GROAN OF DIPLOSOMIA 01 @ Kobe

So, for the last of my week of "live hell" (this is like a series now) was the GazettE on 10/16 at Kobe Bunka Hall. This was the best show out of the four I've been to so far (I'm off to the two days at NHK Hall next week) and just a generally awesome day. :D

It started simply. I decided that Jiroko would be coming with me to the show, so when she showed up at my apartment for our meet up around noon, I told her she was coming with me and we went.

Kobe isn't far, so we got there in plenty of time and dined on the quality cuisine of Saizeriya. This is Jiroko being excitable.

And here am I, being six years old.

Purikura was taken, as is the tradition. 8D

We finally meandered over to the hall and waited outside in a lively park for a while, watching a bunch of girls in ancient as fuck tour shirts take group pictures and having lulzy chats, until finally it was time to head into the hall.

Jiroko purchased her ticket day of, at which I was enlightened once more to the unprecedented joys of day-of tickets. I got mine from the album insert, so I was in the back of the first floor (still a great view, especially since a bunch of the seats around me were empty; see the photo below), but she actually got first row balcony (though apparently standing was a little dangerous, haha).

As I said before, this was the best of the lives for me so far. It really had a strong feeling of being like the Kansai tour final (I vaguely recall Ruki saying something similar on stage). Lots of good MC, lots of interaction and showiness, and they drug out the encores and the Dogeza for us at the end to, like a proper tour final.

The setlist:

[Diplosomia]
[XI]
DERANGEMENT
GABRIEL ON THE GALLOWS
VENOMOUS SPIDER'S WEB
VORTEX
CLEVER MONKEY
THE SUICIDE CIRCUS
DRIPPING INSANITY
余韻
影踏み
籠の蛹
[Depth]
歪
ヘドロ
MY DEVIL ON THE BED
SLUDGY CULT
HEADACHE MAN
ATTITUDE
REQURDE MALFUNCTION

[EN]
Ride with the ROCKERS
TOMORROW NEVER DIES
VERMIN
Filth in the beauty
COCKROACH
LINDA～candy dive pinky heaven～

[WEN]
関東土下座組合


I was really moved by 余韻 and 影踏み this time around. I don't know what the big change was for sure, but they show the words, basically the grieving process, up on the screen and then cut to an ocean before going into 余韻, and something about this time around I felt myself get a little misty-eyed. It was really beautiful and overwhelming, I thought.

This time ヘドロ was a little more strung together than before, which was a little bit of a disappointment for me, but all that was washed away the second Ruki picked up that cane and MY DEVIL ON THE BED started. Fuck yes. This song. I could just watch it and watch it. We threw down (me and the high schoolers beside me, we had fun moshing into each other) hardcore for this. ATTITUDE was amazing again as well.

I think most of the members spoke at this live for a second, too, which was boss. Even if Aoi only asked us if we'd seen his club Zy article and waved it at us for three seconds before returning to living his life. At one point he sat down to play during the Dogeza, and I found myself musing at whether he was bored, haha. And you already know it, but Uruha was throwing down again. I think you can kind of tell he works out a lot, his stamina is tops.

Other stuff happened, if I remember I'll update this, haha. My memory is shit for my age. :/

Anyway, we finally let out and headed back to Sannomiya for some post live curry rice and fan girling.

Post live kampai for Ruki on the way back to Osaka.

I'm about to fall asleep now, so I'm off to bed and to prepare for 凛-the end of corruption world- tomorrow. Good night ☆

GROAN OF DIPLOSOMIA 01 @ Biwako

The third live of my week of "live hell" was the GazettE at Biwako Hall in Shiga prefecture. This was a really great live for many reasons for me. One big one was that I hadn't preorder tickets. I just suggested to K that if she had nothing to do, we could ride over to Shiga on Sunday afternoon after work and see the GazettE. And it was kind of a joke, but then it became real and we went and bought tickets day of.

BEST. IDEA. EVER.

It was great. I've never been to Shiga before, so we hurried out of Osaka on the JR soon after work just to be on the safe side. We arrived in plenty of time to dawdle and derp about the area, take pictures with the bus and what have you. We even got goods without a problem (except for those damn lighters, they'll never be mine)!

The hall was quite big and located right on Lake Biwa, which we ignored like proper bangya with our live-day jitters. Lots of cosplayers here, more so than I saw at any of the other lives.

This big road that lead to a Parco, where everyone was hanging out before the live. The only Parco I had ever been to before this was in Shibuya, so it was lulzy experience, the country Parco. Lots of uncomfortable, drawn out stares and general anxiety by the people around us, which was a little bit of an awkward reminder of where we were. :D

We took this purikura in Umeda after we got back to Osaka. I don't know why I put it here.

K is unenthused about Mos Burger lunch. Me too, man. I think were both feeling a little ill from nerves and waking up as bitchass in the morning to do morning shift at work.

I was also worried our seats would be crazy bad since we were buying day of, but it turned out we got some really nice tickets actually! This actually happened again with Jiroko at the Kobe show, which has opened my eyes a little to the joys of Day-Of Tickets.  We were on the 2nd floor (aka the second half of the first floor) right behind the tech booths. I thought there lights would disrupt the concert for me, too, but the didn't. It was magical. Perfect, uninhibited view of the entire band and smack in front of Ruki. It was bliss.

This picture was from after the show of course, but a good idea of what the stage was like for us. The hall wasn't so large inside, either, so they weren't so far either.

Anyway, the show itself was excellent! Really smooth going this time, though, it was a little strange getting started because I couldn't shake the weird of seeing the GazettE out in the country side. But this time the transitions were smooth, everything seemed practiced and efficient.

Uruha, again, was crazy playful. Not too much movement from Aoi or Reita here that I can recall, but then again I had my eyes on Ruki most of the time. He really had down his posing scheme with the lights; man knows how to play with his silhouette. In ATTITUDE when they show the lyrics up on the screen, whenever they put up the whispery part

THE IMAGE IS EMBODIED UNTIL DIE

he would throw his arms out and head back and I swear he looked like some becrazed, headless madman. Like a real, honest-to-god Jekyll and Hyde madman. It was brilliant and it will remain on my retinas until death.

I really wish I could recall some more details about interactions. There was some interesting moment between Uruha and Ruki, but I can't even really recall, nothing big. A little more MC here than previous shows, that was nice. XD

The setlist:

[Diplosomia]
[XI]
DEPANGEMENT
GABRIEL ON THE GALLOW
SLUDGY CULT
VENOMOUS SPIDER’S WEB
CLEVER MONKEY
THE SUICIDE CIRCUS
DRIPPING INSANITY
余韻
影踏み
籠の蛹
[Depth]
歪
ヘドロ
VERMIN
FILTH IN THE BEAUTY
HEADACHE MAN
ATTITUDE
REQURDE MALFUNCTION
[Melt]

[EN]
Ride with the ROCKERS
AGONY
VORTEX
HYENA
COCKROACH
LINDA～candy dive pinky heaven～

[WEN]
関東土下座組合


All the bolds, btw, are the performances I liked best from the show. I don't think I mentioned that, haha. But yea, ヘドロ and ATTITUDE and even REQUIRED MALFUNCTION, I feel like they just really tore it up like some grungy rock stars here, I can't even lie. It was at this live when they were playing ヘドロ actually when I felt the heaviness of the new music the easiest, I think, because the heaviness of the new album (imho anyway) is kind of really obscured by the electronic alterations. But hearing them tear it up in ヘドロ without to much editting to cloud them up, it became very clear. I felt even at parts of this song that chords and order were going completely awry and it was 100% amazing.

Anyway, when the hall let out everyone hung around the hall for forever and we were super confused as to why so many people were hanging around and for what purpose, when we realised... Oh yea, we're in the country. People are waiting for their car rides home. Hahahahaha...

Living in the city here will turn your mind into fucking soup. :D

Anyway, when we came out at night and it was dark, we had the most beautiful scenery to look over.

The top is the hall and the bottom are the lights and a giant fountain across Lake Biwa. Really beautiful, kind of like the Florida coast line and resort area from across the water. And stars! We could see so many stars in the sky!

Just behind the hall was the beautiful set up. There was a jazz festival happening, so there was this lovely candle-lit area we walked through for a moment (looked a lot like the lights from the Tokae Festival in Nara). Anyway, with the sounds of the festival activities and other people wandering and the lights, it was really just the most luxurious atmosphere in the world that evening. If K had been a cute boy with nice hair I might have tried something on her, hahaha! Like my standards?

Another great point of this live was that K managed to snatch me up this beauty in the goods line...

dun dun dun

The bear speaker! YAAAAY! I was fucking ecstatic. I was wondering if it was going to be possible at all and now he's mine forever. I love him, but I have to admit there's something creepy about pulling all the wires out the back. Kind of like disemboweling him or something. Kinda creeps me out. D:

That's about all for the Shiga live. Next time I'll post the last of the week of "live hell", the Kobe show. When did this become a live/concert blog? That really isn't my intention here.

Anyway, this came about a week ago in the mail for me! the GazettE x TSUTAYA 「Wear the music!」limited shirt. I ordered the regular version of the album and this baby and sent in a postcard for a chance at winning a special live ticket for SHIBUYA O-EAST on Christmas eve. Of course, there's no way in hell I will win since it's only 1000 people, but had to try and see right? Shirt is fucking adorable.

GROAN OF DIPLOSOMIA 01 @ OLIX

Good evening! This time I wanted to talk about the first of the two the GazettE OLIX (オリックス劇所) shows on 10/10, since it's the only one I went to, haha. So, after The Predators the day before, I went home, slept, and prepared for the show the next day. I have to say, this week gave me the most ridiculous shoulder pain for some reason.

Derpin' about and getting ready. This day I finally got to pull out my BIG T-shirt (haha, tour good names). This thing is huge and wears like a choir robe in more ways than one. I expect the tour final will just sells us full on priest cosplay. But anyway, I'm in love with this shirt and I would wear it every day of my life if I could. ♥

The pants I am obssessed with as well, from GAL STAR at Rakuten (that took forever to receive for some reason). I own two pairs of these and a solid wine-colored pair. The fit's a little strange, since the waist is far too big and I need to wear a belt, but the legs fit quite nicely. Guess I just have fat legs? Hahaha! 

This pair is great, though, and super versatile with all kinds of outfits. The solid colored back is supposed to give the illusion of thinner legs as well (guess I need that, ha)! 

Anyway, when I was ready, I left and headed to the park to wait in the goods line in another vain attempt to get the bear speaker that had been sold out at Yokosuka. I thought it would be ok, too, but when I got up to the counter, the girl in front of me got the last one, I kid you not. She stumbled off with it and I stepped up and asked and the lady just point blankly told me in was done. I was so upset! Especially since there was an open box with one sitting right on top behind her. DX

K grabbed it for me in Shiga, though, so now my life is complete! XD

But since I had nothing to do after that disappointment, I headed off to wait for hall opening in a Freshness Burger with this sexy hunk:

I think I just instagrammed for like two straight hours what.

Anyway, finally it was nearing hall open, so I wandered back over to wait in the park outside taking emo pictures and watching some Reita and Ruki cosplayers assaulting one another.

Even though I can't say Yokosuka was a bad show, this show was soooo much better. The mood was better, the crowd was better, and the music sounded a little more together, imho. Even though I was 3rd floor, I had a great view of the entire stage and all the people in our section were really excited and into the show (because there's nothing worse than being at a good show and surrounded by shitheads who wanna stand and gape motionlessly, sorry if that's you).

I also got seated beside the great girl from Tokushima who was there on her own too! It can be super lonely at concerts alone sometimes, so I was super excited to meet someone really nice and friendly like her. We chatted lulzily all the way to the station afterwards, too. ♥

The set list:

[Diplosomia]
[XI]
DERANGEMENT
GABRIEL ON THE GALLOWS
VENOMOUS SPIDER’S WEB
VORTEX
CLEVER MONKEY
THE SUICIDE CIRCUS
DRIPPING INSANITY
余韻
影踏み
籠の蛹
[Depth]
歪
ヘドロ
VERMIN
SLUDGY CULT
HEADACHE MAN
ATTITUDE
REQUIRED MALFUNCTION
[Melt]

{EN]
Ride with the rockers
TOMORROW NEVER DIES
SILLY GOD DISCO
SWALLOWTAIL ON THE DEATH VALLEY
COCKROACH
LINDA ～Candydive Pinky Heaven～

[WEN]
関東土下座組合

Now. If you run through the setlist of the Yokosuka live for a sec, you might notice something similar here. Namely, that they're the same damn setlet, even through the encore. That was a little bit of a let down, honestly, but as I said, this live was so much better that I can't even really complain since they legit seemed like different lives. I was so excited to hear SILLY GOD DISCO again too, so whatev. 8D

This time too I could actually see the video on the screen, which turns out to be mostly clips from the [Diplosomia] PV, but I feel kind of like they're finally put into context with the live happening around them. They were a bit still on the stage this time, but Uruha was working up a storm. Actually I feel like he was doing work over there, for some reason, kicking up dust and dancing. I notice that all of the big solos are his with this album, which makes me a little sad, since I would have liked to see some more Aoi (I worry about that guy).

Back to Uruha, when it came to his solo in SILLY GOD DISCO, he ran up for some attention from Ruki who ignored him and immediately went to get some water... So Uruha followed him back there, and Ruki just kinda looked over in Reita's direction until he finally gave up. It was so sad and hilarious I died a little. ♥

Oh yea, at this live jumping was not allowed. Apparently if we all jump, we disrupt the neighborhood around the hall, so we were supposed to not jump. I'm pretty sure we all did anyway, though. XD

As mentioned before, I didn't go to the second day of OLIX (didn't have the cash moneys, haha, the week before payday sucks). But Jiroko and I went out for dinner and dropped by the venue to grab the special wallpaper from psmobile. And as we wandered the back streets, what should roll up but THE GAZE BUS.

He was like parked on a side of the street for a nice while when we finally got to him, and then it was like as soon as we started trying to take a picture he kept driving off. We ran after and he kept stopped, letting us catch up, and then running off again. If he woulda' climbed out of that bus I woulda' fought him, haha.

Anyway, there was that adventure.

Tried this manicure style this week. I liked it, but I'm about the messiest nail artist you've ever seen.

I love days off. ♥

GROAN OF DIPLOSOMIA 01 @ Yokosuka

Today I thought I would talk about the Yokosuka show, or the start of the GROAN OF DIPLOSOMIA 01 tour. And try not to sound like Reita after spending so much time with his column yesterday. DX

So I am stupid and decided to shink up for the show on the morning of, which turned out great, only I had crazy anxiety dreams about hanging out with people and being late to catch my train and missing the show. In reality I got there about a perfect hour before doors open and was one of the first people in the doors (after spending thirty minutes having a minor freak out about the weird people I saw stealing presents from Ruki's box-- I only wish I were joking about that).

I also saw Rebecca there, who I don't think I have seen since the first Yokohama Blitz show of HETERODOXY in July? It's so nice to run into people you know when you go to lives alone, especially when you're traveling so far. :D

The tickets for this tour have such a nice design!

So I shoved some stuff in my purse, grabbed my tickets and was off-- I was coming back by night bus, so no luggage! It was super nice to travel so light, but of course I gave in and bought goods (instead of waiting for the Osaka shows, like I intended to) so I ended up hauling a little more back.

Heading out!

I know a lot of girls get dressed up or look nice for lives, which is great and I wish I could do that, but dressing for lives to me is dressing for comfort and function rather than appearance. Tour shirt and some comfy pants or tights and shorts is the way to go usually. Maybe if I weren't going there half for the purpose of thrashing around like a wild animal. But I really can see beauty to going there looking like a hottie and coming out like a some sort of withered plant. It's the Filth in the beauty, eh? Eh??! 8D

Anyway, Yokosuka was a nice place, partially because it was pretty and good weather and there's the ocean, but mostly because THEY HAVE FUCKING SUBMARINES, YES THEY DO. It's always been a dream of mine to see a real honest-to-god submarine. And if they had offered me a look around inside I actually might have skipped the live. XD

COMPACT PLACES.

Some snaps from the live from le instagram.

The hall was really nice, a very classy performing arts center. The problem was the balcony seating on the sides was lame as fuuuu-. I got my ticket through HERESY but somehow ended up with 3rd floor standing, which was a shock to me (and the other girls in my section, actually: "へっ、ファンクラブ入ってるのに立見?!" ). I mean, I'm used to getting some awful ticket numbers for the GazettE, but that was just kind of like a smack in the face, really.

But anyway, I went in on the left side and stood with some awesome Aoi fan girls and some middle schoolers who seemed like they were playing MASH or something on a clip board during the live. They would giggle and mark things and circle things and then stand up and do the furi very boredly for a song or two.  That was all fine, but the problem was that all the people on my side were there for Aoi and we had absolutely no view of him the entire live (well until he came over to stand on Uruha's side for a few seconds during the encore). And really we only saw Reita during Ride with the rockers. Ruki was even only visible to me on occasional glimpses through some people's arms. So we all played stare down with Uruha and part of Kai for about two songs before we gave up and just furi'd and kind of smiled at one another.

This is where problem number two came in. None of us knew each other and no one was used to the transition and the style of the new DIVISION songs yet. So we weren't really sure what to do. Usually, when I'm at a GazettE live I see during pretty much every song but the slow intermission, people are doing something, but Yokosuka was a lot of stillness. It seemed for a lot of the live people would try to do some furi or move, but the music would change up and we would all just end up standing there like ghosts. I know I looked around and worried when I saw some people sitting down around the hall, and I got REAL worried.

I guess that's the thing with so much new music at once, though. It was the tour start, so I expected it to be more of a crazy blow out, but it was kind of like watching some slightly psychotic baby deer trying to stand for the first time.

I love the GazettE almost unconditionally at this point, if we're being honest, but I can admit when a live wasn't amazing, and Yokosuka wasn't amazing for me. I think it was just too much new at once and bad seating and the strange new jazzy sound they added into the setting that just threw me. But it was just the beginning, so I knew it had to get better, and it definitely did when I saw them in Osaka.

The live wasn't bad, though, just uncomfortable? The atmosphere was a little weird. I mean, if anything, the new songs sounded really polished and the visual display (the part I could see) was really nice. Of course this is all just my personal impression, and I'm no one but some lone fan girl laying in bed with a laptop on a Wednesday afternoon, so feel free to discard me.

It really kicked up a notch in the encore, though, when they pulled out the songs we all knew and loved. Though, it was super surprising when they came out with TOMORROW NEVER DIES as the first encore song (after a really short, super jazzed up Ride with the rockers), it kind of cheered me up I think. The also performed SILLY GOD DISCO, which we all freaked out over. Megaphone and everything. At some point in this song Uruha approached Ruki behind his box and there seemed to be something fanservice-y happening there, but one of the girls down front made a huge fuss and completely blocked it out of my line of sight.

The bus! Crazy colors in the night as I walked back to the station to wait in a McDonalds in Yokohama for a few hours for my nightbus. There were a bunch of girls here watching a sassy-looking blond guy shove a huge box into a van. His job looks difficult.

Here's le setlist: よこすか芸術劇所 the GazettE (2012.10.08)

[Diplosomia]

[XI]

DERANGEMENT

GABRIEL ON THE GALLOWS

VENOMOUS SPIDER’S WEB

VORTEX

CLEVER MONKEY

THE SUICIDE CIRCUS

DRIPPING INSANITY

余韻

影踏み

籠の蛹

[Depth]

歪

ヘドロ

VERMIN

SLUDGY CULT

HEADACHE MAN

ATTITUDE

REQUIRED MALFUNCTION

[Melt]

[EN]

Ride with the rockers

TOMORROW NEVER DIES

SILLY GOD DISCO

SWALLOWTAIL ON THE DEATH VALLEY

COCKROACH

LINDA ～Candydive Pinky Heaven～

[WEN]

関東土下座組合

Goods I picked up at the first live.

I grabbed the pamphlet for sure this time because it's divided into member booklets this time. Aoi's has some super laughable photoshop and Uruha's interview makes me criiiiiiiiinge. Also picked up the pink version of the cellphone case, the iphone accessory pierces and button sticker, the big t-shirt that saya WACK and a bag to carry it all in.

Whoever put rivets in the material of that bag should be scolded though. Two of my strap holes broke the second time I used it and there wasn't even anything heavy in it. DDX

And now I've said too much and remembered why I don't usually do live reviews, haha!

I apologize if it seems this blog has gone in a weird direction. But it's not a live blog! I do plan to post about boring things again! :D

Oh yea, and I translated Reita's SWEET HOME from Garish Room 16 at my livejournal if anyone's interested on Reita's thoughts on the band over the past 10 years (or at least until 2007).

REFUSE THE LIMIT OF THE HEAD

THE IMAGE IS EMBODIED UNTIL DIE

Blaaaah. So ends my week of Gazette. This week (or eight days technically) I managed to attend 4/6 shows so far of GROAN OF DIPLOSOMIA. I don't know what I'm trying to prove here. Maybe that I'm not capable of reasonable financial decision making. :D

This week's line up:

10/8→ the GazettE @ Yokosuka Geijutsugekijou

10/9→ The Predators @ Namba Hatch

10/10→ the GazettE @ OLIX Gekijou

10/14→ the GazettE @ Biwako Hall

10/16→ the GazettE @ Kobe Bunka Hall

Yeah, the Predators sneaked in there for a sec (and were wonderful). But yea, Biwako was a sorta spontaneous decision with a friend and Kobe I ended up dragging another friend with me kicking and screaming. So it really was a kind of exciting week. 

Lots of coffee was had and headbanging was done, and let's just say I might turn out to be a lot stupider from here on out on account of I have no idea how many brain cells I've killed in this one week alone.

Surprisingly my neck, back, everything's in top shape except for my right shoulder which has been killing me all week, tensing up and stuff. guuuuuuuuh

I need to really control my spending this month, but the tour final live lottery starts on the 25th and LM.C lottery has already started for Zepp. Fml.

And I can't decide whether to buy the 2013 calendar. I bought it when I lived in Tokyo and liked it ok enough I guess, but it was kind of just faces... granted they looked nice on my wall later... I need to sleep and wake up with a less expensive problem. :/

I leave you with this.

DIVISION TIME.

My head feels like there are a bunch of little fish swimming in it. I have many things I want to do and many things to think about. My spidey senses are tingling. 8D

Anyway, I wanted to update again before August is done so I'm rushing to write again. I'm such an ass.

So I'm finally done with my cold, I think, aside from this junk in my throat, you know how it is. I've been busying myself with different work environments recently, going to branch schools to teach, so it's keeping on my toes too.

On Tuesday I went to hang out with le Katie, and finally picked up my long awaited copy of DIVISION.

Le icecream 

Le DIVISION

As you can imagine, it was kind of perfect.

DIVISION is crazy though. When the guy and Tower Records handed me the bag with it and the poster, I was shocked at how fucking heavy it was. I was actually having weird University bookstore flashbacks with me tromping down Baxter St. minus three hundred dollars, toting several tomes on nonsense like abnormal psychology and linguistics. I was actually surprised to open it (in the Baskin Robbins, of course) and find only a few critical reading passages. 8D

I won't go into my full thoughts. That's more LJ-talk, I think (maybe even secret LJ-talk) but I'm really feeling disc two. REQUIRED MALFUNCTION blows my mind the likes of HESITATING MEANS DEATH. At any rate, it's nice to have a full album to drink in after all this time. In a sense for us Heretics it's like we've been running a long time without any water, right?

Some photos of the sheer composition of this thing.

It's like a thick, nice quality album.

REQUIRED MALFUNCTION

Accompanying illustration-- I love this aspect of both DIVISION and TOXIC.

Sometimes you feel like just having the song isn't enough, right?

The concept is mainly these two girls in water. Some eerie pictures in here.

Anyway, it's given me a lot to think about. Their releases are always really interesting inspiring, even if just for the sheer amount of production that goes into them. In a way, I've come to terms that it it's kind of my dream to be involved in such a production in some way. Not necessarily like musically, but perhaps artistically? It's the same way I feel when I watch the bonus features on certain movies, all the planning and sheer creation of it is amazing. I don't really want to run one myself, but to have a little bit or artistic liberty and a goal to achieve. That would be great.

So if anyone out there is looking for a pawn... haha.

Oh yea, and my Rei's are accumulating.

Aaaah, tomorrow is the morning shift.