#wt19

I've never written one of these for a show i've been to so excuse me if it's clumsy. My concert buddies and I were aiming to get to the venue in the a.m. hours but Brittney and I took so long on hair and makeup that we didn't get there until noon. Oops.

It was Ridiculously hot and sweaty outside and I am not from Texas, i'm from near Seattle so i'm not used to it. And i didnt bring sunblock. My bf brought me some partway through the day but I still got a little burned. Met a lot of friends in the line that helped make it feel less than the 6 and a half hour wait it was. Signed the banner for the band and some Birthday cards for Reita.

The WT19 Documentary staff walked by with the camera and actually interviewed me! I thought I did well but my friends later teased me to death about talking too much and telling my whole life story so idk;;;; I still hope they use a bit of it because I didn't get in the WT16 dvd at all even though I went to LA.

I was VIP so the early entry was a lifesaver. Managed to be near the front of the merch line and actually snagged a Kai and an Uruha bear keychain. Ruki was sold out before I even saw it and Reita sold out a few people in front of me. I also got a tshirt and a hoodie but it was the bears I was REALLY hoping really bad I could get because I didn't own any yet.

And I still managed to get a really good spot after so I'm glad I didn't feel pressured to skip the merch line in favor of a spot. I wasn't directly at the barricade, i had probably 3 or 4 people in front of me. But to me it was perfect because I could see all the members without craning my neck instead of just the one close to me, and I was still way close enough to see all their beautiful faces in detail.

I don't rememeber the setlist in order whatsoever but other people posted it so. Anyway. Falling was Awesome and the first song after the intro. I was mostly distracted in awe just to be standing so close to them all. At the last show I couldn't afford VIP and I was stuck way up in a balcony. So this was just Surreal to me.

A lot of the middle is such a blur but I remember feeling like I had never smiled so wide in my whole entire life and no matter what they played I would have been happy. I was even So excited to hear Filth in the Beauty even though I usually complain about how overplayed it is. I know they played Dogma, which I heard at the last tour of course, but it was Way better being this close and personal.

Aoi is increadibly magnetic and attractive. There's no way to explain it. It's not just that he's hot- mind you, of course he Is, but.. something about him. The way he carries himself. Its hard to take your eyes off of him. The rest is pretty much what other people say, confirmed. Uruha makes a lot of Weird faces, especially during solos. But its super cute. Ruki has not gotten Any better at dancing and I wouldn't have it any other way. Kai is all smiles. Reita's always bobbing his head with the music like a little parakeet. I don't know what to say. Its all so much more touching being there to see it up close.

The last song of the encore was Tomorrow Never Dies and I was just.. crying the whole time honestly. Any final song would be a little emotional but they had to choose That one. It defeinitely got to me.

After the show VIP was immediately lining up for the meet and greet and I was confused about where to go. But we found it. I waited and took some post-show selfies with Brittney. The whole experience was just.. even more special being with my best friend after so long.

-The meet and greet.-

It was. Interesting. I was not prepared.

The line moved a lot faster than I was expecting and before I knew it my boyfriend pointed out that they were right there and Holy Shit he was right. I needed to get my gifts out of my bag and ready Pronto, because I made Ruki a drawing on the plane and I made Uruha a cute little gift bag with specially made stickers, a kitkat and a note I wrote him. (I wanted something for everyone but work got in the way and I ran out of time..) ANYWAY my baggie for Uruha got caught in the zipper of my purse. Like. Really caught bad. The line was still moving. Panic ensued. My boyfriend was behind me so i asked him to help if he could. He couldn't get it.

Then Aoi was right in front of me. The caught present would have to wait for later. I don't remember exactly what I said. A stammering excited ramble while we clasped hands. He was an amazing guitarist, beautiful, things like that. He makes eye contact. They all make good eye contact but especually Aoi. They all have soft warm hands. But each handshake passes in the blink of an eye before I can process it. My brain is a scrambled mess.

Reita. I thank him and pause briefly to think of something personal I can actually say to him. I gave an enthusiastic "You Rock", to which he smiles and agrees with a nod. "Yes!", he says. It was really cute. Probably could have said something more meaningful but at least i'm sure he understood me. Mostly everyone else got an incoherent mess of trying to say as much as I could in such a brief time period.

Ruki. I totally forget I have a present for him by the way. Im holding his hands and busy being Dazzled at how gorgeous he is in person. It's incredible. I tell him he's an amazing singer and i've always looked up to him. Throw in a few other compliments in the fleeting moment before I have to move on. Not sure how much he understands but he smiles and thanks me a couple times.

Kai. He's just glowing and beaming. Smiles so bright. Its very cute. I tell him hes an awesome drummer. I honestly forget what else I said. As I was moving between him and Uruha I remembered Uruhas stuck present. And that made me remember I was supposed to give Ruki a present. Oh shit. Panic. Reach in my bag and slide the piece of paper across the table to him. "Sorry! This is for you!" I don't mean to be chaotic I just really want him to have it. Luckily its my own boyfriend I interrupted his meeting with. Ruki seems amused and thanks me again. Hopefully he actually is and doesnt think i'm rude.

Fiddling with the god damned stuck gift bag as I step over to Uruha in a panic. Eyes wide. Stop to shake his hands. No freaking clue what I even ramble out to him I forget. Im panicking over the present because I dont have long til I have to go. I let go of his hands to fiddle with it again because I Really want him to have it. I worked really hard on it. I realize last second that i can just pull the gifts Out of the little baggie and drop them out on the table in front of him in a panic. "Kit-kat.." I drop it. He thanks me. Im sure I look like a mess. Not sure if he's frightened or flatterd by my determination as the staff starts to try to usher me along. "Stickers-!" I say as I put those down too. Really not sure he even understood what that meant. He might just think its a drawing. Don't know. But he of course thanks me. The poor staff lady is tapping at my shoulder trying to get me to leave. I still have the notecard that has to go with the stickers. I'm apologizing repeatedly to everyone involved as I finally get that to him as well and leave as quickly as possible so as to not cause chaos or hold up the line.

I get outside and meet back up with Brittney and my boyfriend who of course think the whole ordeal was Hilarious. I am mortified and I hope Uruha doesn't think i'm a lunatic. I like to tell myself he probably just thought it was funny but I have no way to know.

I wanted to get this out yesterday after coming back to my hotel, but I was just too tired to write a lot. But I’m home now, so without further ado, here’s my live report. (It’s very long as well)

The Concert

It was raining, and we’d gotten a bit of a late start, so we ended up getting caught in some pretty heavy traffic on our way to the venue. By the time I got to Queen Elizabeth Theatre, it was a little after 6:30, I believe. Anyways, I got to the venue, said goodbye to my mom, and got my VIP wristband before heading inside to stand in line.

Inside, I stood in a long line that I thought was to get into the hall (I later found out that it was for merchandise, for which there wasn’t much left). While I was in the line, two girls were walking by with a dual Canada-Japan flag, and some markers, so I used the opportunity to sign the flag. I also got to meet some new people there, so we talked about how we got into the GazettE, how we were excited to see them, things like that. At some point, I left the merchandise line-up and waited in line outside the theatre.

When the doors opened up, I went inside and took my seat. I was quite close to the stage, specifically the fourth row right in the middle, which meant I had a great view of the GazettE men. There were a lot of fans from Canada, the US, and Japan as well, and I was lucky to meet quite a few of them. The atmosphere was almost electric and filled with energy and excitement, and I was feeling just as excited. As the staff members came out onto the stage to adjust the band’s instruments and equipment, we’d sometimes cheer for them, especially when the lights were flashing.

Eventually, the lights went off, and we were all cheering. Then, 99.999 started playing, and I could practically feel it through my body. Even though I’ve seen the GazettE live in Vancouver, I was still left so speechless when they came out on stage. Kai had his sweet smile, Reita looked simply badass, Aoi was looking fine as hell, Uruha was simply gorgeous. And Ruki... well, he was so beautiful I wanted to cry.

When “Falling” started, I was screaming along with everyone else. That song was so amazing when performed live! And then with “Ninth Odd Smell”, I was jumping and headbanging and pumping my fist to the beat. After that was “Gush”, and that song was just so badass. Every now and then, Reita would come to the front and rile us up by giving us intense looks, eyeing certain people with those piercing eyes, and it worked. We were screaming and cheering them on so much, and even Uruha would join him in on teasing us as well.

After those four songs, Ruki did a little MC, though I couldn’t hear much of it. And then they played “Vortex”, which was a lot of fun. After that was “Uragiru Bero”, and it was simply sublime. It was intense and fast-paced, and Ruki sounded so good when singing it live! After that was “Sono Koe wa Moroku”, to which we just cheered and waved our hands. Me, I just stood still and watched them in amazement, with my hand over my heart. I did that quite a bit when I couldn’t scream or headbang, simply because I was just left breathless.

And then it was “Babylon’s Taboo”, much to my pleasant surprise. That song, oh, it was amazing. Next was “UNDYING”, which I honestly didn’t expect. Ruki was so passionate when singing, and I wanted to cry halfway through the song. I didn’t cry, though; again, I was just standing with my hand over my heart, completely overwhelmed with emotion.

When “UNDYING” was finished, they surprised us greatly by playing “Agony”. Everyone went wild when they started playing it, and none of us expected to hear it, honestly! But oh my gosh, it was so much fun! Ruki was doing a little dance while singing, and it was both cute yet sexy at the same time. I don’t know how Ruki can be both amazingly seductive and so adorable at the same time, but he does it so well!

After “Agony” was “UGLY”, and that was a nice headbanger as always. Next was “Abhor God”, and that was just so badass when played live, I loved it so much! I was singing the lyrics along with them because I just couldn’t resist it. Then it was “Filth in the Beauty”, and we all went wild at hearing the familiar opening notes. But Ruki... oh my god, he was so sensual and seductive when singing; he slid his hand down his body to his groin and palmed it so seductively and I just about melted. At that point, I’d screamed myself hoarse, so my throat was already hurting, but that didn’t stop me. And finally, to finish off their main setlist, they performed “Unfinished”, which was a nice way to close it.

It was practically a blur, and after they left the stage, everyone was chanting for an encore. I just took the time to drink some water and recuperate my energy before they came back. And sure enough, they came back onstage, with Kai and Uruha in T-shirts. Kai did a bit of MC’ing, thanking us for having them, and of course, telling us to get crazy. The first song of the encore was “Inside Beast”, and Ruki came back on stage as the drums were playing, and it was just awesome! Most surprising for me was when they played “Headache Man”, but none of us were complaining for sure! We were just having fun and chanting the lyrics along with them. And to end the night, they did “Tomorrow Never Dies”, and I honestly wanted to cry in that moment. It passed by so fast, and before I even knew, it was over and they were thanking us.

Uruha also threw his pick into the crowd, though I didn’t catch it. And then Kai smiled at all of us and it was truly the sweetest smile I’ve ever seen! He came to the front of the stage with his phone and took pictures of all of us, and we were all trying to get into the frame (I even managed to get in one of them!), and after that, it was over. My second GazettE concert (and my second concert ever) was an amazing experience, and I would gladly do it all over again.

The Members’ Stage Presence

Before I get to the Meet and Greet, I just have to comment upon how they were on the stage because they were just awesome!

Ruki... he doesn’t just grab your attention. He commands it, much like a diva. He knew how to make us scream, how to rile us all up, and he clearly loved making us go wild. He’d stick his tongue out sometimes, he did those adorable-yet-sexy little dances, he’d lick his fingers a little, he’d even show us his middle finger. Stuff like that really riled us up. I know I’ve always joked about Ruki being a diva, but the show he put on last night just sealed it. He’s a diva, and I love it!

Reita... oh my god, where do I even begin? This guy, he didn’t just hang back and play bass. He was coming to the front of the stage, leaning down while playing, and eyeing us so intensely that it made us all scream and cheer so loudly. He’d also stick his tongue out at us occasionally and it was truly badass and awesome. He also commanded our attention quite a bit, but less like a diva and more like a hardcore bad boy.

Uruha was just as engaged with us. He’d also come up to the front of the stage to get us riled up and excited. He’s so graceful and elegant while playing guitar, and the way the lights just frame him sometimes made him look absolutely divine. I swear, he moves as if he’s making love to his guitar, and it’s so hot and sexy and yet so beautiful as well, and whenever he came up front, he also had us screaming as much as Ruki and Reita did.

Aoi had a more subdued passion within him, but it was very much there. He was just rocking out like the superstar that he is, and while he didn’t come up front as much as Reita did, he made us all scream whenever he did go up front. At some point, he was grinding up against his guitar and it was just so sexy that I almost melted. Like, oh my gosh, he also moves like how Uruha does when he plays the guitar, and it was absolutely perfect!

Kai was as amazing as he always is, of course. His smile just lights up everything and when he smiled, I was smiling as well. The way he played the drums was just so hardcore and amazing, and honestly, if he ever decides to go shirtless when drumming, it would be so damn hot. Even if he couldn’t come up to the front of the stage, his energy was just infectious and we were all just so lost in the sheer energy.

The Meet and Greet

My heart was pounding as I waited for the meet-and-greet. I had managed to write out my letters to the band members in individual thank-you cards in envelopes, and I was so excited yet nervous at the same time. I wanted to actually say something to the members instead of the dazzled “Thank you...” I’d said back in Vancouver, but I was so afraid I would just be too dazzled like last time.

After a long wait, the doors opened and we walked in. The girls ahead of me had gotten them a gift, though I didn’t see what it was. After they shook their hands, it was my turn.

First was Uruha, and he had such a gentle smile and equally soft hands. I thanked him, told him that he was beautiful, and gave him his card. He smiled and thanked me, and I almost got lost in how ethereal he was.

Then it was Kai. He smiled at me and I just about melted. Like Uruha, his hand was just as gentle, and I thanked him, told him that he was cute, and that I loved his smile. He seemed to smile even more at that, especially when I gave him his card.

With Ruki, I nearly stumbled over my words. His smile was soft, his hand so gentle, and I was so tempted to tell him that he was so beautiful that I wanted to cry. Instead, I just said, “you’re so beautiful”, and gave him his card. He smiled and thanked me, and my heart was just pounding so hard.

Reita was next. For someone who acted like such a hardcore bad boy on stage, he had such a light grip on my hands as well. I thanked him and told him that he was awesome before giving him my card. He smiled and thanked me before I moved on.

Last was Aoi. His smile was so sweet, and just like the others, his hand was very soft. I thanked him, told him that he was a superstar, and he seemed so pleased when I said that. And when I gave him his card, he accepted it with a smile.

As I was leaving, the staff gave us our VIP present: small towels with the GazettE logo on them. 

Honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever use that towel in my life; it’s too precious, and I don’t want to ruin it at all. When I left the venue last night, my heart was soaring and I felt like I was on top of the world. To see the GazettE for a second time was truly a privilege, and I’m so grateful to have seen them again. I hope they read the cards I wrote, and I hope they understand just how much they mean to me, just how grateful I am for them, and that I truly meant every word I wrote in each card.

Setlist

99.999 FALLING NINTH ODD SMELL GUSH Vortex URAGIRU BERO SONO KOE WA MOROKU BABYLON’S TABOO UNDYING Agony UGLY ABHOR GOD Filth in the Beauty UNFINISHED

A consolidated list of all the set lists for the Asian leg of the tour, linked to song translations.