LIVE REPORT ~ Ayabie: June 18, 2008
Chicago, IL
In good old JRock fan fashion, attendees of Ayabie's Chicago live had started lining up for the show at Logan Square Auditorium as early as the night before. By three o'clock, more than fifty people were already in line, and by five, that number had grown, and so had the fans' anticipation for the concert. Passerby stopped to ask who had drawn such a crowd to the auditorium, and were quickly and proudly given the name "Ayabie."
Doors opened half an hour late, making those within view of the doors jump whenever someone went in or out. But finally, they let them in, and fans began making their way up the two flights of stairs to the concert hall. People claimed spots close to the stage, or lined up at the merchandise table to stake their claims in the limited shirts, posters, and photosets.
Light was still filtering into the venue from the tops of the windows when the members of Ayabie strode onto stage, one by one, making the crowd erupt in screams. Guitarists Yumehito and Takehito, drummer Kenzo, bassist Intetsu, and vocalist Aoi--Aoi, whose highlighter yellow shoes had the audience's attention even before he bent down to retie them several times throughout the night! The shoes seemed a bit incongruous with the rest of the band's more dressed down look, but no one seemed to mind at all.
Once Ayabie started, it didn't take long for smiles to find their way onto every face in the hall, from the fans to the band on stage. It was clear that the members were having as much fun as us, and Aoi, Yumehito, and Takehito added a little spice to the show, teasing the audience as they danced just out of reach of stretching hands.
Even with a more subtle look, Ayabie managed to maintain a certain cuteness to them--like when Aoi made duck lips as he led the crowd in furitsuke, or when the band swayed back and forth as a unit to songs like Cubic [L/R]ock. Yet, Aybie proved that there was a hell of a lot more to them than just their looks.
Koto no Hanoru was only the first of the band's heavier songs, and it had fans head banging while each member of the band played with everything they had: Kenzo fiercely pounding on his drums, Intetsu intent on his bass, Takehito and Yumehito both working their guitars--as good as, and even better than, the recorded music. And of course, Aoi, too, who reminded everyone that though the little recorded voice on the CD sounds good, it could never truly capture the energy of the real thing.
The show passed quickly--of course, time flies when you're having fun. Before too long, Aoi had already done a couple MCs in between songs, and the band was being officially introduced. Aoi introduced Takehito and gave him the floor; the crowd cheered him on, and he said "I love Chicago!" sending the crowd into even louder cheers. He said a little more in English, before comically handing the MC off to Intetsu, as if he had run out of things to say. Intetsu quickly introduced himself, and like a joke, he passed the MC duty to Yumehito even quicker than Takehito had passed it to him. Yumehito's MC was even shorter, causing a small ripple of laugher in the audience as each member in turn tried to give the attention to the next, until Ayabie launched back into their set.
The way the venue was set up made it difficult for Ayabie to leave the stage and come back for an encore, so instead, they gave their encore without the usual fanfare. It was a little disappointing to not have that added bonus feeling you get from an encore, but we weren't completely cheated out of encore, so no one was able to complain about that.
It was almost sudden when Ayabie drew a close to what had seemed like a short live. But they didn't leave the stage immediately. Aoi, Takehito, Yumehito, Intetsu, and Kenzo all stayed on stage to say good bye again and again, to throw picks into the crowd, and to walk along the front of the stage, taking special care to reach out to as many members of the audience as they could. They took their time leaving, but the audience was even more reluctant for them to retreat from the stage than they were.
If the Chicago show was any indication, Ayabie's first US tour went extremely well, and the fans were glad to see them. Hopefully they'll remember that when they consider coming back!
report by Melony
Thank you to -ayabie- and Electric Orchid Productions for making this possible.
links
-ayabie- Official Website
-ayabie- Official USA MySpace
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