L'Arc~en~Ciel - FIVE LIVE ARCHIVES

The following review is for the Limited Edition FIVE LIVE ARCHIVES box set by L'Arc~en~Ciel. It contains 5 discs with previously unreleased full concerts.

The set comes in a rather generic looking white cardboard box, with FIVE LIVE ARCHIVES printed on it in rather generic text. But once you open the box, oh ho ho! Laruku's marketing genius is immediately evident. The shiny black slipcase features a diamond plate texture with FIVE LIVE ARCHIVES in raised font on one side, capped with a raised crown emblem with the number 5 cut out of the inside. L'Arc~en~Ciel is written in scrolling raised letters just above where the obi sits on the slip cover. Turn the case to the spine side, and you'll see the now familiar logo with a cut out in the shape of a tear drop beneath it. Red paper set in to the cut out from the inside gives a regal touch to this already ultra sexy box set.

Inside the slip case is a 311 page book containing smaller versions of the tour books for the tours this box encompasses. The item that many fans bought this set for sits quietly next to the photo book: a slim black gatefold package that closely resembles the outer slip cover. When unfolded, 5 discs with red roses printed on the top are snugly nestled inside. Each disc is numbered 1 - 5, and when removed from its spot, the area beneath the disc features artwork or photos from the tour the disc represents.

Disc 1: Tour '98! L'Arc-en-Ciel '98 Heart ni Hi wo Tsukero!
Choosing "All play" on the BB Cat menu of this disc will lead you through about two hours (21 songs) of back stage and concert footage shot on 10/17/98 at the Osaka dome. Some of the highlights of this disc include the eerily lighted 浸食 -lose control-, which features hyde in red contact lenses and very cool back lighting on the whole band, and LORELEY during which hyde dons white angel wings and plays the sax. Another nice surprise on this disc is Round and Round, which these days typically only surfaces in its P'UNK~EN~CIEL incarnation. Also included on the disc are two of the "commercials" for tour goods that air during the concerts. This disc has an ad for a L'Arc~en~Ciel disposable camera and what appears to be a tamagotchi.
The disc ends with an amazing performance of Anata, featuring a full orchestra as accompaniment.


Disc 2: 1999 GRAND CROSS TOUR
Filmed August 21st, 1999, at Tokyo Big Site special Parking Lot Stage, this disc packs 20 songs behind its futuristic menu. From the first song, Driver's High, this concert is high energy and running at full tilt. The band's outfits reflect the high energy of the tour, from tetsu's bright orange eyeful to hyde's cowboy style ensemble. The amazing guitar in Shi No Hi is memorable in this one, as well as the light show that accompanies the techno marvel Butterfly's Sleep. The disc is wrapped up with a performance of Pieces that is both an audio and visual splendor, with its spinning, shimmering, silver lights and orchestral backing track.


Disc 3: RESET>>LIVE*000
Filmed on New Year's Eve of 1999 in Tokyo, this disc features 18 songs and a New year's countdown to remember! Aside from the band's memorable outfits, some other highlights of the disc include an amazing drum performance by yukihiro and sudden flames erupting from the darkness during ibara no namida, and the jerky camera movements and flashing lights which perfectly mirror the rhythm of Trick. The countdown portion of the disc features a frenzied assault of flashing images and numbers, which give way to a view of the stage and hyde counting down to the millennium with the audience. As the counter reaches 0:00, there is an explosion of confetti blown out over the audience, and the band breaks in to an energetic rendition of Neo Universe. This disc, once again, comes to a close with Pieces.


Disc 4: TOUR 2000 REAL
Skip to a year later, and the 2000 Real tour. Filmed on December 6th at the Tokyo Dome, this disc takes us through 18 songs. After a particularly rockin' version of The Nepenthes, the band shows us that even ken's broken ribs can't stop them from giving their all. Another highlight of this disc is a breathtaking performance of a silent letter which is made all the more beautiful by the set up it receives, with the words of a letter being displayed across a screen in the darkness. The disc closes with Anata. While this is indeed another beautiful performance of the song, the repetition of the closing songs on the 4 discs so far is rather tiresome.


Disc 5: ASIALIVE 2005
The dragon and butterflies on this next disc sweep us off to see the band perform outside of Japan. Filmed in Shanghai on September 10th, 2005, this disc features by far the most recent concert footage. The band connects with their foreign audience in the same way as with their domestic fans, and the give and take of energy in this disc is amazing. With cool, stylized lighting effects and a crowd that's hungry for their band, this disc will find the viewer having a hard time staying seated. hyde's efforts to speak Chinese to the crowd raise their energy level even higher, if possible, and the whole show continues in this hyper active vein. This 18 track long concert features many memorable moments, including the triple whammy of a rather P'UNK~EN~CIEL style STAY AWAY (during which tetsu, ken, and finally yuki take a shot at vocals), AS ONE, and READY STEADY GO, which set the crowd in to fits of hysterical screaming that nearly took the roof off (and left the police in the front row looking a little nervous). As a nice switch from the rest of the box set, this disc ends with an emotional performance of Niji.


While this box set is an audio-visual feast for long time fans, the price tag may seem a bit steep for casual or newer fans. The MSRP of about $240 breaks down to $48 per concert, which is just about what one would normally pay for a concert DVD from this band. Given the photo book and extras, the price is more than reasonable for hard core fans. FIVE LIVES ARCHIVE is a treasure trove of goodies in a sleek, sexy package, and definitely worth checking out.