Last night, DJ Ally and I had the privilege of hosting the screening of L’Arc~en~Ciel‘s 20th anniversary concert film, presented by Live Viewing Japan, a distributor of Japanese entertainment to movie theaters worldwide. Fans turned out for the stunning “20th L’Anniversary Live” filmed at Ajinomoto Stadium, with one-night-only showings across the United States.
After 20 years in the business, L’Arc~en~Ciel still delivers. The four-member band from Osaka, featuring Hyde on vocals, Ken on guitar, Tetsuya on bass, and Yukihiro on drums, surveyed their history in a two-night show documented in the film.
L'Arc~en~Ciel (Image ©Maverick DC Group)
Standards performed included Heaven’s Drive, Ready Steady Go, Driver’s High, Shinsoku-Lose Control, and even the recent Good Luck My Way from “Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos”.
The film itself was amazing. Gorgeous cinematography, excellent stagecraft, and importantly, the solid musical chops and charisma of Hyde and the band came together nicely. The time seemed to go by pretty quickly, and the audience remained engaged from start to finish, channeling some of the enthusiam you’d see at a live show into the theater with cheers and applause throughout the screening.
This is an interesting way for fans of Jrock and Japanese music to experience it collectively–providing for the kind of shared experience that’s not always easy to create given the rarity in Japanese tours coming to the United States. I enjoyed seeing a lot of familiar faces, and getting some of that vibe you would get from a live show. I hope to see more of these types of concert film releases in the future. Its a really good way for Jrock fans to come together around their favorite artists.
L’Arc~en~Ciel will be launching a worldwide tour in 2012 including a stop in New York City, Kawaii Kakkoii Sugoi will keep everyone updated as more news on the tour becomes available!
Greg Hignight
Event Director and DJ, Tune in Tokyo and Kawaii Kakkoii Sugoi Contributor
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