MORRIE had a special show celebrating his 60th birthday at Tokyo's EX THEATER ROPPONGI on March 2nd, two days prior to his actual birthday, March 4th.
To celebrate this legend of Japanese rock,
Tsuchiya Masami,
Kiyoharu,
SUGIZO,
HIRO and
Sakito joined
MORRIE on stage. In addition,
HYDE made a surprise appearance. The show consisted of sets by four acts covering
MORRIE's extensive career:
Ballad D,
MORRIE Solo
Band,
MORRIE's new unit with
BAKI,
GODLAND, and finally
DEAD END.
Ballad D
©Eisuke Asaoka
Ballad D is a self-cover album of
DEAD END's songs personally selected by
MORRIE. The album was created in memory of
YOU, the band's guitarist who passed away in 2020. The
Ballad D session band featured two guitarists who participated in the recording of the album:
Hirata Takashi and
Morinaga Hiroyuki. The album producer,
Okano Hajime, played bass and percussion.
A haunting guitar melody drew fans into the opening song
Embryo Burning.
MORRIE, clad in black, clapped his hands along with the beautiful Spanish guitar riffs. His glamorous voice and charismatic presence mesmerized the
fans, who were amazed by this flamenco-like arrangement of a hard rock song.
Later,
Tsuchiya Masami came to the stage.
MORRIE talked about how he met with the master guitarist. "
Mr. Tsuchiya was almost always there when I went to watch
SUGIZO's shows. We will
also participate in the upcoming tribute album to
ISSAY."
A special performance of
Heaven featuring
Tsuchiya filled the venue with a solemn atmosphere.
MORRIE, accompanied by
Tsuchiya's electric guitar, dedicated the song to dear ones.
The Ultimate Fuse was played next.
MORRIE's
falsetto and
Tsuchiya's guitar musically described the ascension of a soul into eternal tranquility, leaving fans with deep feelings. They applauded as
Tsuchiya left the stage. Finally,
MORRIE finished
Ballad D's set with
Luna Madness.
Set list
01. Embryo Burning
02. I'm In A Coma
03. Heaven feat.
Tsuchiya Masami
04. The Ultimate Fuse feat.
Tsuchiya Masami
05. Luna Madness
MORRIE Solo Band
©Eisuke Asaoka
After a brief interval,
MORRIE returned to the stage for the second set, featuring songs from his solo career. His backing band consisted of guitarist
Shinji Kuroki, bassist
FIRE, violinist
Heather Paauwe, saxophonist
yukarie, keyboardist
Takeyuki Hatano and drummer
Eno Masafumi.
MORRIE entertained the fans by showing off different music styles: the melodious city-pop of
Pleasure of a Glance, and the stylish funk rock number
Paradox. During
Paradox, fans swayed along to the groovy
backbeat and dynamic sax licks. They also appreciated
MORRIE's thrilling guitar work.
Then,
MORRIE invited
Kiyoharu on stage. These two iconic singers united their voices in a spectacular performance of
Destroy! Fans enthusiastically pumped their fists to the groovy rock’n roll number's intoxicating
vocals. "
Kiyoharu will come back again later,"
MORRIE told his delighted fans as the
Kuroyume vocalist left the stage.
MORRIE vividly sang out his existential freedom in
Love Dizziness and Dream. The song featured consecutive bass, guitar, and drum solos, in which each musician wowed the fans with their musicianship. Then,
MORRIE took
the crowd on a musical journey into infinity with
After Me Anything, accompanied by an ambient and gentle violin melody.
At the end of the solo set,
MORRIE invited
Boris to the stage. "Actually,
Boris and
Kiyoharu will have their joint tour in Australia this month. Thank you for coming at such a
busy time,"
MORRIE said to
Atsuo,
Wata and
Takeshi.
"I played
Into My Eyes with
Boris just about five
years ago, and we will do it again tonight",
MORRIE said.
With
Takeshi and
Wata on guitars, and
Atsuo on gongs,
MORRIE gently started to sing. As the song progressed,
Wata and
Takeshi’s guitars and
Atsuo's
drum intensified the band's sound and empowered
MORRIE's vocals.
MORRIE's falsetto dramatically described a soul's migration into absolute goodness, which is the true nature of the eternal realm. Fans applauded the grand
performance.
Set list
01. To Delight
02. Pleasure of a Glance
03. Paradox
04. Destroy! feat.
Kiyoharu
05. Love Dizziness and Dream
06. After Me Anything
07. Into My Eyes feat.
Boris
GODLAND
©Eisuke Asaoka
MORRIE also started a new unit with
BAKI, the former vocalist of the rock band
GASTUNK. While the name of the unit had not been revealed during this show, it was later announced to be
GODLAND.
For this show, its line-up featured
DEAD END drummer
Minato Masafumi,
THEE MICHELLE GUN ELEPHANT bassist
Ueno Koji, and guitarist
SUGIZO of
LUNA SEA,
X JAPAN and
THE LAST ROCKSTARS.
Loud claps erupted when fans saw these five outstanding figures from the Japanese music scene. The opening song
Zetsubou Crime hit hard with an earthshaking drum beat, hard-hitting bass line, and razing guitar.
MORRIE and
BAKI rocked the fans with their powerful vocals. The glamour and wildness of the two vocalists created an explosive chemistry.
The show heated up even more in
Nanimo Kamoga Koishi. During the melodious rock number, the two vocalists freely moved around the stage. Having
BAKI on his side,
MORRIE seemed to gain more freedom.
MORRIE headbanged to
SUGIZO's dynamic guitar riffs.
"The name of this unit is yet to be decided, but we are working toward releasing an album in the Fall, and playing live shows," said
MORRIE after the song.
Finally, the unit played
The Last Battle. The zeal and musicianship of everyone on the stage whipped up a whirlwind.
MORRIE and
BAKI, the two free-spirited rock icons, sang powerfully in the midst of the
band's blasting sound.
"See you again sometime around this Fall," said
MORRIE after the last song, leaving fans filled with anticipation.
Set list
01. Zetsubou Crime
02. Nanimo Kamoga Koishi
03. The Last Battle
DEAD END
©Eisuke Asaoka
The much-anticipated
DEAD END set featured three guitarists with deep respect for the band:
HIRO of
La'cryma Christi;
NIGHTMARE's
Sakito and
SUGIZO. Fans were delighted to see the reunion of
MORRIE, bassist
"CRAZY" COOL-JOE and drummer
MINATO.
The first two songs featured
HIRO, who also played guitar in
MORRIE's band
CREATURE CREATURE.
MINATO's drum intro started the exhilaratingly catchy
I Want Your Love. Fans
sang along with
MORRIE while
HIRO paid homage to
YOU's magical guitar riffs, topped off with a skillful solo. In
Dress Burning,
DEAD END's dark and enigmatic soundscape was
well-expressed through
MORRIE's charismatic vocals and
MINATO's precise drum beats.
The edgy hard rock number
Matenrou Game featured
Sakito's forceful guitar riffs.
MORRIE's voice seemed to gain in strength and intensity as the song progressed.
Sakito enhanced the vocalist's
efforts with his backing vocals and killer guitar solo. Later, a melancholic guitar intro ushered fans into one of
DEAD END's most popular songs,
I Can Hear The Rain. Its haunting feel and intoxicating melody, which inspired
later generations, met with an enthusiastic singalong by the fans who added their voices to
JOE and
Sakito's. After the song,
JOE threw a bass pick to the fans.
Finally,
SUGIZO appeared on stage. He placed his hands together in a prayer for
YOU as he moved to take up his position. Then
Danse Macabre started to play.
SUGIZO's sharp and relentless
playing likely reminded many in the audience of
YOU. The following
Psychomania featured yet another guest musician: ex-
L'Arc-en-Ciel drummer
Sakura on percussion.
Before the last song,
SUGIZO shared his feelings: "The day after tomorrow is
MORRIE's birthday.
MORRIE is a role model for my life. And,
YOU's birthday (March 10th) is near. I dedicate
my performance to
YOU. No matter what happens,
DEAD END is eternal."
DEAD END's classic
Serafine made for an emotional climax to the show. Solemn percussion sounds were joined by
SUGIZO's haunting guitar riffs.
MORRIE, sometimes with beautiful falsetto, sang
about solitude and longing. The band and fans shared their deep love and respect for
YOU. The final drum hit by
MINATO was followed by a loud ovation.
Set list
01. I Want Your Love feat.
HIRO
02. Dress Burning feat.
HIRO
03. Matenrou Game feat.
Sakito
04. I Can Hear The Rain feat.
Sakito
05. Danse Macabre feat.
SUGIZO
06. Psychomania feat.
SUGIZO
07. Serafine feat.
SUGIZO
Encore
©Eisuke Asaoka
The show, which lasted over four hours, had another surprise guest during the encore:
HYDE suddenly appeared on stage with
Kiyoharu and
SUGIZO. These three icons handed a bouquet to
MORRIE to
celebrate his birthday.
BAKI,
HIRO,
Sakito,
Heather Paauwe, and other instrumentalists also returned. This dream rock band laid on a grand finale with
Embryo Burning.
"
Embryo Burning is not a cheerful song, but I had fun,"
MORRIE said with smile on his face. He took a group photo with all the musicians, who then left the stage.
"I was not expecting a day like this would come,"
MORRIE said to his fans. "I cherish the connections I have with my fellow musicians, those of you here in this venue, and those watching through streaming. It's such a connection that
makes me feel the depth of the universal soul. Thanks to such people, I am here and singing. I would like to sing as long as this flesh lives. Thank you very much."
A great ovation filled the venue as
MORRIE left the stage.
Set list
01. The Godsend
02. Embryo Burning
Fans who weren't able to watch this special concert will still have an opportunity to enjoy the performances, as
MORRIE will be releasing a live album documenting the show on May 28th. The first press limited edition of the album
will come paired with a Blu-ray disc featuring live footage of the entire show and a 60-page booklet.
