I would like to read your personal analysis about what thoughts raced through your mind while listening to that 5 days that each member shared with us with their individual setlist, how did you feel? Could we open a debate? I love that, and above all I love your page and content. and your point of view about the band ..!
Ah, I appreciate your message, but make sure to season my comments with a lot of salt hahah.
Regarding #Direngrey5Days, I had posted my impressions mostly live during the broadcast, but it was such a flow from everyone that I guess I can gather all of them together here. I listened to some of them again just to collect my thoughts better, but obviously the thrill of discovering the songs live is gone.
This is also a good occasion to post the following graphs of each member's song selection by album (point in their history), which I thought others would have published by now.
(THE CONSTANT DIP NEAR UNRAVELING AND ARCHE, AGH.)
Kaoru: Very solid, and I found that it showed that he had a heavy hand into what Dir en grey's actual setlists are. There was diversity in it and he was the first to impress with that one switch to a live recording. I had admittedly missed the first few songs because I usually wake up exactly when it starts, and I had underestimated how exciting these livestreamed setlits would be. The beginning is smooth but epic enough to ease you into the show. He had some audacious choices but also a few singles or songs that are popular as well. The transitions made sense too, or maybe it's just me. There were more slow and sad songs than I expected from him though.
Toshiya: His setlist was highly edgy and sad, it left me wondering if he was doing OK. Ending the setlist with that small cry/whimper at the conclusion of Zakuro, I am not sure that he sought our wellbeing hahah. A real show could not have closed on that note.
Die: It starts very steady, the energy seems like a constant thread that keeps you hooked along the way. But then he adds a few sad songs, at least delivering on ARCHE finally! It seems like he knew that the setlist had to have some low times but he actually just wants the songs with the fast-paced chord-striking. The ending of Ranunculus followed by VANITAS... Surprising for him, but VANITAS has a lot of power and is not solely heavy and sad, at least. He may have just thought of the fact that Japanese fans were supposed to be going to sleep shortly after that livestream, so he had to calm things down a bit hah. But there was undoubtedly a message in this selection, what with the lyrics and him communicating in the YouTube chat that Dir en grey loves us, then. I mean, after all, he is the one who outright confirmed that the band is conscientious of how it leaves its fans at the end of a show.
Shinya: His song selection was also solid, but he chose some old tracks that just make me think: "But you're not even doing splendid drumming in them at all?" I notice drums a lot in songs, and it really shows when the sound and rhythm is so generic that any local drummer could perform them... The nudge to Die with Red... [EM], Aka and I would say even 304 Goushitsu, Hakushi no Sakura was very fun. The first half was good, energetic, and then it just felt awkward? Almost a succession of one sadder song, one very hyper, one sad, etc. only to also end with INCONVENIENT IDEAL, which sounds like it is filled with hope but is actually quite sad as well? And he pushed the setlist to M20 for those two last heavy-hearted songs too?
Kyo: It was without any surprise whatsoever that he opted for live renditions to try to give a truer feeling than the sanitized impression of studio recordings. The focus on UROBOROS –the proof in the name of living- is peculiar though but it worked very well hah. With some of the song picks, especially AGITATED SCREAMS OF MAGGOTS -unplugged-, I think that this setlist is, in a way, a dream one that couldn't happen anymore unless all of the stars aligned for an optimal throat condition? As for the focus on UROBOROS –with the proof in the name of living-, I have to wonder if he did not just stumble upon that DVD shortly before submitting his list and was into that mood. He is a guy who really obsesses over things for short periods of time, whether his looks, his passions, etc. So, why did only that UROBOROS DVD get so much focus... There was probably no time or desire to try out any other one during that time hah. But for sure, the fact that he selected no old song besides Rasetsukoku (just because technically the old version was the one played in UROBOROS –with the proof in the name of living-) is no surprise at all either.
Overall, there seems to be an almost conscious effort by most of the members to pick at least one song from each album in their history, but Kyo paid no heed to that at all and followed his own interests, and to a lesser extent Shinya as well. I was expecting more songs from The Insulated World to pay respect to the neverending mantra that “This is the current Dir en grey”, but it has been played for three tours now...
areudirty
vaporwave
gracieabrams
prguitarman
tangentwithtanner
