Versailles TOUR FINAL 08-CHATEAU DE VERSAILLES-

The venue was full with mostly male fans and a few foreign faces here and there. What was interesting though, was that a part of the fans looked and dressed as though they were the type of people who liked heavy rock, while others were wearing gothic-lolita fashion. The background music in the hall was classic orchestral music with trumpets, which gave the venue a particularly noble feeling.

After the venue went dark, the epilogue of a story was projected on a screen on the stage. "Why people hold sadness. Why people can be gentle." When the design of a butterfly and the word "Versailles" appeared, the orchestra music increased dramatically in volume. Then the drummer YUKI, bassist Jasmine You, guitarists TERU and HIZAKI, and vocalist KAMIJO appeared on the higher center stage. The stage was three-dimensional, decorated with red roses with six naked flames flaring mysteriously in to the air. When the opening SE reached a climax, KAMIJO stretched his hands out widely on the center stage and the audience raised their fists all at once in the flashing light.

KAMIJO murmured and shouted, then the live started with the slow heavy roar of Aristocrat's Symphony. Suddenly, fireworks exploded. KAMIJO, HIZAKI, TERU and Jasmine You moved to the front of the stage and YUKI's drums seemed to explode in a sudden burst. KAMIJO knelt on the stage and sang enthusiastically and both HIZAKI and TERU played solos followed by a twin guitar performance, precise and perfect. "Sing and shout loudly!" During another song, Antique in the Future, the audience pumped their fists in the air. "Come on guys!" KAMIJO stirred the audience and dashed into Second Fear - Another Descendant. Smoke was shot out on the front stage and fans waved their hands to the fast beats, pumped their fists as they were led by KAMIJO. "I wanted to see you! I think there are many people who came here for the first time. All of you are our friends, so join us. Welcome to our forbidden world!" During the darkly heavy rock tune, zombie, red lights flashed and the bare flames on stage flared. The audience raised their hands and clapped along with the spooky melodies and death voices produced by KAMIJO.

"The wind led us here, to the place where you are." The mood changed and windress started with soft piano sounds. KAMIJO sang gently with a synthesizer. Jasmine You played bass, the sound ringing low and sad. Then heavy guitar sounds were added and the song soared higher and became more dramatic. Next, a heavy ballad, SFORZANDO, followed. TERU played guitar speedily and the melodies turned into bright showcases, while HIZAKI's guitar rang high and sorrowful. The sounds of a pipe organ thundered solemnly and then the killer tune, PRINCESS, started with a synthesizer. KAMIJO sang his heart out, YUKI's drums burst forth, and HIZAKI and TERU played parallel guitars in unison at an incredible pace. It was an impressive scene seeing such skill bound together. During SILENT KNIGHT, mournful guitar sounds made by HIZAKI and TERU were joined by a dramatic synthesized melody, while beautiful piano sounds were scattered here and there throughout. Bass sounds made by Jasmine You roared low, and an explosion of heavy sounds were added in a burst, which developed dramatically as it changed from silence to movement.

When the SE of orchestra and chorus resounded in the venue, KAMIJO, who left the stage once, appeared on the higher center stage again and the audience raised their right hands, following him. The Love from a Dead Orchestra, began and KAMIJO sang emotionally about the tragedy of immortal descendants who love roses. The piano really made the song, and a mirror ball shone radiantly in the blue light, with HIZAKI's guitar sobbing remorsefully in the background. The sound suddenly changed into an explosion of fast beats with a sign from YUKI's drums, and fans banged heads all at once, raising their fists and yelling "Oi! Oi!" in the flashing light.

"Are you enjoying yourselves? Tonight is the last live of Versailles for this year, and the first one-man live in a hall. Let's make this the best night, make it fun, happy and beautiful! I'll give my love whips to all of you!" For SUZERAIN, smoke was shot out onto the stage in the red light, and fans raised both hands, were led in clapping by KAMIJO and head banged together. He sang in his death voice, and HIZAKI and TERU played fast twin guitar with perfect timing. "Show me your natures! Your blood, flowing in your bodies!" During the even faster song, BEAST OF DESIRE, SE of beautiful strings and fast beats of drums flooded the venue one after another in waves, while the two guitarists made clever use of a slow guitar solo and fast guitar playing. After Cloudia started with HIZAKI's solo, which developed dramatically from a fast beat into a bright catchy main melody.

"Show me your faces, from all over Japan, oh, no, from all over the world. What we, Versailles wanted to see is this, this scene." The audience clapped and shouted. As beautiful strings and a harp sounded in the blue light, Forbidden gate started quietly. The melody ran higher and higher then it was dramatically surrounded by explosions, as the music changed from silence to violence. "Last! Our love from Versailles! Love for you who don't have wings." During History of the other side, KAMIJO knelt down on the stage, where six flames were positioned, and sang with his "all" in the blue light. SE of a pipe organ and orchestra resounded, HIZAKI's guitar solo rang sorrowfully, then suddenly the music just seemed to explode. When KAMIJO finished singing the song, he opened his arms and looked up to heaven and fans stretched their hands toward him.

Beautiful strings and piano sounds could once again be heard throughout the venue and live images of Versailles were projected on the screen. Calls of "We are Versailles!" resounded with clapping. Then the members, who wore their new costumes, which were created in collaboration with fashion brands "BABY, THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT" and "ALICE and the PIRATES," performed their new song PRINCE. Distorted, warping guitar sounds rang and melodies developed dramatically. The memebers' white costumes shone brilliantly under the spotlights, which were so beautiful as to make fans almost lose their breath.

When the venue became dark and the calls for "Versailles!" became louder, the members appeared again to answer the call for an encore. "Your best smiles prove that we are protected by you and we are understood by you. I promise we'll bring you to our future!" He thanked fans, then stirred them up saying "Come on and bite me! Fight with us!", then Shout & Bites started. The venue was full of head banging people, with HIZAKI and TERU playing twin guitar in harmony, and Jasmine You standing on the drum stage playing bass while looking over the audience. "Last! Come on!" Lights flashed and The Red Carpet Day started. YUKI's drums rumbled and the audience pumped their fists all together, clapped in unison. Again, smoke was shot out into the air and the members played their instruments and moved around on the stage. "Are you feeling good? We felt the best! Please sing together with me." The slow ballad Sympathia started with a piano tune. HIZAKI's guitar sounded clearly and beautifully and fans who had white roses waved them in the air, following the the melody.

"Now we, Versailles, have an announcement to make. We will be making our world major-label debut with Warner Music Japan in 2009!" the audience clapped and shouted. "It has been one and half years since we started our activities. It is great that we could get here so quickly. We are here simply because so many staff members, media and fans have supported us. I really thank all of you." People clapped for KAMIJO who bowed deeply. He also announced that they would start their last indies tour on March 26th and will do their last indies live, which is a five day one-man live, at Meguro Rockmaykan. Then he shouted "We'll aim to overcome the world. Let's dye the world red, rose red! Please give us your strength!" and the last song of the live, The Revenant Choir, began. Two guitarists played an ultra fast guitar riff in perfect unison. The venue was filled with smoke and silver streamers that were being shot out over the elated audience. KAMIJO shouted with his all might, "I love you all! You are the best!" and members who had given their all expressed their satisfaction to the sight they could see from center stage. Finally, they all left the stage, not wanting the live to end.

The show, featuring their great gothic style, made us feel like we were all attending a ball for European nobles in the renaissance. Moreover, their skillful heavy metal sound definitely managed to catch the hearts of guitar kids and heavy metal fans in the audience. Their concept - that they are descendants of roses who live forever - brings us to their dream world, taking us out of our daily lives. We hope they'll perform all over the world, just as they are now, strong and sharing their view of the world with all of us.


Set list:

Opening SE ~OVERTURE
01. Aristocrat's Symphony
02. Antique in the Future
03. Second Fear -Another Descendant-
04. zombie
05. windress
06. SFORZANDO
07. PRINCESS
08. SILENT KNIGHT
-Intro-
09. The Love from a Dead Orchestra
10. SUZERAIN
11. BEAST OF DRSIRE
-Guitar solo-
12. After Cloudia
13. Forbidden gate
14. History of the other side
-VTR-
15. PRINCE

Encore I
16. Shout & Bites
17. The Red Carpet Day

Encore II
18. Sympathia
19. The Revenant Choir