12/6 Shinsaibashi CLUB DROP

The live was Deviloof’s first live and not only a lot more people showed up than what I expected, but there probably were more guys than girls in the audience for a change.

by:ARLANT was the first act and played 6 songs plus a cover of Dir en Grey. Sadly, they didn’t seem to have any fans there, but I really enjoyed seeing them again.

D.I.D. came in second and played a lot of their heavier songs. Some guys joined in to the mosh during W.O.D. 2. Someone tripped and fell and as I was trying to help them up, someone else bumped into me from the side and knocked me down to the floor. Luckily, no harm done this time, except it being slightly embarrassing.

Deviloof was the sponsor of this event so they came in last. What was interesting about them is that the first 2-3 rows were girls doing regular v-kei furi (headbanging, ori-tatami and fist-pumping mostly), but then a real metal mosh pit opened behind them with guys slamdancing and all that. It was pretty intense and made D.I.D.’s mosh look kinda tame in comparison XD 

At the very end, the vocalists of each bands came back on stage to do a short song together. Then Deviloof was called back for an encore and the D.I.D. members and Ayumi from by:ARLANT came in the audience and started a circle mosh, but Issei just walking around it like an old man. 

When it was done, I only had time to buy some D.I.D. chekis and Deviloof’s first single before running out to catch my bus back to Tokyo. But it was a pretty good live and I really enjoyed all the bands. I’m glad I did go~

Highlights of the past two months

Since I changed my job to a more flexible one earlier this year, I’ve been able to go to all of D.I.D.’s shows and follow their entire tours. So in September this was my schedule:

And then in October:

Some of the highlights of the tours include:

- Learning that Akane wasn’t going to be on stage 30 minutes before the first show in Sapporo, failing pretty hard at furi without his vocals cues and then realizing that he’d been watching everything from the back of the livehouse.

-  Meeting the new drum roadie and calling him Ramenya-san (because he looks like this) until we finally asked him his name (it’s Asaki).

- Nearly not realizing that D.I.D. was the next band playing and taking our spots at the front bar just on time for the curtains to open in Sapporo - Day 2.

- Yoshiatsu (DADAROMA) and Leo (XENON) doing W.O.D. II in Kooriyama. Leo jumped in the audience and moshed with us while Yoshiatsu did the vocals.

- Sad 4 people mosh in Nagano.

- Akane actually talking to people during demachi instead of hiding from them during the entire Geki-on tour. 

- Sho not having enough space to sit in the band van and the other members making him sit at the back with the equipment. It looked like there was a ghost at the back of their van because you could only see him when he turned on his phone.

- Having to stand on the shinkansen from Nagoya to Tokyo (2 hours) because we didn’t have reserved seats and we forgot it was right before a 3-day holiday.

- Issei having fever and passing out in the band van after the Niigata show.

- Tohma doing a backflip and landing in Issei’s bass drum in Tokyo. 

- The look on Issei’s face when Tohma did that.

And~

- Eating delicious food with other D.I.D. fans all around the country.

D.I.D. @ Ikebukuro Blackhole (2015.3.21)

Selist:  SE.雲の巣 1.LiLLY Of THe VaLLeY 2.THE LOST MY HANDS 3.atheism 4.Anti+Christ Anthem 5.ira

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D.I.D. @ HOLIDAY NEXT NAGOYA 2015.3.6

Set list: 

SE. 雲の巣 1. paradox 2. Amaryllis 3. the code number[13.] 4. Anti+Christ Anthem 5. I want to die 6. ira

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D.I.D. @ Ikebukuro EDGE 2015.3.5

Set list: 

SE. 雲の巣 1. paradox 2. Amaryllis 3. the code number [13.] 4. nihilism. 5. Anti+Christ Anthem 6. I want to die 7. $howtime in the [World's end.] 8. THE NATURAL BORN SINNER  9. the LIBRA

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New band by:ARLANT. The vocalist gave me a copy of their first single last night and I'm gonna have to keep an eye on them!

Yesterday's loot.

D.I.D. @ Takadanobaba AREA 2014.10.5

Set list:

00.until the Day I Die (instrumental) SE.雲の巣 / Kumo no su 01.atheism 02.the resolution 03.the RED 04.Ira 05.瓦解 / Gakai 06.invidia 07.ANTI+CHRIST anthem 08.I want to die 09.Good morning,MOTHER fxxker 10.the Point of No Return 〜Drums Solo〜 SE.--- 11.心眼、そして双眼。/ Shingan, soshite sougan. 12. THE NATURAL BORN SINNER

-Encore 1- 01.paradox 02.the time has come 03.Amaryllis 04.BLEADEAR 05.acedia 06.W.O.D. 07.$howtime in the [World's end.]

-Encore 2- 〜MC〜 01.until the Day I Die

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D.I.D. @ Umeda Club Quattro 2014.08.30 (LAST)

Set list:

SE. 雲の巣 / Kumo no su 01. the Point of No Return 02. Good morning,MOTHER fxxker 03. I want to die 04. W.O.D. 05. $howtime in the [World's end.]

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Good thing: Akane was at tonight's Osaka show too! Bad thing: D.I.D. is now officially on indefinite break. More details about today's live as soon as I get home.

D.I.D. @ Ikebukuro Blackhole 2014.8.28

Set list:

SE. --- 01. atheism 02. the resolution 03. Good morning,MOTHER fxxker 04. acedia 05. W.O.D. 06. $howtime in the [World's end.]

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I had a feeling about this live from the beginning. When Sho posted a picture of himself, Tohma, Issei and Akane earlier this month, he also said that Akane would not be performing with them on the 3rd nor on the 30th, the last two lives on their schedule at that time. The 28th's show was only announced two weeks after that, but technically they never said Akane wasn't going to be with them. I also dreamed that Akane performed at this live, and I often tend to have premonition dreams. But as the day got closer and no one said a thing about Akane, I eventually just half-dismissed it as me being a deluded bangya.

In any case, I managed to get a REALLY good ticket and got to be in the front row near the center. D.I.D. was going to be the last band out of six to play. 

It took them FOREVER to do their sound check, so I thought they might be having technical trouble again. Somehow I still couldn't shake off the feeling that Akane was there. When the lights dimmed, the SE started and the curtains finally opened, I could not believe my eyes when the first thing I noticed was a microphone sitting on the pedestal at the front of the stage. There was NEVER a microphone on the pedestal whenever Akane wasn't there. And that could only really mean that there was going to be a vocalist. I pointed it out to the girl next to me, and we just looked at each other like WTF is going on. Tohma, Issei and Sho came on stage. So far nothing different than usual. Me and the girl stared at the door, whispering "Please come out! Please come out!" And... HE CAME OUT! 

Akane walked out on stage. No one knew. The members didn't say a thing about it. They kept it a total secret from everyone. We were all literally jumping with joy and screaming his name. And he looked freakin' happy to just be there and soak in all the love. It was easily one of the best show they ever gave.

I love D.I.D. to death, even without Akane, but tonight made me realize that they really are at their best when he is present. For the past few months, they've been doing their best but they were really missing his energy, the one he gave to the other members and to the fans. And it was good to be able to feel that again for the first time since February.

Sadly, I think it was just a one-time deal, at least until they come back from their hiatus, whenever/if that happens. But I'm happy I got to see D.I.D. whole again.

And for the records, Akane had a new tattoo on his right upper arm, a few lines of small, script text, but sorry I couldn't read what it said. 

D.I.D. @ Takadanobaba AREA 2014.8.3

Set list: 

01. nihilism. 02. the resolution 03. acedia 04. W.O.D. 05. $howtime in the [World's end.]

I was happy that they finally were able to play "nihlism." (they were supposed to play it in Osaka but couldn't because of technical issues). They also finally got the recording of Akane's voice to work again for the first time since their two-man with アルルカン on July 6th. So it was a good live without any moments of confusion or major mishaps.

It felt like them having been able to do a rehearsal with Akane had re-energized the other members. Tohma even ditched his guitar and started break-dancing on stage during "$howtime". And there seemed to be quite a lot of people there to cheer on them too.

It was also D.I.D.'s last live in Tokyo before they go on hiatus. Now, just one more to go...