JACK IN THE BOX 2010 at Budokan

On December 27, 2010, the last JACK IN THE BOX was held. The famous event presented by the MAVERICK DC GROUP had greeted fans with some amazing surprises and for 2010’s last event, many more awaited the euphoric fans.

The day was bright and sunny and an enormous crowd walked towards Budokan. Excited male and female voices filled the air. The crowd was as diverse as the bands performing that day but a common feature among all was the excitement and energy they displayed before and during the show. Hard rock fans, lolitas, housewives, visual kei fans and pop fans all gathered at Budokan that day wondering what would come out of the box this time.

After the opening act by Administrator, the crowd was ready for the first surprise session band of the day. At exactly 2pm the two giant screens that adorned both sides of the stage lit up and the sound of Eien no machi – THE “NOISE” CITY filled the venue. Footage of previous editions of JACK IN THE BOX were displayed and warmly welcomed by the ecstatic crowd which cheered every time a different face appeared on stage.

With the crowd more than ready, the music stopped and screens went black, lighting up again a few seconds later displaying the words “SESSION A.” The crowd went silent, anticipating what would follow. One by one the members were announced: Paul from 44MAGNUM on vocals, ShuU from girugamesh on bass, Sakura from Creature Creature on drums, Taizo from ZORO and Marty Friedman on guitar.

The first cover of the night was warmly welcomed. It was interesting and all members did a good job in warming up the crowd but the most impressive was the guitar solo. When the first song ended Sakura welcomed everyone and surprised the crowd by inviting Satoshi from girugamesh to join Paul on vocals. The crowd went wild welcoming the new vocalist and the second song of the night was introduced. Taken from Paul’s new solo album [How about da?] that was released in December 2010, We R Rock’n’Roll Stars sounded a bit repetitive but worked well in warming up the crowd which responded well to the catchy chorus by screaming “We R Rock’n’Roll Stars.” As with the first song, the English words were difficult to understand and follow but the band members seemed to be having a good time on stage and were able to pass their excitement on to the crowd, resulting in a very interesting and fun session with bits of western rock, kuro kei and pop-rock.

Set list SESSION A:

01. Shout At The Devil’97
02. We R Rock’n’Roll Stars
03. In the End

The second session linked perfectly with the one before. Musically, it wasn't the best of the night for sure but it was without a doubt the funniest. Яyo from girugamesh was joined by Shinji from SID on guitar, YUKKE from MUCC on bass and ken from L’Ac-en-Ciel and SATOchi from MUCC on vocals to perform two covers of very popular L’Ac-en-Ciel songs.

SATOchi showed up on stage in 80's style denim shorts and a pink T-shirt, looking hilarious and contrasting dramatically with ken who was wearing black and looking very sober. After lots of laughter and a chaotic first song, Яyo, who was wearing mostly black and very cute bunny ears to celebrate the coming year, introduced the members and explained that it was his idea to have a session with those members. “We wanted to be a sparkling band,” Яyo said, “but not all the members understood the concept.” ken thanked Яyo for inviting him to sing with them but pointed out that they didn’t look like a band at all but more like a group of friends on their way to a karaoke bar.

The vocals for the second song were not the best either as both ken and SATOchi kept laughing. Shinji tried his best to look serious but as the lights dimmed and he sang the last verse of the song, SATOchi knelt down next to him and started licking his guitar in a very sensuous way. The crowd went wild and hysterical laughter filled the room. Shinji wasn’t able to hide his amusement and ended up greeting the fans with his funny side.

Set list SESSION B:

01. Lies and Truth
02. winter fall

MUCC’s Tatsuro was the main attraction for the next session band. The crowd went wild as soon as Tatsuro’s name showed up on the screen, welcoming him warmly. Although this session was not as funny as the previous one, it was better in terms of musical quality. Hearing artists with such diverse backgrounds cover TOKIO and L’Ac-en-Ciel was very interesting and although the first song wasn’t very impressive, the second one was quite good especially since the fans knew it very well and sang throughout the whole song, Tatsuro’s voice giving the song a different, darker edge to hyde’s version.

Set list SESSION C:

01. I LOVE YOU ONLY
02. I WISH

The whole show swung from old school Rock’n’Roll to mainstream pop-rock, making the different backgrounds of the artists performing evident. As the fourth session band of the day was announced, it was time for some old school Rock’n’Roll sounds again.

ken was again welcomed on stage, this time accompanied by Miya from MUCC on guitar, Aki from SID on bass, Takeyuki Hatano on keyboard and Tomoya Miura from Pulling Teeth on drums for two Lady Gaga covers.

As the soundtrack between acts included mainly mainstream western female pop-rock artists like Pink, Lady Gaga and Rihanna up to this point, it wasn’t exactly a surprise when the introduction for Bad Romance started. Although the English lyrics were very hard to follow again and the vocals not that remarkable, the covers were very interesting musically, giving both songs a remarkable metal touch.

Set list SESSION D:

01. Bad Romance
02. Telephone – DJs From Mars Metallica Remix 1

The oshare kei band ZORO was next and the fans were very excited to see them. As the members walked out on stage, teenage female voices filled the venue. With a very cheerful attitude and catchy colorful songs they did a good job entertaining the crowd, seeming very comfortable on stage. By the time the third song started, everyone was dancing and jumping and soon following the furitsuke (hand choreography).

Bassist Tatsuhi seemed a bit out of place with his mini-skirt, looking cute and girly as always but was extremely comfortable smiling and waving at the fans. As the band left the stage, a loud “kawaii” echoed in the venue as Tatsuhi, whose mini-skirt tended to go up as he walked, ran off stage holding on to it with a very cute and embarrassed smile.

Set list ZORO:

01. Saru ai
02. DYNAMITE FLAVOR
03. KITSUNE

Loud cheers filled the venue as Creature Creature was announced. The stage darkened and the atmosphere completely changed, contrasting dramatically with the one for the previous band. The stage was black and dim dark blue lights revealed the members, all clad in black. The colorful ZORO gave way to a man who needed no introductions at this event. MORRIE was accompanied by a star line-up consisting of Libraian and La'cryma Christi member Hiro and ex-Guy’s Family member Shinobu on guitar, Hitoki from ROBO＋S on bass and Sakura from S.O.A.P. on drums.

They started off with a dynamic performance but by the end of the first song, it was obvious that they were having some technical problems with one of the guitars. As the first song ended, MORRIE welcomed the fans who were euphoric. Unfortunately, the technical difficulties weren’t easily solved and the audience had to wait while the staff tried to fix the problem. The other members tried to entertain the fans by gracing them with an interesting improvised instrumental performance but MORRIE didn’t seem happy about this incident and just waited in the back. After a long wait in silence the band played one more song and left the stage, the expected four-song set list reduced to two songs only to the dismay of the fans.

Set list Creature Creature:

01. Dream Caller
02. Red

girugamesh were next and they graced Budokan with a very dynamic and powerful performance. Being one of the most awaited bands of the night they were greeted by the fans with hysterical shouts. Very accustomed to this event, girugamesh showed great energy and confidence on stage. After one song, the whole audience was on fire.

ShuU’s performance during driving time was amazing, his bass solo blowing the audience away. Satoshi, as usual, did a great job controlling the crowd who responded really well to every song, jumping in synchrony with the band and waving excitedly. By the time Satoshi announced the last song, all hands were in the air. The atmosphere was amazing with the crowd moving as one with the band.

Set list girugamesh:

01. destiny
02. Break Down
03. CRAZY-FLAG
04. driving time
05. evolution

By the time girugamesh left the stage, all the fans were wondering what would be the next surprise out of the box, but nothing prepared the crowd for what was one of the best performances of the night. The screens introduced the next session and although everyone was waiting for at least four names to be announced, the only name to pop up was Mao’s from SID. As the crowd waited for the other members to be announced, the word “hitori,” which means "alone," appeared on the screens and the crowd went wild with excitement and surprise.

The stage was completely empty and fog covered the floor when Mao walked on stage, wearing a blue yukata with white wave patterns. Like Italian painter Sandro Botticelli's painting The Birth of Venus that depicts the goddess Aphrodite popping out of the ocean, Mao seemed to float on the waves. The crowd was speechless as Mata kimi ni koi shiteru, a popular enka song made famous by Fuyumi Sakamoto, started, the two giant screens displaying the lyrics to the song in a karaoke kind of way. The song was beautifully performed, matching Mao’s voice perfectly. Mao was very serious during the performance and as the song ended he bowed and left the stage, never looking back. The crowd seemed shocked by the amazing performance and a few seconds passed before a loud wave of cheers filled the venue, followed by a big “eh?” as the fans realized that Mao wasn’t coming back for another song.

Set list SESSION E:

01. Mata kimi ni koi shiteru

The crowd was very agitated after Mao’s performance and when MUCC’s logo appeared on the screens, a massive yell filled the venue as the fans cheered euphorically. The stage was almost empty with only a drum set in the center but MUCC was more than able to fill a stage and entertain a crowd without fancy stage paraphernalia. Blue and white lights started dancing and the members appeared on stage one by one, cheers erupting from the crowd. The loudest cry erupted when Tatsuro stepped on stage, clad in baggy pants and snickers, one eye covered by a long greenish scarf.

Falling Down was the first song. Tatsuro was very energetic, moving around the stage and interacting with the crowd who cheered excitedly jumping and singing along to the chorus, the words “Falling down!” echoing throughout the venue.

As usual, MUCC did a great job interacting with the crowd, Tatsuro always asking more and more from the fans. The light works were also very good, helping to set the perfect mood and by the time FUZZ started, the entire audience was jumping, hands in the air. When the music stopped, Tatsuro asked the fans if they were ready for more and was immediately greeted by a loud “yes.” As the song approached the end, the band encouraged the crowd to once again start jumping and singing and the fans complied happily.

The powerful performance continued throughout the last two songs. Miya and YUKKE were both very energetic, headbanging and interacting with the fans and Tatsuro displayed amazing vocal control. SATOchi proved that although he might not have been the best of the singers, he was definitely an amazing drummer. MUCC’s sound was very electronic and contrasted dramatically with the previous performance, making this, indeed, a very diverse show. The performance ended and the members left the stage, thanking the fans and leaving the crowd cheering euphorically. Before anyone had time to quieten down, another surprise came out of the box.

Set list MUCC:

01. Falling down
02. FUZZ
03. Ranchuu
04. I am computer

Session F was one of the most unexpected of the night. Once again, the giant screens lit up, introducing the members. JIMMY from 44MAGNUM on guitar, Takashi from Ken Band and BUG on bass, Yuya from SID on drums and hyde on vocals. As soon as hyde’s name appeared on the screen, the crowd went wild and wilder it got when he made his entrance all clad in black leather, spikes around his neck and arms, complete with a SM leather cap.

The excitement of the crowd was palpable, a giant roar filling the air. hyde didn’t seem very fuzzed about it though, never really interacting with the crowd. The two Judas Priest covers were very well accomplished, pyrotechnics emphasizing the performance and setting both the audience and the stage on fire. hyde’s voice conveyed a soft but powerful tone to the metal song and his performance was quite different from what he had done recently. As the second song ended, hyde left the stage, neither smiling nor looking at the fans who cheered and clapped excitedly.

Set list SESSION F:

01. Electric Eye
02. Freewheel Burning

Although tired, the crowd was very enthusiastic when 44MAGNUM appeared on stage, the sight of two vocalists surprising some who had never seen the band before. Very accustomed to this event, Paul looked very comfortable on stage and the five members tried hard to entertain the crowd but after the last four performances, this one was quite average.
Although the performance was entertaining and the catchy chorus easy to follow, Paul’s voice wasn’t at his best and he seemed to have trouble even making it to the other side of the stage. The main guitarist and drummer did a great job with their solos which were by far the strongest point of this performance but didn’t leave their spots. On the other hand, the other two members did a lot of running around the stage and not much playing. The band didn’t seem to be able to manage the tired crowd and weren’t able to really connect with the audience, sounding a bit repetitive.

After thanking the fans for their support, Paul announced the last act of the night, a super session with all the artists who participated in the event. The crowd waited patiently for the last performance of the day while the stage was set.

Set list 44MAGNUM:

01. Take Me To Your Heart
02. I’M LONELY MAN
03. SURRENDER
04. I JUST CAN’T TAKE ANYMORE

The fans started yelling in anticipation and the opening song for “Star Wars” started, the lights revealing 12 microphones on stage. One by one, the names of all the artists participating in this event showed up on the massive screens and one by one they made their entrance. The crowd roared and suddenly all hands were in the air, fans waving frantically at the artists on stage. Since this song had been played between every act of the night, the crowd was very familiar with it by now and had no problem following the lyrics. The artists thanked the fans for the support and ran around the stage waving, Tatsuro from MUCC distributing candy to the rejoicing fans. As in past events, colored plastic balls started flying, some reaching as far as the second floor. It was a great ending to a very diverse night filled with many surprises. Fans will be looking forward to the next event.

Set list MAVERICK DC SUPER ALL STARS:

01. Eien no machi – THE “NOISE” CITY