October 1st, 2004
D's Mad Tea Party @ Takadanobaba AREA

Bands in order: Duel Jewel, Panikku Channeru, Babylon, 12012, D

This live was sold out, impossible to get tickets for, everyone wanted to go... And I ended up getting a ticket. Which was disastrous in itself, and caused much more drama and angst than one live ever has before. But I went. Alone, because none of my other friends could get tickets. I was number 286 of what I thought to be 300, but it might have been 350. Either way I was at the ass-end of the line. We were lined up all the way down the hill around the back of AREA, where there were big signs marking where you were supposed to stand based on ticket numbers. But it went fairly quickly and I was soon in.

Of course it was ridiculously crowded, being a sell-out crowd. I just wanted to put my bag down somewhere. I had no idea of the order of the bands... It might have been perfectly clear if Babylon just put their enquette in the packet, but no… So while I could assume the last bands playing, I couldn't for the first. But I gathered from the large amounts of schoolgirls collecting at the front with "I LOVE DUEL JEWEL" graffitied on their schoolbags, that Duel Jewel was first.

So, I finally saw Duel Jewel! Honestly, I was stubbornly avoiding their music altogether after their ridiculous hype in America. But eventually there had to come a day where I'd cross paths with them! They really weren't bad, and I can see how they'd seem super good for people who've never really seen a lot of bands. They were full of energy and were really happy. The vocalist Hayato (the only one I know the name of) couldn't stop smiling and bounced about stage. One of them had on the tackiest suit ever, it looked like snakeskin from far away but I think it was a plaid with some pattern over it. Either way it was really horrid in a funny way. The rest of them had generic pop-visual outfits on. I almost decided they were tolerably good, until the last song where they started screaming. And it was loud, and obnoxious, and hurt my ears. So they can bite me.

Then I thought I recognized some fans rushing towards the front, so I ran with them and got myself in the third or fourth row from stage. Good recognition skills I have, because it was Panic Channel's turn! Their "invitation" music started, along with some seizure-inducing strobe lights. Strobe lights confuse me. I was even more confused when I saw Takumi come out not in white... but in black. They had new costumes already! Their older costumes were a lot cooler, but these were interesting at least. They had a dark grey velvet theme, almost black but not quite. Takumi was wearing a white Lolita blouse with velvet jacket and skirt, with a little black hat. Tara was exposing his stomach as usual, with a long unbuttoned white ruffled blouse, velvet jacket and pants. Tsubasa had a vest of some sort, with ripped fishnet mesh underneath, similar bottoms with the mesh going on. Kana had dyed his hair again, plus had woven black and silver extensions into it. He had a long velvet coat and pants. Meguru was wearing a velvet suit, but it was BLUE of course! It also needed ironing. He had a bow tie with a cool gothy looking brooch, way too much gel in his hair, and was also barefoot with sparkly blue toenail polish.

They only played four songs... Started off with Kodoku mousou, which is strange considering it's usually the last song they play to mosh everyone out. There was the tamest moshing I've experienced from them yet... probably because of the choice of set list... no one was fully into slamming each other to the point of pain, which was totally cool by me. Lots of jumping and cuteness, but their set was way too short.

1) Kodoku mousou
2) Rouge
3) Love Letter
4) Iyagarase

I went back to the 2nd level when they were over, got a drink and watched Babylon. I hadn't heard them before, but I should have... They were really good! I don't know why I wasn't expecting them to be. Misa's one of the coolest guys ever. Their songs were hard to classify, rather a unique sound, and I fully enjoyed it. Misa also has this totally crazy metal studded flying-v guitar. They were fun and engaging, I'd definitely want to see them again.

It was someone in the band's birthday, so fans sang Happy Birthday and popped streamer things at him.

I wanted to get close to the stage for 12012, but they have tons of fans and I couldn't get anywhere. Their stage entry music was super gothy sounding dance, very cool, and then one of their songs being played backwards quickly got mixed in... Such an insane feel, it was perfect to start out with. I had a decent enough view though, and they ROCKED SO HARD!! God I love them. Their costumes, first off, are so amazingly constructed, I couldn't even begin to fathom how. Lots of black, rippy things, with huge high collars and buckles everywhere. Being a fashion geek, they were like the epitome of badass coolness to me. I can't believe just over a year ago they were dorky wannabe-gothy visual.

So. Wow. They're just amazing musicians. And Miyawaki can scream like no one else. Next time I see them I WILL get to the front.

1)Mippei sareta hi
2) Incident
3) Tefutefu
4) news paper
-MC-
5) in favor of...?
6) Venom

Then of course D was last. Everyone pulled out these D flags out of nowhere... They were selling them as goods, one red and one black with the D logo on each. For the first song, Asagi had a bigger set, and was spastically waving them around, causing everyone else to mimic his movements and filled Area with hundreds of waving flags. It was pretty cool, except for getting smacked in the head by them. They were all wearing modifications on the theme of a black tanktop and black armbands, covered in buckles/zippers/grommets/studs/etc. Asagi's nose is REALLY BIG in person. After all these years of liking his previous bands, I've never seen him in person. I knew it was big... but THAT big? Wow. Sorry dude... even from the back wall I could see that was one shamefully large honker. They played a long time with various encores. I'm not a D fan and I was stuck so far in the back I could barely see the stage, so I don't really have much else to say about them. I got a setlist from somewhere though...

1) Night-ship "D"
2) Hana mado
3) Dangan
4) Mayatsuki
5) Danpen Asymmetry
6) Lost
7) Pride
8) Bara no kioku
9) Alice
10) Dangan
11) EDEN

There were a lot of encores in there too.