I had to take a later shinkansen than I’d intended because of weekend crowds or delays (I’m not certain which) so got to the livehouse with just a couple minutes to spare. Fortunately, this was not my first time going to a live in Saga’s hometown of 郡山, so I didn’t get lost at any point along the way.
I have such fond memories of this livehouse, being the first cozy-size one I attended back in 2019 for Saga’s birthday. As if the main set and encore hadn’t been amazing enough, Saga and Hiroto returned onstage a third time and played すべてへ, with Saga singing on acoustic guitar. Thankfully, he uploaded a part of it on Twitter afterwards, because it was such a joy to listen to that night, and listening to the clip now just brings those memories right back.
ᐠ( ᐢ ᵕ ᐢ )ᐟ 沙我ラブ！
That was a special live in and of itself, one that is forever imprinted in my memory, and this live will be too. They rocked. We were all so happy to be able to raise our voices with them again!
Unlike in 新潟NEXS, 郡山 Hip Shot Japan didn’t have any areas demarcated on the floor, so it held more attendees and we weren’t as restricted in our positions on the floor.
Since I arrived later, I was more towards the back at the foot of the steps (which was still incredibly close to the stage), and thankfully on the 下手 side! But I ended up dancing my way sideways to having a clear view of Saga, so I got to enjoy seeing (and feeling) all those gorgeous, badass bass skills in action all night.
And hold my arms out to cheer Saga on
＼(^o^)／♡♡♡♡♡♪︎♪︎♪︎♪︎♪︎｢沙我！！｣
Saga gave 焔ちゃん’s neck so many kisses and raised that bass up to such honorable heights ❤️🔥💋
The lighting at 郡山 Hip Shot Japan was denser, more brilliant, and included lasers, which was so cool! They also had some smoke machines going at points.
Living Dead is a song with a marching beat, but it also feels like you’re tunnelling through the earth, in a way. That contrast in feel is really frickin’ cool. They played Answer next, whose texture I really love, and everyone in the audience was dancing to the brightest sections of the music. This led into an even brighter classic from 2007. I felt so happy when I heard them start TSUBASA.! Ohhh, the memories… It is one of those rare singles of theirs that didn’t actually end up on a subsequent album, and is such a great song.
From there, the mood got a little darker, a little more luxurious, and they began to play the delectable, the danceable, the gorgeous… 華! The live arrangement, in constant evolution, is SO GOOD! Every time! AHHHHHHHHHHH I was so happy that they played it! Next up was Moondance, made even more of a pleasure due to the fact that we’d been warmed up dancing to 華 first (delightful setlist pairing by Saga).
But man, FIVE JOKER then folded the coolness factor into the mix. I thought I was hearing a slightly different arrangement, but either way, I love the bass in this song and I was groooooving to it. After which, 界 began, and we embraced a more sombre atmosphere in order to worship once again at the temple of アリス九號. Together with the members of the band, we we sending out a prayer to the gods of rock, with this night of musical revelry as our sacred offering 🙏
Yes. It’s that good.
Envy, which followed, really filled the room in its own particular way, with Saga’s very clear plucking of the strings ringing out. It builds slowly, with patience, to an incredible climax.
INSOMNIA is a song that I really love, but for whatever reason, I hadn’t ever expected to end up at a live where they would play it. I was so surprised and in awe when it started… Saga kept playing acoustic guitar for the length of the song too. I’d never seen or heard a live rendition before, so I don’t know how they’d normally perform it, but having the acoustic guitar in the mix was captivating. And as ever, the way the vocals crest and fall in the song was beautiful. Then the tail end of the song faded, and four members left the stage…
At this, Nao got up on the front podium, and like the night before, he got the crowd riled up, clapping and calling out in time with his Drum Solo. Very fun, and his drumming, as ever, sounded great! The others returned to an energized audience and they all jumped into playing Roar. During yesterday’s after talk, Show and Saga suggested an adjustment to the furi for the Love-love Hate-hate call sections, and today we tried the new way and it did emphasize the energy of the song much better. Even without the rap section, this song is badass, but the rap takes it to the next l e v e l.
But oh, what a thrill of excitement I felt when PHOENIX started. It marked ALICE NINE. returning from their hiatus, and turned into music the sense of triumph we all felt upon knowing they were back. I was so amazed by this song when I first heard it, and every time I hear it now, I still feel such pride in them. This song was the lead track on their re-debut EP (as A9) whose recording they crowdfunded for, and my name, along with everyone else who backed it, is in the booklet. Pretty amazing, to have been a little part of their musical history in that way. Saga’s bassline is kickass in this song, and I love the vocal melody Show sings in it. The energy was incredible during this performance and I just let my body flow along with the music. Bliss.
We all worked up a reeeeal good sweat dancing to RAINBOWS, doing the A-jump, and giving all our love to this amazing classic. They rock so hard and make this song sound so damn good every time! Next up was Funeral, and it sounds SO wicked cool live. It truly does. I love Saga’s ribbony bass line in it, the solo was nice and gruff/grungy in this performance, and really, everyone’s parts sound so cool with everyone getting their moment to stand out in this song. Exodus: deepened the mood in the room with its contrasting growls and softer melodic sections, and that led into… 開戦前夜! We all let loose during the course of the song, getting wild together just before the end of the main set. And as was becoming customary during this tour, they again ended their main set with Farewell Flowers so that we could all catch our breath and be soothed by the song.
Shortly after they left the stage, we started clapping and calling out for an Encore in waves… again, I meant it when I cried out ‘En-co-ru!’ with every fiber of my being! We love you, come back, let’s rock some more!
Thankfully they heard us an obliged, the stage lights gettong bright again as the members returned to the stage. It was Re:Born that they played first and ‘oh my god’ was the thought that popped into my mind first. I wasn’t expecting this song, and it just… I felt so very alive and so much joy being in the room to experience it. I remember hearing the premiere of the song during their 13th anniversary live broadcast on NICONICO and being completely blown away by it. It was like breathing fresh air at that point in my life. Hearing it was like breaking a curse that I hadn’t realized I’d been under, and after that, I went back to my 居場所, my happy place, fully. And this particular performance definitely upheld and added to this song’s particular magic.
What came next was 春夏秋冬 and I went absolutely wild for this one. I’m sure I heard this song before at another live, but much like VELVET last night, this particular performance was so euphoric, so filled with glee and nostalgia and happiness that ALICE NINE. still rock the room as hard as they ever have, that this is the version now most prominent in my memory. These classics have such energetic, well-defined furitsuke as well, so that there’s no space or need to dance in your own way. It’s extremely fun to dance along with everyone else. And dance, we did! Then, of course, at the end, they all gathered together at the front of the stage and played with a foot up on the podium there, shoulder to shoulder (Nao guarding their backs)… my younger self would never believe that I actually got to experience that fundamentally aliceniney song live, in person. What a delight.
In a short MC after they finished performing 春夏秋冬, I believe Show admitted that in their early days, they added in the oioioi/fist-pump section during the Tora solo because they thought it’d be cool. Had everyone in the audience giggling over it. Hey, it’s there to stay, we love it, and it’s part of アリス九號.’s long and storied history!
To follow in the footsteps of a band sound classic, they played their classic-in-the-making of a different feel, Grace. This song sounds so complex–and it is–yet when they play it live, it comes together so beautifully, so naturally, and lights up the room. I love this song… the sound is so dynamic, so full of vitality, the way it soars and dives.
I’m so glad I found their music by chance.
Saga’s beautiful, cool, and unexpected compositions continue to enchant me, and rock my world.
It’s incredibly fun to see bands you love live in concert… but it’s life-affirming to go see your favourite band in person. After so long… what a joy.
What a joy ♡♪︎
I did hang around outside for a bit after the live ended, but it was a getting chilly and drizzling, so I eventually just said a silent ‘see you next time’ to that beloved livehouse (and a certain musician still in it), and made my way slowly back to the station, stopping or wandering down a side street as I liked each time something caught my eye, each time I experienced a sense of déjà vu.
It is a strange feeling to know that a place you wanted so badly to go and see for yourself, a place that you stare around in wonder at, is as everyday and as commonplace as it gets to just about everyone else that surrounds you. Saga grew up here, in Japan, in this city, and probably dreamed of visiting somewhere else at some point too. I’m glad I got to walk these streets again.
It was relatively dry but chilly as I leaned against a wall to wait for the shinkansen to pull up to the platform. And then the train carried me back to Tokyo, memories of the incredible live I’d just attended replaying in my head…
