I just had the pleasure of watching ALICE NINE.’s C/W LOVERS II concert via livestream in my living room and it was an incredible setlist packed with rare songs and some very cool new arrangements (or at least ones I’ve never heard before). I was completely enthralled from start to finish.
This was a two-session live, and only the second session was broadcast online. In the first session, they played 夢幻-electric eden- (I’m tearing up just imagining hearing that incredible song in person one day), and カルマ (an extremely cool composition by Saga from the GEMINI era with really fascinating lyrics).
The standard setlist included two songs that they ordinarily reserve for fanclub-only lives (明治 and アゲハ)! And then the rest of the setlist was just pure coolness. If you tuned in to the Christmas live, for instance, it featured a lot of beautiful, emotional songs… but this setlist was made to show off how good they sound just rocking out as a band.
秘密
Neophilia
明治
アゲハ
Solar Eclipse
虹彩ストライプ
Scarlet
SLEEPWALKER
NEMESIS
戦場に花束を
Ray
FOLLOW ME
Show’s a really versatile vocalist, and seems game to try just about any genre; his tone and style have evolved so much over the years and with so much experience… there really is no one else that sounds like him. As the others have often said, Show’s voice is ALICE NINE.’s unique instrument, and the unifying factor in their very eclectic discography.
During the MC, Saga brought up the fact that Show’s singing voice alone on a recording can tell you the era of the recording you’re listening to. True–Show constantly transforms his singing style!
Hearing them play 虹彩ストライプ was really cool for exactly that reason; I’ve only ever heard that song via the studio recording from back in 2004. Hearing the way that Show sings it now was really amazing… and of course the updated instrumentals were just as cool. Saga’s little composition grew up!
秘密 is an incredibly stylish R&B Saga composition that appeared on the Daybreak single (one of Tora’s bright, uplifting compositions), and it really set the tone for the live in a great way. Cool, composed, mature.
Neophilia is one of my favourite songs (composed by Saga during the RAINBOWS era, demo dug up by Show during the PLANET NINE era) both because of the way that it sounds and for the intricate lyrics (translation & interpretation!). To me, the song has a pretty erotic air to it, but the lyrics are sort of intellectual and playful; I love that contrast. Saga’s murky bass solo in this song is off the charts seductive.
Scarlet, another Saga composition, was absolutely incredible. The atmosphere that that song creates during the intro is one of the strongest in their discography, to me. It’s dark and seductive. I first heard that song the first time I ever went to a live, the first time they ever played it, as-yet-unreleased, back in August 2012 at Zepp DiverCity. They played birth in the death at the time too, another song with an even deeper atmosphere. It was just an incredible experience.
So hearing Scarlet again, I got goosebumps. It definitely developed even more flavour over time. Saga’s heavy, grungy bass intro drew all of the other instruments in to set up an incredible atmosphere. He looked and sounded effortlessly cool.
This entire setlist truly did have an adult feel to it, and I loved that.
Solar Eclipse has been a longtime favourite song of mine, because it has a lot of interesting little flourishes, great band sound, and everyone’s part really stands out in it. I’m particularly fond of the way Nao’s drumming and Show’s singing complement each other in this song, as well as the bass-punctuation at 鳴らせ、鳴らせ; this song builds such high anticipation, and the guitar sounds are really reflective and shiny throughout.
SLEEPWALKER really lulls you into a strange trance, and NEMESIS is a Hiroto composition (arranged by Tora), tucked away on the 虹の雪 single… I’ve always really liked this song and so hearing the different-sounding live arrangement was very fun. The lyrics are very thought-provoking.
戦場に花束を’s live arrangement is SO. COOL. SO COOL. It was incredibly cool in their 16th Anniversary Live, and it was incredibly cool in this broadcast. The intro has such a heavy weight to it, it’s like they’re all standing, immovable, on their side of the battlefield (The title of the song in English is Bouquet on the Battlefield). Another great band sound song, a Saga composition, that showcased all of their individual parts!
Ray is one of my favourite Tora compositions, with some of my favourite lyrics about a love that are written in a way that make it feel both grounded and ethereal. Saga’s bass solo in this live performance was emotional and amazing to watch.
「リズムを奏でて君を見続けたい…」♡
“I want to play a rhythm and keep looking at you…”
After an extended MC discussing a lot of very serious things (including how, in the past, they were so incredibly busy all the time, there are songs in their discography they hardly remember recording), they ended the live with the incredibly bright Hiroto composition, FOLLOW ME, from the TSUBASA. era.
What a great setlist, what a great sound!
