As usual, don't expect this fanaccount to make sense or have even a hint of structure, as I write stuff as it comes to mind.
I DO WHAT I WANT GOT A PROBLEM. :D
I DO WHAT I WANT GOT A PROBLEM. :D
(No, it's not like I casually stumbled upon him backstage.
This is a picture he posted to his Twitter account. XD)
Unless you already know, you could never guess that Daigo is actually 36. (Damn all you youthful Asians! Vampires! I hate you all! DX ...Just kidding. <3) Even now I cannot get over this fact. Let me explain... I have known the man (not on a personal level - I wish! 8D Oh... wish... pun not intended.) for quite a few years, since I first got into Miyavi in 2006. There was a time where they did a collaboration on stage. (I won't go into detail, but it was pretty memorable... :P Look it up if you're curious!) Anyway: the fact of the matter is that he used to go by the name Daigo Stardust, but he has since dropped the "Stardust" and now goes by the name DAIGO. As you might now, I'm a pretty enthusiastic concert-goer, and I am often looking up new gigs to go to. I had seen this DAIGO guy who looked (pretty good, I'll say, but) young enough to be a rookie, so I figured he must be a new-comer. Without looking more deeply into this artist, I dropped the matter and moved on. Time passed and I started watching an anime (and later, the manga), Love Stage!, which I highly recommend by the way. (Now THAT was an abrupt change of subject!)
One of the characters, "Shougo", is a rock singer who is also a doting (psychotically overprotective) older brother to the protagonist. He's lead vocals for the band called the Crusherz.
But here's where it gets interesting. Actually, the band is inspired by the REAL band called Breakerz, whose lead singer is Daigo, the mangaka's (Eiki Eiki) brother. Naturally, Eiki Eiki's muse for this fictional band's singer is her own brother. Daigo also voices Shougo in the anime. So when I found that out, I remembered the young pretty face I had seen on the Lawson Ticket homepage and thought, "Oh, cool, they're related." As can be seen on his Twitter profile:
One of the characters, "Shougo", is a rock singer who is also a doting (psychotically overprotective) older brother to the protagonist. He's lead vocals for the band called the Crusherz.
But here's where it gets interesting. Actually, the band is inspired by the REAL band called Breakerz, whose lead singer is Daigo, the mangaka's (Eiki Eiki) brother. Naturally, Eiki Eiki's muse for this fictional band's singer is her own brother. Daigo also voices Shougo in the anime. So when I found that out, I remembered the young pretty face I had seen on the Lawson Ticket homepage and thought, "Oh, cool, they're related." As can be seen on his Twitter profile:
Long story short...! Only a few days before the concert did I check out the details of the VAMPS show I'd bought tickets for, and discover that the opening act was DAIGO himself. I looked up the music he had done and instantly took a great liking to it. It's perfect. *O* Thinking to myself that I had been missing out (why does this always happen to me?!), I googled his name to get more information about him, and BAM! That's when I read that all along he had been the guy I thought there was NO WAY IN HELL he could be. XD
And this is how I met my new husband. :B
And this is how I met my new husband. :B
Some of you might know this about me: I listen to many genres of music and artists alike. Now, it would be a lie to say that I like everything, but when I actually do like someone, I'm not fucking kidding. (Sorry, that "fucking" was uncalled for. Fuck.) Seriously, though, I become pretty invested in the artist (to a decently hardcore extent XD). Rather than obsessed, I like to call it "devoted". ANYWAY. XD Although I had only heard his music the day before (yes, マジで 8D), I was almost looking forward to Daigo's performance as much as VAMPS' (I haven't known their music for long either, I just wanted to see Hyde XD). DAIGO certainly did not disappoint! When he first came out on the stage, he had a lot of energy, and all throughout his part, he kept asking us "What's my name?!" and the crowd exclaimed "DAI-GO!". He seemed to enjoy the sound of that a lot...
Fair enough: I don't have a problem with that.
He was also quite the entertainer!
Fair enough: I don't have a problem with that.
He was also quite the entertainer!
His first song was his newest single, I believe, Butterfly. (At the very least, it's pretty recent.) It's a shame that there's so much autotune in the studio version because DAIGO has a lovely voice. I'm not sure why he reminds me of Yamapi, but it might have to do with the fact that he's unique, sings energetic pop songs that have a lot of rhythm and attitude. Not that they sound particularly similar, but there's something about them, I don't know. Moving on... Because flailing his arms like a butterfly obviously wasn't enough to convey his message, Daigo actually went to the trouble of wearing a pair of huge, colorful wings. I don't think I need to tell you guys that he looked absolutely gorgeous. T_T His hair was tinged hues of red and white, and it was pulled back and braided on the left side, and flipped back on the right. Looked pretty visual kei to me. Though the music he makes now is quite different from that. He was just terribly good-looking. Between you and me, it takes a hot guy to sport that kind of costume so stylishly...
Just look at Johnny's Entertainment...!
Just look at Johnny's Entertainment...!
Daigo did marvelously well. His voice hit all the right notes.
Truly impressive.
After that, he disappeared from sight and out came a cute mascot (as I write these words, I don't remember what it looked like, just picture a mascot). A high-pitched voice was heard suddenly, and to me, there was no mistake: this was Daigo himself! In the end, he wasn't actually inside the mascot, but it was definitely his voice we heard. The mascot showed us the moves to a dance we would have to take part in during the next song. Over the cheesy upbeat music, "the mascot" spoke in a singsongy voice that made me cringe a little XD... 指先、指先 (yubisaki-yubisaki: fingers fingers) and continued like that until the music picked up speed to the point where it was almost impossible to follow along.
Yep, this was definitely Japan and its kawaii craziness.
Yep, this was definitely Japan and its kawaii craziness.
The song we had worked so hard to prepare for was "ジェラルミン" (no idea how to spell that in "English", WTF does it even mean?!). It was pretty catchy and included the rehearsed dance. But what struck me the most was DAIGO's outfit... He had a long black coat (that looked like it was made of fur?) and a. pink. boa. The worst part is that he managed to pull off the look quite well. Another reason to hate him. Not that someone could possibly want to wear that. But knowing that EVEN if you ACTUALLY ended up having to put on that god-awful getup, you would look so dashing... That has GOT to be a good feeling.
Oh, by the way, Cassies! When DAIGO introduced his band (the drummer - Makoto - was a beauty!), he said something about Tohoshinki, but I couldn't make out what he said. XD
What a shame: it sounded pretty funny!
What a shame: it sounded pretty funny!
(Not mean-funny, just funny-funny.)
The last outfit was comprised of a fitted dark pink T-shirt and a studded choker. Again, I drooled a little.
The best part of Daigo's show had to be when he did a bunch of impressions of famous Japanese singers. He started as Kimura Takuya, and transitioned from one singer to the other smoothly, without interruption. There were two that I didn't know and I couldn't catch their name, but he also gave Gackt a try, and the headliner, Hyde himself. The crowd doubled over with laughter, but not because he was bad; rather, because he was too good!
As a long-time Gackt fan, I give him my seal of approval.
As a long-time Gackt fan, I give him my seal of approval.
Here is the setlist for VAMPS (since I don't know where to put it):
1
|
I GOTTA KICK START NOW
|
2
|
HELLO
|
3
|
TROUBLE
|
4
|
HUNTING
|
5
|
AHEAD
|
6
|
COSMOS
|
7
|
THE JOLLY ROGER
|
8
|
LOVE ADDICT
|
9
|
少年時代
|
10
|
時間よ止まれ
|
11
|
SEASON'S CALL
|
12
|
UNEXPECTED
|
13
|
DEVIL SIDE
|
14
|
REPLAY
|
15
|
THE PAST
|
16
|
GET AWAY
|
17
|
MEMORIES
|
18
|
REVOLUTION
|
19
|
GLAMOROUS SKY
|
20
|
ANGEL TRIP
|
21
|
SEX BLOOD ROCK N' ROLL
|
For Hyde, my hopes were high and he did NOT let me down. How I love this wonderful, talented man who never seems to age. I have no words to express how it felt to see him standing on stage, after being a fan for so long. :') (For someone who has no words, I sure am talking a lot!) For such a veteran of the music scene, his entrance sure did justice to his reputation. The theme for the concert (or party as they called it) was "pirates", so as we were waiting for the show to start, pumped up from Daigo's little gig, epic music reminiscent of Pirates of the Caribbean was suddenly heard, and a throng of four-wheels made its way towards the stage. On one of them was Hyde who, completely dressed in white, scanned the crowd through a pair of sunglasses, slightly wavy hair blowing in the wind behind him, secured only by a matching bandana.
Rather than a pirate, he sort of looked more like the leader of a gang of bikers (or four-wheelers, but that sounds a little lame), or maybe the president, but he exuded so much BADASS. Anyway, this was pretty funny. At some point, one of the vehicles even stalled! XD Which Hyde seemed to find absolutely hilarious. They circled around for a few minutes as the song escalated dramatically, and as it reached its climax, they climbed on stage, to our enthusiasm.
K.A.Z. looked absolutely fabulous (though what was up with the winter hat/tuque, and how the hell he managed to slip that in, or how the thought even occurred to him, I never quite understood) and Ju-ken was just plain awesome with that green hair of his! *__*
Rather than a pirate, he sort of looked more like the leader of a gang of bikers (or four-wheelers, but that sounds a little lame), or maybe the president, but he exuded so much BADASS. Anyway, this was pretty funny. At some point, one of the vehicles even stalled! XD Which Hyde seemed to find absolutely hilarious. They circled around for a few minutes as the song escalated dramatically, and as it reached its climax, they climbed on stage, to our enthusiasm.
K.A.Z. looked absolutely fabulous (though what was up with the winter hat/tuque, and how the hell he managed to slip that in, or how the thought even occurred to him, I never quite understood) and Ju-ken was just plain awesome with that green hair of his! *__*
Hyde then proceeded to grab a gun connected to a hose and sprinkle everyone. That is when we discovered his sadistic side.
Someone seemed to be enjoying this a lot. O_O
Someone seemed to be enjoying this a lot. O_O
There is a significant gap between what I expected of Hyde's personality and how he turned out to be... He sure likes to tease us! After a song or two, he started moaning in his microphone and didn't stop for a good 30 seconds (way past the point of "socially acceptable"). The bastard looked damn smug and proud as fangirls and fanboys alike erupted into massive nosebleed. By that time, some of us were starting to look dangerously pale from excessive blood loss. Asshole, what if we died?! (Just kidding, I love you Hyde!) But seriously, I never imagined he would be such a perv. XD He also commented on the nice cleavages on more than one occasions... Don't get me wrong, my opinion of him hasn't dropped the slightest bit. XD He was obviously joking, and it was nice to see him interacting with us so much.
At random moments, he would suddenly take interest in something completely irrelevant (like his mike stand) and stare at it with eyes wide-opened, or squeak out in high-pitched screams... What a retard. He also seemed to enjoy swearing at the top of his lungs, if the introduction he did is any indication (it kinda went like: "FUCKING FUCK YEAH ARE YOU FUCKING READY YOU FUCKING MOTHERFUCKERS" because ROCK'N'ROLL). He also jumped around a lot, much like a little boy, showing us that despite his age, he was still genki as shit, thank you very much.
At random moments, he would suddenly take interest in something completely irrelevant (like his mike stand) and stare at it with eyes wide-opened, or squeak out in high-pitched screams... What a retard. He also seemed to enjoy swearing at the top of his lungs, if the introduction he did is any indication (it kinda went like: "FUCKING FUCK YEAH ARE YOU FUCKING READY YOU FUCKING MOTHERFUCKERS" because ROCK'N'ROLL). He also jumped around a lot, much like a little boy, showing us that despite his age, he was still genki as shit, thank you very much.
Now, I tried to record the whole thing, but my stupid ass phone decided to die on me multiple times (because apparently taking a picture requires 100% focus and energy, what is multitasking, you idiot smart phone). As you can imagine, I lost most of the data. ;__; My heart skipped a few beats when I realized that later. But thankfully, I was able to snap a few videos, and so did my friend, so I have those to remember the concert by. I won't comment on every song, because I don't remember them in detail, but as a whole, the experience was extremely memorable.
Except for some minor problems during the first song or two (Hyde's excited screaming made it hard for his voice to come out when he had to sing), we were spoiled with the almost flawless singing of a voice that sometimes cracked, just in the right places, which is what makes it so unique and distinctive. Aside from the VAMPS songs (which were expected since that's what the concert was supposed to be all about), Hyde treated us to quite a few songs from his solo albums. I was delighted as I immediately recognized the first notes to Hello, and later on, Season's Call (even if it was an acoustic version, there was no mistaking it).
Hyde's solo work is what I know the best and also what I love the most. As the evening grew darker, Hyde-tachi retreated to a smaller platform closer to the crowd and moved into slower, mellower pieces. Around that time, they performed an eerie (albeit a bit long) calming version of Unexpected, and we were asked to repeat the lyrics endlessly as our voices echoed in the night dimly lit by torches. By no means was that part boring, however.
It was almost... haunting... but not in a bad way.
It made quite an impression on me.
The atmosphere was excellent, and Hyde's beauty really shone through. It's no wonder he's called "yosei" (fairy) by his fans.
What a gorgeous man.
Except for some minor problems during the first song or two (Hyde's excited screaming made it hard for his voice to come out when he had to sing), we were spoiled with the almost flawless singing of a voice that sometimes cracked, just in the right places, which is what makes it so unique and distinctive. Aside from the VAMPS songs (which were expected since that's what the concert was supposed to be all about), Hyde treated us to quite a few songs from his solo albums. I was delighted as I immediately recognized the first notes to Hello, and later on, Season's Call (even if it was an acoustic version, there was no mistaking it).
Hyde's solo work is what I know the best and also what I love the most. As the evening grew darker, Hyde-tachi retreated to a smaller platform closer to the crowd and moved into slower, mellower pieces. Around that time, they performed an eerie (albeit a bit long) calming version of Unexpected, and we were asked to repeat the lyrics endlessly as our voices echoed in the night dimly lit by torches. By no means was that part boring, however.
It was almost... haunting... but not in a bad way.
It made quite an impression on me.
The atmosphere was excellent, and Hyde's beauty really shone through. It's no wonder he's called "yosei" (fairy) by his fans.
What a gorgeous man.
There was a long talk segment where members of VAMPS and supporting musicians proceeded to tell us scary "ghost" stories (though most of them ended up being everything but that). To my great surprise and delight, I was able to understand a good part of what they said. I especially remember K.A.Z. telling us about a time when he was on the train as a student and an old man winked at him while making kissy lips. DD: While this was not a story that involved supernatural beings, it certainly was frightening! Another story (though I don't remember whose it was) involved someone stealing (Ju-ken's?) clothes while he was resting in a hotel (and seeing them on TV worn by a guy suspected of murder? I might have gotten that part wrong XD). Hyde didn't look satisfied with the stories, but to me they were entertaining.
Near the end of the show, Daigo came back out on stage and performed a few songs with Hyde, including the NANA song composed by Hyde, "Angel Trip" and "Sex Blood and Rock N' Roll" (because they're such good, innocent little boys 8D omfg).
Angel Trip:
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152314008225924&set=vb.758300923&type=3&theater
Sex Blood and Rock N' Roll:
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152314033595924&set=vb.758300923&type=3&theater
Near the end of the show, Daigo came back out on stage and performed a few songs with Hyde, including the NANA song composed by Hyde, "Angel Trip" and "Sex Blood and Rock N' Roll" (because they're such good, innocent little boys 8D omfg).
Angel Trip:
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152314008225924&set=vb.758300923&type=3&theater
Sex Blood and Rock N' Roll:
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152314033595924&set=vb.758300923&type=3&theater
I know for a FACT that before one of the songs, they played the little radio static intro that we can hear before Orenji no Taiyou on Gackt's Crescent album. I freaked out a little (a lot), but I was a little disappointed to find they had no plan to perform it. T_T That would have made my day sfm!
By the end of the concert, I was more than satisfied, but what better way to end the show than with fireworks...
Right above my head! *__*
Right above my head! *__*
We were sitting on a small hill, so it was literally over us.)
This was a concert that made the slight annoyances of transportation so worth it! I'd definitely do it all again!
Thank you for the memorable experience!
Thank you for the memorable experience!
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