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When asked about the meaning of their latest album title, hyde of the jpop band L'arc en Ciel said, 'the title AWAKE reflects my wish that all human beings should have their eyes opened and be awakened.' And thats exactly what happened in Tokyo on Sept. 25.
The day was a major event for L'arc. Not only was it their final stop in their 4concert, 3city Asia Live Tour, but it was their final concert together before they went to explore solo projects (no worries, L'Arc fans - they plan to come back together in a few years). And even though it was the second of 2 concerts over that weekend in the 50 000 capacity Tokyo Dome, both concerts sold out in less that 10 min. (that's about 166 tickets a second) - and this just on month after L'arc performed four concerts in Tokyo each full of 25 000 fans!
'To play live no matter where the venue is, it's always fun for us,' said tetsu, and that was an understatement. Both sets of 50 000 fans were treated to a 3hour extravaganza of Jrock music, special effects and entertainment. The arrival of each member on stage was met with screams of Beatles-esque fervor from the predominantly female audiance. Those screams did not subside for the entire 3hour concert, which featured a large selection of their hits from the last decade, including their themes to GTO and Fullmetal Alchemist.
After an hour of playing someof their greatest hits, L'arc left the stage only to return for a second set as Punk-en-Ciel – featuring all 4 band members on different instruments! Lead guitarist Ken became the drummer, drummer Yukihiro switched to bass, bassist tetsu became the guitarist and lead vocalist, and hyde donned and eyepatch and took up lead guitare. Afterwards, the band members returned to their original instruments for a third full set of hit songs!
The concert set-up was intense: fireballs shot from the stage; giant balloons fillled with smaller balloons were tossed into the audience; concertgoers were dazzled by hundreds of lights and lasers; and each audience member received a glow stick, which hyde told them to save for the last song. At rock shows, Japanese audience members rock out by waving their arms, with bent elbows, from behind their heads to the front in perfect rhythm with one another. Young and old, boy and girl, gothic lolita and office women alike all joined together in waving their arms, creating a sea of undulating light in the Tokyo Dome.
Fullmetal Alchemist fans received a special treat when hyde performed a 'transmutation' – after clapping his hands together, all 50 000 audience members performed a wave out from the stage, transmuting the mega-concert into an anime fan's dream
by Robert Bricken and Summer Mullins