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X Japan World Tour @ Circo Volador, Mexico City, Mexico

Le Psyence · 14099

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Offline Le Psyence

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on: September 20, 2011, 02:17:21 AM
Date: 18 - 09 - 2011

Setlist:

1. New Intro
2. Jade
3. Rusty Nail (Japanese version)
4. Silent Jealousy
5. Drain
6. Sugizo Violin solo
7. Violin & Piano Solo
7. Kurenai (Japanese version)
8. Born to be Free
9. Drum Solo
10. I.V.
11. X
 
encore
12. Endless Rain
13. Art of Life (piano solo and second movement)
14. Forever Love (SE)
15. Tears (SE)

Videos

This was part of a fan project, to bring mariachi to X Japan as a present from us. They came before the concert started. Some people saw X Japan guys peeking from backstage hearing the music....we are very noisy!!!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-puVSYHV5ek[/youtube]

Sugizo Violin Solo
I recorded some parts of the solo and put them all together in this video....he plays our national anthem from 1.10 to 1.57. I really regret not recording Kurenai intro....
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SShlUOV0ZLE[/youtube]

Born to be Free
I notice that there's a lot of echo back there.....or maybe it's the guy's camera.....
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0KtAvyzj2s[/youtube]

Endless Rain
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYRFdTGREFU[/youtube]

Forever Love
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YMucK58-g0[/youtube]

Pics

This is pics are from Ina's Blog :D
http://blog.livedoor.jp/area014/archives/51771035.html
« Last Edit: September 21, 2011, 03:23:01 PM by Le Psyence »


In dazzle, I was ready to be destroyed under the power, was invisible.
When I saw the truth, I heard my ghost cry...


Offline Le Psyence

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Reply #1 on: September 22, 2011, 04:37:30 AM
Here it is, part one of the Xperience (: I'll post part two tomorrow, since I have to study for an exam... u.u

I never thought that would actually happen.

Four years ago, when I met X Japan, I thought it was impossible to have them here EVER. I mean, what would a Japanese band be doing here, in Mexico, in a poor country, where their music is mostly unknown?

Time passed, and, as I fell more in love with their music, my hopes were higher. Few months after I started listening to them, Sugizo came with Juno Reactor to a northern Mexican city…he wasn’t still part of X Japan (they even hadn’t returned properly as a band yet), but I knew they were kinda related…maybe if Sugizo liked Mexico he would call Yoshiki and say nice things about us….I know this sounds silly but I liked imagining this kind of things.

Many other Japanese artists came to Mexico City:  Miyavi, BLOOD, Versailles, Mucc…. I liked thinking that every Japanese band who came here meant a step closer to having X Japan in Mexico.

Years passed, and I followed everything that had to do with X: new lives in Asia, Sugizo as the new member, Lollapalooza, North American tour….the announcement of a world tour. Was there even the slightest chance for them to be here?

And then, came the day when Yoshiki tweeted the new dates for the world tour. He had already announced dates for Europe, as well as South America, but what about us? Would he let us aside? I can’t even describe the feeling I got when I saw my country written in there…I was very excited, but still felt some kind of uneasiness, there were many things missing… first, the promoter said they could not announce anything officially until things were perfectly settled up, then, I remembered how many times the live in France had been cancelled…

I was unsure about all of this, but still, I let myself inside all the sudden rave of excitement that exploded from fan pages all around Latin America, especially Mexican pages. Tons of ideas for fan projects were born that same night, many of them were successful; some others were left behind as months of expectation passed by.

The fan club I was part of had one of the most important fan projects: a giant X made of roses. I am very proud of the girl who suggested it, and most importantly, to the other girls who helped her with getting together the structure and the flowers. The ones who couldn’t help with this, helped with money for all the materials they needed, so there were many people who was part of this.
Here is a pic of the roses (: I believe this was taken at backstage (mission acomplished!!!)



Aside from this, there were many other fan projects like notebooks with notes for the band, boxes filled with presents, signed flags and banners...and of course, a very unusual present: mariachi for the band before the concert (mariachi are called to the bands who play popular Mexican songs, it’s maybe one of the things this country is most known for). I will talk more about this later, since it was part of the live.

A day before the concert, Saturday September 17th, X Japan was supposed to arrive to Mexico. We also wanted to welcome them at the airport, as the other Latin American countries did, so many fans gathered at the international airport that day. I hadn’t had the chance to be there, but still I will tell you what I know: there were almost 500 people waiting for X Japan, many had banners, drawings, flowers, their album booklets or pieces of paper ready for an autograph….well, there was even a group of girls dressed as nurses for Yoshiki. There were so many people inside, and that was so unexpected for the staff at the airport, that they freaked out and led X Japan to the back exit. The fans still waited, until Yoshiki tweeted “We are already outside… And Police.. They are leading us to the Hotel…” In that moment, everyone started to run to the exit, but pólice stopped them and said “They’re already gone”. That angered and disappointed many (I can even say that all of them), there were fans who spent the night in the airport just to see them!!!

Here is proof of one girl who came from another city, arrived on Friday and stayed all night:


A video of fans going to the airport by bus:
If you are wondering what they are saying (aside from "We are X!") it's "we have this bus kidnapped, we're on our way to the airport to welcome X Japan!"
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pODoVzmhoiQ[/youtube]
 
At the airport (this video has more pics, and the whole thing documented) Around minute 2.12, where there's a fat guy with a moustache and a hat (¬¬) in the back, next to a white pillar, there's Yoshiki with his white coat:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWLlEjFVNh0[/youtube]

A video a girl recorded of Yoshiki waving to them behind the doors:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TnIFGtmml0[/youtube]

A signed banner:


This guy had brought his cat for Pata to see it  :'(


Girls dressed as nurses:


All these people left to their homes and hotels, disappointed, but expecting the best for the next day.


In dazzle, I was ready to be destroyed under the power, was invisible.
When I saw the truth, I heard my ghost cry...


Offline tank

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Reply #2 on: September 22, 2011, 03:37:04 PM
Thank for the report, waiting anxiously for the Part 2 :) All the best for your exam!



Offline XVikyX

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Reply #3 on: September 22, 2011, 06:08:14 PM
@Le Psyence: thanks for the report,  good to know that Mexico welcomed the band so warm^^ The flower composition is amazing, and I hope next time Pata will see this cute kitty =^.^=

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. (c)


Offline elanor

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Reply #4 on: September 22, 2011, 09:28:44 PM
@Le Psyence: ThanX for the report and yes we want part 2 and 3 and 4...
and btw. why not Mexico, you are a great audience, I know the german bands like Rammstein, Die Toten Hosen, The Scorpions and Tokyo Hotel love to play there...

Humans need to believe in things that aren´t true. How else can they  become? (Terry Pratchett -Hogfather)


Offline XVikyX

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Reply #5 on: September 23, 2011, 12:02:57 AM
yep, the Scorpions and TH had great concerts there ^^ And now X as well :))

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. (c)


Offline Le Psyence

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Reply #6 on: September 23, 2011, 03:33:41 AM
@Elanor - well, as an audience we are great xD but as a country we have more issues.....unfortunately this place is getting more and more insecure each day, and I wondered if X Japan would be afraid of coming....but after Yoshiki's diving incidents it's clear he likes adventure (?

I'm almost finished with the next part, but I want to add more pics and videos.....please wait some more xD


In dazzle, I was ready to be destroyed under the power, was invisible.
When I saw the truth, I heard my ghost cry...


Offline rafaelo

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Reply #7 on: September 24, 2011, 08:19:46 PM
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwUU3jwYcnc[/youtube]



Offline Le Psyence

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Reply #8 on: September 27, 2011, 02:00:39 AM
Ah, thanks Rafaelo, I was just going to post that.....
It was an interview aired last Saturday on a national TV channel called TV Azteca. This program, named Top Ten, has been showng some brief K-Pop clips, so many people asked the guy via Twitter if he could do a live coverage of X Japan's show in Mexico. I think it would be nice if I translate it (at least the questions, I hope you understand Yoshikian english xD) here comes:

guy (don't know his name xD): As you might know, Top Ten is a window for music of all over the world, this time we had the opportunity to be in the live show of a great band named X Japan.
girl: A heavy metal band, great symbol of J-Rock, and we present an interview with Yoshiki, leader of this band.
"X Japan is a popular heavy metal band formed by Yoshiki and Toshi in 1982. They've sold more than 30 millon albums and they gave a concert in our country which lasted more than two hours.
fangirl: It was great, I cried, screamed....  <-----whatever xD
"After the concert, Yoshiki kindly gave an exclusive interview"
Questions:
1) What do you feel about starring a comic by Stan Lee?
2)What are your lyrics about?
3)Do you know any mexican rock bands?
4)What's music for you?
5)When do you started playing?
6) Favorite word in spanish?

IMHO...crappy questions....I know this interview was part of a press conference, where this crappy tv channel, PlayBoy magazine (lol) and another mexican magazine called Gótica attended.....the girl who did the interview for Gótica magazine is member from the club, great X Japan fan and she speaks japanese (so Yoshiki would feel more comfortable), so we are all relying on her. As soon as I get the magazine I'll translate it, and well....why not PlayBoy's too? ;D


In dazzle, I was ready to be destroyed under the power, was invisible.
When I saw the truth, I heard my ghost cry...


Offline Le Psyence

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Reply #9 on: September 27, 2011, 05:09:53 PM
I'M FINISHED!!!! It took me a looooong week to write this, but it's done....enjoy it! :D

They were our kings, and us, their subjects.

I woke up at 6 am on Sunday September 18th. I never imagined I would get up so early on Sunday, but for X Japan I barely slept. I had a bath and dressed up with the clothes I should be wearing late that night: just my skinny gray jeans with an X Japan t-shirt I made a while ago. My father then took my brother and me to the venue.

The neighbors around the venue had complained about having a bunch of “weird people” outside their homes, most of the times they were there for a night before the shows, and they felt uncomfortable with that (the venue is known mostly for holding underground gothic/metal shows, so you can imagine why the people are so concerned about this). So, the reason why we had to be so early in there was that at 9 am the promoter would be giving numbered bracelets, so we would have our place kept in the line before entering the venue for the concert, we wouldn’t have to be there all day long and we wouldn’t bother the neighbors as much.

We arrived at 7.40 am, which is really early, but still there were so many people out there!  My brother and I found quickly the line we had to be in and waited. I should say, there were three kind of tickets for the show: X Zone, a little area just in front of the stage, for 500-600 people; Preferential zone; just behind it, for 1000-1500 people (where we were); and General zone, the “farthest” 1000-1500 seats (the “farthest” because the place is really tiny, and even if you are at the last seat of the last corner, you still have an amazing view of the stage).

As we waited, the place started to be more and more lively: food and merchandise stands began settling down around the area; many people haven’t had a proper breakfast – I should say, everyone was zombie-like that morning.



The first merchandise stands of t-shirts, pens, key chains and more stuff with X Japan’s logo than you could ever imagine were settling down by that time as well. I remember there was a girl who sold hand-made Hide dolls as key chains, with their pink and black hair and the green suit of Last Live…they were so cute! There was also a guy selling pics printed in high resolution (seriously, you could notice Yoshiki’s wrinkles from miles away!), but I couldn’t buy any, as I barely had money for returning home at that time (silly me!).
 
After almost one hour and a half of waiting and making silly “your mom” jokes (“your mom is so fat she exchanged her place in line for a hot dog”, “your mom is so ugly she dressed up like Hide and many thought she was a clown”…things like that), the line began slowly moving at last (it was 9 o´clock already). By 9.40, we already had our bracelets and returned home to have a proper breakfast and get ready for the show. I decided to resemble Taiji’s makeup in his X-indie era, as my little tribute to him, and I think it went well…

This is my ticket, my bracelet, and my nails xD


And...this is me:


Next, we went to a friend’s home, waited for her and other two girls to finish doing their makeup and hair…I was so anxious I had to play with her Mario Kart, and lost every race, as I couldn’t think of anything but the excitement of the upcoming show.

When everyone was ready we made our way to the venue, and arrived there at 4.30 pm. It was already full of people and more merchandise stands – in his blog, INA defined it as a “flea market, and in my honest opinion, he couldn’t be more accurate.





I found out later that around 3 pm Yoshiki bought water for all the people who had been standing under the sun…what a lovely gesture, Yoshiki-sama…





When we arrived, there was so much people and was so chaotic I couldn’t find a proper place to be without being in the way of anyone, but eventually we got to find our place in the queue of our zone and waited patiently under the horrid sun until the doors opened…it was 5 pm.

This box was another gift from our club to X....a girl did it all by herself and the day of the concert we all filled it with gifts:


This was the gift I put in the box....very symbolic, they're not the greatest masterpieces xD


Another gift was this signed banner....another girl did it all with acrylics:


The japanese fans who follow them everywhere:


This old man is my hero xD


This pic was in Barks....my face is almost in the centre xD my brother is the guy behind me...the little japanese guy took another pic where I appear full-body....but I made an akward pose and I'm very ashamed of it xD


While joking and talking to other X fans around, hours flew by quickly, and sooner than we expected, it was already 7.15 and the doors of the Circo Volador opened and one by one we went inside…

I can’t describe the feeling I got when I went through the entrance door. The atmosphere created by the fans who were already inside was incredible. The ones in General zone shouted “WE ARE…?!” while X Zone and Preferential fans answered “X!!” . This, along with the beautiful sight of the crystal piano and drum set, under blue lights, made my heart beat so fast…at last I was seeing it, it was so beautiful, like a dream…



Five meters to my left, there was a guy with a camera crane, since the live was going to be recorded “for further release on DVD”. He was testing it and every time the camera went past us, everybody went wild and screamed madly waving at the camera…it took us a long time until we learned that it wasn’t even recording and the camera guy was just having fun with us silly Mexicans…he was even laughing his arse off – and I don’t blame him, I would have done exactly the same. Ten minutes later or so, we were already tired of the screaming at the camera and just ignored it.

As more people entered the place, excitement grew more and more, soon we were not only shouting “We are X!” but also every single one of the member’s names, as summoning them, even Hide’s – I shouted Taiji’s name several times, but sadly it didn’t work…too bad.

The girls behind me had this drawing...I found it very cute:


Then, unexpectedly, the lights went slightly off, and mariachi appeared! As I’ve already said, this was another fan project…while we were queuing after entering, a guy came over to us asking for cooperation (money) for hiring the mariachi. Obviously, he had the permission of the promoters and Yoshiki knew about this. I trusted in this and gave him a pair of coins to help, and I was very happy to see the project had worked!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fr6BQQWatFE[/youtube]

Here in Mexico, to welcome someone or to tell them you love them you hire mariachi and get that person serenade...so this was a very special gift for X! Many people saw the band members looking through the curtains of the side of the stage and smiling, seeing us singing to the tunes. The concert hadn’t even started yet and we were excited and singing as ever!



We sang along with the mariachi for three songs, including the famous “Cielito Lindo”. Then, they abandoned the stage and left us with the increasing excitement and expectation.

Some more minutes passed, minutes that seemed like years, and the lights went off completely. It was almost 9 pm already, but for us, the night was just starting.

1. Intro + Jade

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBvHMKFKLVw[/youtube]

The epic introduction started, my heart beating faster than ever, pounding in my chest as if it wanted to get out. Everybody started to scream, and I can’t remember exactly if I did too…I hadn’t listened to this intro before, but it sounded so familiar, as if I had listened to it in my dreams or imagination…all I could do was to stare in awe and amazement, waiting for anyone, anything, to appear.

Then, a figure dressed in red appeared and stood proudly behind the crystal drum set. The short blonde hair, the long red coat, the black pants…everything in him was as I expected. Yoshiki was real, and was standing just a few meters from us. My brain processed all this and in seconds I was crying…not only for me, but for everyone standing in the hall: all this years, all this expectation, and for some, all the travelling… I froze that scene in my head and told to myself: “This is happening, this is real…”
Sugizo, Pata and Heath walked into the stage as the female voice welcomed us to the show. A giant X appeared behind Yoshiki and Jade started.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-VuqXtWiTM[/youtube]

I don’t like Jade that much, but seeing it live is way much better than just listen to it. Listening to Toshi’s voice live is something that I can’t even describe. I noticed he wasn’t as lively as always, I thought he may just be tired, but then I learnt that he was having a 38°C fever. Good lord, that was brave, facing tons of people with that sickness level may be the hardest things ever.



Jade sounded so powerfully beautiful, I just jumped and sang and screamed to the entire song. I loved when they stopped playing for a bit and let us sing the chorus…I think we did a good job in there.

“Mexico! Cómo están? “ (how are you?) he asked, and we all answered with our best screams.

2. Rusty Nail

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nerGQt9658A[/youtube]

Rusty Nail is one of my favorite songs, it bleeds power since the first tunes start playing. Actually, I’d love it much more if Rusty Nail was the intro instead of Jade…
By this time, I was already feeling dizzy of the screaming (my screaming), singing and jumping, but I kept going.



3.Silent Jealousy

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6GV4BMFqsI[/youtube]

Then, Yoshiki moved to the piano and Toshi sang along to the tune of Silent Jealousy. I remember he even held for some seconds the last note when he sang “kanashimi ni minareteeee~”…that was truly amazing.



Again, I jumped and sang to the entire song, and was very pleased to hear Sugizo’s solos being performed very similar to Hide’s.



4.Drain

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqnyxb4Iaik[/youtube]

Yoshiki and Sugizo left the stage: Drain was the following song in this setlist. Pata and Heath, each at one side of Toshi, played along with Hide´s recording. I must admit, I don’t know the lyrics to Drain, just the chorus (no big deal)… I know better the lyrics to What’s Up Mr. Jones?...yeah, weird.

I felt something very special while hearing Hide’s chorus, it felt as if he was really in there, with us…



5.Sugizo Violin Solo

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SShlUOV0ZLE[/youtube]

This was one of the moments I was expecting the most…
The blue lights and the smooth sound effects created a very calm atmosphere, only broken by our screams when Sugizo walked in with his violin. He stood right before the crystal piano and began playing. A group of girls started screaming Sugizo’s name, but the rest of the audience told them to shut up and soon the entire venue was wrapped in the magic soothing atmosphere created by the man in white and his violin. It may sound like a cliché, but he looked like an angel.



Sugizo played Providence and Miranda. After a little break, he then started playing a soft tune, which we didn’t recognize at first, as we were like hypnotized by the music, but then it was clear that he was playing the Mexican National Anthem (in the video, it's from minute 1.06 to 2.00). Personally, I had a fun time before the concert trying to guess which song would Sugizo play for us, and listening to it was a truly pleasant surpise. I love our anthem so much, I’ve always thought it is amazing, and I must admit I’m very proud of Sugizo after this.

6.Kurenai

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG6ssKYO8nw[/youtube]

Then Yoshiki walked into the stage, and together they began playing Kurenai intro. These two playing classical instruments together was something I was longing for since Sugizo joined X Japan, and it was truly amazing. Still, I would have loved it to be longer, but I won’t complain, since this intro hasn’t had this much magic ever before.



Kurenai was the song that made me fall in love with X, and I’ve loved it since then. Now, I was jumping, screaming and singing to such an iconic song! At this point of the live, I was already feeling dizzy, my brain whimpered of tiredness and thirst inside my skull but I kept going…I rested some seconds to watch and listen carefully to the guitar solo by Pata and Sugizo.

We even sang to the chorus of the live version of this song – when everybody stops playing and it’s just Toshi and the audience singing- I had always dreamt of singing to that chorus, and enjoyed it as ever.



In other words, Kurenai was simply amazing.

7. Born to be Free

“I’ll tell Yoshiki to talk to you” said Toshi, and we all screamed in approval.
“Qué pasa?” (What’s up?) he asked . “Los quiero mucho, gracias por venir” (I love you so much, thanks for coming) he said, in his slow Spanish. Then it was the first time Yoshiki took the lead of the “We are…?” scream.



“We love you” he said, before handing the microphone back to Toshi and sitting by the piano. He then began to play the tune of Born to be Free.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0KtAvyzj2s[/youtube]

Personally, I really liked Born to be Free since I first heard it; it has the unique power of X Japan’s songs. Even though it’s not so popular, many sang to it passionately, even went along with Toshi and the piano almost near the end of the song.



8. Yoshiki Drum Solo

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ybpah_QekA[/youtube]

Another thing I wasn’t expecting at all. I thought Yoshiki had stopped playing drum solos since…I don’t know, a long time ago, but here it turned out he was still in a good condition. You may be thinking: “what the hell, where have you been the whole tour?” but since I knew they were coming, I refused to read any review or watch any video of Europe and the rest of Latin America lives, and, by accident, - almost - read the complete setlist. I don’t know….I just wanted to have little surprises as this one.



It was a very little drum solo – I really expected it to be shorter – and really simple, but it meant something very special. To me, it was his drum-way of saying: “if you keep going, I can keep going, too!”. And as far as I can tell of my nearly-non-existent drumming knowledge, I think he has a great technique.



9. I.V

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzJYvvTrAl4[/youtube]

After the drum solo, Yoshiki walked to the piano and started playing the chorus of I.V.



“In the rain…Find a way~” we sang, as Toshi appeared.

“Mexico! Let me hear you scream! Griten!” he encouraged us to keep singing and screaming, since many of us were very tired already.

Yoshiki took the microphone again, and dived into the audience for the first time, taking the lead again to the “We are…!” scream. He then returned to the stage, apparently unharmed, and after “I will give it straight from my vein”, I.V started playing.



I really love I.V., and singing to that chorus was another thing I was expecting since the beginning. Again, I started to feel dizzy and thirsty as ever, but I couldn’t stop singing, even if I wanted to, my brain and body commanded me to keep going.

10. X

Again, the “We are…!” screams filled the air, the excitement was building up again, we knew what was next…

“We are X!” screamed Toshi, and the powerful, heart-racing X began. Again, I forgot how tired and how sore my feet already were, and sang to the whole song.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw4wWBYajkk&feature=related[/youtube]

The X jump…another thing I really wanted to do….watching the lives, this kind of wave that creates when everyone does the X jump at the same time is something incredible, and being there is definitely greatly cosmic…



What disappoints me a little is that in the videos (from Mexico) I’ve seen not everyone jumps…but they crossed their arms above their heads and well, it’s not the same, but kinda works too.

Still, I jumped and screamed my lungs out, even when Toshi introduced the members, including Hide and Taiji. He seemed very tired already, his voice was very rough, but still screamed “We are…!”

Then Yoshiki dived into the crowd again, twice. The people who were there couldn’t support him and he fell down, but somehow they managed to get him again to the surface.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GODH2D-tlXE[/youtube]

We were screaming to the “We are X!” for 10 minutes or so. They were our kings, and us, their subjects.

I couldn’t tell who was excited the most, if us or Yoshiki. The guy had completely gone wild, throwing things and stuff – Yoshiki gets carried away sometimes and that’s no surprise, but I never thought he would do it here….


“Gracias México, los queremos!” (Thank you Mexico, we love you!) and with the last chorus, Toshi showed us a flag that two girls from our fanclub had made themselves and began exiting the stage one by one. Yoshiki was the last one to leave, and threw three of his drumsticks to the crowd – one fell one meter away from me, but unfortunately it slipped down the wooden structure we were standing on, and even before the concert many people stayed in there looking for it viciously, with no result.



We waited for them to return, shouting as we had done before the concert. We were tired, and thirsty, many in pain or about to faint, but we wanted more. Apparently, Yoshiki had lost his choker (again) and the staff were looking for it. At this point I realized I could barely speak, and got very jealous of the guys at X Zone, who were receiving water bottles from the staff.  I was so tired and thirsty I sat down, standing up eventually to see what was happening. Seems like the choker was given back to the staff and minutes later, the lights went off again.



11. Endless Rain

I stood up just in time to see one of the most bizarre figures I‘ve ever imagined. Yoshiki entered the stage with his red flowery yukata, the Mexican flag of before in his back, and a Mexican sombrero in his head…he looked awesomely cute!


The sombrero says "VIVA MÉXICO CABRONES" which in english should be "VIVA MEXICO DUDES" or something like that xD

He put the flag in his piano, sat in his bench and started talking again. He said he loved us once more and that he was grateful for us of being there. In one of his little silences I started screaming with all my might “Yoshiki! Hermano! Ya eres mexicano!” (Yoshiki! Brother! Now you’re Mexican!) and to my surpise, many people followed me. Then, in some other corner, they started singing “Cielito Lindo” and Yoshiki waving his hand at our singing.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdNQpC20Cf0[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RznFS3H_ZC0[/youtube]

He talked about the tour in South America and the places they had visited. He also said “We are not touring along, Hide and Taiji came with us, too” which made me scream Taiji’s name in a very mad fangirl way….now that I recall, that was kinda embarrassing, because I was the only one doing it.



“In Peru I dressed as a nurse” he said in his slowly akward English “and I decided to do the same here” He took off his yukata to reveal a nurse costume (he looked nice in it, I must admit) and screamed with us once again “We are? X!”. He then took it off, sat by the piano, and Pata, Sugizo and Heath sat on the stairs…we all knew what that meant, just before Yoshiki began playing the tune of Endless Rain.



To be honest I don’t like Endless Rain, it’s one of the few X songs I click ‘next’ whenever it shows up in my player…but it means a lot for me, since this was the first song I heard from them. Tonight it was a special night, I didn’t want to press ‘next’, but I wished for a ‘play forever’ button instead.



We sang to Yoshiki’s lyrics with all our hearts, I couldn’t even hear my own voice, but I sensed it. I think we did a great job, because Yoshiki stopped playing and cried a little, leaving us singing…just like the Japanese guys in all the lives I’ve seen…that was something very touching.



Something I don’t quite understand is that at the end of Endless Rain Sugizo came out with his violin again, but played like…one minute or so. It was so quick I may not be surprised if someone does not remember this, but it was something that confused me then and has left me thinking since…

12. Art of Life

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SweLkLZLDYI[/youtube]

Then, another familiar, yet unexpected melody began playing…it was Art of Life. We all started clapping to the piano, waiting for Yoshiki to appear once more. He then came into the stage, and stood right before the piano, looking at us with the most serious face…he then turned away to sit at his piano, his white coat making a very theatrical wave. That one is an image I can’t get out of my head.



I have never doubted of Yoshiki’s piano skills, but seeing him was something epic. His hands moved so easily between the keys it was almost unbelievable. As he had done with the drums, he was talking through the notes, he hadn’t the need of saying anything, music is his voice. He sometimes played as if caressing the keys, but at times went wild and pounded the piano as if he were in pain. While listening to a solo like this is when you can clearly notice what the essence of not only Art of Life, but entire X Japan is:  the beauty of destruction; life is a roller coaster, after the pain comes hope, then pain once more…

Life is not just about surviving; it’s making art out of it, just like this man has done for decades.

We just stood there, understanding, listening, watching him, hypnotized by his unspoken words.

He then took off his coat and moved behind the drums. The rest of the members were already on stage, and the second movement of Art of Life started.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CkpaGz4uO0[/youtube]

My throat was very sore, every shout hurt like hell, I lost my breath a few times and was so dizzy I thought I could faint at any moment, but I pushed myself a little farther.
Art of Life was something unbelievable and I just can’t find the right words to describe it.



13. Forever Love + Tears

A recorded acoustic version of a song started playing. I automatically began singing to it, and it took me a while to realize it was Forever Love. Yoshiki was lying on the floor next to his drumset, listening to us singing. The other guys had left their instruments and were randomly walking in the stage.



Yoshiki came back to reality screamed with us and dived for the last time. Sugizo was taking pics of the audience, of himself and his bandmates. Pata disappeared for a second and then returned drinking a Tecate (Mexican beer). I really hope Sugizo uploads the pic he took of Pata with his beer!!!







By this time, almost everyone was crying and singing along to Toshi’s recorded voice. I was alright, even when I saw the guy my brother and I hung out with almost the entire day, crying. But then, Toshi waved to us happily, saying good-bye with his hand….in that moment the wall in my heart fell down in million pieces and I broke into tears as well. I didn’t want them to go….I couldn’t believe that was all, two hours had passed so quickly… four years and five months seemed like centuries, this had been just a blink of  an eye.



They thanked the audience with the classical jump we all know, and left the stage, waving us goodbye, just as Forever Love ended.



But then, another familiar song began playing. It was Tears. If it hadn’t been enough with Forever Love, many people cried even harder. As for me, I had stopped crying and singing Tears with the voice I had left. The staff were even encouraging us to keep singing, while recording with their cameras. Then Toshi’s voice faded out slowly and everyone began leaving the venue, as if they had been violently awaken from a very sweet dream.



There are not enough words to describe this experience. Epic, awesome, brilliant….they are just nonsense, compared to this. It was exactly like a dream.



As Yoshiki said in this Peruvian interview: “It didn’t seem like it was the first time we saw each other”. And he’s right, everyone knew what to do, when to jump, what to sing, what to scream. All the people I met for the first time in there, we all knew what the other was talking about. It really was as if we had known each other forever. That night we were one.



Many people would say “what’s the deal with them? They’re just five guys playing instruments, they’re just a band like the millions that exist in this planet.” The answer is simple: they are normal people, and that’s what makes them special. If we laugh at Pata’s pants or Toshi’s outfit or we get annoyed by dramatic Yoshiki, it’s because they’re like everyone else. They were close to us all the time, not only in Mexico, but in the other South American lives. Yoshiki trusted us enough to dive into the audience, Sugizo, Pata and Heath shook hands with the audience, Toshi…oh my god, this man, singing as ever with that fever, even though he looked tired and sick he gave the best until the very end. And more importantly, the music they play has made a bond strong enough to keep thousands of people together, doesn’t matter whether you’re Mexican, Japanese, American, European or Asian…as Yoshiki says “Rock is freedom”. It’s freedom, but it’s also an universal language.



The only thing left for me now is to thank you for taking the time of reading all this, it took me a very long week to finish it, I didn’t want to miss any detail as long as I still remember.

Yoshiki thanked us for being there, but the only thing I could have answered him then was “No, thank you for being here. Thank you for turning your life into songs, thank you for being so kind to us. We are so proud of having you here and expect you to come back again soon.” I have always been proud of being Mexican, but that night the feeling was stronger than ever.

I think we did a great job, and hopefully X Japan believes the same. Maybe sooner than we expect they will be back here…maybe. I feel as if I could wait another ten or twenty years for them, even if it’s only to see them for two hours….

Because for them, as my favorite band, it’s totally worth it.





*pics and videos property of their respective owners*

now...I'm late for school...see you soon!!! I'll post more pics later ;D


In dazzle, I was ready to be destroyed under the power, was invisible.
When I saw the truth, I heard my ghost cry...


Offline ForeverFades

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Reply #10 on: September 28, 2011, 02:02:46 AM
I must say it's fan written articles like this that make me relive concerts.  I remember seeing X-Japan's first show in LA after scouring over videos of them at Lollapalooza and just biding my time, before the set list was well known and documented that they'd tour with, and still with each tour, no matter who knows the set list, it's as if it's forgotten each and every show they play...

It's interesting, my license plate says "X JAPAN" and so many people are like "What's that mean, do you not like Japan or something?" and I'm like "-_-  God dammit", but just at work, a new hire, goes "Is that your license plate with X-Japan?  I didn't know they had more fans than me out here!" and I was just like "Sir... Trust me..."

So, Le Psyence, loved the article, and rest assured, here in the state of AZ your northern neighbor, you've got good company. :)



Offline tank

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Reply #11 on: September 28, 2011, 04:05:27 PM
Thank for sharing the concerts with us, it brought back a lot of great memories I had with X Japan concerts. Now I'm looking forward to their upcoming concerts, hopefully I can go for 1 or 2 of the Asian concerts. :)



Offline magucathy

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Reply #12 on: September 28, 2011, 07:34:45 PM
Thanks for sharing your eXperience with us, I had the feeling that I was there with you! Thanks again!



Offline elanor

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Reply #13 on: September 28, 2011, 11:25:23 PM
ThanX very very much for this detailed and touching report, it brought back all the beautiful memories of the concerts in Europa, I´ve seen

and btw. don´t know what job you are doing, but have you ever thought about making writing an occupation? You got a quite good style and a pleasant mixture of review and your own emotions and thought. muchas gracias por todo

Humans need to believe in things that aren´t true. How else can they  become? (Terry Pratchett -Hogfather)


Offline Le Psyence

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Reply #14 on: September 29, 2011, 05:03:02 PM
Thank you veryone for reading :'D
@elanor- I'm studying Chemistry, but this kind of comments are the ones that encourage me to keep writing as a hobby n.n

I've got some more pics for you (I might have used some of them in the review) :
















these pics are not mine, I found them on Tumblr

by the way....I tried to figure out how to arrange them in spoiler so the page isn't all stretched, but I couldn't....does anyone know how to do this? o.o


In dazzle, I was ready to be destroyed under the power, was invisible.
When I saw the truth, I heard my ghost cry...


Offline Kurenai_Akari

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Reply #15 on: September 30, 2011, 12:15:22 AM
Ohh man! That's was a great article, enough said.


Off-topic: Oh dang, I didn't know that ToshI got sick. . . Poor guy. I hope he feels better.



Offline rafaelo

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Reply #16 on: December 19, 2011, 09:32:29 PM
More  photos of Mexico Show
http://dilemmaenvivo.blogspot.com/2011/09/x-japan.html
thanks my friend Morphine



Offline amiX

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Reply #17 on: December 29, 2011, 11:21:31 AM
I never thought that would actually happen.

Four years ago, when I met X Japan, I thought it was impossible to have them here EVER. I mean, what would a Japanese band be doing here, in Mexico, in a poor country, where their music is mostly unknown?

That's exactly what I thought before . Why would this wonderful band choose to have a concert in my almost unknown country ( which is Romania, somewhere in the south-east of Europe), where few people know their story as a band and listen to their music( I found only one or two Romanian sites about J rock music in general, not about X Japan in particular). And, as I noticed so far, during their concerts there is a strong bound between them and the audience, there is almost like a "ritual" that both parts should know: when to sing, when to scream,when to jump and X your hands or... when to be quiet and just listen to the MUSIC. But now...

... reading your wonderful post, you gave me hope that this could happen! That my dream of seeing them live someday, in my own country , is not impossible. But now, reading your post, I have other "fears": that maybe we, Romanian people, will not know how to welcome them properly, like you did. Don't get me wrong! We, Romanian people, are well-known to be very warm and hospitable, and it is often said that we have some "latino blood" in our veins, but what you did then , in september, was really impressive.

Well, until this will happen ( if ever!), I enjoy listening to their music and reading your impressions!