LIVE REPORT ~ Kaya: November 22, 2009
Arlington, VA
As per the normal schedule, the headling Japanese act for Anime USA, Kaya, was set to perform on Saturday, the second day of the convention. It was his second time in the US, and this time, according to a YouTube comment video from before the convention, it was going to be a special American live. Fans had taken the hint, flying, driving, etc, from all over the country to see the charismatic vocalist's live.
The doors opened almost exactly on schedule--a three hour improvement from the year before, for which everyone was thankful. The audience filtered into the concert hall, anxious fans quickly trying to find a spot near the front. The air was heavy with the usual pre-concert tension.
Finally, the room darkened and the audience cheered, their voices becoming louder as the opening music started and Kaya's dancers strutted on stage. Yui, Ryoshin, Hiroyuki, Ayano, and Kitty, and finally, finally...the crowd's cheers crescendoed as Kaya stepped on stage to the opening notes of Kaleidoscope. The black lolita outfit from his Ophelia single was the first of three that he would wear.
This was indeed the start of a special US show, as Kaya had promised. Kaya and his five dancers owned the stage, prancing and dancing through song after song with their careful choreography. Carmilla, the third song into the set, was fun to watch as Kaya mimed sucking the blood from his dancers, and threw them lifeless to the ground. After the fourth song, Pourriture noble, Kaya had the first of his MCs, where he spoke a mixture of Japanese and English. He asked the audience if they were having fun, and then, asked if they thought he was cute. Both were greeted with loud cheers, and Kaya cheerfully thanked the audience.
The next two songs were the elegant Ophelia, Kaya's most recent single, and the catchy Masquarade. Afterwards, Kaya stepped offstage to change costume, and the audience was treated to a dance number set to a techno remix of Chocolat. It was an excellent way to both keep the audience entertained during the change, and to showcase the dancers' talents.
When Kaya returned to the stage, it was in a pink lolilta-style kimono, a perfect choice for the next section of the set, beginning with Ouka. If the crowd had any doubt of Kaya's vocal talents, he banished them with this song. And then banished anything other than cutesy thoughts as he did another MC, dragging his mic stand across the stage with mock difficulty, stopping every couple steps to make an exaggerated sigh. It was hard not to laugh or at least smile.
Kaya performed Kagami Oni next, the audience following in time with his hand movements, and then he rounded out the second section of the concert with the haunting Kugutsu. As always, Kugutsu was accompanied by dramatic, ghostly choreography, and as the lights faded at the end of the song, Kaya left the stage yet again, letting his dancers entertain the audience.
This time Kaya returned to the somewhat militaristic sound of Rose Kingdom, and much to the audience's surprise, he had adopted a "boy Kaya" look to match, dropping the cutesy lolita costumes for a stern princely one. This last part of the concert brought the highest energy levels, with Kaya and his dancers performing his more energetic songs like Walküre, Epicurean, and Kasha. And of course, Rose Jail: every time Kaya screamed "WITH ALL MY..." the audience screamed back, "HURTS!" Even people who weren't familiar with Kaya were able to lend their voices to such an easy line.
A full sixteen songs had already been performed by the time Kaya left again and returned for his encore. Everyone had anticipated this--the finale, the end, and Chocolat. Kaya's major debut single was a huge fan favorite, and the opening notes were met with the biggest reaction of the night. The room was filled with voices singing along, melt my heart~ as Kaya and his audience became one. Glitter Arch was Kaya's farewell song, and he left with fans still cheering after him, obviously pleased by the performance.
Kaya left Anime USA with a performance to remember: visually stunning choreography, powerful vocals, and a perfect control of the audience. AUSA's musical guests seem to be getting better each year, but I'm not sure they can top these last two years. Let's see who they can bring out for 2010!
Set List
Kaleidoscope
Pervous Renezvous
Carmilla
Pourriture noble
-MC-
Ophelia
Masquerade
Dancer Interlude/Chocolat remix
Ouka
-MC-
Kagami Oni
Kugutsu
Dancer Interlude/Silvery Dark remix
Rose Kingdom
Walkure
Ryuran
Addict
-MC-
Epicurean
Rose Jail
Kasha
ENCORE
Chocolat
Glitter Arch
live report by Melony; photos courtesy Anime USA
thank you to Kaya and Anime USA for making this possible
LINKS
Kaya Official Website
Kaya Official MySpace
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