Angelo Tour 2020-2021 "THE FORCED EVOLVE"

The coronavirus pandemic has taught us all that we must adapt to the current circumstances. Especially performing artists. While Japan was under a state of emergency, Angelo fans were able to enjoy some live music on January 9th and 10th at TSUTAYA O-EAST, where Angelo played their THE FORCED EVOLVE tour finale. During the past year, Angelo have been taking great care of fans who have not been able to attend live concerts, streaming numerous shows from both the studio and concert venues. This was done with the two-day tour finale as well.

It is clearly important to all members of Angelo that concerts can be held safely. The number of people in the audience at venues is restricted, the fans must wear masks and cheering out loud is prohibited. Guitarist Giru has stated that he hopes the emergency instructions for concerts will give the audience the feeling that they can come in peace to enjoy the concerts safely. Guitarist Karyu has also mentioned that during the pandemic he has realized how important it is to hear the cheering and other feedback from fans during a concert. He has stated that he thinks there is no way he could get used to the situation and hopes that there will be a way to return to the normal regulations as soon as possible. Vocalist Kirito and Giru seem more adaptable: it has been mentioned that during these exceptional times, the fans who attend the lives are like salvation for Giru. Kirito, on the other hand, has said he is very pleased with the way fans are expressing their feelings despite the restrictions. He praises the flexibility and adaptability of the fans.

On both days, Angelo started the concert by playing their new album [evolve] from beginning to end. Of these tracks, Amon, in particular, turned out to be an excellent live song. The light technicians conjured the perfect atmosphere for the song with red spotlights on an otherwise dark stage. During the verses, Kirito raised his leg on the podium in front of the stage, leaned towards the audience and stared at the fans intimately. This combined with the strong contrast conjured by the lights to create a heavy atmosphere that fit the aggressive song. The latter part of ALL FOR YOU was screaming for fans to participate in singing, which unfortunately was not possible this time. Giru has said in the past that despite the silence in the audience he can sense the enthusiasm of the fans during these songs. Some may feel that was not quite conveyed during these shows, but it's easy to believe that under normal circumstances the songs will grow massively when fans finally get permission to cheer and sing along again. MISSING LINK and ALL FOR YOU seemed to be strong contenders to appear at the end of set lists in the future. It is easy to imagine them closing the show with a confetti shower.

Other positive surprises from the new album were CELL DIVISION and AN ENDLESS MULTIVERSE. As Karyu had mentioned that he was looking forward to the fans’ reaction to the fast-paced CELL DIVISION, it was hard not to be excited to hear it as well. The studio version was no siren’s call, but the song worked beautifully live. It was definitely a song that would make any fans watching at home want to be there to rock along. AN ENDLESS MULTIVERSE also sounded better live than on the album, as Kohta’s bass got stronger during the performance. Kirito shouted for the audience multiple times during the song, but because fans had to remain silent, it will perhaps take some time before fans are able to hear AN ENDLESS MULTIVERSE reach its full potential in the set list.


During the latter half of the concert, Angelo played some of their most beloved songs and other songs that are often part of their set lists. The audience seemed to get hyped up more by the older songs than the tracks from the new album. Perhaps [evolve] is still too new for the audience to understand its full live potential. The first day’s set list included songs from the band's previous album FAUST, including A MONOLOGUE BY MEPHISTO, FAUST and HYBRID CENTURY. These three songs all worked well in the set list, offering lovely backing vocals that gave them a perfect finishing touch. The collaboration between Karyu and Giru’s guitars in FAUST was also a highlight.

Angelo played the songs NEW CENTURY BIRTH VOICE, Daybreakers and ACTIVATE RESONATE on both days. The first songs are definitely made to boost the energy in the venue and make the audience rock out. They also work better live than on the studio recording. At the beginning of Daybreakers, Giru came to show off on the podium and ended up in Kirito’s arms. Later, Karyu came to sit on the podium when Kohta and Giru went to greet the first row near the edge of the stage. On the second day, during Daybreakers, it was Karyu who got to enjoy Kirito’s arms around him. Kirito also stroked Karyu’s hair. During NEW CENTURY BIRTH VOICE, the guitar melodies in the chorus were particularly impressive. ACTIVATE RESONATE is one of Angelo's most beautiful songs, and Kirito, Kohta and Takeo encouraged the audience to clap along to the beat of the music, which they did well.


Finally, there are four more things about these shows that should be praised: Kirito, Karyu, the backing vocals and the C-parts of the songs. Kirito is one of the most charismatic vocalists in the scene. He is also capable of skillful technical performances during live shows, no matter how difficult the songs are vocally. Kirito has commented that, especially with the new songs, he wants to pay attention to staying on the notes. The more familiar the song becomes, the more he lets the emotion lead him. In addition to the great vocal performances, Kirito’s rhythmic dance moves were a joy to watch. Karyu has admitted that it has been difficult for him to get into the right mood for concerts because of the restrictions set for audiences due to the coronavirus. However, he didn't seem to be lacking any spirit at all, but was instead moshing, jumping and dancing non-stop. Angelo has numerous songs that include a C-part worth mentioning, for example OUTBREAK, :evolve and CELL DIVISION. Karyu, Giru and Kohta’s backing vocals also added plenty of extra depth to the songs, with Karyu's voice being especially beautiful.

THE FORCED EVOLVE tour's final days showed that even if circumstances outside their control have forced bands into this evolution, it can still be done at an exemplary level. Angelo played wonderful shows on both days, even if the audience participation remained tentative at times, especially during the first halves of the shows. The streaming concerts have been nice to watch during these exceptional times, but fans are likely still hoping that things will return to normal as soon as possible so they can see bands like Angelo perform live and in person again.

At the end of the concerts, it was announced that Angelo will release a DVD and a Blu-ray of the first day of THE FORCED EVOLVE tour’s final. It will hit stores on DVD on April 21st, and there will be a limited Blu-ray version available via Angelo’s official web shop. The Blu-ray version will add a 32-page photobook featuring shots from the concert. Orders for the Blu-ray version must be placed before March 21st.

Set List (January 9th):
1. Enter the NEOPHASE
2. Swallow
3. evolve
4. CELL DIVISION
5. Amon
6. AN ENDLESS MULTIVERSE
7. Teardrop
8. Haru no kaze
9. MISSING LINK
10. ALL FOR YOU
11. A MONOLOGUE BY MEPHISTO
12. FAUST
13. HYBRID CENTURY
14. NEW CENTURY BIRTH VOICE
15. FAITH
16. OUTBREAK
17. Daybreakers
18. ACTIVATE RESONATE
19. STOP THE TIME, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL
20. Script error

Set List (January 10th):
1. Enter the NEOPHASE
2. Swallow
3. evolve
4. CELL DIVISION
5. Amon
6. AN ENDLESS MULTIVERSE
7. Teardrop
8. Haru no kaze
9. MISSING LINK
10. ALL FOR YOU
11. FACTOR
12. RESULT
13. HYBRID CENTURY
14. NEW CENTURY BIRTH VOICE
15. CRUELWORLD
16. ACTIVATE RESONATE
17. RIP
18. PROGRAM
19. Daybreakers
20. Synapse