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Vol.6 Special Concert Report |
The legendary Japanese glam rock band X Japan played their first show ever in Seattle on Friday, October 1st at the Paramount Theater. If fans in Seattle have any say, this will not be their last. The band showed why they are so popular in their homeland with a spectacular live performance that was a perfect blend of exciting new material and old classics. They kicked off with the balls-to-the-wall new single “Jade” which began with an assault of drums, guitar, and bass that got fists pumping and heads banging from the get-go. The low-register vocals in the next verse were just a tease for the payoff that followed: a melodic chorus featuring Toshi's trademark soaring vocals. After “Jade,” they continued the onslaught with 90s classics “Rusty Nail” and “Silent Jealously,” the latter beginning with a classical piano intro before transitioning into full-band heavy metal riffing. X Japan's back-and-forth between piano-driven classical passages and speed metal riffing gives their songs an element of drama that sets them apart from most heavy metal bands. Drummer and primary composer Yoshiki is just as comfortable on the piano as he is on the drum set, and while he flailed around like Animal from The Muppet Show during their heavy metal anthems, he was just as comfortable on piano during the ballads. This heavy metal and classical duality embodies the essence of X Japan. Combined with Toshi's sweeping vocal melodies, X Japan achieve an overall aeshthetic that is reminiscent of Queen in their arena rock heyday. Sure, X Japan are the glam-rock gods of Japan and sport eye-liner and leather and triumphantly point to the heavens and pose after power chords. But there is no irony in this larger-than-life areana behavior because X Japan deliver the goods. Their musicianship is tight, their melodies are catchy and their lyrics speak a simple sincerity that only the great artists can get away with. On Friday night in Seattle, X Japan lived up to their reputation and played with all of the intensity and showmanship that's made them a must-see act in Japan since the late 80s. X Japan's fourth song opened with a beautiful electric-violin solo by lead guitarist Sugizo that morphed into The Star-Spangled Banner, a classy gesture for a band that is playing its first tour in the United States and eager to win over fans here. Sugizo's version of the national anthem self-destructed into cacophony and then morphed back into the melody, a nod to Jimi Hendrix's famous Woodstock rendition that was apropos for X Japan's first-ever show in Seattle. Yoshiki joined guitarist/violinist Sugizo onstage for a hauntingly beautiful piano and violin interlude that put the audience in a trance. Then Toshi came out on stage in a new outfit (white fur coat and sunglasses) and worked the crowd like the mega-rock star that he is: “You like rock? Seattle, let's rock the fuck out!” And that's exactly what they did on their next hit, “Kurenai,” a pounding attack of drums, bass, and guitar that started with a pyrotechnic explosion and ended with the band dropping out for the last chorus as Toshi sang acapella with the crowd, who seemed to know the song by heart. X Japan continued with another beautiful piano intro over orchestral samples that gave way to the brutal guitar and drum riff of “Born to be Free,” another X Japan classic featuring a soaring chorus of operatic falsetto vocals over symphonic samples. This was followed by the relatively new “I.V.” which includes the chorus, “In the rain, find the way” which was a particularly appropriate anthem for Toshi to have the Seattle crowd repeatedly sing back to him. At the end of the song, Yoshiki put his drumsticks up in the air to form an X and the faithful crowd new exactly what was coming next: ecstatic fans jumped up and made Xs with their arms and chanted “X” along with the band as X Japan played their formerly eponymous hit. After a much-needed intermission that let both the audience and the band catch their breath, Yoshiki came out on stage alone and sat down at the piano for a chat with the audience. “I'm so glad to be here. It's been a fucking long time. Hide has been playing with us here today. This is our dream come true to come here. We're gonna get the world! Are you guys gonna help us? We are___X! We are___X! We love you!” Then Yoshiki began a piano intro to their famous ballad “Endless Rain” as the band joined him on stage sitting down. The band dropped out for the final chorus and ended with acapella singing and finally just the crowd singing: “Endless rain, fall on my heart, kokoro no kizu ni…” This was the magic moment for me, when the band had the approximately half Japanese and half American audience in the palm of their hand, singing a chorus in English and Japanese that they knew by heart but never thought they'd get to sing in a crowd of just a few thousand in Seattle. X Japan ended the show with a blistering rendition of “Art of Life” that jolted the audience back to metalville and sent them off with their ears ringing. All five members were clearly in grand-finale mode as lead guitarist Sugizo dramatically flipped his hair back and Pata and Heath, the relatively subdued guitarist and bassist, hopped excitedly around the stage. After the final chord was struck, the band bowed to the audience and took pictures of the crowd and each other as a recording of their most famous ballad “Forever Love” played in the background. The crowd erupted in applause and threw bouquets and Hide dolls on stage. Yoshiki had said that they wanted to “get the world.” They certainly got Seattle. XJapan official website:http://www.myspace.com/xjapanofficial |
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