Oh My God. I cant believe the show it topped even my trip to canada last year to see Guns N' Roses! I've seen a lot of bands from Rush to Aerosmith to The Who and a lot in between lol. I knew X was going to be special but to top my favorite, Guns N Roses... hehe.
Anyways Ill share my experience =P
My girlfriend picked me up from college in Michigan in the morning and we started our journey to Chicago. I was soooo freaking excited. She forgot the ipod cord so we couldnt listen to X on the way (made it more awesome once the show started hehe) After about 4-5 hours we could finally see the skyline and we drove to Evanston to visit my friend William, which was awesome since I never get to see him. We ate dinner at a thai place then dropped him off. Then luckily, it was only 7 miles to the Riviera.
We got to the Riviera at 7:30 on the dot and found parking right across the street. It was so epic seeing a line of people trying to get in and seeing the sign say TONIGHT: X JAPAN! It was awesome and my first time seeing other X fans in person.
We got into the theater it was pretty packed and the theater had an old, but awesome haunting and run down feel to it. We made it to the floor and stood in the back surprised with how good our view was and i was happy to hear VE say, this is our last song! (I only endured 3 minutes of their crap yay) They went off stage and the epic wait began.
I really loved how they played X songs on the speakers, they did a symphonic "Without You" and then a symphonic "Forever Love" and they had a really cool sound to them (throughout the show I thought all the symphonic playback had just an epic vibe) We all shouted chants like "X" and "hide" etc and finally, the lights went down. The intro music was beyond epic. My arms were killing cause i kept them up doing the X sign the whole time! I saw the band for the first time hidden on the side and freaked, then finally Yoshiki came out and stood on the drums looking at us. Then the band came out.
1. Jade
Jade is my favorite of the new songs and let me tell you, this was so freaking cool live. The band and Toshi sounded amazing and were right in front of us, as my gf and I made our way to the very front. Heath's bass was pounding with Yoshiki's drums and Toshi sounded awesome. Sugizo and Pata joined in on the verses with the power chords. Then the chorus came and EVERYONE sang and put their hands in the air. It was just so great. I was FREAKING OUT!
2. Rusty Nail
The classic intro to Rust Nail came on and EVERYONE exploded. The song sounded great, just like the studio version but mixed with that awesome live feeling. The middle portion came and had everyone singing then i braced for the hide playback still excited. Then, I noticed something completely different, SUGIZO was playing the solo! There was a bit of sound issues which might be why it sounded different but once he hit the wah, it was fine. I personally thought it was totally awesome he was doing the solo and especially for the first time. So all in all, it was excellent.
3. Silent Jelousy
A total classic, and so far the oldest song in the setlist. I love the piano intro and Yoshiki did a little solo before he started the intro. Toshi then did the solo singing part and NAILED it. He went really high and his voice didnt crack a bit. The heavy part hit in and everyone again when nuts. The energy of the crowd so far was just unlike anything ive seen before. The solo was excellent and Pata and Sugizo harmonized it perfectly.
4. Drain
I DO actually really like the song, so I have no complaints about it being in the setlist. It was dont only with Pata, Yoshiki, and Heath with a backing track. The sound was a little off overall with Heath's bass making a lot of feed back. Toshi sounded good but i think he noticed the sound was off too. Overall I thought it was awesome though and it was great to hear Drain live. Although it was my least favorite song of the night (still loved it) my gf said it was her favorite so far haha.
5. Violin+ Piano Solos and Kurenai
Im personally glad they do the violin and piano interlude. Its REALLY beautiful and Sugizo's violin sounds downright epic. He played a bit of the godfather theme which reminded me of slash hehe and the star spangled banner. Yoshiki then joined in and they BURST into Kurenai. Just a blast of energy from the crowd and the band. The solo was really awesome and then Toshi had the audience sing the chorus a few times. I missed seeing hide and hearing his part but still, one of my favorites of the night!
6. Born to Be Free
I think this song is just awesome. Jade is still my favorite of the new songs but i really like BTBF and IV. BTBF has a great chorus, everyone was nuts and the wing design on the screen was cool. The coolest part of the song was the slow chorus after the breakdown and solo. This time Yoshiki did the awesome sweep part on the piano and also just played the chords. So I heard both ways, i loved it.
7. Drum Solo
It was cool seeing Yoshiki doing a little solo. He was more into just having fun then showing off his skills but it was cool. He kept pounding both bass drums and going nuts over it.
8. I.V.
It started with Yoshiki on piano and Toshi having everyone sing the chorus. It was really persnal and I was glad to see Toshi involved with us. He grabbed a camera man's camera and started filming everyone. I was right up front so I was on the camera a lot. The song then actually started and Toshi's mic cut out a bit but thats more than ok. Sugizo again came right up by me which was really awesome, he looks SO COOL! His guitar was a bit too loud for the slow part but it didnt hinder the song.
9. X
Let me just say I have NEVER experienced what I went through during X. EVERYONE went fucking NUTS. I was so happy to actually be apart of the X jump. The whole place shook. The solo was awesome, and Pata was RIGHT BY ME, then like there was the break thing. It took my by surprise... YOSHIKI JUMPED RIGHT ON TOP OF ME!! My gf and I were holding him up and the floor became like quicksand. EVERYONE rushed towards us. It was kind of scary and I had to push people back to protect my gf. But it was so awesome. Security had to drag Yoshiki out as people were trying to drag him back into the crowd. They finished the song and then again I was taken by surprise... HE JUMPED INTO US AGAIN. This time i grabbed my girlfriend out of the way haha cause i think she was already pwned the first time and I already held Yoshiki up once. It was really cool.
BREAK
Everyone was doing chants and shouting for hide and Yoshiki and finally Yoshiki came out. Toshi came out and asked if we wanted to hear Yoskiki, and Yoshiki did his whole rant about pizza and America hehe. The best part was when he finally talked about hide =) It was good to hear everyone finally cheer for hide.
10. Endless Rain
THE X Japan song. Great how the whole band sits for it as Yoshiki pounds away on the piano. It was REALLY emotional. The arrangment was different and they got rid of the piano solo and had the guitar solo earlier which was my favorite of the night. Especially with Sugizo playing with Pata. The part where only WE sang the chorus was simply magical. I was so happy to be apart of it.
11. ART OF LIFE
I never, ever, ever thought Id get to hear this song. The version theyre doing this tour is just beautiful. It was a moment I will never forget. It started with Sugizo doing a violin solo then he left the stage and the back track to the piano solo could be heard. It was haunting hearing it with no band. Then finally, Yoshiki came on and delivered some of the best 8 minutes of piano I have ever heard. I could feel his passion. The orchestra cut in and slowely got louder as Yoshiki battled with his inner demons. The orchestra then overpowered the piano and the final note held. The band then just exploded with energy and played the grand finale. Everything about it was perfect; Ive never gone so crazy before. Then before I knew it, Toshi was on the last note. He screamed it with such emotion and it truly was, the best performance I have ever seen.
12. Curtain Call ~ Forever Love
Forever Love immediatly followed on the loudspeakers. It was a really good acoustic, symphonic version. The band said their goodbyes, threw the water bottles and took pictures of us. Then, they were gone, completing one of the best nights of my life.
