LIVE REPORT ~ Versailles: May 30, 2008
Dallas, TX
The line for the Friday night concert at A-Kon, featuring Budo Grape and Versailles, began to form hours before the concert itself was scheduled to begin. Sharing the floor with registration and the artist's alley, the line began to weave its way around the concert hall even as the bands were completing sound check in the morning. A few lucky fans managed to catch snatches of songs drifting out of the hall as doors opened: crew moving in and out as they prepared for the night's event. But they just had to wait until the Opening Ceremonies were complete, and so the eager crowd stayed patiently outside, gathering their energy.
Following Opening Ceremonies, the doors opened, and the crowd poured in. First to take the stage was Budo Grape, whose cute, poppy style helped energize the audience, who responded in kind, dancing around and shaping their hands into hearts in response to the smiling, cheerful antics of the band members. Most of the crowd was there for the headliners, Versailles, but despite the contrast in styles, they were happy to lend their voices in support to the opening act.
At the end of Budo Grape's set, the stage was cleared quickly, one drum-set traded for another, amplifiers switched while the crowd waited eagerly. As Versailles touched up back stage and prepared themselves for their first concert in the United States, crew members handed water out to the hot, packed crowd. Then, finally, Roger of Tainted Reality, in his long black trench coat, strode out on stage to announce Versailles. It was time.
Orchestral music slowly filled the room, and the eager crowd held their breath in anticipation as five men who could have easily stepped out of a Victorian inspired fantasy stepped onto the stage. Yuki made his way to the drum-set, with Jasmine You, Teru, and Hizaki close behind to pick up their instruments. Last of all Kamijo entered, exuding confidence, and made his way to the center of the stage. Before even one note sounded, one beat of the drum, or even one word, Versailles already had their audience firmly in their grasp, entranced.
The first song of the night was Love from a Dead Orchestra, instantly shooting the energy of the hall through the roof. As Kamijo slid over to Hizaki, pulling him into a possessive embrace, the girls in the audience screamed and swooned with glee. Next up was Shout & Bites, followed quickly by Beast of Desire, and the energy of both audience and band never flagged, despite the intense heat. In the short breaks between songs, the band would pat their faces gently with towels, trying to dab off the sweat while still keeping their makeup picture perfect.
When the first notes of Zombie echoed through the hall, it was clear the song would be an audience favorite. Guitar, bass, and drums came in, weaving together in an elaborate and elegant dance, then Kamijo's voice joined them as the final touch, creating "the absolute youshikibi" that is Versailles' concept. On top of all of this, the screams and cheers of the fans echoed throughout the room as they danced, head banged, and sung along in pure ecstasy, enraptured by the beauty unfolding before them.
Sforzando, Aristocrat's Symphony, and Suzerain followed before Kamijo finally chose to speak directly to the audience, using a mix of simple English and Japanese to communicate with the American audience. And he then jumped down from the stage with a dramatic swirl of his cloak, coming closer to the fans, reaching out and touching the hands of a few lucky fans as a barricade of staff and chairs kept the crowd from surging to the stage. Once he had stepped gracefully back onto the stage, the notes of Forbidden Gate began, a gentle sound that calmed the excited crowd momentarily as they enjoyed the beautiful melody. But it wasn't long before Kamijo once again raised the energy level; "This is the red carpet show!" he announced. And the much loved Red Carpet Day began.
Kamijo jumped down once more, to allow a few more fans a brief touch of his fingertips as the rest of the band blotted their faces once again. And then, after another small speech, the soft, beautiful notes of Sympathia echoed gently, and Kamijo encouraged the crowd to wave their arms in rhythm to the music. As the last notes died, Versailles thanked the fans, and then made their way backstage.
This was to be the end of the concert, but the crowd made the room echo with calls of "Encore!" And Versailles re-emerged for one last song. The Revenant Choir greeted the screaming, joyous crowd, followed by Kamijo introducing his fellow band members, and then, one last time, they made their way off stage. With the fans still cheering, the lights came up, and doors opened. Versailles' first ever performance in the United States had come to a beautiful conclusion.
set list
The Love From a Dead Orchestra
Shout & Bites
Beast of Desire
Zombie
SFORZANDO
Aristocrat's Symphony
Suzerain
-MC-
Forbidden Gate
The Red Carpet Day
-MC-
Sympathia
encore
The Revenant Choir
report by redushab; photos by elffys
Thank you to A-Kon and Tainted Reality for making this possible.
links
Versailles Official Website
Versailles Official MySpace
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