Waive is Back!

On December 1st 2005, Waive played their last show before their disbandment in Shibuya-AX. After a hiatus of five years, on November 29th Waive returned to the same venue to play the final show of their revival tour CASE OF Waive.. This was their first tour since the band made their comeback in 2010, and during the tour final they showed that they are as strong as ever.

Thirty minutes later than scheduled, the intro music started and all the faces in the packed Shibuya-AX turned towards the stage. When the music picked up speed, the members of Waive came on one by one. As soon as all the musicians had set foot on the stage, they immediately started playing Vanilla. The crowd pumped their fists in the air enthusiastically. As the chorus started, silver ribbons where shot into the audience from the front of the podium, setting the celebratory mood for the rest of the night. The drums seemed a bit loud during this first song, but vocalist Takayuki Tazawa had no problem making his powerful voice heard.

When the third song Lost in MUSIC. started,Takayuki cheered the audience on to jump and guitarist Takashi Ninokata also jumped. They moved with the beat of the cheerful melody and the entire venue was shaking because of the jumping fans. Bassist JUN was even caught hopping around, while he had seemed motionless during the previous songs. Baby,I LOVE YOU. followed and instead of singing the chorus, Takayuki let the other musicians and the crowd take care of it. The popular song Wagamama Romeo started with a drum solo, soon being joined by the bass. The vocals were so strong that they seemed to fill the entire hall. At the end, the singer even managed to scream so powerfully that he could be heard very clearly, even without using a microphone. The crowd responded with enthusiastic applause.

Before continuing, Takayuki held a short MC. His voice sounded very hoarse and it seemed it would be impossible for him to sing flawlessly for the remainder of the concert. However, when Haruiro started, his voice was as clear as ever. Not only does Waive’s vocalist have a powerful voice, he seems to have lots of stamina as well.

TRUEXXX had an old school rock feeling to it and fists were raised again. The song was very catchy, and even the sound technician on stage started to hit his hand against his hip in time with the beat. After two more songs and a short MC, it was time for Kimi to waraou, the song that reached the top of the Oricon Indies Charts in 2003.

Every now and then guitarist Yoshinori Sugimoto was supporting Takayuki by taking care of the background vocals or singing other parts of the lyrics. During Just like me. he even rapped a little bit. They also sang the ballad spanner together and even though Yoshinori’s voice sounded more raw than Takayuki’s, he was definitely just as powerful. Another calm song followed and the spotlight turned to the vocalist again, until midway through the melody picked up speed. For the next MC, it was Yoshinori’s time to talk. He expressed his thanks to the fans and then entertained them with a long but funny story. At the end, the band had a little toast on stage to celebrate their return.

The next tunes played by the band were all very energetic and upbeat, assorted lovephobia. being the heaviest song of the evening. The audience responded very enthusiastically to each song, singing along or moving to the music. During Sad., a big wave of spinning hair rolled through Shibuya-AX as the fans headbanged. The vocals sounded raw during this song, but that fit the melody perfectly. Takashi and Yoshinori switched places to cheer on the crowd on the opposite side of were they had been standing.

Girlish Mind had the fans cheering and after a few notes, six pillars of smoke rose at the front of the stage. Yoshinori started the vocals but was soon joined by the singer. As they played the chorus for the last time, Yoshinori decided it was time to jump into the audience. He was pulled out by the security guards so he could join the other members to finish the song. After Itsuka ended, the band waved at the audience, blowing kisses, before they left the stage.

Immediately the fans started to scream for more. "Encore" echoed through the venue and after ten minutes their calls were answered. Waive returned to the stage and played C., which was followed by a big applause. With the last MC, all the members thanked the fans for supporting them, even after a break of five years. The last song of the night was HEART. and big pink heart-shaped confetti drifted from the ceiling of the venue down to the crowd below.

After Waive had left the stage, one of their songs started to play in the background and instead of going home, the fans started to sing along as one.

Unfortunately Waive is not that well-known outside of Japan, which is a shame because they create very catchy rock music and have a flawless vocalist. Hopefully the band will continue their activities now that this revival tour has ended, and maybe they will be able to get some recognition overseas as well.


Set list:

1. Vanilla
2. will
3. Lost in MUSIC.
4. Baby,I LOVE YOU.
5. Wagamama Romeo
6. Haruiro
7. unforgettable memories.
8. TRUEXXX
9. Pizzicato
10. Message ~chiisana tegami~
11. Kimi to waraou
12. ASIAN "noir" GENERATION.
13. Just like me.
14. Domiso fighter
15. spanner
16. Sekai ga subete shizumu-pain-
17. Ano hana ga saku koro ni
18. PEACE?
19. FAKE
20. assorted lovephobia.
21. Sad.
22. Negapoji (Negative&Positive)
23. Girlish Mind
24. Itsuka

EN1. C.
EN2. HEART.