Dir en grey
The Rose Trims Again Tour – Wilbur Theatre, Boston
Boston, 12 November 2008. My head is spinning, the surroundings hazy, and yet my senses are heightened so intensely I can feel the heartbeat of the person next to me. It all seems so surreal. Enduring the cold, the hunger, the hours of waiting… everything was well worth the sacrifice, as my friends and I are now happily positioned at the rail, right in front of where our beloved Kyo will soon be standing. I feel my pulse quicken and notice I’m breathing a little heavier. Any minute now…
The low drone of Sa Bir heralds the band’s imminent arrival. Unlike the earlier techno-ish intro GDS, which had an adrenaline-pumping effect, Sa Bir has a serene, mystical feel to it. I am reverently expectant as the band files to the stage, in usual order. First Shinya slinks out, looking his typically ethereal self as he takes position behind the enormous fortress that is his drum kit. Die follows close behind, flashing the famous 1000-watt smile with one arm raised high in greeting. Toshiya staggers across the stage, arms extended and hands waving in the familiar gesture of “Come on you guys can do better than that.” We obey, and make more noise. Then comes Kaoru — ‘Leader-sama’ — with his characteristic posturing that says “Worship me.” There’s a pause, maybe 5 seconds or so, which to me seems like eternity… and finally, Kyo emerges.
The crowd raises the volume an extra decibel or two.
Kyo stands on his platform calmly surveying the audience for a minute, his 5’3″ frame suddenly appearing 15 feet tall. He has us all in the palm of his hand — and hasn’t uttered a sound yet.
That soon changes. As the ominous intro to Obscure kicks in, he lurches forward, gripping the mic with both hands, and emits a low growl that fills the room like the rumble of thunder. It’s hard to believe such a sound can come from this man’s small body, and we are instantly entranced. Beside him, Toshiya lifts both arms again, hands beckoning us to respond, before bending forward and headbanging violently as the tempo abruptly switches to jackhammer speed. Kyo jumps down and bounces across the stage. The two guitarists on either side join in instinctive choreography. Toshiya spins roughly, thrusting bass overhead as he does. Shinya pummels the drums in a blur. The energy is palpable. The entire band is in synch, becoming one wildly thrashing organism… and we, the audience, become one with them.
Kyo gyrates, growls, weaves back and forth, and generally works the crowd into a frenzy as only he can. Of course Toshiya can always be counted on to intensify the effect, waving, taunting, holding bass above his head, encouraging us to lose our minds. Just when you’d think it couldn’t get any louder, Kyo hops back up onto his platform, one arm raised high as he belts out one gorgeous prolonged note. Then another.
Pandemonium.
Obscure is followed by Grief… Agitated Screams of Maggots… Disabled Complexes… The Fatal Believer. One after another, hard-hitting and aggressive. The band’s energy is incredible and infectious — there is nothing to match the excitement of a Dir en grey performance. Kyo, especially, is a wildman throughout. The perfect frontman, he bounces across the stage, thrashes wildly, jumps shockingly high… he’s all over the place, relentlessly in motion. Midway through Disabled Complexes, Kyo stops and raises both arms, shouting clear as day, “BOSTON!” to the thunderous delight of the crowd. At some point during Fatal Believer, the jacket of the dark blue Adidas track suit is squirmed off, earning appreciative hoots and howls from fangirls and boys. Through all of this, Kaoru and Die headbang furiously, and Toshiya is a spinning, flailing, crazed maniac. From where I am, it is usually difficult to see Shinya, other than a glimpse of his golden hair above the drums, constantly flying straight up as he slams away.
Kyo stands above us on his crate, regal, a king overlooking his subjects. He is bathed in blue light, as the mystical, sensual strains of Toguro wash over us. The music is hypnotic, the vocals enchanting and seductive. Left hand gracefully undulating, as if weaving some sort of blessing or incantation over us. My body is paralysed, eyes fixated, my entire being absorbed in the magic that is Kyo. His voice actually seems too powerful for the small body, spiraling ever upward and no doubt reaching the heavens to make angels weep.
For most of the next few songs I regret to confess I cannot report much about what any of the other members were doing, because I couldn’t peel my gaze away from the exquisite creature directly in front of me. Sunta, who is here tonight because of my insistance that Dir en grey are the greatest thing on earth, leans close and pronounces in an awed tone, “There is no short man on that stage.” Kyo has snared another new convert. Ah yes, I nod solemnly. The power of Kyo.
Then my prayers are answered. Namamekashiki Ansoku, Tamerai ni Hohoemi. The one song I had most wanted to hear live. I was already touched and mesmerised by Toguro, but Hohoemi following immediately afterward was overwhelming. The tears are falling from my eyes before I even know it, and I quickly swipe them away, eyes riveted to Kyo. He is holding one hand a few feet in front of his face, eyes glazed over, obviously becoming drawn into that secret place where only he can go. I can’t even describe this. My memory of it is mostly unintelligible, wordless emotion.
At the final note of Hohoemi, Kyo suddenly doubles over at the waist, babbling incoherently in demonic tongues. The alternating sounds of devilish growls and angelic coos, occasionally overlapping each other, give the impression that these foreign entities are battling for custody of the soul within him. Trembling, snarling, hands clawing the air, it seems Kyo is exorcising his own demons onstage, pouring out all the traumas of his own soul for all to see. I feel a tinge of embarrassment, like an unintentional voyeur witnessing something too deeply personal, but I can’t tear my eyes away. The possessed creature onstage spasms and shakes, then falls to his knees, bizarre inhuman sounds erupting from his throat. This passes into haunting, eerie siren-like warbles and wails… back to deep gutteral growls and sputtering… followed by one sharp high-pitched shriek. The sound is clipped short as Kyo’s hand drops suddenly to his feet, the microphone landing with a hard thud. It sounds as if the angel has choked out its last breath. All is silent.The demon has apparently won.
Kyo’s mumbling groan suggests he is slowly regaining consciousness, as the band transitions into Conceived Sorrow. In the stunned aftermath, I’m still standing dumbfounded, with my jaw hanging open in awe. After the two ballads preceding ASoM unplugged, I had expected an aggressive headbanger to break the spell. Hearing Conceived Sorrow instead — which, like Hohoemi, packs an emotional punch in itself — is too much. Tears blur my vision as I stare at Kyo, who looks small and vulnerable perched on his little crate. His voice grows gradually stronger, until he rises to his feet, standing triumphantly on that crate, looking 15 feet tall once more as he belts out the chorus.
The music stops… and then Kyo does something totally unexpected. Instead of following through sotto voce, he drops the microphone and bellows the next few verses with only the power of his own vocal chords to carry them. The entire place goes still. We freeze and hold our breath to fully appreciate the amazing sound of that unenhanced voice splitting the silence. Wait… wait… and POW! drums, guitars, and microphone-amplified voice come crashing through as the audience simultaneously explodes in a massive roar. This is my favourite moment of the entire night, the one I wish to rewind again and again. It’s just beautiful. As the song ends, I glance over at Toshiya, noticing that he is visibly moved, head bowed, hand over his heart with an almost pained expression. At this point the tears are openly rolling down my cheeks, and I don’t care.
The closing notes of Conceived Sorrow flow seemlessly into Glass Skin. Yet another ballad? I hear myself blurt out loud “Oh god no. I’m not ready for this…” and my head drops onto my arms on the rail. I cling to the bar, face buried in my sleeves, and sob uncontrollably. I can’t remember much at this point, as it takes a while for me to recover. I only remember trying to listen to the song through my own wracking sobs, and feeling the hands of people around me asking if I am ok.
I’m conscious in time to remember Ryoujoku no Ame, coming to my senses as the magnificent voice soars and fills the theatre in the opening notes. Kaoru and Die are fairly calm during this, but Toshiya is more active, whipping the long hair around his face while lurching back and forth. Kyo touches his fingertip to the right side of his chest, then left, then forehead back to chest again in a gesture of self-blessing, then proceeds to raise arms overhead and briefly gyrates seductively… I imagine that I hear several dozen swooning bodies hit the floor. The sexy wriggle is followed by a fierce growl leading into one sung verse, then the body bolts upright. Letting the microphone slip through his fingers, it dangles from the wire in his right hand as he slowly raises arms out to the sides. He stands rigid, arms outstretched as if in crucifixion, throws his head back, then thrusts it forward again with an intense glare that makes the breath catch in my throat. I feel a bit weak in the knees as the song ends.
Hydra 666 and Merciless Cult come next, two more to whip the crowd into further frenzy. The bodies onstage thrash in unison, and we thrash with them, to the extent that we can while packed like canned sardines. Kyo stops and stands with arms raised, gesturing us to make some noise. Toshiya does this same, holding hands to both ears like “What? I can’t hear you”… Die, similar. And of course Kaoru is doing his God-thing. Back into the final chorus, and it ends with one last Kyo-growl. No time to take a breath, they slam into the Deeper Vileness, followed by Dozing Green. Kyo’s death-metalish growls have gotten impossibly deep… but then he alternates those with that high-pitched tea kettle scream he’s been doing since Marrow of a Bone. The range on this man is astounding, and I am convinced that his attempts to quit smoking must have been successful by now, to have allowed such changes in him. It’s a beautiful thing.
Repetition of Hatred is a mindblower live. Kyo does this unbelievable jump, at least 4 feet off the ground (especially impressive at his height) with his knees pulled all the way up to his chest. It compels us to jump too. All five band members are utterly on fire for this one, and it’s impossible to keep still while hearing it. The crowd is especially enthusiastic during this, and I have to keep reminding myself to be careful not to stomp on the feet behind me while jumping up and down to the irresistible rhythm. Kyo is back to dancing, this time dropping the microphone entirely and waving arms above his head in fluid undulating contortions, twisting his torso and gyrating hips so erotically that for most of the audience, those 30 seconds are probably the most satisfying sexual experience of our lives. (Sorry Kyo, it’s true) Then it’s over, and they abruptly leave the stage.
The crowd immediately takes up the chant of “Dir en grey… Dir en grey” but really, the band deserves to take a break. After only a couple of minutes, they saunter back out without any preliminaries and launch into Kodou. For some reason I remember being especially aware of Shinya during this. He’s so quiet and mild in normal offstage situations, but get him behind those drums and he’s like something possessed. I notice they’re all particularly active now, bouncing and spinning and headbanging. I’m concerned a few times that they might crash into each other.
Kodou leads to Gaika, Chinmoku ga Nemuru Koro, from the new album. Yet another awe-inspiring song performed live. This song is hard to find words to do it justice. For most of it, the pace is speed-metal insane, with beastly deep growls from both Kyo and Toshiya throughout. The intensity is slightly relieved during the chorus, which seems beautifully melodic in comparison. Then there are the periods where Toshiya is doing the rabid growls while Kyo reverts back to some of the bizarre noises of ASoM unplugged. The music is breathtaking, but toward the end becomes even moreso, and I’m just shaking my head in amazement. Overall it’s just a wild performance, leaving me stunned and dizzy.
Again, hearing Gaika live renders me a bit dazed, so it’s hard to remember details immediately afterward. Clever Sleazoid and Saku come next, both obvious crowd killers. I remember the audience singing Clever Sleazoid, the guys continuing to thrash wildly all over the stage, and coming dangerously close to colliding on several occasions.
Kyo raises one arm in the air and announces “Last song!” five or six times, the crowd replying with cheers each time. Then a pause.. then a loud, shrill “LAST SONG!” and The IIId Empire gets us all pumped up. Kyo tells us to “Jump, jump, jump” and when Kyo says jump… well… you don’t even waste time asking how high, you just obey! Kaoru and Toshiya come up to the edge of the stage, almost close enough to touch…. in fact I could have touched Toshiya’s bass if I had tried. The band is pouring their all into this, as the last song of the night. As if the intensity level wasn’t already beyond unbelievable. The last guitar notes hang in the air, Kyo raises arms overhead and claps a couple of times.. then jumps down and is gone in a flash.
The remaining four linger a bit, distributing guitar picks and drumsticks. Kaoru maintains a cool, dignified air as he throws a few picks. Shinya seems dazed as usual, absentmindedly tossing the sticks and whizzing a couple of drumheads out, frisbee-style. Toshiya does his point at self, point out at audience, love-me gesture, and Die is all smiles as he taunts us with picks, making us beg before flinging them at us. We get splashed by water from all four before the bottles get tossed into the crowd. I didn’t catch anything tonight but I don’t need to. I’ll hang onto the memories for the rest of my life, so they can certainly last me until I see my favourite band again. Thank you Dir en grey. I miss you already. Come back soon.
The Rose Trims Again – Boston, Wilbur Theatre
Setlist for wednesday, 12 november 2008
01. Sa Bir
02. Obscure
03. Grief
04. Agitated Screams of Maggots
05. Disabled Complexes
06. The Fatal Believer
07. Toguro [蜷局]
08. Namamekashiki Ansoku, Tamerai ni Hohoemi [艶かしき安息、躊躇いに微笑み]
09. Agitated Screams of Maggots -Unplugged-
10. Conceived Sorrow
11. Glass Skin (Japanese version)
12. Ryoujoku no Ame [凌辱の雨]
13. Hydra -666-
14. Merciless Cult
15. The Deeper Vileness
16. Dozing Green
17. Repetition of Hatred
-Encore-
01. Kodou [鼓動]
02. Gaika, Chinmoku ga Nemuru Koro [凱歌、沈黙が眠る頃]
03. Clever Sleazoid
04. 朔-saku-
05. The IIId Empire
authored by: Pink Spider- pinkspider@vegassoundz.com
originally posted in SoundZ on 12/01/2008