MUCC history GIGS 97~11 in Nippon Budokan

The special feature concert MUCC history GIGS 97~11 was held on the 22nd of May, the day after their tour final, in the same hall - nothing less than the famous Nippon Budokan. The stage had been set up along the north side of the hall, with ramps out on both sides and a huge pillar with lamps just behind the drums, while the huge Japanese flag hanging from the ceiling was a constant reminder of the significance of the venue. Four screens had been set up behind the stage, and as the show started the band was introduced with a short movie in black and white.

While the movie was running, the band members silently tip-toed out on stage - Tatsuro barefoot as usual - but of course the attempted stealthiness was in vain as the audience spotted them immediately and started cheering. As the last scenes of the movie changed from black and white to full colour, the stage lighting went on and revealed the band - Tatsuro dressed in a traditional kimono jacket, in stark contrast to Miya who was sporting a more punkish outfit with checkered pants and boots. The first song of the set was Aka from MUCC's very first album, certainly a surprise to many fans.

Zetsubou continued in the same mood, and the heavy beat and melancholic melody reflected the title, "despair" in Japanese, very well. The atmosphere lifted remarkably when the classic live song Saishuu ressha came up and the bouncy rhythm had the audience dancing next to their seats and waving their hands in the air. The slow Kimi ni sachi are started with Tatsuro playing harmonica and continued with very soft singing that turned into a surprisingly powerful chorus, making the song a true power ballad. When the audience recognized Ware, arubeki basho there were loud cheers, and the crowd head-banged in unison while the old PV of the song was running on the screens. The pillar behind the drum set suddenly went on with almost blinding light, and was blinking through the chorus of the song, accentuating the heavy beat.

YUKKE changed to an upright bass for the jazzy and fun Media no juusei, which for a while created an illusion of being in a more intimate jazz club, an impression that was effectively crushed by Tatsuro's impressive screaming at the end. After this Tatsuro sat down cross-legged at the front of the stage and chatted a little with the audience in a very relaxed manner. The next song, Mama, was in some impossible way both heart-wreckingly melancholic and happily bouncy at the same time, leaving the fans with strong emotions yet unsure whether to laugh or cry.

For 25ji no yuuutsu, green light beams were lit in a ring on the stage, which made it seem like the band were in a green cage and a single fire in front of SATOchi created the impression that the drum set was on fire. This, combined with the ominous intro, made this into a truly impressive scene. The song then surprisingly turned into a more upbeat, jazzy tune in the middle part, only to return to the a more ominous, mysterious sound in the end, finishing with Tatsuro lying as dead in the dark inside the green cage.

A few lighter pop tunes followed, but although the melodies were cute and catchy there was always something, whether it was Satochi's drumming being too strong or the raw quality of Tatsuros voice, that created an edge and a feeling that this is still not quite pop. For Ame no orchestra, there were light effects imitating stars in the ceiling and white smoke looking like clouds on stage. But although the song was pretty, one couldn't help thinking that Tatsuro, wearing clothes and make-up making him look like a demon from some traditional Japanese horror story, looked somewhat out of place in the heavenly setting.

In the short break that followed, a timer was shown on the screens counting from 00:00 to 02:07, at which the instrumental piece 2.07 started. Tatsuro, having nothing to do, ran out on the side ramp and grabbed a lamp which he used to illuminate the audience. Two slightly newer songs on the set, Fukurou no yurikago and Shion, stood out a little in that they showed the oriental, ethereal sound that has come to characterize MUCC in later years. The fires on stage during Shion helped in making it appear as the most powerful song of the whole set. The loudest cheers were on the other hand no doubt received by Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun, and the audience laughingly sang along to MUCC's rendering of the old children's song about a fishcake's adventures.

Suimin was another powerful song that showed off MUCC's quite unique ability to mix cute and catchy pop tunes, jazzy rhythms that make you want to dance as well as heavy metal riffs and raw screams - not just in the same setlist but more often than not in the same song. The main part of the set was rounded off with Kugatsu mikka no kokuin, during which the lyrics were shown on the screen as it was sung, and it was hard not to be moved by the story of the unwanted boy who after his death looks back on his miserable life as Tatsuro poured out all his feelings in the song.

The first encore contained three up-beat pop tunes, and in the end it came out as quite fun but still the weakest part of the show at large. The audience were still dancing and having fun however, especially as they were laughing at Tatsuro's antics during Flight, where he grabbed a camera and filmed the audience and his fellow band members. The show was not over with this though, and after some more chanting for encores from the audience MUCC once again appeared on stage. This time they took turns talking to the audience, and they all claimed that they would continue playing until they are 69 years old.

A toy car driven by a frog then appeared on stage, and while YUKKE took care of the frog, Tatsuro started singing the joke song Robert's theme, accompanied only by Miya on acoustic guitar and of course Robert the frog himself (slightly assisted by YUKKE). SATOchi, a bit lost without his drums, pulled off a great air guitar performance before going off to find Robert's girlfriend, and all the froggy silliness caused the audience to roar with laughter. On an only slightly more serious note, the band and the audience then sang Yasashii uta together, and on Tatsuros command everybody pulled out glowsticks and waved them high while singing the refrain, creating a mighty scene in the dimmed light. Miya then shouted "bai-bai" and the band left the stage once again after SATOchi impressed the audience with his drumstick-throwing skills.

The show was still not quite over yet however, and after another round of screams for encores, MUCC appeared one last time on stage. Tatsuro thanked the audience, and they performed the soft ballad Akatsuki as a parting gift - this new song could be bought as a limited edition single only at Nippon Budokan this day and the day before. All the band members then bowed deeply to the audience in turn, and the show was over for real. As everybody tried to grasp what they'd just seen, few people left the venue unimpressed. MUCC has an extraordinary power in their live shows, and it is also evident that after these 15 years the four members feel right at home also on a stage of this size and have the confidence to make fun of themselves. This in combination with a setlist that would make any long time fan teary-eyed with nostalgia made for an amazing show that will be long remembered.


Setlist:

01. Aka
02. Zetsubou
03. Saishuu ressha
04. Moumoku de aru ga yue no sogaikan
05. Kimi ni sachi are
06. Ware, arubeki basho
07. Media no juusei
08. Mama
09. 25ji no yuuutsu
10. Monochrome no keshiki
11. Kokoro no nai machi
12. Ame no orchestra
13. 2.07
14. Bouzenjishitsu
15. Fukurou no yurikago
16. Rojiura boku to kimi e
17. Shion
18. Shougyou shisoukyou jidai koushikyoku
19. Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun
20. Shoufu
21. Suimin
22. Kugatsu mikka no kokuin

Encore 1:
23. Utagoe
24. Ryuusei
25. Flight

Encore 2:
26. Robert's theme
27. Yume no machi
28. Yasashii uta

Encore 3:
29. Akatsuki