I had a chance to attend Wagakki Band's live at Nippon Budokan a few days ago and it was amazing. (Sorry for my limited vocabulary as I'm sure I have used the same word for all the live reports)
New Year Party in Nippon Budokan
~Akatsuki no Utage ~
Many vocaloid and J-rock fans might have heard of Wagakki Band before. First of all, they have a great visual. Wagakki is means Japanese traditional musical instrument but guess what, they are a rock band! That's what make them unique. I knew Wagakki Band before knowing vocaloid and was in love with their verson of the famous Senbonzakura. At that time I actually thought Wagakki Band's one was the original until I found out about vocaloid. As I have said before, I don't like rock. I'm more on the ballad side of music but oh well, there are always certain exceptions, right? The main reason for me to like Wagakki Band is because of they combine the tradition and modern smoothly together. Japanese culture in general is something like that, so there is no way I wouldn't love a band who make use of both of Japan's traditional and modern culture. Beside, their music is very appealing. I love Yuko's voice so much I don't really care if they were playing rock or ballad or vocaloid.Before attending the live, I love Wagakki Band as an artist, which means I only listen to their music.
I didn't know much about the member but
I love Yuko's voice (of course). If you had a chance to listen to any of their songs, you will know why many people fall in love with her beautiful voice. Her voice when singing live is a little soft, but only for rock songs which have pretty loud bgm. When singing a ballad or my favorite Yoshiwara Lament, my heart went doki doki so many time. Her choreography was also so charming for a moment I forgot that she is a singer.
Wasabi's coolness. I have been following Wagakki Band for a year now and my reaction every single time watching their MVs is 'OMG Wasabi is soo cool. Such an ikemen <3 <3 <3'. While in the MVs, it is hard to see his drum techniques so I didn't really focus on that. But after the live, I know that Wasabi has wayyyy more than just his look!
Together with Kurona, who plays wadaiko (Japanese drum), these two drummers showed us the most passionate and hardcore (lol) drumming techniques ever! I absolutely love their duet drum performance during the live.
Kurona may be the coolest man in the world while playing wadaiko but his characteristic is simply baka! And wayy tooo cute!
Asa-san's unique charms. For some reason I have been attracted to Asa-san since knowing the band. I think I finally know why after the live. He is amazing! His passion for music and the way he performs on the stage. And just recently I figured out he wrote Yoshiwara Lament, one of my favorite song on Niconico.
Shamisen, played by Beni Ninagawa.
Shakuhachi, performed by Daisuke Kaminaga (the fan and I call him Dai-san in short). My favorite Japanese musical instrument must be shakuhachi. And similar to what Dai-san said "I never thought playing shakuachi on stage in a rock band like this". But I strongly believe, without shakuhachi, Wagakki Band's music will sound very different.
I love how the whole Budokan stadium turned into Wagakki Band's purple, and the encore chant that their fans known by heart. The last song, Senbonzakura was like a peak. A perfect way to finish such a wonderful live. I think many people know Wagakki Band through their version of Senbonzakura. That maybe why when that song was performed, the audience seemed to be a little more excited than other songs.
Thank you for such an unforgettable night! As Yuko-san said, 'Wagakki Band will always be this 8 people'. And please, don't forget that although the fan base might not be large enough, there are many fans waiting for Wagakki Band in Australia and Vietnam too!
P/s: I wish I could get the fan or keychain too but they were sold out so only got the must-have in all live in Japan, towel!
All stage photo is provided by CoFesta.
