Kagrra,'s Last Concert

It was with a mixture of happy expectations and nostalgic sadness that the fans, many dressed in beautiful kimono, filled the sold out Shibuya C.C. Lemon Hall to see Kagrra, play their very last concert. A video screen had been put up behind the stage and when the show started, each band member was presented on the screen as they walked out on stage to be greeted by loud cheers. Isshi pulled out a golden fan, and with that Kotodama started. The people in the crowd were well prepared and soon everybody was waving fans in different colours, creating a beautiful and impressive scene.

As the chanting of Amafurase tanmaina started, people cheered loudly as they recognized the old number, and the red lighting and fiery effects on the screen created a passionate atmosphere for this intense song. At the end of the next song, Gen'ei no katachi, Nao pulled off a bass solo at center stage and got the whole audience screaming for him. The following Shiroi mashu had a slightly ethereal feel, and it really showcased Isshi's falsetto voice that sometimes sounded more like an exotic wind instrument than a male voice.

After a short break, Isshi instructed the audience to clap their hands to the upbeat Rin. Afterwards, the slow Satsuki was performed to a background screen showing calming pictures of summer skies, which set the mood for next few songs. A number of slow ballads followed, all beautiful but unfortunately a little too similar. Uzu still made a lasting impression due to the fires on stage and the beautiful ending with Sin playing koto.

After the lullaby Sarasouju no komoriuta, it was time for Isshi to speak, and the audience erupted in cheers. The normally talkative singer had not yet said a word, but even now he just thanked the audience and jokingly said that for once, he wouldn't speak much. The somewhat amusing song Tsurezure naru mama ni cheered the crowd a little, and then followed an old classic; Koi, where the audience again got to use their fans. The fan waving continued into Paraizo, but the real action started when everybody started jumping and waving their towels in the air to the extremely catchy Sai.

Kamiuta followed, and this a bouncy song also had the audience jumping, and singing along to a part of it. Izumi got a little drum solo during this song, and Nao assisted him by silencing the cymbals. Then blue ribbons were shot out over the crowd; everyone grabbed the ribbons and waved them high while singing along to the classic Urei. After this, the band waved and left the stage, leaving the audience clapping and chanting "ka-gu-ra."

After a while, Izumi came running back out on stage, followed by the rest of the band. Isshi, now dressed in a real kimono in black, red and gold, explained "of course I had to wear a kimono today, we are Kagrra, after all!" The sensitive ballad Utakata followed, with Akiya on acoustic guitar and Sin on koto. After this, Isshi said that over the years, Kagrra, has created many ballads, and if any one of them has touched people's hearts and remained in their memories, they would be very happy.

The tempo increased with Setsunaru kotoba, a song as old as the band itself, and the people in the crowd waved their fans in well-practiced, complicated patterns. The even faster Mateki turned the gig into a rock concert, with Sin headbanging over his guitar and the crowd jumping. After this it was time for another classic, Ouka ranman, and during this number old concert videos were shown on the screen, bringing a strong sense of nostalgia. When Isshi thanked the audience after the song, many crying faces could be seen in the audience.

Following tradition, the very last song of the set was Sakura maichiru ano oka de, during which the audience sang a set part. Pink cherry petals were showered over the stage during the whole song, which created a very picturesque scene as the crowd sang for the band. When the song ended, the band bowed deeply and addressed the audience one at the time. Akiya started out by saying that however much he had thought of an intelligent thing to say as a last greeting, the only words that came to him was "thank you very much for everything." Sin went next and expressed his happiness that people have listened to all the songs they have made over the years. The crowd shouted "thank you" to him, whereby he replied, "that was my line." Crying to the extent that he was unable to say much more, he thanked everyone for the past eleven years and the microphone was handed to Nao.

The always cheery Nao managed to lift the mood, and his joke about the staff nagging him all these years drew much laughter, although his gratefulness towards both fans and staff seemed entirely earnest. Izumi explained through his tears that this last tour had been very tough mentally, but it had also been fun until the end. He hoped that although the band Kagrra, was now over, the remaining memories would be a treasure shared between the band and the fans, and thus the soul of Kagrra, would live on forever.

At last Isshi addressed the audience, and he asked everyone to remember Kagrra, forever and recall the happy memories in times of trouble. He finished with saying that Kagrra, had been fortunate in having the best band members, the best staff and above all, the best fans in the world. The band and the audience closed the concert by clapping their hands once together, and after a last deep bow, the band slowly left the stage. The screen now read "shuuen" (the end) and with this, the era of Kagrra, came to an end.


Setlist:

01. Kotodama
02. Amafurase tanmaina
03. Gen'ei no katachi
04. Shiroi mashu
05. Rin
06. Satsuki
07. Omou
08. Yuki koi uta
09. Boukyaku no hate no kogoeta kodoku
10. Uzu
11. Shizuku
12. Sarasouju no komoriuta
13. Tsurezure naru mama ni
14. Koi
15. Paraizo
16. Sai
17. Kamiuta
18. Urei

Encore:
01. Utakata
02. Setsunaru kotoba
03. Mateki
04. Oukaranman
05. Sakura maichiru ano oka de