13 years have already passed since the beginning of the GazettE! Year after year, the band has continued to grow in popularity, and they are still one of the most popular active visual kei bands. For this special one-night event they did everything possible to please their fans and to make their 13th anniversary one to remember.
Before the gig even started, a special exhibition was open to the fans — even to those without a ticket — all day long. Among the attractions, fans could take a photo with the members’ instruments, check out a panel exhibition about the history of the band and write a message for the members.
The Budokan was packed with fans ready to rock the night away. The audience was mainly composed of women wearing either black clothes or many different types of cosplay (gothic lolita, maid costumes, etc.), all completely dedicated to the band. After a short delay of 15 minutes the band finally arrived and the whole crowd exploded. The lights went out and five screens appeared, signaling the start of the show.
The night began with 13 stairs [-]1, which was a very good choice because it brought the audience straight into the GazettE’s universe, moving from dark and melancholic sections to moments filled with rage. With the addition of amazing light and pyrotechnic effects, the atmosphere was incredible! Then, in the blink of an eye the songs chained one after the other with a stunning efficiency thanks to tracks like INSIDE BEAST, VORTEX and Crucify sorrow. Particularly notable was the vocal performance of RUKI, who, as always, sounded just as strong during his clear singing as he did during his screams and growls.
The nostalgic part of the set list began with one of the band’s most beautiful songs, reila. Fans could enjoy the perfect interpretation of the guitar solos of both AOI and URUHA. The very emotional song made everyone nostalgic, after all it was released for the first time ten years ago!
MY DEVIL ON THE BED announced the beginning of the next part of the show. It was very energetic, vibrating on the sound of REITA’s bass. The audience chanted “let’s have sex in the darkness” while RUKI swayed on the stage. The fire in the air was brought to a crescendo by songs like HEADACHE MAN and DISCHARGE, before perhaps the band’s most popular song, Filth in the beauty, made an appearance. The entire arena was shaking under the feet of the jumping audience members, who were headbanging and screaming along.
After a short break where the famous chants of “EN-CO-RE” from the audience could be heard, the band began the final part of the show with a song as old as reila, Shunsetsu no koro! It was clearly a great pleasure for all in attendance to hear the song again. The atmosphere was electric and when RUKI asked to the audience to get wild they happily obliged. All the members gave every last drop of their energy, and they were in total harmony with each other and the public. KAI stood out during this portion of the show, keeping a permanent smile on his face while beating the hell out of his drums.
The set ended with Miseinen, which is without a shadow of a doubt the best song to finish a gig like this, because it communicates a lot of emotion both to the audience and the band.
Of course the gig could have ended with that song, but ... an anniversary always comes with a gift! That’s why the band decided to offer the audience one last song; a brand new one! RUKI said that it would be the last song but unfortunately did not disclose the title. It began with a very heavy intro with an energetic guitar riff, and then verses interspersed with clear vocals and screams. The band clearly continued to follow their current musical path with a very heavy sound, using a bit of electronic samples and playing melodies that belong to their own universe. After a powerful guitar break and a new verse and chorus, the song ended with a huge metal riff. It was a great song. The only criticism that could be made of the new track would be perhaps that it lacked surprises.
After thanking the audience again the five members left the stage. But the surprises didn’t end! Exclusive new information appeared on the screen. The band will release a new album called DOGMA in August 2015, and the slogan of the release is “the beginning of the ominous movement”. Then, the band will head out on no less than two national tours. The first, DOGMATIC TOUR : UN will stretch from September to October 2015 and the second, DOGMATIC TOUR : DUE will last from December to January 2016.
While it may be hard to find weak points to such an amazing live, sometimes the sound of RUKI ’s voice was muffled by the other instruments and the set list seemed to be lacking some of the more emblematic the GazettE songs like Cassis, Taion and Cockroach. But both of those things are just technical details.
In the end, it was a truly amazing anniversary gig. The five huge screens were used effectively, the set list was well balanced with songs from every era of the GazettE’s long career, plus a brand new song, and, most important of all, the incredible harmony between the band and the audience was there in full force. Being at one of the GazettE’s shows at the Nippon Budokan is one of the best live experiences you can have in Japan — this show proved it!
Happy birthday, the GazettE!
Set List:
01. 13 STAIRS [-] 1
02. INSIDE BEAST
03. VORTEX
04. Worthless War
05. Psychedelic Heroine
06. Akai one piece
07. Crucify sorrow
08. Sugar Pain
09. reila
10. QUIET
11. kyoumu no owari hakozume no mokushi
12. MY DEVIL ON THE BED
13. VENOMOUS SPIDER’S WEB
14. ATTITUDE
15. HEADACHE MAN
16. DISCHARGE
17. Filth in the beauty
EN1. shunsetsu no koro
EN2. TOMORROW NEVER DIES
EN3. kantou dogeza kumiai
EN4. LINDA candydive pinky heaven
EN5. Miseinen
WEN. New song
