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(More customer reviews)I got this DVD a month ago and have probably watched it about seven times all the way through, and many more times skimming through it. L'arc~en~Ciel is my favorite band of all time and this just solidified that for me. The video quality is great. The band members get about the same air time, with Yukihiro getting the least because he's all alone on the drums. And obviously Hyde gets the most camera time. The sound quality is excellent, and the music is top notch. Hyde jumbles a few lyrics here and there, but it's forgivable, and it adds to the live experience. Tetsu, Ken, and Yuki are PERFECT, they don't mess up once as far as I can tell.
1. Kuchizuke (Kiss) - A great song to start out the concert with, because it has a lot of rock, but a bit of more traditional Laruku in it as well. Gives a nice balance to the rest of the concert. Some cool pyrotechnics at the beginning gets the audience riled up.
2. Lover Boy - One of my favorites of the album, because it is like a typical Laruku hard rock song. Tetsu's bass solo is like 10x cooler live, even if its only like 10 seconds. Again, Hyde gets a little tongue-tied, but you won't notice unless you really know the songs well.
3. Heaven's Drive - Not much new here, if you've seen this song live before, its pretty much the same. The whole band performs excellent and I beleive Hyde keeps his lyrics straight. Awesome song.
Next is where Hyde tries to speak to the audience in English, and it is amusing how horrible his accent is. But its an amusing little intermission.
4. Spirit Dreams Inside - For those that don't know, this song appeared in the ending credits of Final Fantasy: Sprits Within. Its entirely English and you know what that means. Hyde does have a hard time singing this one at the beginning, but warms into it. The song is excellent, only a few faults.
5. Jiyuu e no Shoutai (Invitation to Freedom) - The first thing you'll notice is that Hyde hits a VERY wrong note at the start, and kind of makes you wince. But from that point on the song is nearly FLAWLESS and its one of my very favorites on the album.
6. Eien (Forever) - For one reason or another they start this song out with about a minute of bells ringing, and then they get into the song. I never really got into this song before this, but the live version made me love it. Its a nice slow song with very rockish instrumentals, interesting combination. The whole band performs excellent here.
7. Kasou - A classic Laruku song that the band performs flawlessly. Its one of the only songs on the whole DVD where we get chorus provided by Ken. The lighting during the song is strange, because it somehow makes Hyde look completely different. I guess its just a trick of the eyes. Again, the song is excellent, as if were a new release.
8. Hitomi no Juunin (Living in Your Eyes) - A phenomenol slow song that puts me in tears sometimes. Hyde sings incredibly well, and Ken's soft guitar intro is so good, it sometimes sends chills up my spine.
Next there is another break and Hyde starts saying he is "Evangelion going beserk!" and the crowd goes wild. And they have good reason to, because the next song is:
9. Driver's High - One of my personal favorites doesn't disappoint in this DVD. The band as a whole plays excellent, and the crowd really gets into this one. And towards the end Ken's guitar comes unplugged and so he smashes it on the stage, and then kicks an amplifier. Obviously the crowd is going nuts now. Amazing amazing song.
10. Feeling Fine - Not one of my favorite songs, but it does sound a lot better live. Its pretty much what you would expect, nothing really special though. A nice bouncy B-side.
11. Stay Away - For reasons only known to himself, Tetsu decides to give us a little bass solo inbetween songs, and its kind of cool. Maybe he's excited because he wrote Stay Away or something. Anyway, this is one of my favorite songs, and the live version is just as cool if not more. The solo has more of a hard rock feeling than the recorded version, which is cool.
12. Revelation - If I were to attend any Laruku concert I would want this song played because the audience participation is so simple but fun. During the chorus the whole audience puts up their hands in unison, an awesome thing to see. Anyway back to the song. This is a very hard rock song that is kind of short, but very fun to sing along to. However the live version's solo isn't as good for some reason, it seems dumbed down. But still a great song.
13. Ready Steady Go - Of course all the Full Metal Alchemist fans were waiting for this song, and they got it. I wouldn't say its better than the recorded version, but it is a very fun song nonetheless. Hyde messes up a little bit, but he makes up for it by climbing up on a 6 foot speaker and pumping out lyrics from up high. Very cool.
There is a little break here, where the band members go into the back room for a little refreshment, and they come back out to give an encore. I'm sure other people have mentioned this, but there is something they cut out of here, where Ken comes out in a dolphin mask and starts talking with the audience. Its too bad they cut it out.
14. Honey - A fun bouncy song that is just what you would expect if you've seen it live before. Nothing stand out, but performed excellent still.
15. Blurry Eyes - A VERY classic Laruku song from 1994 if I'm not mistaken. This song is a very fun song that they have played many times before. If you've seen some of their older concerts you might know whats coming up. But this time with a different spin. At about halfway through the song, the band just stops playing. Tetsu gets up and asks "Do you want to eat my bananas?!" So he throws two bananas randomly into the audience. Normally, they stop during this part of the song, and let Ken say a few words, but this time he threw bananas. Ok... And they then finish the song. Talk about random. ^_^
16. Pieces - The last song, and probably Hyde's best job in this concert. His voice is as steady as can be and he sings the song perfectly. Not to mention the band who has been great the whole way through. Hyde ends the song with an excellent vocal display with some very high pitched singing. Another slow song that makes me cry occasionally, Pieces is a great way to end. Hyde ends the song with an excellent vocal display with some very high pitched singing.
If you've even heard a few L'arc~en~Ciel songs and liked them, GET THIS DVD. You won't be disappointed. And look at the price! Thats a steal! I would have paid $50, maybe more for this! Its a great way to expose people to Japanese rock who think Japan is all about kiddie anime. Show it to your friends, maybe you will make some more converts.
Heres to hoping L'Arc~en~Ciel makes more US appearances!
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L'Arc-en-Ciel astounded the world in July 2004 when they performed for an audience of 12,000 screaming fans at Otakon in Baltimore, Maryland, confirming that they are the biggest rock band from Japan. Track Listing: Kiss - Kuchizuke Lover Boy HEAVEN'S DRIVE Spirit dreams inside Jiyu e no shoutai - Invitation to Freedom Forever - Eien KASOU Living in Your Eyes - Hitomi No Jyunin Driver's High Feeling Fine STAY AWAY REVELATION READY STEADY GOHONEY Blurry Eyes PiecesBonus DVD: REVELATION (Live in Japan - Smile 2004 Tour)
Click here for more information about L'Arc-en-Ciel - Live in USA
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