X JAPAN touched down on North American soil for their tour, which runs from September through October. After a groundbreaking performance in Chicago at Lollapalooza to hint of things to come, the hype to see X JAPAN touring around the country was huge. The start of the tour began on September 25th at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles, and needless to say, the show was a success.
Last night, X JAPAN forced Oakland to its knees at the Fox Theatre.
Starting the show off with one of their newest tracks, Jade, the energy in the venue was nothing short of amazing. X JAPAN hit the stage hard and didn’t let up on their hold of the venue, even as Silent Jealousy ripped through the speakers after the distinct and gorgeous piano introduction by Yoshiki.
The electric, buzzing riffs of Drain’s first few chords had the audience cheering, even as Yoshiki and Sugizo stepped off stage to prepare for the violin and piano interlude. They left it to Pata on guitar, Heath on bass and Toshi on vocals to finish off Drain before returning to stage.
After a beautiful piano and violin interlude that had everyone in the venue silent, Kurenai followed, picking the energy back up in no time at all.
Born to be Free was next, and the chorus resulted in an even more excited kind of energy from the crowd, leading into a concert favorite, and a routine performance for the band when it came to live shows – X.
With the words of the chorus, everyone jumped. The floors shook and the energy in the pit was almost overwhelming. The band’s performance hadn’t dwindled from full-throttle once throughout the night, and even as their signature song ended, they weren’t about to quit.
Following a quick break was Endless Rain, an emotional movement for band and audience as the chorus was sang out a cappella for minutes. Fire light from lighters flickered along for the entire track, glow sticks formed into ‘X’s swayed, and the venue’s energy was at peace as Yoshiki led into the finale, Art of Life, with an emotional presentation on piano.
The audience seemed to remain stunned at the emotional performance. Emotion that couldn’t be easily fathomed from a recording could clearly be experienced live.
The band finished their set and Yoshiki dragged a photographer onstage to get photographs of his band with loyal fans behind them. The show might have been over – too soon for some – but the smiles on everyone’s face that night was an incredible thing to see. Seeing X JAPAN live in North America had been the dream of many people, and last night, it came true.
X JAPAN continues their tour with Seattle, WA next on the list. Check out http://www.xjapanmusic.com for ticket information!
Live Report Courtesy of: Cure Rock Radio