author: Carola

© VAMPS - VAMPROSE

On August 1st and 2nd JaME was able to attend the first two concerts of 'newcomer' band VAMPS, consisting of a pair of anything but newcomers, HYDE and K.A.Z. During their first tour the band played several concerts at different Zepp venues all over Japan.

As the fans were waiting in the hall, a big digital clock was projected onto the still closed curtains showing the time. As 7pm approached, the whole hall was surprised to see the clock not switch to 7 pm but instead to 6:60. It proceeded tick past to a number most fans are familiar with: 6:66. At that moment, the intro of the show started; the curtains opened and the band appeared, starting off with a HYDE song, MADE IN HEAVEN, an excellent opening song with an interesting introduction.

The stage was decorated to look like an old mansion, complete with candles, a fire place and a deer's head on the wall. Keyboardist Jin performed wearing a mask from within a cage on the stage. It wasn't just the stage that was decorated; the walls of the hall were completely covered in graffiti stating obscene words. The hall decoration fit perfectly with the band's performance: rough and chaotic yet good.

Songs like MASQUERADE (from HYDE'S 6 6 6 album) were proof of HYDE's versatile voice as he sang the song with clarity, switching to a raw voice at the right moments. He did this during the whole show and it definitely gave the songs more depth.

HYDE switched to an acoustic guitar and together with bassist Ju-ken he started a long intro to the song PERFECT MOMENT. Although unfortunately the acoustic guitar sound was set a tad too soft and sometimes got lost in the bass line, the intro was mesmerizing and left the audience silently staring at the stage admiringly.

During an MC HYDE teasingly introduced his fellow band members at high-speed, to which the audience reacted with a frustrated noise. After doing this again, and getting the same reaction from the fans, HYDE pointed at each member and let the fans say their names. As he looked at the audience victoriously, he joked "see, you already know!"

One thing that was obvious during the shows was that HYDE, K.A.Z. and Ju-ken made a great front trio. They played together well and interacted with both each other and the audience, which made the show a little more than just a concert. Along with the stage, the shows felt complete and it was truly a small spectacle.

On the first evening VAMPS treated the fans to UNEXPECTED (DIST.), a rockier version of the original HYDE ballad. Just about every fan sang along, which was just as impressive as seeing the band perform the song. The second night of the tour they played not only UNEXPECTED (DIST.), but also EVERGREEN (DIST.), with an updated version of the old ballad.

Another nice surprise for both evenings was Lucy in the sky with Diamonds, a cover of a song from The Beatles. VAMPS' version is a lot heavier than the original version and definitely had its own touch. Played live this song is very strong and made the audience rock out.

But the absolute highlight of the show was the very first song released as the unit VAMPS: LOVE ADDICT. The band made the fans clap the rhythm, before starting the guitar intro. This glam sounding song was performed with fitting light effects and the band rocked out as much as the audience was. The fans kept clapping throughout the whole song and enthusiastically sang along the "hu-hu" parts of the song.

The band ended the second night with MIDNIGHT CELEBRATION. As the song started, light bulbs were let down from the ceiling by chords hanging above the stage. The further into the song, the more chaotic the stage and light effects got, something that suited the song perfectly. Near the end of the song the light bulbs started swinging around violently and really made it look as if the hall was shaking on foundations along with the song. The song really made a great end of the evening, although it probably made the audience just crave for more...!