defspiral: Pink Spider 2011 Charity Cover Live

A diverse crowd gathered at Shibuya WOMB for yet another hide tribute live on June 25, but defspiral went above and beyond simply covering hide, putting their hearts into the exquisite performance. Having appeared in the hide tribute, Rock Musical Pink Spider throughout the first half of the year, defspiral certainly know their way around the covers. The band’s unique edge was preserved and left a lasting impression on all those present.

The show was sold-out, a promising fact for the charity collection box, and all throughout the venue, hide paraphernalia bobbled through the crowd. Many pink and red heads could be spotted as both hide and defspiral fans patiently awaited the start of the show.

The stage was adorned simply, with a giant screen displaying the title of the live in pink letters. White smoke covered the stage and the band made their entrance to the sound of hide’s “Eyes love you” on guitar. defspiral wasted no time ripping “DAMAGE” as the crowd cheered on,, vocalist Takagiving his own metal touch to the cover. The thought of a black spider lingered in the mind as Taka open his arms in firm movements and thrashed his head with inner strength.

As the first song reached its end, TAKA welcomed the fans with a loud “Yokoso!” The lights went blue and pink for the classic “Pink Spider” which sent the crowd into a frenzy as the fans sang the chorus and followed the choreography. The vocalist’s voice control was superb, as was the energy and passion he unleashed. Once the black spider took over, the music moved with him and emphasized the lyrics with every motion.

TAKA coolly grabbed the mic and with a stoic expression, he let the word “Usotsuki!” escape his lips. The crowd went wild, knowing “Doubt” was next. “Zettai uso jan!” he exclaimed over the intro and the crowd let out an approving roar of excitement.  Red washed the stage as drums, bass, and guitar were set free and the fans head-banged fiercely. RYO and MASATO owned their solos and the crowd swung their bodies lost in the beat. The vocalist also danced, striking dramatic poses reminiscent of a lean black spider about to strike it’s pray. It was impressive to see the crowd shouting “Doubt! Doubt! Doubt you!” in unison and clap to the music in a cover that surely hide would be proud of.  “DICE” was then accompanied by powerful drums, MASAKI keeping it cool behind his drum set, and a nice guitar solo. The fans seemed tireless, pumping fists in the air to strident shouts of “Oi! Oi! Oi!”

The lights turned green for “HONEY BLADE” throughout which TAKA’s voice was particularly deep and clear, lending a very distinct defspiral timbre to the song. As the other three continued playing, TAKA took the time to address the fans. “Let’s sweat a lot and have fun!” he said. “I participated in the Pink Spider Musical! Is there anyone in the crowd who watched it?” he asked, seeming pleased by the number of raised hands.

For the next songs TAKA invited some of the cast of Pink Spider the Musical. Male and female performers sang and danced along to “Beauty & Stupid,” “50% 50%,” “Junk Story” and “BLUE SKY COMPLEX.” The fans, many of whom had attended the musical, seemed pleased to see the cast once again although their performance was quite average in comparison to the moving performance of defspiral, since each person on stage tried to burn their brightest in a somewhat chaotic performance. Different cast members came and went while TAKA kept it real, holding onto the metal atmosphere at the heart of hide’s fans. Nevertheless, the crowd was excited to hear hide’s songs live once again.

During “Hi-Ho,” TAKA invited all the male cast present onstage. It was touching to see the fans with their hands in the air as they yelled the lyrics, “Hi-ho!”. To make up for the vocal chaos, MASATO and RYO slammed out their respective solos and the song ended with everyone jumping to the beat before the guests left the stage.

“Hey, Tokyo! Did you enjoy it?” the vocalist asked before speaking a bit about the musical and how they were able to introduce hide and his music to many people. Then the crowd went still as he solemnly introduced “GOOD BYE.” The number was lovely with awesome bass work by RYO and TAKA showing his full vocal range as he kept a solemn attitude in respect to hide. “EYES LOVE YOU” was also warmly welcomed and the lighting set the mood with the stage turning red to match the lyrics as TAKA sang “Akai hitomi wa” (red eyes) and a greenish blue for “Aoi hitomi wa” (blue eyes.)  The crowd danced to the energetic tune and MASAKI tapped away at speed.

The lights went blue for “FLAME” as the sound of a piano invaded the night. TAKA sang along to the piano, his voice matching the song perfectly. Halfway through, a violin began trembling in the background and the audience stood speechless, TAKA’s voice carrying all of the emotion contained in the beautiful lyrics. Both the violin and piano made for a visually stunning sight and as the vocalist sang “Life is going on, kaeru made, aruite yuku dake!” the other three members joined in for a climax that left the fans close to tears to match the crying violin.  “MISERY” followed and the transition between the two related songs was very smooth. Again TAKA called on the female cast members of Rock Musical Pink Spider to help. defspiral’s performance was flawless, giving all they had, and the fans were energetic through and beyond to the last song – the classic “ROCKET DIVE”.

defspiral returned in response to the encore demand but this time the band’s logo shone brightly on the screen. They took the time to thank everyone for their support, crying “Let’s try one of our songs!” as the time for their own music arrived. The crowd were very excited, all hand in the air for “Twilight” and the strong, contagious beat had the crowd blazing in no time with banging head and grooving bodies. TAKA’s powerful voice blended well with the drums while both men emulated the crowd, tossing their heads energetically.

Red and green lights welcomed “REVOLVER.” The heavy rock beat was immediately accompanied by shouts and fists pummeling the air. This time it was MASATO and RYO’s chance to shine with cleaver solos. TAKA once again thanked the fans for coming and announced the release of their first full album on October 27 and oneman tour in November. “But since that is still far away we would like to announce our fourth  single release and a oneman live at Ikebukuro Black Hole to celebrate it on August 7!” he added.

The night was reaching an end and TAKA yelled “Last song!” Immediately the crowd started jumping and dancing, MASATO and RYO moved around the stage interacting with the fans, the guitarist gracing the audience with an awesome guitar riff towards the end of “DIVE INTO THE MIRROR.”

The four men left the stage to earsplitting cries before the demand for an encore restarted. The fans didn’t have to wait long before the band came back, TAKA talking a bit about the band’s journey to the present and how they respect and admire hide, thankful for the opportunity to honor him in covers. “It’s been a while since we spoke this seriously!” the vocalist added with a smile and the crowd released an approving cheer

Seeming moved during the next song, “Hurry Go Round,” TAKA made sure to give all he had to the cover.  The guitar and bass work were also a tribute to hide with both men moving energetically to the beat. Between cheers of approval, TAKA once again invited the cast from the Pink Spider Musical for the grand finale of “ever free”. The happy-go-lucky song was warmly welcomed by the now exhausted fans who gave what they had left in singing and dancing to the familiar song. The vocalist seemed very solemn during the performance yet displayed great vocal technique while the musical cast contrasted his mood with fun and excitement. It was a great way to end the show, a big party on stage and a solid performance from TAKA while everyone jumped and sang with hands in the air. As the song came to an end, all hands were upheld for a collective jump and as the cast and band said their last farewells, hide’s “Misery” played in the back ground.

It was a remarkable show and surely hide would approve of both the covers and the live scene. ROKKYUU look forward to defspiral’s coming works!

Set list

Opening theme: PSYCHOMUNITY

1. DAMAGE
2. Pink Spider
3. DOUBT
4. DICE
5. HONEY BLADE
6. Beauty & Stupid
7. 50% 50%
8. Junk Story
9. BLUE SKY COMPLEX
10. POSE
11. TELL ME
12. Hi-Ho
13. GOOD BYE
14. EYES LOVE YOU
15. FLAME
16. MISERY
17. ROCKET DIVE

Encore 1–defspiral corner

1. Twillight
2. REVOLVER
3. SHINNING IN YOUR HEART
4. DIVE INTO THE MIRROR

Encore 2

1. Hurry Go Round
2. ever free

There are 27 photos in this visual kei exclusive.

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