X-JAPAN: Live Review

By Tyler Crooks

September 25th 2010, The Wiltern, Los Angeles CA: I arrived at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles at 9:00 exactly to see X Japan's LA date of their first North American Tour. I was met with much confusion from several staff members who didn't know when the show was going to start, as the band had re-arranged their set time; a minor setback, which I didn't mind. I surveyed the crowd in the venue during the wait. There seemed to be an incredible mix of all sorts of different people in the crowd tonight. People of different colors, age, style, all in one place, united by music is always heartwarming.

The band finally came out near 10:00, and opened the show with "Jade". The crowd went absolutely insane. The energy from the crowd was incredible. The sound, however, was in desperate need of proper mixing, because I honestly couldn't hear any kind of riff through the guitar static. A pair of earplugs quickly fixed that problem, however. Everything rang clear as a bell after I put them in.

As the show progressed, so did the crowd. Everyone got a bit more excited with each song, and what really impressed me was the appreciation for the different musical styles that were played. After the band performed "Drain", Yoshiki Hayashi and Sugizo played a beautiful piano/violin piece, which led into Kurenai.

Up next was Yoshiki's drum solo. The only qualm I have about Yoshiki is that he uses an acrylic drum kit, which sounds much different than a traditional wood kit. That small detail aside, Yoshiki played his solo wonderfully. I've never been one for drum solos, so I stepped out to get some fresh air, while still being able to hear him play. I must say, he's pretty damn good at what he does.

After the drum solo, the band finished the set with "I.V" and "X", which were my favorite songs out of the whole set. These songs are both very heavy and pretty damn hard. I was very impressed.

After they ended the set, the stage lights dimmed for the encore. This is where the crowd seemed to get annoyed. Most bands leave for about 5 minutes to tease the crowd before the encore...Well, I guess there were a few technical problems, because that usual 5 minutes turned into 10. The crowd became pretty anxious and irritating to a certain degree.

All was well when the band finally came out to play their encore songs "Endless Rain", and "Art of Life", which really seemed to floor the crowd and make everyone happy. I enjoyed it!

I have to say, X Japan are made up of some of the best showmen I've ever seen. They see their crowd, and they know how to play to them. With Toshi's operatic vocals, and the intense guitar playing of Pata and Sugizo, they keep their sound original, interesting, and heavy. Their visual aesthetics are entertaining as well; the eccentric outfits, the pyro, smoke, and my favorite part, Japanese girls in maids outfits in cages. If X Japan come to your town, treat yourself and go see them.

Set List:
1. Jade
2. Rusty Nail
3. Silent Jealousy
4. Drain
5. Yoshiki Piano/Sugizo Violin Duet
6. Kurenai
7. Born To Be Free
8. Drum Solo
9. IV
10.X
ENCORE:
11.Endless Rain
12.Art of Life

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