LIVE REPORT: the GazettE LIVE TOUR '13-14 [MAGNIFICENT MALFORMED BOX] FINAL CODA At Yokohama Arena

Written by MELISSA GUOYI LI

The GazettE never fails to present the marvel of integrating audio and visual components. Not only skilled musicians but also professionals of stage and screen, the members are well-versed in expressing the meaning of their music in a visually striking way. With their exquisite make-up, hair styling, and attire designed in accordance to the theme of the music, the contradictions on the level of ideology are organically incorporated into the tension on the level of stage presence, building up the artistic appeal of the GazettE. Dramatic fireworks, smoke, lighting and screening add to their ravishing stage effects as well. Having unleashed plenty of stunning live-show spectacles from the MAGNIFICENT MALFORMED BOX during their two-month expedition throughout Japan, the GazettE finally made it to the destination of this live tour, Yokohama Arena, aspiring to impassion twelve thousand people with their very first showcase of 2014.


There couldn’t have been a better prelude than the introduction track “MALFORMED BOX” to render a venue as huge as Yokohama Arena in the pregnant tension to witness the pending, thrilling BEAUTIFUL DEFORMITY show. The whole venue was immersed in the band’s new experimentation with dubstep and the chanting of “Welcome to the Malformed Box” from the female voice, until the five captivating members took the stage and set it ablaze with “INSIDE BEAST.”

Ba. Reita

Bassist Reita and drummer Kai provided the solid pounding rhythm section of "INSIDE BEAST", while guitarists Uruha and Aoi did a superb job enriching its dynamic with powerful riffs. Ruki, the vocalist who perfectly synthesized his distinctive voice with background electronic sound, enchanted the crowd with seductive gestures and dancing. Suddenly endowed with the nature of their “inside beasts”, the entire audience became frantic, headbanging in reaction to the mesmerizing stage presence.  In response to such ecstasy, the GazettE, performed another intense song, “UNTIL IT BURNS OUT” to help the crowd vent more passion they had built up while waiting for the band.

A short MC session made it possible for both the band and the crowd to take a brief rest, before lead guitarist Uruha started the opening strains of "FADELESS" in a spellbinding way with his malachite-green guitar. Ruki’s voice was gracefully yet dynamically interweaved with the lyrics which described an instinct-driven romantic relationship intertwined with the fragility of love and hesitation. The iridescent lighting rendered the stage even more surreal in such poetic atmosphere, which made "FADELESS" one of the highlights of that night.

Following "FADELESS" were the GazettE’s moments to whip the crowd into a frenzy with three aggressive songs: "鴉 (Karasu)," "HEADACHEMAN" and "13STAIRS[-]1." Featuring heavy bass lines and catchy drum beats, Karasu brought the audience with some punkish elements reminiscent of the band’s earlier works. Animated patterns of swirls on the screen and twinkling red light across the air created an exuberant vibe that connected the audience and the band as a whole. Both "HEADACHEMAN" and "13STAIRS[-]1" (from a previous album, DIM) were meant to send the crowd into delirium again as the

Vo. Ruki

show came to a boiling point in the middle of 13STAIRS[-]1 when Ruki acted as a marionette to exact perfection with his body contorted into various positions. Weaving in and out of eerie monologue and deep roars, Ruki’s vocal acrobatics played well against the visual dramatics, surrounded by a haunting background created by Uruha’s exceptional guitar work. The concert naturally transitioned to “DEVOURING ONE ANOTHER” when Ruki was murmuring “you are next” and the Eye of Providence appeared on the screen. All of the band members shouted together with immense passion. Images of wild animals projected through the screen echoed the cover artwork of BEAUTIFUL DEFORMITY, adding fuel to the wildness of the song.

The GazettE is not a stereotypical rock band that only impresses people with earsplitting music. In the following ballad section, they played “LOSS,” “REDO” and “LAST HEAVEN," showing the sensitive side of the band. After feeling the loneliness and melancholy of "LOSS" and "REDO", the venue was unable to resist getting overwhelmed by the bittersweet romance delivered from "LAST HEAVEN." By alternating between acoustic and electric guitars, Uruha and Aoi created the incredibly intricate "dual guitar" sound in which every single note were as tangible as the twinkling stars behind them on the stage.

Gt. Aoi

However, the innocuous calmness didn’t last long. The GazettE commanded the crowd with their addictive high tempos again, wiping any doubt over their ability to shift from gentle ballads to hardcore metal at the drop of a hat. Consecutively beating off songs like "IN BLOSSOM," "THE STUPID TINY INSECT" and "ATTITUDE," the band members could barely contain their excitement. As they did fierce headbanging with the audience, Reita spun around while Uruha and Aoi stimulated their devoted followers to cheer even louder. When the GazettE finished off "黒く澄んだ空と残骸と片翅 (Kuroku Sunda Sora To Zangai To Katahane)," "COCKROACH" and "DISCHARGE" in one go, it would be an understatement to say the energy in the packed venue was intense.

After uninhibited roaring, dancing and headbanging, people needed to keep sober and listen to their hearts. Once again, the venue couldn’t help getting soaked with the band’s sophisticated worldview when hearing the song "TO DAZZLING DARKNESS." Finally, a projection screen slowly unfolded in front of the stage, gradually concealing the silhouette of every member in the divine melody of "CODA." Appearing on the screen were rising smog, falling meteorites and timelessly extending growing branches which represented the process of life. Where is life going? – The branches ended up jointed end-to-end as a circle, and everything was about to start again from the end, from the "CODA."

Ds. Kai

Although this unprecedented concert was named “CODA”, the GazettE would never stop exploring new possibilities from their own perspectives. During the live tour in support of their latest album BEAUTIFUL DEFORMITY, the GazettE managed to marry religious symbols with their worldview. They employed icons like Saint Mary, Jesus and the cross as important elements in the merchandise designs, and the Eye of Providence enclosed by the triangle screen on the stage was another symbol of Christianity. Even the extending branches ending up as a circle could be interpreted as the “samsara” (the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth) from Buddhism. There were a lot more elaborate details that the GazettE enriched their philosophy with, all of which turned out to be their “heretic” syncretism of various concepts, and made them independent from generic Visual Kei bands. It is definite that their music is worth experiencing as much as delving into, because what they are making is pure aesthetics, and they will never stop making more of it.

Setlist:

SE MALFORMED BOX

01 INSIDE BEAST

02 UNTIL IT BURNS OUT

-SMC-

Gt. Uruha

03 FADELESS

04 鴉 (Karasu)

05 HEADACHEMAN

06 13STAIRS[-]1

07 DEVOURING ONE ANOTHER

08 LOSS

09 REDO

10 LAST HEAVEN

-MC-

11 IN BLOSSOM

12 THE STUPID TINY INSECT

13 ATTITUDE

14 黒く澄んだ空と残骸と片翅 (Kuroku Sunda Sora To Zangai To Katahane)
15 COCKROACH

16 DISCHARGE

17 TO DAZZLING DARKNESS

18 CODA

E01 Ride with the Rockers

E02 TOMORROW NEVER DIES

E03 Hyena

E04 SLUDGY CULT

E05 Filth in the Beauty

WEN1.関東土下座組合

WEN2.LINDA～candydive pinky heaven～

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All photos are by Sony Music Entertainment Japan

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