(photo from Moi dix Mois Mana twitter)
Day Two of the "Liturgy Festival, Mana-sama Birthday" found me back at Mt. Rainier HALL Shibuya, this time up in the balcony. As "Sacred Lake" began to play, each member walked onto the stage. This time they were wearing their white outfits with black pieces underneath. Mana wore white with off-white lace and his photos show how beautiful this looks. They started with "Ange - D side holy Wings" followed by "Gloria dans silence", "Witchcraft", "Solitude", "Invite to Immorality" and "Nocturnal Romance". Moi dix Mois may only recently play together a few times each year, but each time they sound like they have been playing every day. It really is impressive how polished every song is.
(photo from Ryux twitter, with his new ESP EII Stream guitar)
"Ghost Whispers" was the last song before the break, and again it gave me chills. I found myself listening closely to the samples used, trying to pick out which ones made me think of MALICE MIZER. Was there a bit of Kami's music in there? Or just the overall feeling? Seth's vocals again ripped into the song. There is definitely a spooky vibe that happens. I don't know if this is the new song representing the autumn season, but with the Japanese holiday of Oban, when ancestor spirits return to their homes to visit, and with the western holiday of Halloween with our spooks and ghosts, "Ghost Whispers" definitely fits the season. This was followed by "Beast Side", the tribute to guitarist K, and it still feels reverent even now.
(photo from Moi dix Mois Mana twitter)
Once again Mana disappeared and Seth had everyone call out for him. Mana appeared in the balcony throwing candy. This year he seemed to be a little faster at it. Downstairs again and candy all given out, Mana put his panda bear backpack on front instead of on his back. Seth started laughing at this. A few days later I was on a train and there was a manners video that told people to wear their backpacks on their front so they would not hit people behind them. I couldn't help but laugh out loud remembering Mana that night.
Sugiya then pushed out a cart with the chocolate cake with the Moi dix Mois emblem in white chocolate on it. Lots of berries this year. Of course we all sang "Happy Birthday" again and Mana made Sugiya taste the frosting on his finger. The photo below says it all.
(photo from Moi dix Mois Mana twitter)
Following this, Hayato brought out a crock pot from behind his drums. Holding it with two towels like it was hot, he spoke about Mana's curry. This went on for a couple of minutes until Mana finally took the top off the pot. Inside was a new gaming system, a birthday present from the band.
(photo from Moi dix Mois Mana twitter, photo taken by Ryux)
Ryux was taking video and photos on stage. It was fun to see the band enjoying themselves. There was even a bit of Ryux playing and singing a more blues rock song "Romatique Stop" or something like that. At some point Seth made the Mana announcements about the Kitchen Aristocrat shows, Moi-même-Moité events and the release of the MALICE MIZER dvd and signing mid-summer.
The second set started with "Du Blanche" and it was even better than the first night. I felt like I was drifting away on the music notes. The band did really well for this only being the second time it was played live. It's a really beautiful song, definitely has a sad feeling of winter. Following this was "Perish" which always feels very dramatic.
The band moved into the song "Immortal Madness", and there was a bit of "Sexy Pretty Angel Mana-sama" happening during it. Seth had the audience doing specific hand motions to each word at specific moments in the song. In the past Mana was really into doing them, but this time he seemed to want to play his guitar more. Can't blame him, he was on fire with his playing. Overall the band and music felt really tight. I was impressed and it made me think of how bands put together set lists, sometimes as a way to figure out how songs fit together as a whole.
"Dead Scape" was next and then the pairing of the unrecorded "Twilight Flower" and "In That Hill". Yes, they sounded really good like this. Only one more song was played after this, "Material Death" and then the band left the stage.
More chants of "Moi dix Mois" by the audience and finally everyone returned, this time wearing the new white Moi dix Mois hoodies. I did end up getting both the black and the white one, which I wore during my recent trip to Hawaii. Both are really nice, being lighter weight than fleece. But back to the live.
We were all instructed to snap our glow sticks and then wave them for the song "Pageant". At the time "Pageant" was released, Mana said he thought it was a little "pop" for Moi dix Mois, but it's grown into one of their most loved songs. The other song that is very loved is "J l'aime", and each time it is played live, the fans sing loudly in appreciation. This finished up the live music and each performer left the stage individually. The last was Mana, who took his bows and expressed his thanks silently to all the fans.
Once again, it was a wonderful two days of music and it left me wanting more. I am looking forward to what the future will bring, because hearing the new songs makes me hopeful for what is to come.
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