Ultra Lengthy Review In Three Chapters And A Prologue.
Scroll down for concert review and pictures!


Prologue:
In Small Font As I Am Long-Winded And Besides It's 2AM I'm Beyond Thinking Properly, Not To Mention Slap Happy

Dir En Grey Review: The Lengthy Version!

Diru has been a whole new experience for me. It's so wonderful to discover a band, then find that they still perform, that they still make records... Quite a big step from the long-dead composers I love. Yes, there's been Zappa and there's been Primus, but neither one of those has/have been active at my most intense time in fandom - and neither one of them was promoted as intensely as Diru.

A long time ago I started playing bass, after seeing Les Claypool live with Primus. I loved it! Every day I could spend hours doodling on my 5-string sparkling purple Hamer. But then I broke my finger in a gym class incident. My left ring finger got misaligned and playing hurt too much, even years later.

And then came Toshiya. He puts so much energy, so much joy in his playing... I just had to start again. Bass is so much fun!

Anyway, I sent Toshiya a fan mail about all this, and mentioned that I lived in Eindhoven. Was hoping deep down that he'd reply, although I knew it wasn't likely.
Whether it was a reply I don't know, but that day in February... The new concert dates were released: London, London, Paris, Paris... Eindhoven.

Hell always freezes over when you're not expecting it.

I felt exhillarated, but also embarrassed. Like Paris and London, Eindhoven is known as the City Of Light - about all they have in common. What has my city to offer? I love Eindhoven, but how can I spread that love? So I wrote a tour guide. And made a lot of photos to accompany it.

Dreamt about the concert twice. One time, Kyo had a very different tattoo on his back - Kannon had changed into an ape man, Ecce Mono style. I asked the guy I was with why he'd done that. The reply was: "Remember when I told you that he had that Kannon made for his girlfriend?"
Cute. And it had Agitated Screams Of Maggots.
And another time was a great concert, but while waking up I was panicking a little, thinking that the concert'd just been and that I didn't remember anything.
Had more dreams and adapted my baggage to it. I brought, besides buns and nuts, a purple home-made elephant (I sell those, they're cute), my agenda, a book, a drawing pad and Didi the little panda. And Alonzo. That's what I called my bass.

Chapter 1: Waiting in queue

I did this properly. Put thought in what to bring: did I really want Toshiya to sign my bass? Was a big step, believe it or not. And what to wear? Black metal shirt? Could do that, but I do have a lucky concert shirt. It's a brown Frank Zappa shirt. It's scored me picks and setlists!

So, recap: wore lucky Zappa shirt, brought my bass , books, buns, nuts, Didi and a purple elephant.

I joined the queue at around noon. Was surprised to see there were some 15 people ahead of me. Sat next to an Asian girl (who didn't speak Japanese on the phone), close to some Germans on the right hand side. Asian girl left for her hotel and asked us to save her place in the row.
A German girl arrived, started talking to her. Not much time later, more German ladies arrived. They all knew each other - all are travelling Diru fans. Amazing!
They tell me Diru doesn't do signing sessions this tour. They do have VIP tickets, but somehow I didn't get that.
Right-hand side is one of the very few men in this company, a nice guy who spotted Die and Kyo walking out to town. Kyo returned quickly but Die was still out. Something to try and spot!

14:00
A woman comes out of the building and asks, in Dutch, if there are any Dutchmen. I raise my hand.
And find out I'm the only one. I'm invited in and given the title Visitor Of The Month, which earns me a spot on the Effenaar Facebook with photo, and two free concert tickets to any Effenaar show I'd like, provided it's not sold out.
I choose Patatje Metal. They perform metal covers of Dutch schlager. It'll be their very last concert.

15:00 I'm tired of paging through my Japanese study book and decide to try and spot band members. Suddenly, every Asian person looks suspicious.

16:15 Somehow, the concert seems farther away now than it did in February. Muscle aches in the legs and sleeping toes abound. I have some buns, but forgot to get a water bottle. From leaving home at 11:30 to the end of the concert I was not drinking anything.
Noticed a jumping spider on my leg. I'm an arachnophobe but let it get away alive. Not too much later, the little fellow found himself on the sweater of a German fan. Then comes the choice: do you tell her? I didn't need to eventually, he walked onto my bag. Lucky I didn't tell her, since she turned out to be a fellow arachnophobe. Put the little blighter on the ground near a tree, further away.
16:35 Spotted guitarist Die with the bright red hair.
17:15 A guy, 50s to 60s, bald with dark complexion, is very much under the influence of something I haven't yet identified. He was less stable on his legs than Bambi and was continuously pointing and snapping his fingers. He moved into the line, lost his balance and fell down. Some of the German girls dodged him, but one Japanese lady wasn't so lucky and got him on the arm. The man was apparently too far away for any form of conversation, and after standing around breaking up the queue and scaring all the ladies there. It took a while for the Effenaar security to step in, but one of them came up and escorted him away from us. New hero right there.
18:00 I'm beginning to realize that I need to put my bass in the wardrobe. I start packing. It's quite a puzzle and a bit of a squeeze, but I finally manage to get the buns, the books, the nuts, the panda and the purple elephant in my bass bag. Including my backpack.
19:00 Doors open, we all shuffle in. It's a bit of waiting at the entrance, but most people run to the stage once inside. Not me, I had to put my bass at the wardrobe.
Security had to check it. Unfortunately it was very full, but he just felt it up and let me pass.

I'd pulled out a euro for wardrobe, but it turns out I neet 1,50. Drat. Wallet's in the bass bag. While retrieving it, the nut box falls out and paranuts, peanuts, hazel nuts and almonds all pour along the floor. Fortunately they do have a broom, and I get to scoop it all up. Fortunately bass is handed in, but I left the nuts at wardrobe (they were driving me bananas) and forgot to put the backpack back in.

Stream indoors, found myself a good place in the middle, third row.

Some time later, the support act starts. It's... not my favourite band, no. The singer had an annoying habit of holding up his pants near the groinal area, drawing way too much attention to his thingamajig. Brr. Brr.

Looking around me, I was one of the few people who was actually standing between two males. Both are noticeably smaller than me. The one to my right is taking photos and it's hard not to get in his way.

Waiting, looking around... Guy behind me is solving nonograms on his phone. I instantly take a liking to him.
A pretty blonde girl in a flowery dress behind me says to her friend that she has a massive crush on Shinya. I instantly take a liking to her.


After some more waiting, Shinya took the stage. He looked almost wraith-like in his white shirt, with his delicate frame and a hypnotized look in his eyes.
Die flamed up with his wonderful hood. He seems to be loving every second of worship.
Kaoru walks on. I'm happy to see him with his sparkly purple guitar. Imagine that next to my sparkly purple bass.
Toshiya flashes on. I am pretty much directly in front of him, so close! Then again, I was close to everyone, it's a small stage.
And there came Kyo... boxless but still with all the power in the world!

They began with Sosyaku. Sound at the first sec is not 100% : Kyo can't be heard on the first verse.
Don't know the song well, but man... Kyo's falsetto sounded so sweet and pure and got so immediately followed by a harsh grunt... And he was dancing right from the start as well!
Still, for the time being, my main focus was on Toshiya. Throughout the show he was playing fingerstyle rather than using a pick. Wonder what made him swap.

And then, the song I'm hooked on: Chain Repulsion! Singing along almost automatically, even though all I want to hear is Kyo...
Sustain The Untruth, too, totally amazing with great dancing!

At this point I notice how incredibly sweaty Kyo is. He looks like he just got out of the shower.

Un Deux is pure awesome and gets a lot of singing from the audience. The band added the infamous drone footage of the Dom tower in Utrecht, Netherlands at the back, which was a nice touch.
Drone footage of Domtoren

Uroko live took me by surprise at the a capella in the middle. That was so beautiful!

The quiet part started. Tousei was breathtaking, as were Rinkaku and kuukoku. Kyo sings to the heart, bares his pain...Tousei is such an amazing song, so delicate and clever... Love the little drums at the end too.

The fast parts came again - unfortunately I didn't know most of these songs (except Revelation of Mankind) but I bounced and tossed hand and had a great time! The songs were: Phenomenon, Behind A Vacant Image, Cause OF Fickleness, The Inferno, and Revelation of Mankind.

Band left stage, audience roared and shouted for more, band came back and bursted into Red Soil! I love Red Soil!
Set up my camera to record Kyo's vocal outburst towards the end, but he didn't do any of the weird stuff. But if my ears didn't deceive me, he did say Eindhoven. Must be a nightmare to pronounce for any Japanese person! In the shout out on FaceBook Kaoru gives it a go and turns it into Ai-nu-do-ho-hen.

More energy in Saku! And there was much singing along! Had some Kyo spit on me 'n all.

Lasutu Song! was Hageshisa to, kono mune no naka de karamitsuita shakunetsu no yami! And there was much singing! In the first call & response with The other side of death, somehow the audience and Kyo were both singing The Side and a couple of people in the rest of the crowd bounced "of death" back. In the next round, he reversed it and had the crowd sing The Side.

And then it was over! Toshiya threw picks he never used into the crowd. The waterbottles were refreshing and very very welcome! Shinya, dear Shinya seemed as much a ghost as when he came on, hope he's allright, other fans told me he was ill during the tour.

Envoy
Drank a lot of water in the washroom, got my bass back and waited patiently until the hall closed, but nobody came to sign. I did buy Arche though. Huzzah!
Went outside and noticed people were waiting near the tour bus. I went to wait along, unwrapped the top end of my bass and held my fibre pen ready so I could stick it through the fence, maybe get it signed after all.

I did see them leave at midnight. Kaoru was the first to come out, wearing a mask. He walked the long way around and looked at me a bit. Must be a sparkly purple thing.
Waited some more. Die came out, gave a big wave.
Waited more. Toshiya and Shinya came out, said hi and hurried to the bus. They walked the other way around the bus, so maybe they didn't notice me.

Oh well. Show was fantastic and I was totally stoked! Put lights on my bicycles, wore bass and backpack on my back (must've looked silly but it was dark, who cares?), cycled the long way round so I could look at the tour bus and whipser oyasumi nasai.


And as I took the longer route, I happened to bump into some of the German girls who were waiting in queue and at the stage door with me. Their car had been broken into, one girl's backpack had been stolen with her passport and keys to her home. It broke my heart. Gave them the number to the police, but they couldn't call it with their German phone, so another passer-by did that. So sad to see a wonderful day end like that.


But then you get home, watch your videos and see your photos and your picture on the Effenaar facebook...

Wow.

Oomph, this picture uploading takes a bit too long to my liking...

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And here's me...

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Memory Box:

-Die showing off his Heineken bottle at the start of the encore
-Looking at the guys for real this time... I know Kyo's appearance well but seeing his tiger live...
-Kyo has hypnotic powers. There's something about his performance style that makes you keep looking at him, whether he's doing his zombie stomp or writhing in agony to Tousei.
-Kyo and Toshiya making genuflection gestures during the songs I didn't know too well...
-Looking behind me while waiting, to see if any band members pass through. Once I see a well-built Asian man with black hair, could that've been Toshiya?
-Kyo slapping the hands of the girls in front at the concert...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HUGYIDbX40

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hm547R3jLq0
I'm in this one!

And look what somebody uploaded a month later:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBLO3v4YvJ4 Red Soil

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5l5n26IVn8k Rinkaku

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWnNXjO4zXo Un Deux

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHWUqN3zaHk Lassu songu!

When you find a concert video two years later...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGNduwnhgUs

And it blows your mind because it was such a big thing for me...