Review From Blitz!

The Hearjapan team had the honor of attending the kick-off show for the D’espairsRay “Rockstar: Taste of CHOCOLATE Tour” at the Akasaka Blitz on Saturday May 31st. It was a high-energy night, and it showed D’espairsRay at their most energetic. With the dramatic lighting, fantastic stage presence, and top-notch musicianship we have grown to expect from D’espairsRay, they played an impressive set of 18 of their best songs (see below for complete set-list)!.

The band, warmly welcomed by cheers from the waiting crowd, opened with their new single BRILLIANT.

Dressed in white to contrast against the black and red background, Karyu and ZERO rocked and swayed in time with the music, while Hizumi, also dressed in white but with black boots, leaned deeply into the microphone and emphasized each syllable of the up-beat opening song. Hizumi’s voice sounded clear and resonant, the balance perfect against the band, and we could hear the full potential of the venue’s excellent sound system.

“Brilliant” segued straight into “Lost Scene” and the band kicked up the energy yet another notch. Hizumi made full use of the stage setup at this point, as he alternately leaned against, and stood on a giant box positioned in the middle of the stage specifically designed for that purpose. The stage set-up consisted of the following: a 1 meter high drum riser in front of an enormous D’espairsRay banner which was flanked on both sides by bright red “Rockstar: Taste of Chocolate Banners”, and Hizumi’s 3-sided platform, decorated with the band’s new logo in front of the drum riser. With the ability to help build energy by giving Hizumi a place to jump onto and off of, the platform was a fantastic addition and Hizumi used it on and off to great effect for the duration of the concert.

In addition to his beautiful singing, Hizumi’s screaming also sounded full and textured. The rhythmic fist-pumping of the crowd went into over-drive each time the song shifted and Hizumi let one out. Amazingly, even with all the exertion, Hizumi’s voice never showed signs of fatigue, proving him both a truly a gifted singer and screamer, if you ask me!

Hizumi’s interaction with the crowd served the dual function of keeping everyone’s energy up and telling them about future tour dates and singles. Hizumi seemed thrilled to be playing in Tokyo after a 4 month break and repeatedly told the crowd that although the next night (June 1st) they were playing again in Tokyo, everyone should ignore tomorrow and concentrate on today. Needless to say, the crowd loved hearing from Hizumi and seemed to hang on his every word.

“Cocoon” from the same maxi single as BRILLIANT maxi single , seemed to produce an even bigger crowd reaction than “Brilliant”. But not topped by “Mirror”, which seemed to be the crowd favorite! Hizumi seemed to get more playful as the concert went on, towards the end of the concert he even did things like flinging the mic toward the crowd for help with the choruses and even at one point holding the mic up to Karyu and ZERO’s mouth’s to hear them sing a bit (ZERO jokingly refused to sing and Hizumi laughed).

The lighting was another aspect of the show that was truly memorable. Thousands of strobes, spot-lights, and flood lights moved and danced perfectly in synch with the band. At one point the massive, central, D’espairsRay banner was lowered to reveal 15 lines of lights extending from ceiling to floor behind the drummer. With an infinite number of color and pattern combinations the lights matched the feel of the music and captivated the audience.

Two new songs were played, one of which was unannounced and remains a mystery (the band and label are keeping this a secret for now) while the other Hizumi announced to be a new single to be released in August called “KAMIKAZE”! It featured a melodic guitar solo, and a beautiful melody indicative of D’espairsRay’s current style. I wonder what the final recorded version will sound like?! [On a side note, be sure to check back at HearJapan for the “KAMIKAZE” single (with special bonuses)—pre-orders will start sometime in July! ]

After “Hollow” (featuring Hizumi on a black tambourine) and “Squall”, and an announcement of their August-September tour, the band took a break. They came back wearing black baseball-style undershirts with purple sleeves. The band name and the number 5 was printed in black on black on the back (band only? possible merchandise?) and Hizumi immediately began joking about the fact that were wearing t-shirts (a rare sight indeed). He also poked fun at Karyu for his shirt being to short, and everyone had a good laugh before the band went on to play their final three songs.

Overall it was an excellent show, high energy from beginning to end and left nothing to be desired (except perhaps the chance to see them again soon!). Please check back here at HearJapan for more information on their highly anticipated new single!