DIR EN GREY TOUR14 PSYCHONNECT -mode of “GAUZE”?- 2014/8/20-21(Eng)

“Just enjoy the tour with no worries as in a Matsuri (Festival) ” — Vocal, Kyo.

DIR EN GREY kicked off in August their local tour titled “TOUR14 PSYCHONNECT – mode of “GAUZE”?-“, a tour which has been scheduled to perform a total of 10 shows at 6 venues. On 20 & 21 Aug, two consecutive nights of DIR EN GREY Matsuri were staged at Namba Hatch, Osaka.

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“TOUR14 PSYCHONNECT – mode of “GAUZE”?-” could be said as the sequel of their 1999 tour “PSYCHONNECT -mode of “GAUZE”?-” which was held shortly after the release of their first major album 《GAUZE》. The tour this time has filled DIR EN GREY’s hardcore fans with excitement as the band has evolved diversely both in terms of music and performing style since their rookie years. One can only wonder what DIR EN GREY has in store to present to the audience their evolution during these 15 years.

Before the tour started, Kyo mentioned in an interview that “I hope everyone could enjoy this tour as in a Matsuri”, and this was exactly what one could feel at the venue: member-produced limited goods exclusively for each stop of the tour, prize drawing booth, a special photo shooting area was even set up for the fans to try on the electric chair which resembled the one in the MV of 〈GAUZE–mode of adam-〉, and to avoid fans from suffering heatstroke under the flaming sun, numbered cards were distributed so fans did not have to queue up for a long time for purchasing the concert goods.

First night’s show began with the SE〈GAUZE -mode of adam-〉, DIR EN GREY’s members appeared on stage one by one in the deafening cheers of the audience. 〈Schweinの椅子〉was the first song they played, which followed the song list as in the album 《GAUZE》. The stage design exuded an aggressive aura, with shining metal tubes intertwining in the background which echoed with the MVs in《GAUZE》. The audience went wild as the members approached the stage front, and the venue shouted in unison “Geist Seele Wille Zelle” under Kyo’s lead. Kaoru, Die and Toshiya also put all their efforts to heat up the stage, the power and the strong interaction on and off the stage were impressive.

One of the band’s hit songs from the indie era 〈蒼い月〉was played and followed with a new song 〈SUSTAIN THE UNTRUTH〉, the meet of DIR EN GREY’s classic and modern works did not seem awkward at all, instead a new chemistry could be felt through the special setting. In the song 〈mazohyst of decadence〉, the whole stage was lit up in shocking pink, which reminded the audience of the cover of DIR EN GREY’s DVD work “1999年12月18日大阪城HALL”, it is also worth noting that a part of the lyrics of the song was also quoted on the DVD cover. When Kyo shouted “ONE SAD SEXUALLY TWO SAD SEXUALLY”, the members come to the front and made gestures together with the fans, which drove the audience even crazier.

The stage suddenly turned into bloody red in the next song 〈蜜と唾〉. Followed by 〈アクロの丘〉which presented a poetic setting with Kyo stood in front of a screen that was playing the re-edited MV with new image sequences, the pattern of stained glasses which could be found in historical churches was projected onto the audience, reenacting the atmosphere of the MV in the live venue. Small changes were made in the interlude solo, showcasing a more mature side of the song. Strong emotion welled up in Kyo’s eyes as he serenaded the audience in the last chorus, sobbing could be heard from the audience as the song faded to the last note, altogether they made up a heart-warming moment shared by the performers and the audience. 〈ゆらめき〉was up next, with slight rearrangement on the rhythm.〈MASK〉,〈蜜と唾〉and〈残〉were performed as the first part of the show ended.

The upbeat number〈予感〉fired up the encore, it was one of their classic hits and the audience could easily sing along with the chorus. A new song was followed, as in the performance of〈アクロの丘〉, image was projected onto the audience, only this time it was the image of a clear blue sky. The song carried a distinct style from their past work so please be sure to check it out when the new album releases. Another hit number〈THE FINAL〉came up, a song with which the audience has developed the habit to sing along in recent years. DIR EN GREY rang down the curtain of the night’s performance with the song 〈激しさと、この胸の中で絡み付いた灼熱の闇〉.

After warming up on the first night, the second show at Namba Hatch was much hotter than the night before, they played most of the upbeat songs at the very beginning. The rundown was more or less the same as the first day’s, with〈凌辱の雨〉, 〈かすみ〉 and 〈DIFFERENT SENSE〉 adding into the list. It was a surprise to the audience that〈凌辱の雨〉, a song seldom played in recent years, made it to the night’s setlist.

The encore also began with〈予感〉, Kyo took off his headset while performing, in an attempt to interact directly with the audience. They also played another new song, compared with the one that they had played the night before, this was a shorter song with a faster tempo. Kyo shouted to the audience “Are you still alive? Are you OK to carry on?” during the MC. The members smiled a lot, a sign that they were enjoying themselves in the show as well. With〈殘〉, DIR EN GREY successfully concluded the two nights performance at Namba.
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DIR EN GREY is going to release their 9th album《ARCHE》on 10th Dec, a new tour “BY THE GRACE OF GOD” straddling year 2014 and 2015 has also been announced. Let’s keep close eyes on DIR EN GREY while anticipating patiently for their new work.

SETLIST of TOUR14 PSYCHONNECT -mode of “GAUZE”?- mode:30 on 2014/8/20

SE　GAUZE-mode of adam-
1.　Schweinの椅子
2.　raison detre
3.　Cage
4.　業
5.　蒼い月
6.　SUSTAIN THE UNTRUTH
7.　304号室、白死の桜
8.　mazohyst of decadence
9.　蜜と唾
10.　アクロの丘
11.　ゆらめき
12.　MASK
13.　蜜と唾
14.　残
-ENCORE-
EN1.　予感
EN2.　新曲
EN3.　CLEVER SLEAZOID
EN4.　THE FINAL
EN5.　激しさと、この胸の中で絡み付いた灼熱の闇

SETLIST of TOUR14 PSYCHONNECT -mode of “GAUZE”?- mode:31 on 2014/8/21

SE　GAUZE-mode of adam-
1.　ゆらめき
2.　MASK
3.　凌辱の雨
4.　かすみ
5.　DIFFERENT SENSE
6.　Cage
7.　304号室、白死の桜
8.　アクロの丘
9.　mazohyst of decadence
10.　raison detre
11.　Schweinの椅子
12.　蜜と唾
13.　蒼い月
14.　SUSTAIN THE UNTRUTH
-ENCORE-
EN1.　予感
EN2.　新曲
EN3.　羅刹国
EN4.　激しさと、この胸の中で絡み付いた灼熱の闇
EN5.　残