It’s not every day that a Francophile vampire from Japan with an unhealthy obsession with roses decides to put on a concert in the United States…
Live at Beyond the Stars in Glendale, California on June 4, 2015.
…despite how cool that would be. Nevertheless, Kamijo putting on a concert in North America is a rare treat for fans, especially when considering all the events that have transpired since the last time the man himself came over to our side of the planet. Versailles’ hiatus was the catalyst for Kamijo’s solo career to be jumpstarted, with a plethora of singles, a concept EP, and a full-length album having been released since early 2013. Having announced a world tour to celebrate his 20th anniversary in the music industry, Americans were afforded two shows in two cities: Los Angeles (or Glendale) and New York. Being the diehard Kamijo fan that I am, as well as an unapologetic Japanese power metal enthusiast, I decided to make the trek towards Glendale from Houston, Texas. More accurately, I took a plane.
The tour was advertised as a celebration of all of Kamijo’s projects, which consisted of Lareine, New Sodmy, Versailles, and his solo project, all of which fell under the umbrella of visual kei. For the uninitiated, visual kei is pretty much the darker, Japanese version of the fashions of glam metal. This heavy association with visual kei meant that the crowd waiting outside the Beyond the Stars Palace was a colorful mixture of visual kei costumes, cosplayers, metalheads, and people who would not look out of place in a bank. It was a melting pot of genders, races, ages, and styles, much more so than most metal concerts, with a vibrant atmosphere apparent several hours before the doors even opened. Despite this, the turnout seemed rather low. The venue was barely filled to half of its capacity (500 persons). And that’s just the beginning of the issues that plagued the logistics of this show.
VIP’s were supposed to be let in at 6pm for their photo opportunity and early access to the stage, and general admission doors would open an hour later. Unfortunately, this whole schedule was pushed back by an hour. In addition, the Kamijo street team were in place in lieu of most of the venue staff, and confusion was the norm for the attendees. Separate lines had formed for entry to the show, mobile ticket owners were turned away and asked to print their tickets at a nearby hotel, and VIP’s were delayed access to the stage and were instead placed in holding areas, causing a mad dash to ensue once entry was opened up. After I had secured my spot in the front row, just slightly to the right of center stage, I can safely say the rest of the show went off almost perfectly and exceeded my wildest expectations.
After everyone was asked to refrain from taking photos or videos by a roadie, the lights dimmed, and “Vive le Roi” emanated from the PA system. Soon enough, the entire backing band and Kamijo had filed out onto the stage and the opening tracks from the Symphony of the Vampire EP were performed. To say the performance was stellar is an understatement. With the superb sound of Beyond the Stars, along with my own earplugs, each song sounded akin to its CD counterpart. Masashi, the bassist of Versailles and Jupiter, was also accompanying Kamijo tonight, and, contrary to typical metal concerts, his presence was felt and heard just as prominently as the pair of guitarists, Meku and Daishi.
The setlist was composed almost entirely of songs from Kamijo’s solo releases and Versailles’ catalog, with just a single song from Lareine thrown in. Nothing from New Sodmy. Admittedly, I’m not really a fan of anything prior to Versailles, so I couldn’t have been happier with the setlist that was performed. Fan favorites, like “Aristocrat’s Symphony” and “Masquerade”, were peppered in between newer Kamijo tracks, and ballads, such as “Romantique” and “Love will be born again”, were placed traditionally throughout the setlist to break up the speedy tracks. The main set was concluded with that latter song, as Kamijo performed the song onstage by himself without the backing band. It was here that the crowd calmed down, the whole place began singing along, and a dozen roses or more were handed to Kamijo from the fans. Apparently, some fans had ordered roses in anticipation of handing them over at the end of the set. After finishing the song, Kamijo disappeared to the back, and the chanting began. For what seemed like an eternity, Kamijo’s name was echoed throughout the venue by the fans until all the band members came back out onto the stage for an encore.
After four further songs from Kamijo’s solo releases, the band began their farewells. One of the guitarists leaned back onto the crowd, high fives were given out in mass numbers, drum sticks and picks were thrown to the crowd, and a final bow was taken. The entire band seemed legitimately thankful and appreciative of the crowd’s energy, which had been feverishly high for the entire show. The small turnout was a footnote now; many dreams were fulfilled that night, and nowhere was this more apparent than the front row, with teary and lit-up faces being commonplace.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBQpTHpyzRU]
Suffice to say, the audience had not quietened down after Kamijo’s departure. For the next several minutes, with baited breath, the entire building cheered and rallied for the hopes of one more song. A second encore had rarely been performed by Kamijo on this current tour, and the diehard fans knew this. Finally, after a relentless aural cacophony by the crowd, Kamijo and his band shuffled back onto the stage.
“This is a very, very, very special song.”
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TY0LK0pqDBU]
After asking us to keep quiet about this second encore for New York’s sake, the symphonic intro to “Ascendead Master” began to play. Upon the realization that we had just been given a very rare treat, the crowd perked up one last time for this grand finale. The headbanging, singing along, and jumping of the audience commenced, and the song’s speedy nature was a perfect way to end the night and wrap up Kamijo’s retrospective concert (Kamijo later noted that this second encore was unplanned and was in direct response to the crowd’s unexpectedly-high energy).
Following 18 tracks, two false finishes, two video montages on the projectors, and years of waiting for Kamijo to play in America, it was now time for the real farewell. Following some messing around with the crowd, the band took their bows, and everyone but Kamijo exited the stage. He got on one knee in preparation for his farewell salute, at which point a teddy bear was thrown onto the stage. Kamijo’s final salutes were given with bear in hand, he disappeared into the blackness of the wing, and the attendees were visibly shaken, but in bliss. Needless to say, it was taking people some time to process just what they had witnessed. For many, this wasn’t just a concert, but a culmination of years of anticipation. Many had followed Kamijo’s careers for a decade or more, and they knew they had witnessed something meaningful.
Since the conclusion of that show, I’ve still been in a mild state of shock. I’m still astonished that I flew halfway across the country to see a Kamijo show, I’m still astonished by the crowd’s enthusiasm, and I’m still astonished by the performance put forth by Kamijo and his band. I was worried I had built by hopes up too high in the months leading up to the show. What if this trip isn’t worth it? What if I’m expecting too much? Now, some ten days or so following the concert, it’s safe to say that that night was truly special for myself and everyone in attendance. I won’t be forgetting that experience, I have no qualms for making the trip, and I implore all fans of Kamijo, visual kei, and Japanese metal to strive to see their favorite artists live. Who knows, you might make some new friends, and the artist might say “Bonjour!” to you.
I’m the one on the right.
Thanks to Kamijo and Julien Chantôme for the photographs.
