Ace Thanksgiving Day at Ikebukuro Black Hole

11-11-11? For some people it was a lucky day, for others in Japan it meant the stick-like snacks Pocky and Pretz. For fans of the band A(Ace) however, the day had a different meaning: In Japanese playing cards, Ace counts as 1, making the day “A” day. On this day, A(Ace) offered fans a special present: a free live at Ikebukuro Black Hole. Entitled Thanksgiving Day, the band put on a special show for their fans and ROKKYUU were on deck to document the voyage.

The show opened with the voice of a wizened old sailor telling the story of the crew. “Four different men set off in search of treasure. Their fans are called hearties. Today, the perfect number of people have gathered. Come closer. Will you participate in this ritual? Once it’s begun, there’s no going back. Are you ready? It all depends on you.”

Then, in a fairytale English voiceover, a woman’s voice intoned, “Once upon a time there was band called A(Ace). Nobody knows where they came from. They appeared from nowhere and disappeared without a trace. A stands for: Apex. Answer. Anthem. Anarchy. Ace.”

As the band came out to take their instruments, the eyes on Nimo’s skull-mic glowed blue and he gripped it with relish. “Yoake no Anthem” got the crowd warmed up right away with cheerful rhythm. The audience waved to the strains of Rookie’s violin as Nimo shouted out, “Welcome aboard! This is the Thanksgiving party!” Lights flared red and fans threw themselves forward as the beat took on the Spanish staccato of “Masquerade” and Rookie bent backwards as he sawed the strings. Nimo shook his hips with flamenco flair as he powered through the chorus. “Tokyo, can you give us more?”

The audience rocked along while Nimo struggled to sing over the heavy bass and guitar of “Vanilla Sky” and then the tempo of the show shifted with the song “GOD CHILD,” a somber number that had Toshi working his bass hard and featured the rarity of a serious Rookie. Muchos Gracias’ dreadlocks flew as he shook his head to the final, passionate swell of the song, even if Nimo couldn’t quite hold his dramatic expression. That passion pressed on through “Black Butterfly.” The guitar lines of the song complemented Nimo’s half sung, half spoken verses and the drum was quick and crazy.

Ever a highlight, the classically inspired “Kokyoushi FREEDOM I Tanchou” gave Rookie a chance to show off his piano abilities before Nimo took the mic once more with a beautifully composed vocal line. It felt like the number was performed twice, once as a duet between piano and vocals and then again with full rock band accompaniment. The operatic backing vocals matched well with the powerful feel of the song, and though Nimo struggled to project over the music in the small space, his vocals were clear and heartfelt.

Acoustically, Black Hole isn’t the kindest live house and, as he mentioned in his emcee, the vocalist was fighting a cold on the day of the show. “A lot of people are sick now,” he said, noting the changing weather. “I felt like I was getting sick too, so I stayed in my room and blasted the humidifier… I think my room is now full of mold.” In response to that statement, Muchos Gracias held his dreads apart for closer inspection. “I think it’s full of mold,” Nimo repeated, causing an oddly proud Muchos to beam. He then joked around, holding chocolate “treasure” coins up to his eyes. “C-3PO?” Nimo gasped. “What was the other one? Oh! R2-D2! I remember, he’s the vacuum cleaner one!” Jokes aside, the band had some good news to share in the form of signed tickets available for the next special live on January 11, another date lining up the 1s. “Left side, are you with me?” he asked, jazzing the crowd up in sections and showing an astounding lack of direction-sense for a pirate captain by waving at the stage-right crowd. Everyone laughed as he corrected himself, and the two sides cheered in turn.

The drummer spun his sticks and they launched into “Fools Gold” with a heavy bangbefore breaking out the popular cover of “Cruel Angels Thesis.” Rookie showed off another of his skills by singing the dramatic operatic backing vocals while the closest fans threw themselves onto the front bar as the rest of the livehouse thrashed. Then, the ship took a musical trip to the Big Easy, with the New Orleans-inspired “Viva la Casta.” Those who had only heard the song on CD were in for a treat as the live version was rearranged to bring in some serious swing to the bass and emphasized the big-band roots and Mardi Gras feel of the number. Between that and the fist-pumping “Nude,” it was a strong finish to the set.

The crowd wasn’t about to let it end there. They called for an encore until the members returned. “I forgot an important announcement and I got scolded for it!” Nimo said, running out ahead of the others and holding up his wrist. “Lots of people have already bought them, but for those who don’t know, we have collaboration bracelets with 10st!” This news and the display of the brand-collaboration beaded bracelet was greeted by cheers and gleaming wrists raised high throughout the crowd but his next announcement was more somber. “Today is Muchos Gracias’ last day. It’s not a sad parting. It was decided after much consideration that this is what he needs to grow. He’ll always be our friend, and we’ll support him to the last. He’ll never forget your smiles and who knows, he might even be back some day!”

Muchos then whispered something to Nimo and the captain then deepened his voice in imitation of the guitarist. “I want to look at all your faces and remember.” Mucho jumped up on the prow and peered intently at the crowd, prompting fans to titter and exclaim how he was a bit too intense. Then he pulled back and nodded, apparently satisfied. Finally, he prompted Nimo with another whisper. “Gracias,” Nimo-as-Muchos said to the crowd’s laughter.

“Ship ‘Friend of Mine’” resumed the music with a big swell and the song alternated beautifully between soft and strong. Rookie was all smiles and Mucho gave it his all for one of his final songs on stage. Determined to send the audience home on a cheerful note, the band chose “Grafton Calling” for the final song. The upbeat pomp of the British-themed number was full of strobe lights and enthusiasm both onstage and off. Toshi and Muchos grinned at each other and sang along as Rookie bounced off the bar and into a spin, his fiddle-like breakdown keeping the traditional roots of the song.

“Thank you!” Nimo called, introducing the members one by one at the last. “Let’s meet again!” After a rolling drum-out, the band all jumped together and the pirate theme music began again. Left alone onstage after the rest had said their goodbyes, Muchos stared at the crowd again before revealing his final message: a banner reading in English: “I’ll never forget you hearties.” The sweet gesture prompted an emotional send-off for the gruff guitarist. The band’s devoted fans will never forget Muchos, either.

Despite the sad farewell, the concert was full of warmth. After the quick, expenses-paid trip around these pirates’ musical world, the hearties lucky enough to attend the packed Thanksgiving Day truly had something to be thankful for.

Set List

1. Yoake no Anthem
2. MASQUERADE
3. Vanilla Sky
4. GOD CHILD
5. Black Butterfly
6. Canaria
7. Kokyoushi FREEDOM Itanchou
8. Fool’s Gold
9. Cruel Angel’s Thesis
10. Viva la Casta!

Encore

1. Ship “Friend of Mine”
2. Grafton Calling