Billy in Osaka for Billy tour '08 Autumn [Boys feel Rebecca]

Emerging from Shinsaibashi's subway station and its shopping arcade, the venue where Billy would be performing was visible amongst the underground pubs and bars. Upon entering the live house, a large bouquet of flowers, courtesy of the band's fans, greeted everyone in the lobby. The tour began in Nagoya, and the set list changes with every location, making fans want to see them at all of their stops. However, Billy gives their fans a solid live and a great performance with a wide selection of their songs during their concerts, so one is left wondering what they would have in store for their fans in Osaka following their Nagoya concert.

The live started with Rockin’ princess, which has proven itself to be a hit with audiences at every live over the past summer. [Kasuri:bug] Shosen, Kasuri and Shining Dancer followed - rock tunes that brilliantly show off Billy's originality - before dashing into the fresh and upbeat tune, Slim Smart Slender, which opened new ground for Billy. On the floor, fans enjoyed the live, freely moving to the music and jumping around. Rebecca came after, and Takuma played the acoustic guitar lines with great passion and feeling. BAKU's vocals were filled with palpable sorrow that touched everyone in the audience. In contrast, the next song [bit;] Ame ni setsuzokusareta sekai brought a new wind to Billy; Hiroshi delivered sharp drum beats while Mine led the song with driving guitar. After launching Bouquet, they released two singles in summer, which really appealed to listeners directly with their catchy melodies and straight messages, making Billy that much closer to all of us.

From there, the live heated up very quickly. In Liar game, fans headbanged to the music; on stage, BAKU changed his expression for the song, shouting out the lyrics with powerful, raw aggression. Next, a cruel story was told to the hard tune of Nikunda egao: Tsubuku’s bass growled low and ominous, and BAKU bared his multi-faceted emotions of anger and hatred. MIKADUKI sounded off with a lone bell ringing in silence, an emotional story of struggle and suffering from deep regret in the dark of the night unfolded dramatically. The song's heavy emotions painful sorrow flooded out and the air became noticeably heavier as the audience could understand the pain. However, the new song Blame all - from their soon-to-be released album Bright - began with the beeping of a heart monitor before taking the audience into a grand ballad that concluded the sorrowful story with a renewed hope to live.

The latter half of the show started with the forceful tune, [Waga Tousou] show. Carrying a flag, BAKU sang and shouted as he ran around all over the stage. This song showed the band’s yearning to always be somewhat alien in this music scene. The powerful rockers [Tori:bird] Brand-new and be.LI[Eve], and the brilliant tune Butterfly United made the live's energy run even higher; the delightful songs The Bluffer and Untouchable ~idai naru kanjou~ made the audience go wild as the live came to its end. Throughout the performance, the temperature of the live house had risen quickly, and the members of Billy and the fans shone with beads of sweat. Everyone there was delighted to have been able to share their wonderful space and time together.

A little bit after the band's first exit, Billy reemerged to the calls for an encore in black "Billy club" t-shirts and restarted by a brief but relaxed talk that cast a friendly and peaceful atmoshphere over the venue. During the encore, the beautiful ballad Ichigoichie - jokyoku[Rebecca]-, gave Takuma's acoustic guitar another opportunity to move the audience; the bright pop song Shounen[B]Change and the popular tune Hito no iki e [It’s integral] came afterwards. When the last song Blossom, which shares the same name as their fans, was played, the entire venue sang along during the chorus. Billy shone on stage, and their happy smiles at the end of the live filled the room and their fans with light.

Billy's essence cannot be summed up in just one simple word or phrase, and the live proved just how multi-dimensional they are. They possess the purity of an innocent boy's heart, while also having a rebellious and sometimes contradictory spirit. They are bold enough to reveal the grittiest, ugliest part of human beings, and a certain recklessness; but there is also a charisma and gentleness that makes everyone want to follow their suit, and that brings a hope for a bright future.

Their career has spanned almost four years so far, and many things have happened in the past, are happening happening now, and will happen in the future - right before their eyes. However, members and fans seem to have such tight bonds that Billy will be able to get over any problems that may arise - and they just might enjoy the ride with their fans along the way.


Set list

01. Rockin’ princess
02. [Kasuri:bug] Shosen, Kasuri
03. Shining Dancer
04. Slim Smart Slender
05. Rebecca
06. [bit;] Ame ni setsuzokusareta sekai
07. Liar game
08. Nikunada egao
09. MIKADUKI
10. Blame all
11. [Waga Tousou] show
12. [Tori:bird] Brand-new
13. be.LI[Eve]
14. Butterfly United
15. The Bluffer
16. Untouchable ~idai naru kanjou~

Encore

01. Ichigoichie -jokyoku[Rebecca]-
02. Shounen[B]Change
03. Hito no iki e [It’s integral]
04. Blossom