INFO:
GACKT Europe Tour 2010 –Attack of the YELLOW FRIED CHICKENz-
O2 Academy Islington, London, UK
16th July 2010
SETLIST:
Zan
Dybbuk
Nine Spiral
Speed Master
Lu:na
Kimi ga Matteiru Kara
Mind Forest (English ver.)
Ever
Justified
Jesus
Flower
Kagero
En.1 Uncontrol (Kyoki Ranbu edit.)
REPORT:
Although this was always going to be one of the best nights of my life, I still managed to almost be late *headdesk*. Arriving literally fifteen minutes before the door time, me, Taz and Sol were only about 20 people in from the end of the queue. Still, at least there was barely any waiting, and after crawling around the shopfront and placing my DVD for Gackt in the collection box on the way in, I headed to the mass of fans that was the merch stand. And after quite a bit of waiting, during which I found another friend Megan who I had no idea was even coming, things began to sell out. And I watched as the last sweatbands were unpinned from the wall, crying out in desperation (LOL). Which must have worked, as the guy turned to me and said, “you want the last one?” So, I nabbed that, what appeared to also be the last set of earphones, an epic photobook and a shirt (more on the merch later, with photos).
Of course, by now the balcony was full, so myself and Megan had to linger near the back for the tedious repetition of piano music – Gackt’s customary opening, times a thousand. Eventually, after bouts of chanting “YFC!” and “Gakuto!”, a weird pre-recorded voiceover erupted from the speakers. “This is Gackt’s secretary speaking. Are all you f***ers ready?” (I should point out, I think Gackt has only just discovered that word xD). It continued, in a somewhat pleasing way, by swearing at smokers and telling everyone to quit (though you’re a fine one to talk, Mr Camui…) and then calling this a ‘Recruits Rally’.
After each demand, we were told to respond by shouting “Oss!” (which is probably meant like ‘oath’, a promise, as there’s no ~th~ sound in Japanese). And after much swearing, in both senses of the word, it ended. And then it began. GacktJob came out onstage. Jun-Ji, with his awesome hair, sidled over to the drumkit to much appreciation. You came to the left side of the stage, and aww, he’s so sweet, grinning at everything ^^ along with Chacha to the right, his hair in some sort of half-beehive style. Chirolyn, who I now absolutely adore, came on playing the fool as usual. And somewhere amidst it all, the man himself appeared, back to us, standing near the centre in the dark. Then, all at once, my world exploded.
As ZAN kicked up, Gackt turned and climbed high on the podium at the front, wielding a huge katana. He continued to swirl the sword around throughout the song, after which it magically disappeared (courtesy of the roadies, of course). A truly epic opening, ZAN was even better live than recorded – although as a B-Side to Setsugekka, it’s certainly the opposite style. The heavy beats and solid rhythm made the perfect headbanging entry, with most of the front half of the floor turning into a mosh frenzy. Surges swept me forward, which was fine by me. xD Ending up a couple of places into the crowd, I was inching forward as DYBBUK started. A song from my favourite album Crescent, it was great to hear it live. At about this time, one of the tour crew came through the crowd holding a camera aloft, filming the 800-strong fans.
You could see the enjoyment on the faces of You and Chacha as they… rapped (?) the verses, before the surreal high-pitched melody of Gackt’s inhuman voice. Another hard song, much headbanging helped me creep closer to the stage… …for NINE SPIRAL, which, if I’m honest, was a bit of a blur. I’ve always preferred the live version to the recorded one, and it followed the heavier theme of much of the gig. Still a great song as it was as the B-Side of Secret Garden, I continued to be swept forwards, enjoying every minute but already beginning to feel the light agony people have described after a YFC concert. But I was right back with it for SPEED MASTER, which was epic. This song is just so good live, and I surprised myself with how many of the words I knew.
Gackt was really getting the crowd going, with the rest of the band having their share of the fun. Chirolyn came to the front left, near where I had ended up, and began sticking his tongue out at us. He looked just like the Joker (as portrayed by the late Heath Ledger) with his weird makeup, albeit with huge spiky pink hair. I could swear he looked right at me, so I stuck out my tongue too. He seemed pleased. xD And then came LU:NA, the song for which devoted fans who’ve seen the YFC DVD had all been waiting.
Now was the time for Gackt to strip. After a frenzied chorus, Chacha played the acoustic guitar solo on his electric guitar, which was completely awesome, and then it happened. Emitting pure testosterone, Gackt tore off his tie, tossing it into the crowd, and ripped apart his shirt. The buttons visibly popped, flying towards us, and the shirt was thrown to the front where it was promptly devoured by fifty fangirls. The other five hundred screamed at the sweating, muscly chest exposed to us, and after converting his raw manliness to vocals, the song ended.
We all needed something to calm down after that. Luckily, Gackt had prepared the perfect thing, KIMI GA MATTEIRU KARA. A powerful ballad into which Gackt’s voice was filled with emotion, it was an amazing song. The sweat dripped from his body as we all sang along to the chorus, completely immersed in the world created for us. The beautiful accompaniment and recorded backing track really added to the experience, and at the end the lights faded out and cheers of appreciation went up. None of us could have expected a version of MIND FOREST that he sung completely in largely understandable English, but nevertheless that’s what Gackt gave us. The fact that he’d taken the time to translate the lyrics, while still maintaining the meaning, timing and power of the song, was enough to start off some of the already excited fangirls.
That said, it was a mesmerising performance, the newly exposed Gackt pouring his soul into it. I always loved this song (since it’s also on Crescent), but now it’s up there with my favourites. Then we were finally able to hear the new single live, before it’s even released. What can I say? EVER is an awesome song. I’m slightly disappointed that it replaced White Eyes, especially with it being a pretty short gig, but of course it’s new Gackt, so meh. It seemed quite a heavy song but also kind of feel-good in a way (unless it was just the atmosphere ^^). The chorus was epic, and although I can’t recall the words, the tune’s still buzzing in my head. Definitely looking forward to this release now, with the B-Side being the new remix of Uncontrol. :D Getting back to the hard stuff, the next song was JUSTIFIED, which has only just seen a proper release on the “Are You Fried Chickenz?” album (which was onsale at the gig, btw, I just didn’t buy it there ^^). I was surprised at how good this is live, seeing as how the recorded version isn’t even four minutes long.Fan participation, people, fan participation. And then the drawn out ending, which was very satisfying indeed.
As the last chords faded, Gackt screamed “JESUS!” and it was straight into the intro, shouts of “hey!” led by the man himself. This was definitely one of the highlights of the concert. JESUS is probably Gackt’s heaviest song to date (though ymmv) but it’s also one of his best, and definitely one of my favourites. It’s really quite something live, with everyone either singing along with the chorus or shouting alternately. And the ending, just as in ЯRII, was longer, with wacky guitar distortion and extended bouts of “hey!” Just… Wow. After all this excitement, Gackt made the next song (and one of my all-time favourites, even though it’s really recent) something truly special. As FLOWER began, he sang alone, unaccompanied by GacktJob. The powerful voice as he poured his emotion into the chorus filled the room. For once it was almost silent as we watched in awe. Yes, his voice is definitely just as good live as recorded, if not even better as you can feel the untamed rawness behind his controlled vocals. And then the song began proper, and we were refreshed.
He allowed the crowd to sing alone at times, and you could see what that meant to him even through his smug exterior. A powerful ballad, ending with everyone united singing the last words, “you are the irreplaceable flower.” And we all meant it. The final song was KAGERO, one that was actually written by Chacha. Another ballad, this one (for anyone who hasn’t heard it) sounds very much like a more acoustic version of Setsugekka. It’s a gorgeous piece of music with some beautiful violin work in the interludes, which regrettably You was unable to play.
Leaving tears in our eyes, Gackt left the stage, followed by the others. A solemn contentment fell upon the crowd. Then the encore calls began. Shouts of “YFC!” and others rose and died, until, after a brief wait, the new Kyoki Ranbu edition of UNCONTROL began. Gackt and Job re-emerged to screams and cheers, and it began anew. More of a dance-styled remix, it’s an old song from his second solo album Rebirth and again, one of my favourites (how lucky am I? xD). This new edition is epic and although no-one seemed to know many of the words when Gackt opened the mic to us, we all definitely knew the song. Luckily for those who can’t go to one of these epic gigs, this version of UNCONTROL will be on the new single. And this time it really was the end.
For a long time, they all stood at the front, taking in our love, screams and cheers, while the upbeat dance music everyone calls a remix of Todokanai played in the background. By this point I was only a few rows from the front, and I could clearly see You grinning almost directly in front of me. He seems to really enjoy the support from the fans, and I suppose, being the first date on the tour, none of them really knew what to expect. Chirolyn continued to pull wacky faces at everyone, and Jun-Ji, now at the forefront with the others, received much praise. Then they discovered the huge Union Jack flag that everyone had signed, with Gackt’s old logo and the date across it. After much hilarity and fumbling, GacktJob got it the right way round and held it across the man himself, to renewed cheers. And eventually, they left, Gackt now draped in the flag, having spent a brief MC calling us his family, and promising to return soon. I think he meant it. Only Chirolyn remained, taunting the crowd. Now that Gackt and the others had left, he stood on the podium and worked up the crowd, chanting, “YFC!” Then, when he was satisfied with the response, a huge grin spread across his face and he dropped his shorts. Jumping acrobatically from the podium to further cheers with his YFC shorts around his legs, he hobbled backstage, almost falling over and being caught by a couple of roadies. As everyone laughed and screamed, the music ended, and the voiceover came on once again. “This is Gackt’s secretary speaking. This Rally is officially disbanded.” And after futher talking and swearing of both kinds, it ended for real, and I returned to the doors, meeting others along the way.
I should also mention that on the way out, one of the tour crew stood with a camera and a sign that read, “Messages for Yellow Fried Chickenz (Gackt)”, and people left their love on record. One of the best nights of my life, Gackt’s gig was something I had been dreaming of for over three years. And now that’s come true, and better still, he may be back again in the not too distant future. Also, here's a minor comment on merch. I thought it was decently priced, but of course there's little point saying that as everyone else ill be using Euros instead of GBP ^^
I bought a shirt, photobook, sweatband and earphones. The photobook actually contains all of the photos from the postcard box of the Japanese merch, as well as ALL of the sex cards or 'Master Positions'. Sounds like a good deal to me!!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Everything I bought^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
GACKT Europe Tour 2010 –Attack of the YELLOW FRIED CHICKENz-
O2 Academy Islington, London, UK
16th July 2010
SETLIST:
Zan
Dybbuk
Nine Spiral
Speed Master
Lu:na
Kimi ga Matteiru Kara
Mind Forest (English ver.)
Ever
Justified
Jesus
Flower
Kagero
En.1 Uncontrol (Kyoki Ranbu edit.)
REPORT:
Although this was always going to be one of the best nights of my life, I still managed to almost be late *headdesk*. Arriving literally fifteen minutes before the door time, me, Taz and Sol were only about 20 people in from the end of the queue. Still, at least there was barely any waiting, and after crawling around the shopfront and placing my DVD for Gackt in the collection box on the way in, I headed to the mass of fans that was the merch stand. And after quite a bit of waiting, during which I found another friend Megan who I had no idea was even coming, things began to sell out. And I watched as the last sweatbands were unpinned from the wall, crying out in desperation (LOL). Which must have worked, as the guy turned to me and said, “you want the last one?” So, I nabbed that, what appeared to also be the last set of earphones, an epic photobook and a shirt (more on the merch later, with photos).
Of course, by now the balcony was full, so myself and Megan had to linger near the back for the tedious repetition of piano music – Gackt’s customary opening, times a thousand. Eventually, after bouts of chanting “YFC!” and “Gakuto!”, a weird pre-recorded voiceover erupted from the speakers. “This is Gackt’s secretary speaking. Are all you f***ers ready?” (I should point out, I think Gackt has only just discovered that word xD). It continued, in a somewhat pleasing way, by swearing at smokers and telling everyone to quit (though you’re a fine one to talk, Mr Camui…) and then calling this a ‘Recruits Rally’.
After each demand, we were told to respond by shouting “Oss!” (which is probably meant like ‘oath’, a promise, as there’s no ~th~ sound in Japanese). And after much swearing, in both senses of the word, it ended. And then it began. GacktJob came out onstage. Jun-Ji, with his awesome hair, sidled over to the drumkit to much appreciation. You came to the left side of the stage, and aww, he’s so sweet, grinning at everything ^^ along with Chacha to the right, his hair in some sort of half-beehive style. Chirolyn, who I now absolutely adore, came on playing the fool as usual. And somewhere amidst it all, the man himself appeared, back to us, standing near the centre in the dark. Then, all at once, my world exploded.
As ZAN kicked up, Gackt turned and climbed high on the podium at the front, wielding a huge katana. He continued to swirl the sword around throughout the song, after which it magically disappeared (courtesy of the roadies, of course). A truly epic opening, ZAN was even better live than recorded – although as a B-Side to Setsugekka, it’s certainly the opposite style. The heavy beats and solid rhythm made the perfect headbanging entry, with most of the front half of the floor turning into a mosh frenzy. Surges swept me forward, which was fine by me. xD Ending up a couple of places into the crowd, I was inching forward as DYBBUK started. A song from my favourite album Crescent, it was great to hear it live. At about this time, one of the tour crew came through the crowd holding a camera aloft, filming the 800-strong fans.
You could see the enjoyment on the faces of You and Chacha as they… rapped (?) the verses, before the surreal high-pitched melody of Gackt’s inhuman voice. Another hard song, much headbanging helped me creep closer to the stage… …for NINE SPIRAL, which, if I’m honest, was a bit of a blur. I’ve always preferred the live version to the recorded one, and it followed the heavier theme of much of the gig. Still a great song as it was as the B-Side of Secret Garden, I continued to be swept forwards, enjoying every minute but already beginning to feel the light agony people have described after a YFC concert. But I was right back with it for SPEED MASTER, which was epic. This song is just so good live, and I surprised myself with how many of the words I knew.
Gackt was really getting the crowd going, with the rest of the band having their share of the fun. Chirolyn came to the front left, near where I had ended up, and began sticking his tongue out at us. He looked just like the Joker (as portrayed by the late Heath Ledger) with his weird makeup, albeit with huge spiky pink hair. I could swear he looked right at me, so I stuck out my tongue too. He seemed pleased. xD And then came LU:NA, the song for which devoted fans who’ve seen the YFC DVD had all been waiting.
Now was the time for Gackt to strip. After a frenzied chorus, Chacha played the acoustic guitar solo on his electric guitar, which was completely awesome, and then it happened. Emitting pure testosterone, Gackt tore off his tie, tossing it into the crowd, and ripped apart his shirt. The buttons visibly popped, flying towards us, and the shirt was thrown to the front where it was promptly devoured by fifty fangirls. The other five hundred screamed at the sweating, muscly chest exposed to us, and after converting his raw manliness to vocals, the song ended.
We all needed something to calm down after that. Luckily, Gackt had prepared the perfect thing, KIMI GA MATTEIRU KARA. A powerful ballad into which Gackt’s voice was filled with emotion, it was an amazing song. The sweat dripped from his body as we all sang along to the chorus, completely immersed in the world created for us. The beautiful accompaniment and recorded backing track really added to the experience, and at the end the lights faded out and cheers of appreciation went up. None of us could have expected a version of MIND FOREST that he sung completely in largely understandable English, but nevertheless that’s what Gackt gave us. The fact that he’d taken the time to translate the lyrics, while still maintaining the meaning, timing and power of the song, was enough to start off some of the already excited fangirls.
That said, it was a mesmerising performance, the newly exposed Gackt pouring his soul into it. I always loved this song (since it’s also on Crescent), but now it’s up there with my favourites. Then we were finally able to hear the new single live, before it’s even released. What can I say? EVER is an awesome song. I’m slightly disappointed that it replaced White Eyes, especially with it being a pretty short gig, but of course it’s new Gackt, so meh. It seemed quite a heavy song but also kind of feel-good in a way (unless it was just the atmosphere ^^). The chorus was epic, and although I can’t recall the words, the tune’s still buzzing in my head. Definitely looking forward to this release now, with the B-Side being the new remix of Uncontrol. :D Getting back to the hard stuff, the next song was JUSTIFIED, which has only just seen a proper release on the “Are You Fried Chickenz?” album (which was onsale at the gig, btw, I just didn’t buy it there ^^). I was surprised at how good this is live, seeing as how the recorded version isn’t even four minutes long.Fan participation, people, fan participation. And then the drawn out ending, which was very satisfying indeed.
As the last chords faded, Gackt screamed “JESUS!” and it was straight into the intro, shouts of “hey!” led by the man himself. This was definitely one of the highlights of the concert. JESUS is probably Gackt’s heaviest song to date (though ymmv) but it’s also one of his best, and definitely one of my favourites. It’s really quite something live, with everyone either singing along with the chorus or shouting alternately. And the ending, just as in ЯRII, was longer, with wacky guitar distortion and extended bouts of “hey!” Just… Wow. After all this excitement, Gackt made the next song (and one of my all-time favourites, even though it’s really recent) something truly special. As FLOWER began, he sang alone, unaccompanied by GacktJob. The powerful voice as he poured his emotion into the chorus filled the room. For once it was almost silent as we watched in awe. Yes, his voice is definitely just as good live as recorded, if not even better as you can feel the untamed rawness behind his controlled vocals. And then the song began proper, and we were refreshed.
He allowed the crowd to sing alone at times, and you could see what that meant to him even through his smug exterior. A powerful ballad, ending with everyone united singing the last words, “you are the irreplaceable flower.” And we all meant it. The final song was KAGERO, one that was actually written by Chacha. Another ballad, this one (for anyone who hasn’t heard it) sounds very much like a more acoustic version of Setsugekka. It’s a gorgeous piece of music with some beautiful violin work in the interludes, which regrettably You was unable to play.
Leaving tears in our eyes, Gackt left the stage, followed by the others. A solemn contentment fell upon the crowd. Then the encore calls began. Shouts of “YFC!” and others rose and died, until, after a brief wait, the new Kyoki Ranbu edition of UNCONTROL began. Gackt and Job re-emerged to screams and cheers, and it began anew. More of a dance-styled remix, it’s an old song from his second solo album Rebirth and again, one of my favourites (how lucky am I? xD). This new edition is epic and although no-one seemed to know many of the words when Gackt opened the mic to us, we all definitely knew the song. Luckily for those who can’t go to one of these epic gigs, this version of UNCONTROL will be on the new single. And this time it really was the end.
For a long time, they all stood at the front, taking in our love, screams and cheers, while the upbeat dance music everyone calls a remix of Todokanai played in the background. By this point I was only a few rows from the front, and I could clearly see You grinning almost directly in front of me. He seems to really enjoy the support from the fans, and I suppose, being the first date on the tour, none of them really knew what to expect. Chirolyn continued to pull wacky faces at everyone, and Jun-Ji, now at the forefront with the others, received much praise. Then they discovered the huge Union Jack flag that everyone had signed, with Gackt’s old logo and the date across it. After much hilarity and fumbling, GacktJob got it the right way round and held it across the man himself, to renewed cheers. And eventually, they left, Gackt now draped in the flag, having spent a brief MC calling us his family, and promising to return soon. I think he meant it. Only Chirolyn remained, taunting the crowd. Now that Gackt and the others had left, he stood on the podium and worked up the crowd, chanting, “YFC!” Then, when he was satisfied with the response, a huge grin spread across his face and he dropped his shorts. Jumping acrobatically from the podium to further cheers with his YFC shorts around his legs, he hobbled backstage, almost falling over and being caught by a couple of roadies. As everyone laughed and screamed, the music ended, and the voiceover came on once again. “This is Gackt’s secretary speaking. This Rally is officially disbanded.” And after futher talking and swearing of both kinds, it ended for real, and I returned to the doors, meeting others along the way.
I should also mention that on the way out, one of the tour crew stood with a camera and a sign that read, “Messages for Yellow Fried Chickenz (Gackt)”, and people left their love on record. One of the best nights of my life, Gackt’s gig was something I had been dreaming of for over three years. And now that’s come true, and better still, he may be back again in the not too distant future. Also, here's a minor comment on merch. I thought it was decently priced, but of course there's little point saying that as everyone else ill be using Euros instead of GBP ^^
I bought a shirt, photobook, sweatband and earphones. The photobook actually contains all of the photos from the postcard box of the Japanese merch, as well as ALL of the sex cards or 'Master Positions'. Sounds like a good deal to me!!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Everything I bought^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^^^^^Some awesome YFC earphones^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^The front of the YFC shirt, they also sold tank tops^^^^^
^^^The back of the shirt, with expletive courtesy of Gackt^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^And the detail from the side, of YFCz^^^^^^^^^^^^
^Front and back of the photobook, which contains all of the postcard photos from the Japanese merch..........^
^..........and also includes ALL of the 'Master Position' kamasutra cards! I haven't counted, but there's at least 80!^
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