Sadie Hit Tokyo O-East for Red Line Tour

Osaka-based Sadie made a stop at Tokyo’s O-East for their Red Line tour on May 11. The slow pace with which the black-clad members took the stage was the only restraint shown in a show filled with heavy music and adrenaline.

The band opened with “RED LINE,” Mao showing off his deathvoice specialty as the crowd pumped their fists. The fans then dove in to a crazy mosh for “Grieving the dead soul.” The song was so versatile it seemed like two or three songs mashed together, with jumping, call backs, hands waving, and even a few moments of slow-paced melody. Only the guitar line held the chaos together.

“RODEO SCREAM” was more upbeat, Kei’s drums creating a driving pace with quick hits and cymbal crashes. Guitarist Mizuki was light on his feet, dancing expressively through the songs and letting his skirt twirl, especially during the partially-rapped “GIMMICK.” The “bad boy” performance had the fans yelling for the band as they moved. “Can you do it or not?” Mao taunted, and the crowd doubled over violently in time with the beats.

Demonic green lights and growling tones set the mood for “Meisai” and though Mao couldn’t project enough to carry the prettier melody, his death voice was top notch. Bassist Aki, who up to this point had been stoic, changed places with Mizuki and surprisingly began to dance in imitation of his bandmate. The spotlight hit Kei and Mao screamed. “Psycho Culture” was aggressive and Mao moved around the stage, gesturing for the crowd to up their energy. They responded by singing the chorus, and the instruments quieted as the crowd took over, their voices occasionally punctuated by drum or a strum of guitar. Tsurugi played the last line hard and Mao finished on a yowling note.

“VIRTUAL FAKEMAN” was less screaming and more alternative-rock, and the band performed the number with explosive energy, Mao pulling the mic stand up to the platform. Mao and Mizuki posed together center stage, the vocalist wrapping himself around the guitarist as they both growled into the one microphone. “Jump!” Mao ordered the crowd for “SUICIDAL ROCK CITY.” Hunched over, he rapped in a husky voice as the audience clapped overhead. The crowd chanted in a cheer style, emphasizing the strong feel and rapid pace of the song. In comparison, “Skeleton Bug” was a light number, wailing guitar breaking up the run of exhaustingly heavy songs. Mao’s English pronunciation was surprisingly good, the lyrics perfectly understandable as he sang.

“Rosario” took the show back to typical Sadie with a headbanging mosh, Kei getting quite a workout with the fast pace of the song while “Deathtopia” teased the crowd with what promised to be a sweeter melody as the guitarists played, but soon Mao was screaming again for another heavy number. All the members came forward for “Shingan,” Mizuki doing his own thing to stage-right as Tsurugi played intensely. Mao shook like he was having a seizure as he growled before he moved to sit on the platform, listening to the audience yell. The crowd jumped and headbanged violently, giving their all to the band.

Bright white lights and cool, lounge tones brought a more mature feel to “Dress,” Mao using the upper part of his range for breathy singing. “Daydream” was another tease, opening like a ballad, but soon proving to be another heavy number. The tone was more introspective than the previous songs, a nice finish to the main set.

For the encore, the band returned in t-shirts, waving at the crowd. “Hey!” Mao called to the fans. “This is a weird feeling. It’s only the third stop on the tour, but it feels like a Tokyo tour final! This is definitely final-level excitement!”

Sadie has been busy recently and announced their self-produced multi-band tour for the summer as well as a new single. “July 7 is Tanabata,” Mao announced. “Orihime and Hikoboshi,” Mizuki chimed in to explain, referring to the characters in an old Japanese folk tale who, cruelly separated among the stars, can come together only on that magical date. “And on July 25 we have a new single, ‘Meteo’ (meteor)! Which doesn’t actually have much to do with Tanabata, but Tanabata is stars, so, meteor…stars. Me-te-o!” He began to chant, prompting the fans to yell that he was cute instead of joining in. “I’m really relived to finally be able to make these announcements that I’ve been keeping in my heart! Enjoy it to the last!”

He gave a massive jump off the platform, literally leaping into “BLACK STAR.” Now out of their costumes the band seemed free to move, jumping around the stage and moshing themselves for the fun song. “Rockn roll stinky people” opened with heavy, classic-rock guitar. Mao swung his hips, encouraging the fans to keep dancing, before bowing to Mizuki and once again screaming “Me-te-o!,” just in case the crowd couldn’t remember the new single.

“Do you like quick songs?” Mizuki asked. “We’ll give you one!” He tried to start “Deadly masquerade,” but was thwarted by a missed cue. “Not cool!” the rest of the band teased. “If the drummer isn’t with me I can’t do it,” Mizuki complained, and they tried again, this time successfully managing the song. The heavy number had fans grabbing the railing and each other to headbang with all their strength. The deep bass really stood out as the crowd piled onto each other and Mao crouched like a punk rocker. “Can you give me all your voices? Can you let it out, all of you?” The fans jumped for a high-tension finish with “Kagerou,” crowd and band both having a good time.

“Thank you, Tokyo! We have this tour so we can meet you, and we’re really happy. Everyone has tough times, so in these shows let’s be together, laughing or crying. Once again, thank you.”

Everyone except Aki bowed, Mao bowing the deepest and longest. Mizuki took a moment to give his own special thank you and give his love to the crowd, making sure he gave the crowd the last impression before exiting.

Set List

1. RED LINE
2. Grieving the dead soul
3. Cry More
4. RODEO SCREAM
5. GIMMICK
6. Meisai
7. MADROID
8. Psycho Culture
9. VIRTUAL FAKEMAN
10. SUICIDAL ROCK CITY
11. Skeleton Bug
12. Rosario
13. deathtopia
14. Mourou
15. Shingan
16. Dress
17. daydream

Encore

1. BLACK STAR
2. Rocknroll stinky people
3. Deadly masquerade
4. Kagerou