gackt_army | YFC report from London: gig 1 for Gackt in Europe! (Reply)

Please excuse the incoherence of this report but it is, at least, written with the immediacy of the event still with me.

Today, I saw Gackt’s first performance in Europe.

Many other fans saw it too. Here is the queue waiting for the venue doors to open, in an unremarkable shopping mall entrance in a nice enough, but unglamorous, district of London.

Gackt’s fans were good-natured, co-operative, considerate and friendly – every inch what he would have wanted. I was proud to be part of this admiring and enthusiastic crowd.

About half of the crowd were wearing goth, visual-kei or YFC costume and some had made T-shirts especially for the event.

Inside O2, the stairs up to the performance space have a landing with a table of YFC goods for sale – but not the full range available in Japan so no plushies or postcards.

The venue is a straight club space with a tight stage area, so the big overhead decoration (cross design) seen in Japan didn’t feature but there was a YFC backdrop behind the drum kit.

Whilst the place filled up, Chopin played (Gackt did a Chopin promotion earlier in the year for the composer’s 200^th birth anniversary) over the sound system. This was interspersed with a recorded US English language welcome and warm-up (think Mr T) and then the band appeared to kick off with Zan – and, yes, the samurai sword had survived customs to make its appearance.

The set list is well known so I won’t say much about it. The sound system isn’t as subtle as the recording studio (O2 Islington is a club firstly) and Gackt sang short bursts without the microphone – audible to the front 10 rows or so. Rows is a bit of a euphemism for the crush of bodies and ragged exhibition of screaming heads and waving arms and hands which Gackt invited regularly. I think he was impressed by the enthusiastic responses to his repeated “come-ons” and maybe was even reassured that the reaction to his personality was hardly different to that in Japan in its warmth, sincerity and attachment.

All credit to him for using his English to affirm the bond he wanted to establish. “We are from different countries,” he said at one point, “but you are all my family. I love you all.”. He repeatedly used the word “sisters” to embrace the heaving square meterage of fangirls squealing in front of him.

One fan handed up a large UK flag which was proudly held up by the band as Gackt announced, “I promise – I PROMISE – I will come back next year. Will you all be here next year too?” There was a satisfying eruption at that point and we knew that Europe had not disappointed Japan’s reigning rock god.

Speaking personally, it was amazing to be so close to Gackt – without security, without any thought of premium seats or anyone wanting special claim on this very special man. The set list isn’t long and the gig closed fairly early, with any encore killed by the return of Chopin. However, in the hour or so that he was on stage, you couldn’t fault the depth of giving in the performance – the rhythmic head and body movements were underlined by drops of sweat flinging into the air and the crackling drama that Gackt put into some of the non-singing parts of the music was compelling.

Although I wasn’t close enough to catch his tie or shirt (yes, yes – he undresses!), I was near enough – within 3 guitar lengths - to see the two lines of gold glitter drawn under his left eye and to make eye contact at one point. The band got to strut a little as individuals but really Gackt, and his vitality and sincerity and awareness and passion, was – as it should be - the focus of the show.

I was a bit surprised by the extent of Gackt’s appeal, as there were some unlikely looking fans in the audience but, loitering outside to recover, I noticed that they were all looking happy and that even some of the reluctant parents were contentedly admitting that they could see the point. When Gackt wins over not only Europe but also PARENTS, there is no denying his success!

Soldiers, Gackt is awesome for real: he is in wonderful, unfaked condition (skin, muscle tone, energy, drive) - and the sight of him sans shirt but draped in the UK flag like an icon that we in the UK actually OWN is something that I will never ever forget.

Good night!