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Articles
Live Report ~ Versailles at A-Kon 19
Orchestral music floating across a dimly lit stage announces the beginning of what promises to be an amazing concert. Impatient fans – many of whom waited in line for hours – watch in anticipation, and then to screams and cheers, five men that look like they stepped out of Victorian Europe take the stage in a true aesthetic treat. They are Versailles, and they came to A-kon 19 in Dallas, Texas, for their first ever live in America.
Of course, it would be wrong to say that Versailles were the only band to grace the stage that night. Prior to Versailles, Budo Grape, a poppy band from Nagoya, gave an energetic performance. The audience found themselves singing along and waving their hands to the cute, catchy performance, even many of those who had come only to see Versailles.
It was Versailles, however, that received the biggest response from the fans. The band went from their orchestral opening into The Love from a Dead Orchestra, and immediately, the crowd went wild. Some pushed, some sang along, and some even began to do the furi (furitsuke, or hand motions) made up by Japanese fans.
The band went on to play a setlist of 10 songs, from their first mini-album Lyrical Symphony to SFORZANDO, featured on the V.A. CROSS GATE 2008. Kamijo paused occasionally to speak to the audience in a mixture of English and Japanese, teaching them the word "saikou" or "the best" and spelling it out. Versailles truly were "saikou" with their amazing stage presence and musical talent. Twice during the live, Kamijo even jumped down from the stage and came to the edge of the barrier formed of chairs and security guards to reach the fans. It wasn't only Kamijo, however, that got the crowd going. Hizaki and Teru both awed fans with their talent during their solos, Jasmine You occasionally ran across the stage to reach as many fans as possible, and even Yuki, usually behind his drumset, came out to see the crowd after they finished playing. Before exiting the stage, they played the beautiful Sympathia, during which Kamijo got the fans waving their arms back and forth to the rhythm of the song. It was a strongly memorable experience for both the fans and the band, as Kamijo answered during the Q&A the next day that one of the most memorable moments for him at a live was the crowd waving their arms during that performance.
When they went offstage, the crowd was quick to jump into cheers and chants, from repeating "encore!" to the band’s name. Versailles, despite wearing such heavy costumes in a room hot with so many fans filling it, didn't disappoint. They came back out shortly after, and Kamijo announced their encore as "The Revenant," prompting the crowd to finish the title with "Choir!" The song, almost entirely in English, was sung not only by Kamijo but by the fans as well.
Though they were no doubt tired, Versailles continued to please their fans with an hour-long autograph signing following the live, and another one early the next morning. A Q&A panel followed later that day, along with another autograph signing on Sunday. Kamijo and Teru had wardrobe problems and were late to the signing on Sunday, with the result that the fans enthusiastically cheered "Kamijo! Teru!" until they came out. Not a single fan seemed to mind waiting on them. They love their fans at least as much as their fans love them: Hizaki and Yuki even came into the J-pop room twice on Thursday night, staying and talking with some fans the second time. Hizaki was enthusiastic to state his love of Pantera, a band that had formed in the area. Before leaving, he shouted a "Good night!" to the fans in the room in English, grinning and looking like he had really enjoyed having the chance to speak with them.
Even with such a busy weekend, Versailles then went to L.A. for a show at The Knitting Factory, performing there only two days after leaving Dallas. They more than pleased their fans at A-kon, and intend to continue pleasing them with the release of their first album NOBLE on July 9th. Several events are scheduled in Japan in June, with their Japanese tour "A Noble was Born in Chaos" beginning on July 11th. The tour continues as a oneman tour on August 28th and 29th. As for activities in America, their fans here continue to wait patiently for news of more, for now contentedly remembering A-kon and the live following it.
by Inai |
