9GOATS BLACK OUT gave a carefully crafted performance to end their tour.
Takadanobaba Area is a very famous venue in the visual kei scene. Most bands have performed there at least once. With a capacity of about 350 people, this was where 9GOATS BLACK OUT performed for two nights in a row to close their [Bright Garden act II] tour. The concert was sold out - as was the whole tour - and the venue was incredibly crowded, proving 9GOATS BLACK OUT’s increasing popularity.
As the background music stopped and the lights went off, sound effects started to fill the hall. 9GOATS BLACK OUT's use of SE was far from being insignificant; it’s meaningful and had a definite purpose: to set the atmosphere. It instantly felt like a dark yet romantic movie from the 40’s and 50’s, which was not surprising for a band as dramatic and theatrical as 9GOATS BLACK OUT. Then the members came on stage one by one. First came the support members aki (drums) and akaya (programming), followed by hati, utA and ryo. Their looks had slightly changed since their first one man at Shibuya BOXX, especially their hair styles. It was, however, very difficult to see them clearly as the stage lighting was very dark.
They started their performance with the smooth and soothing Sink, and ryo’s voice was enchanting from beginning to end. The light effects were such that the members, who were back-lit by spinning lights, were indistinguishable, increasing the deeply hypnotic and dreamy sensation. For the next piece, the lights changed to a deep, bloody red, fitting perfectly with the song Lestat. Both ryo’s seductive whispers and utA’s dark “I do, I do, I do, I do” made them sound like vampires. Although this song was much heavier than the preceding one, the fans listened carefully and quietly; very few people got agitated. The use of a stroboscope made ryo’s dance and spastic movements look even crazier than they were.
The next song was Yasou~nocturne~, which was impressively dramatic due to its strong and beautiful melody and ryo’s powerful voice. The song was highly acclaimed by the fans and ended on a “Thank you” from ryo. After another SE to put everyone in a new mood, ryo held his hands in a prayer-like position and they started Sleeping Beauty with green lights flooding the stage. The green lights gave a very surreal dimension to the song, creating a sick sensation or the feeling of an absurd dream, and both ryo and utA were very expressive during the song.
They continued with the heavier ROMEO, on which ryo showed the extent of his vocal range. This song proved that 9GOATS BLACK OUT’s vocalist is a very good live singer who is at ease and convincing, whether he’s whispering the lyrics, screaming at the top of his lungs or singing melodiously. He also used a lot of gestures and pantomimes to express himself. After a light, for which the lighting arrangements were really beautiful and thought through, they played SALOME. The song saw ryo using a lot of body language once again. SALOME's more complicated, always changing melodies got a few more people headbanging, but it would be a little longer before the action spread among the fans.
An astoundingly loud SE then exploded in the venue and lasted for a few minutes before they moved on to raw. ryo started the song completely bent over as he sang in a high-pitched voice. He very slowly straightened before falling to his knees during the spoken part. Then, red lights came to light the stage dramatically for the end of the song. They continued with a new song, red shoes, which fit perfectly after raw. Once again, a lot of importance was given to the staging with the use of the stroboscope and ryo’s pantomime. After a short SE they played float, with a new tempo that made the song sound very different from the CD version. Some fans were dancing during the song and to some extend ryo was too, expressing himself in a very graceful manner and still using pantomime and body language. For the following song 690, headbanging spread a little more among the fans and utA, who was playing very near the edge of the stage, was making faces the entire time! The atmosphere was now completely different from the beginning of the performance - it was getting louder and lot more aggressive, both on stage and in the audience, and it would stay this way for the next fifteen minutes.
hati and ryo left the stage after float, leaving utA and the support members alone on stage for the guitar session. It was utA’s turn to show off his excellent technique and interact in his own way with the fans. He was quickly joined by hati for an all instrumental piece that set the tone for the next two songs: headache and the new song minus. When ryo finally returned to the stage, they started headache. The show suddenly gained even more intensity and speed. Headbanging finally started to spread evenly among the rows of fans, and the interaction between ryo and utA on stage was delightful to watch. minus was a perfect chaser to headache, given that the song is also quite aggressive and musically complex. The two songs moved the audience into an unstoppable frenzy, and when ryo said “thank you” and the lights went off, all that could be heard were the screams of the fans.
It took the audience quite a long time to quiet down after the last SE started, despite it being a beautiful and slow piano melody. When everyone eventually settled down, akaya’s skillful playing could be appreciated, and it set the mood for the next song, the enchanting ballad Den lille Havfrue. Blue light washed the stage, making it extremely dreamy and peaceful. The song was followed by in the rain, which kept the same atmosphere going. The audience was very quiet during both songs, enjoying the graceful melodies and listening to ryo’s poetic lyrics. During in the rain, the lights came back on during the chorus, lighting the whole stage up so that the members were clearly seen. utA accompanied ryo during the song, and when ryo stopped singing for a few seconds, leaving utA alone, it became clear that there was more than one talented singer in the band!
Loud clapping filled Takadanobaba Area when in the rain ended. The band then left the stage, and fans called after them for an encore. The band quickly came back, except for ryo, who was having a problem with his contact lenses. hati took the microphone for the MC and asked each member to give their impressions about the tour and the fact that the lives were sold out. The band, having a good sense of humour, also made a few jokes - such as when aki answered “everything” to the question “What do you hate most about Tokyo?” (He then explained that he didn’t really mean it, he just didn’t like the crowds).
After ryo came back on stage and made a few comments himself, they started their encore with Rakujitsu. Pink and red spotlights, symbols for a life that’s starting and the world outside, alternated in lighting up the stage. It was the perfect visual for the story of the song: a one-legged baby bird watching the world from his window and wondering whether he can fly. Once again, the fans were listening and watching carefully, appreciating the poetry of the song to the fullest. It was followed by another ballad, their last song for the evening, tenshi. The dream continued and felt like it could go on forever, up until the moment ryo said, “Thank you so much! See you tomorrow.” He bowed and left the stage, followed by the other members, thus ending their amazing performance.
Many words could be used to describe 9GOATS BLACK OUT's performance, but the two that work best are 'graceful' and 'harmonious.' Even during the heaviest, the most aggressive moments of the evening, there was still harmony and grace on stage. Add to this the fact that 9GOATS BLACK OUT is composed of very talented musicians - and a singer who is not only a singer, but also an actor and a dancer - and you get one of the best live acts of the visual kei scene these days.
Set list:
1. Sink
2. Lestat
3. Yasou~nocturne~
SE (sound effect)
4. Sleeping Beauty
5. ROMEO
6. a light
7. SALOME
SE
8. raw
9. red shoes (new song)
SE
10. float
11. 690min.
SE
~Gt.session~
12. headache
13. minus (new song)
SE
14. Den lille Havfrue
15. in the rain
Encore :
16. Rakujitsu
17. tenshi
