Megamasso's First Major Concert

Megamasso had a big announcement at their latest live show. In fact, it was the biggest announcement that they have had as a band. The band was leaving their old management company and label, NXSIE Records and moving to a major label for their new releases and to cover management of the band. While the term, “major label” might not be the best description for AVEX, they certainly are the most successful Japanese record company presently. While this information was available publicly online for a month, it was the first time that Megamasso publicly acknowledged this to their fans. The concert was held on September 10, 2009 at Akasaka BLITZ. It was a “one-man” show meaning fans of the band were treated to over two hours of music and entertainment.

When Megamasso came on stage they seemed to be wearing more mature clothes signifying their maturation as a band. Ryohei was still wearing cute clothing (short shorts). All of the band members wore purple. The band started with Namida Neko. After 7 songs in, the band addressed the audience by welcoming them and expressing their joy that everyone could come. They said that they rehearsed an incredible amount for tonights show and that the setlist for the night will be amazing. INZARGI boldly stated that no one will be left standing by the end. The band ended up playing twenty five songs with two encores.

Not only did this mark the announcement for their switch to AVEX, it also was the first time that AVEX was in charge of their entire live production. With the increase in funding that comes from a label like AVEX, the band had a lot more weapons at their disposal. All of their amplifiers and racks were brand new and they had a blinking light prop that extended on the floors and walls of the venue. They were coordinated lights reminiscent of large Christmas lights that would flash coordinated barrages of color synchronized to the music. While their previous shows couldn’t be described as lacking, these new items certainly beefed up their performance.

The band later continued with three heavy hitting songs before taking another break to address the crowd. They then announced a never before heard song called Tumuru Mori Aki, which they gave as a present to all of the attendees inside of a cloth bag bearing the band’s logo. It was a present to all the fans who had supported the band in their long and difficult journey. The song itself had a heavy opening with a piercing bass line. It was a balld rock song with simplistic riffs and a lengthy guitar solo. The band later continued with two of their harder songs, which the band seemed to play a lot more of than usual. As far as the band themselves, they hadn’t changed significantly. INZARGI still helped the audience with hand movements and danced while Ryohei played his guitar in a feminine manner. Gou was simply Gou.

The band finished their set and on came a big screen presentation of their new video, CHIMES. The video was shown in high definition and was of much higher quality than previous videos. The video featured the band playing in a modern architectural structure with a panda playing on the drums (a great touch). After the video the band came out and formally announced their major debut with AVEX. They proclaimed that they won’t disappoint their fans and take the band in new directions. They wanted to show a new Megamasso to fans who have been with them for three years and for new fans alike. They said they would take the band to unimaginable heights. They then proceeded to play “CHIMES” an upbeat song, with a new all black wardrobe that was the same as the one in the promotion video. The wardrobe consisted of variations of a black and gold theme. The band played three more songs followed by another encore. For their last encore they reassured their fans that while they will be changing greatly, they themselves won’t change. The new single from Megamasso, goes on sale on October 7th, 2009.