alice nine. - DISCOTHEQUE play like [A] RAINBOWS -enter&exit-

For the people who aren't able to consistently see alice nine. live, the best thing about watching their concert DVDs is getting to see how much they have grown as a band. If you line up ALICE IN WONDEЯFILM, HELLO, DEAR NUMBERS and the most recent DISCOTHEQUE play like "A" RAINBOWS -enter&exit-, you get a visual timeline of their enthusiastic but awkward beginnings, their developing confidence on stage and the polished showmanship they possess now. DISCOTHEQUE... is also proof of how far the band has come and how much further they will go.

The DVD opens with a short montage of images that introduce the five members of alice nine. Then there are shots of the band backstage putting their hands in for the pre-live cheer, and it all culminates at Nakano Sun Plaza with alice nine. appearing on stage under a myriad of neon disco lights. They start off appropriately with RAINBOWS. Their outfits are taken mostly from the RAINBOWS PV, but not completely - Shou's leopard print pants are replaced by black ones, Tora's in a solid blue T-shirt and Hiroto wears a sleeveless pink trench coat.

From RAINBOWS and ZERO, it's immediately clear that the video quality and camera work is going to be impressive throughout the entire DVD. All the images are crystal clear, and certain shots zoom in so finely that it appears to be a scene from a PV instead of a live concert. Cut in after ZERO is a personal interview with Tora, and it's followed by Hana Ichi Monme. Shou leads the crowd in doing furitsuke during the song, and it is pretty cool to see everyone moving in sync.

The fourth song on the DVD set list is WHITE PRAYER, and the concert features a harder intro for the song. The venue is dark during the minor key verses and floods with white light during the chorus, which gives a great emotional impact. Afterwards, Hiroto's personal interview is edited in, and it's appropriate that alice nine.'s most spiritual member is seen outdoors on top of a hill. Scenes from various performances of Kowloon through the tour follow, and they lead into the performance of Kowloon at the tour final. The entire band has fun posturing and rocking out, and they carry the hard rock feeling right into -Dice-.

9th Revolver, one of Shou's personal favorites off of alice nine.'s album Alpha, slips in next. The live version of this song is both softer and harder than the album version, and on first impression it's better, too. Along with the next song, Kouchouran, 9th Revolver also features S-key-A. The singer harmonizes perfectly with Shou and lends an almost exotic touch to the songs. After she leaves the stage, the band begins Eraser -Memoire d'une Fleur-. Every single member smiles with pure joy as they play, and none more widely than Tora.

Then it is time for Saga's interview, which segues into RED CARPET GOING ON. This song is a favorite played at almost every live, and the familiarity of it kicks the band into high gear. Hiroto and Saga finally start switching sides on stage, and they all urge the audience to jump to the beat. Member roll call is next with High collar, and the newest live version of this song has more swing and rock overtones. Saga's infamous bass solo is much more complex and jazzed up, with Hiroto accompanying him by faking the sound of disc scratching on his guitar strings.

Continuing with older alice nine. favorites, the band moves on to G3, during which Shou attempts a sort of stage dive, and Velvet. While performing Velvet, Shou asks for the lights to be turned down and the fans immediately create a sea of stars for him with their penlights. This officially ends the concert, but footage continues with Shou's interview.

The encore starts with Masanori Takumi playing MIRROR BALL on piano. Shou, in a pared down version of his MIRROR BALL PV outfit, soon joins him. Standing on the misty stage under a single spotlight, the performance is soft and intimate. Finally, we come to Nao's interview, which heralds his drum solo. Though Nao is absolutely amazing, creating a storm of sound, the flashing lights during his solo are a little hard on the eyes - they would definitely give an epileptic seizures!

The next three songs - THE LAST EMPIRE, Strawberry Fuzz and FOLLOW ME - are all songs that in theory, should be awesome live. However, the video of the three songs is cut up with footage of performances from other concerts on the tour, and the inconsistency of the images takes a lot from the tour final performances. This is extremely disappointing, particularly because it is near the end of the DVD and you're waiting for the big finish. Heisei juunananen makes up for it a little, but the real redemption comes after the credits with the unlisted Shunkaashuutou. This alice nine. classic is expected at every live, and watching the members run around in wild abandon will have you smiling again...and it doesn’t hurt that Saga and Hiroto are shirtless!

There is tons of bonus material inserted along with the interviews that really shows the personalities of each band member. From Hiroto's stage diving to Tora giving Nao a piggyback ride across the stage, Saga's dramatics over being too tired for the encore to Nao teasing waiting fans with a cat plushie, you'll see all the antics that make this band so lovable.

alice nine. continues to improve by leaps and bounds when it comes to concerts. In Shou particularly, it's clear that he's gone from being comfortable on stage to owning it. The passion and enthusiasm from all the members translates into pure energy for the fans, and from watching DISCOTHEQUE, you can feel some of that energy as well. That alone makes this DVD something to be savoured.