Eyes
Mirrorge had demo tapes -- three, in different colors with different
songs -- but I got to their merch table to late to get them. A video
is coming out soon too, I'm all over that!
So the
lights go down again, and some pre-recorded Limp Bizkity song starts
playing, and Riza (bass) steps up the three steps from the backstage
to the her place on stage, on the left, followed after a few moments
by Ren. They turn, backs to the audience, and then start hopping up
and down to the beat. It was unusual but fun, especially in the big
shoes they each had on. Then Kureya comes out, storms to the front
of the stage (but slowly, if you can storm slowly) and their first
song starts.
The
songs are heavy, but not quite visual kei; there's definite plain-old-good-old
rock-and-roll going on too, and some punk style as well. Except for
one, which reminded me a lot of Byo Shin (the indies Dir en
grey song)... or was is it Aoi Tsuki? Ah, you know what i mean,
right?! (No, but whatever...)
So I
took a slew of pix, but mostly I wanted to actually enjoy the show,
so i did the whole fist-in-the-air-and-twist-your-wrist-at-an-awkward-angle
thing, and even got to bang arms with Kureya as she moved along the
front row of fans at the foot of the stage (singers often kinda bang
forearms against the fans lately, it's cool). And Ren also saw me
doing the fist-in-the-air thing and smiled when we made eye contact,
but I'm not quite sure if she was laughing at me or happy to see another
fan participating. Probably laughing! :p
So anyway,
it was a cool show; Kureya and Ren even posed for a few photos for
me during the set, which is like, the ultimate complement! And Riza
had this cool design painted on her right cheek that was pretty pretty,
but she was on the opposite side of the stage, too far for good photos.
:(
After
they left the stage, Saya and I headed out into the lobby. And like,
ten seconds later, I turned around and Kureya and Ren were next to
me waiting for me to finish whatever I was saying to Saya (I think
some dull observation about the beer vending machine) and scared the
bejeezus outta me! But then they were like "Hello!" and
"We were surprised to see your posting on our bulletin board!)
and stuff, as excited as I was to meet.
So we
talked for a while, and got some photos and then Ren pointed out her
armband, which says, in kanji, Eyes Mirrorge (A-I-Zu Mi-Ra-a?-ju?).
Something like that! They were very cool, and quite professionally
sewn -- real-deal type armbands, not cheap crap done with white-out
and an old shirt cuff or something! Mune, the guy who made them, is
at the show -- I meet him shortly afterward -- and I complement him
on the coolness of his work. He spins around and shows me the back
of his jacket, which has the Eyes=Mirrorge logo and a bunch of other
kanji embroidered onto it. My jaw drops; it's very cool.
So,
anyway, back to the Ren's armband: she says something about it and
I say "Yeah, kaitai!" which means "I want to shop"
(barely) but I'm using it as "I want to buy one!" because
I'm a dork (remember?). So she scampers away and returns 10 seconds
later with one for me. And I'm like, "No way!" and quite
chuffed and probably smiling like I just won the lottery because that's
how I feel and I put it on and I'm still wearing it now, 24 hours
later! (No I'm not, but I would be if I could!)
Kureya
is quite crazy, I learn. Very friendly, just a little nuts -- like
all good lead singers!
Over
the course of the night I meet a bunch of their staff as well -- having
the armband opens up so many conversations -- as well as people here
to see other bands, including one other gaijin dude named Brian, from
Oregon, who is studying at Waseda and reminds me slightly of Queensryche's
drummer, Scott Rockenfeld, only with longer hair and a purple glowing
piercing in his tongue that impresses all the girls; I don't think
they'd ever seen one before. (I havent' seen any in Japan myself,
actually.) Unfortunately, Brian overdose it on the booze a bit, and
actually passes out on the floor, on top of girls bags, which they
manage to extricate from underneath him but you can tell he's just
faux pas'd majorly. (He was out for hours, too, in fornt of the lockers.)
It was cool to meet him though.
Actually,
a little more on him: this was his first concert in Japan (he had
long hair and was dressed in black, a bit pirate-style but none the
worse for it) and he's only been in Japan a month. He also apparently
lives in the area. So towards the end of the night, when he regained
consciousness, kind of, I was thinking I'd help him get back to the
station or his apartment or whatever -- because like him, five years
ago, during MY first weeks here, I too had overdone the booze a bit,
and headed off from a party with five girls too... Roppongi! And pretty
much ended up like Brian, only with the additional insult that I had
been stuck in Roppongi all night, and that somewhere along the way
I lost my apartment key. So I sympathized -- it's hard not to get
all excited and go overboard, ne?
Um,
but then he disappeared back into the auditorium, as everyone else
was leaving... probably, it's just occurred to me, to get his bag
or whatever. But at the time, it looked like more trouble than it
was worth, plus I wanted to get some Eyes=Mirrorge gear, and you can't
do that with a drunk guy on your back! And there was also the fear
that the owner (who was circualting about) would come to the understandable
but incorrect conclusion that we three gaijin were together, which
could have potentially jeopardized my future visits to the club, which
I wasn't willing to risk... especially after tonight! So we left without
him. But maybe he's in the same program as Kimberly or... uh-oh, brain
freeze, I forgot the other girl's name at Waseda... dammit! Bah! Anyway,
maybe I'll bump into him again. I hope so!
So,
right, after Eyes=Mirrorge went on, some other band went on, and then
some other band, and then another band after that, and then a couple
more, and then the night was over. And I had an Eyes=Mirrorge armband!
<air guitars>
