アンコール待ちの間面白いおじさんが上手VIP席に居て、そのおじさんは50台くらいの中年太り、頭髪よりも頭皮が眩しい系のメガネをかけた、どう見てもX知らなそうなおじさんなのですが、We are Xコールが気に入ったのか、何度も何度も音頭を取っていましたｗｗ 隣の中国系のお兄さんと一緒に何度もｗｗ凄く楽しんでましたｗｗ
フロア中央では絵に描いたような長髪のメタル野郎が肩車をされながら必死にWe are Xコール他にもあちこちでコールが起きます。 で、メンバー出てきてER。その前にYOSHIKIのMC→http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Avkdeab-8k ERでは途中TOSHIも涙声になってました。合唱部分(外人ホント合唱下手ｗｗｗ)でふとYOSHIKIを見ると手を組んで祈ってました。 ああ、あともう少しで終わる、このツアー飛ばさずにほんとに完走できるんだ、YOSHIKIもう少しだから頑張れ、って想いがこみ上げて泣けてきました。
そしてAOL。SUGIZOのヴァイオリン導入部分が終わると、SUGIZOに当たっていたライトが絞られ、ピアノの前に俯きかげんで仁王立ちするYOSHIKIにピンスポが当たって暫くそのまま。 これ凄いカッコよかったです。存在感を見せ付けている感じで…。歓声があがりまくっていました。 そしてピアノソロ。張り詰めた空気に皆じっと見入ってましたね。 途中YOSHIKIが立ち上がって激しく弾くと、歓声が上がりました。 で、バンド演奏になるとみんな拳を突き上げてたりヘドバンしてたり…。 AOLって日本では曲の生まれた経緯を知ってるからか棒立ちになりがちですが、そんなこと関係なくただ速い曲なので盛り上がってますｗｗ 自分はキーの高い部分でTOSHIの声がちゃんと出るのか心配だったのですが危なげなく歌い、最後の最後、in my life～のところは素晴らしい出来でした。
X Japan — widely known in Japan for members' sky-high hair, makeup and outrageous costumes, as well as its fusion of hard rock and melody — is ready to take on North America. Its seven-city tour includes a Seattle stop.01.html
X Japan is poised to be the first Japanese band to take over the U.S.
Founded in 1982, the band has packed Tokyo Dome's 55,000-seat arena 18 times, sold more than 30 million albums worldwide and is on the soundtrack of the popular video game "Rock Band."
X Japan made its U.S. debut at Lollapalooza in Chicago in August, and is on a seven-city tour of North America, the group's first such tour.
"It's our dream come true, we've always wanted this," said co-founder Yoshiki Hayashi — who goes simply by his first name — about touring the U.S. "We are a bit nervous but excited at the same time."
The dream was stalled for some years. After overwhelming success, the band broke up in 1997 as Yoshiki and co-founder Toshimitsu Deyama grew apart and members pursued solo careers. Then in 1998, lead guitarist Hideto Matsumoto killed himself. The band reunited in 2007.
"We had internal problems," said Yoshiki, 44. "When we reunited, we didn't know if it was only a one-time thing or the beginning of something. Then last year, I had neck surgery and had to stop. At same time, we had to learn speak English, too."
The group's sound and look may be the key to its success. On stage, members are an amalgam of American classic-rock influences — the impact of Bono, the look of KISS and the sound of Chopin blended with Metallica.
"We are very flashy," said Yoshiki, on the phone from Los Angeles. "Some people think we have Kabuki influences."
Like actors in Kabuki, that traditional Japanese theater form, X Japan's look is larger than life. Members are glam rock at its best: sky-high hair, makeup and outrageous costumes. And their music is as loud as their clothes, a melodic fusion of metal, classical and punk rock.
Yoshiki is a rock star in his own right. He composes, plays drums and piano for X Japan. He was commissioned to compose and perform a piano concerto for the Japanese Emperor Akihito's 10th year on the throne in 1999. And he's the only person who has a Hello Kitty character named after him: Yoshikitty.
And that neck injury?
It's from headbanging.
"We play really fast songs," he said. "I was headbanging hard for a long time, but now I have to drum with a neck brace on, which makes it even harder to play the drums. ... but, I'll do anything for my fans."
See more images from X Japan's historic show in "X Japan @ The Wiltern." Check out our previous coverage of X Japan in "Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Peek of X Japan's Video Shoot for 'Jade,'" "Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Photos of X Japan's Video Shoot" (Pics) and "X Japan in the U.S.: From Anime Conventions to Lollapalooza to a North American Tour."
Saturday night, X Japan played The Wiltern. It was a night of firsts, as it was both the band's first proper concert in Los Angeles and the first stop on their first North American tour. Considering that the Japanese hard rock outfit's initial heyday was in the 1980s and '90s, there's no denying that this was a long-anticipated event and excitement permeated the area surrounding the venue hours before the band stepped onto the stage.
We arrived at The Wiltern at about 5 p.m., at which point the line began at the front of the theater on the corner of Wilshire and Western, extended down the block to the next side street, wrapped around another corner and stretched out for another half a block.
The line was peppered with people whose love for X Japan extended far beyond wearing the band's t-shirt to the show. There were cosplayers, people holding dolls that resembled late guitarist Hide and people with simple "X" tattoos.
This wasn't the kind of show you casually catch after work or hit up spontaneously on a weekend. This was a concert, a massive, day-long extravaganza where the amount of time you spend getting ready is only rivaled by the time spent in line.
As we walked up and down the line, I couldn't help but flashback to some of the biggest shows I had ever seen, things like The Cure at the Rose Bowl or David Bowie and Nine Inch Nails at The Forum. This was a much smaller venue for a band with far less immediate name recognition in the U.S. , but the vibe was remarkably similar. It was obvious that for at least some in attendance, this would become one of the greatest musical moments of their lives.
Inside the venue, the crowd chanted fiercely as they waited for the night's headliners. Someone would shout, "We are" and much of the audience would respond with "X." Then more people would cry "We are" and the call and response continued. When you scream "X!" you raise your arms above your head and cross your wrists to form the letter X. You can do this with glow-sticks as well. This went on sporadically until the lights dimmed, opera filled the room and the members of the band appeared on stage.
From my vantage point in the back of the venue, standing behind some guys who were much taller than I am, all I could see was Yoshiki, the band's drummer, pianist, composer and spokesperson. He stood above his drum kit, swathed in blue light. His long, white jacket gently swayed as he stayed relatively still in his rock-godlike pose. He then ripped off the jacket . The screams grew deafening. The show had begun.
X Japan is a stadium band. They have multiple gigs at Tokyo Dome under their belt. As such, they treated The Wiltern as though it were Dodger Stadium. There were grand LED lights on display. There were pyrotechnic elements. There were costume changes. More importantly, though, there was choreography. If you watched closely, you might notice how Yoshiki and guitarist Sugizo occasionally made synchronized gestures with their arms.
Every movement the members of X Japan made on stage amplified the drama of their melodic, orchestral-tinged metal. During his violin solos, Sugizo alternately arched back and dropped his torso forward. Similarly, Yoshiki concluded a piano solo by letting his head fall towards the keys. Singer Toshi consistently pumped his fist in the air to keep the energy high. X Japan isn't just a band of incredibly skilled musicians, but of master performers. Young musicians could learn a lot by watching them play.
During the encore, the band acknowledged the importance of this show. Yoshiki spoke emotionally about Hide. Though the guitarist died more than a decade ago, shortly after the band members initially parted ways, he remains an integral part of X Japan. That there were people in the audience dressed nearly identical to him was one of several indications of this fact. Yoshiki then went on to say that he has been living in L.A. for about ten years now, that the city has become, in many ways, his "hometown." It's significant, then, that the band chose L.A. to kick-start this new era of X Japan.
As the show concluded, the band members felt no need to wind down the crowd. Toshi and Yoshiki led the rallying cry with the simple "We are!" The response "X" was louder than it had been all night. X Japan clearly didn't leave the audience disappointed.
The Godfathers of the Japanese Visual-Kei movement, X-Japan, reunited and launched their first North American tour at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles last night. It can certainly be said that without X-Japan, there wouldn't be acts such as Dir En Grey, D'espairsray, Malice Mizer, Luna Sea and Gackt. Drummer/Pianist Yoshiki assembled all the original members, Toshi, Pata, Heath, along with Luna Sea's guitarist/violinist, Sugizo, for their maiden American voyage. After many set backs and tragedies for over a decade, the boys finally get their due. To dismiss them as "has-beens" or "posers", is certainly an injustice. Eventhough their music may not be your cup of tea, you have to admire their individual musical virtuosity.
Please, do check these guys out if they come around your neighborhood.
