performance and though they didn't have a particularly innovative sound, they were able to attract and keep the audience's attention. It was easy to focus on the lyrics and the music, though the whole thing did feel a little disorganized. The lyrics were at times interesting and at others incomprehensible, but the band had a good energy and really enjoyed themselves.

While iLiS' equipment was being removed, some background music was played, but it passed by mostly unnoticed before Dio made their entrance. Wearing their most recent costumes, with the exception of Mikaru, whose outfit suited him better than his official costume, they took the stage stage one by one, in the tradition of other visual kei bands.

The members all got into position and the show began. The percussion made the stage vibrate, the chords resounded and we were given the first notes of the starting song. The songs continued one after the other and it became apparent that they mostly shared a similar rhythm.

What was different? Seeing the group get close to the fans and interact with them. The pleasure was mutual and everyone was enjoying themselves.

There is no doubt that over the eight months which separated the concert at Japan Expo 2007 and this concert, the band has matured and utilised this confidence in the interpretation of their music. Their stage play was also much more methodical.

With the chosen setlist, the show was so full of energy and strong, that Mikaru occasionally had trouble delivering the right tone during the ballads.

There were also a number of technical difficulties, which put a bit of a dampener on the concert, though it would still be a splendid memory to each and every person who came to listen to them. Since the band had to perform the concert without their sound engineer, they suffered badly with a microphone that couldn't decide between leaving Mikaru's voice distorted or muting it altogether.

It was also unfortunate that the drummer, denka, didn't really take the time to come came face-to-face with the audience during the break before the encore. He simply threw his drumsticks into the crowd and left just as quickly as he had come out.

At the end of the concert, the group really let themselves go, changing places on the stage and playing more with the audience. This, however, meant that some members of the band were almost dragged into the crowd and ivy, the bassist, managed a rather spectacular fall.

Ultimately, we wish Dio great success in their European tour and hope that they'll be able to eliminate a few certain errors and that they continue to draw so much energy from their fans.