Houston, TX, November 2, 2009 Warehouse Live

All Visible Things

The show was announced for 8 pm but it was just after 9pm with the first strains of Sa Bir ran through the immense speakers flanking the stage. After a few moments the members of Dir en grey began the journey to their instruments and picked them up, ready to play. While Shinya, Die, Toshiya and Kaoru came out, the fans were constantly shouting, their eagerness easily revealing itself. When Kyo finally arrived, the crowd erupted into even louder cheers as the lead singer found his place in the center of the stage and grasped his microphone.

Launching into Vinushka, they immediately captured the audience and pushed them into frenzied chanting. Kyo’s voice was spot on and his wide vocal range was readily apparent as he made his way through several a cappella pieces, guttural growls, shrieks and plaintive melody. As the show progressed, Kyo not only engaged the crowd with his voice, but moved to the music fluidly, switching between slow and frenzied seemingly with ease.

Toshiya was in fine form as he spent much of the evening holding his bass like an upright bass through many of the songs. The visual drew one to watch his hands during the slower pieces though his fevered dance through several numbers made this impossible at times. He wore a thin grey shirt, instead of the black favored by most of his bandmates, with a cut out neckline and 3/4 length sleeves. He added a bit of flair by wearing a loose skirt over his pants that flew about as he thrashed across the stage and his performance seemed even more exuberant than usual. His hair had also grown out, short cropped and straight around his face.

Die had a wild edge of humor and his natural showmanship came to the fore as he spurred the fans on his side of the stage to show their appreciation for the band. During the show his hair flew about during the most intense rifts when he was head banging and then seemed to magically fell back into place when the pace slowed or the song changed. When he was not playing he spent much of his time waving his hands in order to rouse the crowd and bring them to the edge of manic energy.

Shinya had a harder time standing out, tucked behind his large drum kit but for anyone that truly took the time to watch him he was truly awe-inspiring. It seemed like he never stopped moving and the throbbing beats he served were the platform of sound upon which everyone else stood. Wearing his usual white wife beater, hair flying, he kept the sticks moving and he worked just as hard as anyone else on the stage.

Kaoru seemed to be having a harder time than the others as his performance was plagued by technical problems. He had to stop playing completely during the third song in order for a technician to fix the problem but like a true professional he kept cool and went right back to playing when the problem was fixed. When he was finally able to give it his best, his fingers danced over the strings. He did seem to grow more confident in the equipment as the show progressed and by the middle of the show he was working the audience just like his counterparts.

As this was the first night of the tour these little problems should evaporate during the later cities. The show was great. When leaving the venue all you could hear were compliments and enthusiasm. To say that this was their finest performance would be lie but it certainly was enjoyable and the talent that they have both as a band and as individuals was clearly visible at all times.

Live Report by: Haleigh W.
Edited and contributed by: Ali W.