Continuation of Part One here.
RYUICHI opened the main MC with a joke about how it’d often rain when they play but that it wasn’t raining that day. He also joked about how even he has lost track of how many years it’s been, since it’s almost their 30th anniversary. Reminiscing their past, he turned to a sincere tone as he looked back at when they played their first show in Machida, and said, “Even we had no idea what will happen 30 years into the future. We just wanted to deliver to you this world we’ve created.” RYUICHI also mentioned how he thinks Budokan is a sacred place and that he’s excited to perform there regardless of the fact they’ve played there many times in the past.
With that, the band performed a heartfelt performance of their famous ballad, “I for you”. After that, they drove the crowd to get them ready to rock out for the last few songs of the main set. RYUICHI yelled “Are you guys ready to rock some more? You can do whatever as long as you don’t hurt yourself, got it?!” as red lights flashed for “STORM”. The members often ran around the stage as well as interacting with each other. Following right after, was “TIME IS DEAD”. The chemistry between the members as well as the crowd was unreal. Everyone sang along and pumped their fists into the air. The highlight of the song was when SUGIZO played while an air jet was blasting from beneath him and a spotlight shone on him. At the end of the song, everyone gathered at the center front before starting “ROSIER”.
Things got really hot inside as red lights flooded the venue and all the fans danced and sang along. The members ran around to different parts of the stage, driving the crowd into a frenzy. At one point, SUGIZO got down on one knee as he played facing RYUICHI who responded by leaning in as he sang. The final song was the second half of “Metamorphosis” in which all the members went all out in showing off their skills, wrapping up the main set with a bang.
After the main set ended at 8:25 and the members had exited the stage, many fans started taking out their phones for the light, with some in a blue hue when lit behind the transparent blue pompoms given to all attendees. Fans broke into a “Happy Birthday to LUNA SEA” song from different parts of the crowd and eventually merging into one loud song celebrating the band’s anniversary.
The band reappeared on stage in different outfits for the encore and thanked all the fans for their support. Fittingly, bright lights flooded the venue for “Anthem of Light” with everyone waving their lights around and the members beaming on stage in response. Following right after, was the ever popular upbeat rock number, “TONIGHT”. INORAN ran straight to the back while SUGIZO squatted near the edge of the stage, prompting loud screams from the fans up front.
During the MC, they showed a playful side during the member introductions. When his name was called, Shinya played a short bit before standing up with his arms crossed in front of him and a mischievous smug look on his face. J played a few simple lines for his introduction. In comparison, INORAN simply let his guitar feedback then saluted to the fans. To which RYUICHI responded by saying with a smile, “Come on, say something.” And INORAN responded, “Well, when we played the show 28 years ago……Oh, this is gonna be a long story, is it OK?” J then answered his question with a circular motion with his hand. “Ryu-chan came to the concert, and he brought only ONE donut…” As the audience erupted in laughter, RYUICHI defended himself. “I’m sure I had 5 in there, though? Maybe Shin-chan ate them?” Shinya stood up and just covered his mouth with his hands. RYUICHI continued, “…Is this the place to talk about this?!” The audience laughed. SUGIZO surprisingly chimed in, testifying, “I remember only two donuts, though.” While we may never find out the truth, Shinya commented, “RYU-chan didn’t have any eyebrows then, and his hair was green. I figured we mustn’t forget our feelings at the time, so I made my drum set green today.” SUGIZO also reminisced the past, saying they were just a bunch of bad kids back then and that it’s amazing they’ve been playing for 28 years.
After that, RYUICHI announced their upcoming release. “We’ve decided the theme for the new album will be “love”. Precisely because so many things are happening these days that love is needed. Love comes in many forms, it may come as sadistic love, but it may also come as a love that’s similar to warm ballads. Please look forward to it.” The album will be released within this year, and “The Holy Night 2017” will be held at Saitama Super Arena on 12/23 Sat. and 12/24 Sun.
After the announcements, RYUICHI yelled, “Come on!” and silver streamers exploded over the crowd as “WISH” started. Smiles could be seen on all the fans’ faces as everyone sang “lalalala” during the quiet part while waving the streamers around. The set finished but the fans kept chanting encore so the band gathered center stage to discuss and their conclusion was RYUICHI announcing, “Thank you. We don’t want to leave the stage yet either!” With that, blue and white lights lit up the stage and they began the mysteriously beautiful acoustic number, “MOTHER”. Shinya and J’s rhythm synchronized with our heartbeat while INORAN’s guitar made our hearts fluttered and RYUICHI’s emotional voice rang through the venue. Rainbow lights then lit the stage as SUGIZO played on his violin.
The peaceful and beautiful song wrapped up their anniversary night in the best possible way.
Surely, they’ll have many more anniversaries to add to their long career and it’s something many fans will look forward to.
Live report by: Jin