Megamasso took to the stage at Shinjuku BLAZE on September 3rd with a set list chosen by the fans themselves. Needless to say, they churned out some of their best songs one after the other and the crowd was wholly delighted.
Eternally popular among the band’s music, Namida Neko was the first song to greet eager ears, hands flying throughout the crowd as they followed Inzargi’s lead. Meanwhile, the vocalist sang out in a deep, strong voice, showing off his versatility. When Ryohei appeared at center stage for his guitar solo, arms spread wide across the venue, parting and closing in a furious display of affection. “I missed you, Tokyo!” Inzargi cried in greeting at the end of the number. With slow headbanging and waved glow-sticks, Loveless, more Loveless gave way to the obviously adored Ame gakki tai, fans screaming as the song began. Perhaps it was the cute little jazzy dance of Inzargi’s they anticipated.
“We’re back, Tokyo! This is the tour final. Have you readied yourselves? Today, this tour will come to completion with the ‘best ever’ performance so let’s make it the ‘best ever’ night.” BULLET SONG kicked up with a whip of towels which whirled, rolled and waved from start to finish. In the bridge, bassist Gou demanded attention by flinging a dramatic arm wide and singing along vigorously. Mitsu to ga did a 180, a pair of backing dancers trotting out in support of Inzargi who made good use of his hip-hop roots, skilfully dancing even as he sang and never missing a beat.
“Enjoy that, Tokyo? No matter how tired or worn out I am I can do it for you because you’re all I have. So even if you sweat… Even if the fringe you’re proud of gets messy… Who cares? We’re all Megamasso. Let’s go!” Tempered with smooth falsetto, the upbeat ballad Hanabira warmed the crowd up for Happy Mosh Floor, Headbanging Song. The poppy number somehow commanded a relentless tide of moshing and headbanging, as happily as the title suggested.
Complaining of the heat of the day, Inzargi boasted that he lost so much weight on the tour that his pants were falling down – courtesy of the sweltering summer, of course. He then made to introduce the coming song, explaining the sentiment behind it. “When girls get dumped they complain to their friends, saying ‘Why did he dump me? I don’t understand!’ But then they get a new boyfriend and suddenly it’s ‘Good thing I broke up with “him!”’ We’re proud to play this ballad that you chose out of them all. Megumu Misadame kitazora ni saku no.” The gorgeous opening tasset and gently flowing melody of the piece were enhanced by a haze of gold lighting with spotlights of blue that lit solos before Sekai no owari no Jellyfish stirred things up with some piercing guitar soon numbed with an overlaid effect, keeping the number within the ballad range. Inargi’s vibrato rang like a clear bell as he held a long note over the beginning of the guitar solo.
“Yay! This is super duper fun!” Inzargi cried. Laughing, he made fun of himself, “I get weird when I’m too excited. What do you think, Gou?”
“Inzargi’s been saying ‘the best! the best’ a lot, but I feel that way, too,” Gou admitted.
Ryohei wanted to be original instead of just repeating his band-members’ sentiments and Inzargi agreed. “It feels great to play these songs that were chosen by all of you.”
Before long, the serious gratitude gave way to bad puns and low humor. “Come on, show us your muscles,” Inzargi teased.
“I’ll lose to Inzargi’s muscle,” Ryohei argued.
Inzargi was not inclined to “take it off” however much the crowd prompted, though. “I’m not that cheap!” he argued, making a noise of indignation when one bold fan then asked, “How much?” Moving on, the vocalist asked the crowd to push it harder in order to help Ryohei lose weight.
SUPERNOVA was a good song for it, kicking off with a hot, deep bass solo followed by chiming guitar, Inzargi’s microphone overlaid with static to darken his clear voice. Sneaking in behind Gou, a furry-masked support guitarist made his mark on the music. A round of heavy numbers culminated in Paradisa Halo which opened with a stout vocal solo, Inzargi leading the song’s actions once again. Then, he announced the final number, “Lastly, I want to send this out to all of you. Shizukana kuchizukede, asa no aisatsu wo.” With altered guitar sounding like something out of "Dr. Who," the red, green and blue lighting matched the odd musical style. The number sported a simple melody though a lot was going on underneath it and the lights faded to black as lonely piano signalled the number’s end and the band exited in darkness.
Sporting tour shirts, Megamasso returned at the crowd’s behest, thankful for the encore. Right away, Gou showed his dorky side, getting the crowd to roar an adorable lion-like “Gyao” with him, clawed poses struck across the venue.
“You really wanted to do that, huh,” Inzargi commented dryly. The three then introduced the various items of their collaboration with accessory brand Artemis Classic. Ryohei’s ring was titled without any meaning but Gou explained that his necklace, “Gloss,” was made to be kissed when the lips felt needy. At the vocalist’s insistence, he admitted that the subtitle was “Gloss: Gin no kuchibiru.”
“And with your lips, what do you want to do exactly?” Inargi teased. “…Gyao?”
“I’m happy you said ‘Gyao!’” Gou cried in delight.
Inzargi then introduced his bracelet, “Secret Heart,” with its rubies and Swarovski crystals trimmed with a key motif.
Following the introductions of the new collaboration, it was time for a new song. The Girl Died When Bound may have been new, but the crowd were familiar enough with it, expertly keeping up with Inzargi’s onstage demonstration of the actions. Kikaikajin Madison no tomodachi was just musical mayhem, the crowd as dishevelled as the music as they jumped, shouted and headbanged – where appropriate. Sweet, girly voices were heard en mass in The Requiem when Inzargi let the crowd take over, the section repeating several times. The quieter Inzargi led them in, the louder they sang until he screamed a “Thank you! Last time, let’s go!” Finally, Inzargi yelled a “Thank you!” sans microphone and led his fellows offstage once more.
The crowd remained unsatisfied, though, and soon Gou skipped out, Inzargi posing for the fans a moment later with gratitude for their cries. “Lastly, we’ll perform this one last song for you. Please listen: New Romancer.” The song elicited an impressed “Woah” from the crowd, its gentle melody soon proving to be underpinned by a full on instrumental line as Inzargi’s pitch rose until his voice floated in the rafters, sweet with falsetto.
With a final farewell, the band took their leave at last, bringing the tour to an end. The crowd could hardly complain, having been treated to 22 of the songs they most wanted to hear. Their choices certainly made for a great set. Hopefully the idea will spread and give visual kei fans more of a say in what songs they get to experience live in the future!
Set List:
01. Namida neko
02. Loveless, more Loveless
03. Ame gakki tai
04. BULLET SONG
05. Daashaado jin no odori
06. Mitsu to ga
07. Hanabira
08. Happy Mosh Floor, Headbanging Song
09. LIPS
10. Megumu misadame kitazora ni saku no
11. Sekai no owari no Jellyfish
12. Gyuunyuu (mjolk)
13. Minaduki, misora
14. SUPERNOVA
15. Kakeai-sakasa-manji
16. Imomushi no nushi
17. Paradisa Halo
18. Shizukana kuchizukede, asa no aisatsu wo
Encore
01. The Girl Died When Bound
02. Kikaikajin Madison no tomodachi
03. The Requiem
04. New Romancer
