It's hard to believe that L'Arc-en-Ciel are now celebrating their 20th anniversary. They still look young and fresh, especially baby-faced lead singer Hyde who swept J-rock fans in Bangkok off their feet last week.
To celebrate their inaugural year, L'Arc-en-Ciel, or The Rainbow in French, are extending their celebratory spirit not only to Japan and Thailand, but the world. The Japanese icons are trotting the globe from Korea to London and beyond.
Playing on the right side of J-rock and visual kei, L'Arc-en-Ciel have managed to keep a good balance between being over-the-top fashionistas and established musicians. They are possibly the most loved Japanese band next to X Japan in Thailand as proved by their ability to draw a full-house crowd at Bangkok's Impact Arena.
The crowd was quite diverse, ranging from Japanophiles, musicians, cosplayers to college students and pre-teens. It's not surprising to see such a mixed bunch of followers as there are many reasons why people choose to become L'Arc-en-Ciel fans. There are people who actually like the music, and that is not difficult as over 20 years the band has given us a solid back catalogue. While strongly influenced by Western rock music, L'Arc-en-Ciel have always been successful in adding Japanese elements into the mix, making them original and intriguing at the same time.
Being an anniversary tour, L'Arc-en-Ciel packed in one hit after another. Fan favourites and chart winners from Chase, Ready Steady Go, Stay Away, Driver's High, Heaven's Drive, Good Luck My Way, My Heart Draws a Dream to Niji went down with thunderous receptions. To be honest, there wasn't really a boring moment since all 19 songs selected were known to adoring fans who could sing along for the entire show.
The band members' attempt to speak Thai was, I must admit, rather adorable for it wasn't just the usual Sawaddee Krup or Khob Khun Krup. They had written down sentences, telling a comical story that they wanted to communicate, and it didn't come out too forced. That was another thing that kept the show entertaining. It was obvious and very much felt that L'Arc-en-Ciel didn't just go through the motions nor simply complete their stage duty. There was a sense of determination present throughout which was more than one could ask for. To sum it up, the show was spirited.
Front man Hyde has always been something of an enigma, as well as a hearthrob. It should have been laughable with his corn-rowed, Pirates of the Caribbean hairdo and loose hobo gear, but it somehow worked. Still, it was quite spooky to see how young he looked even though he is in his forties. He looked more like a naughty little boy rather than an ageing rocker. Every second on stage for Hyde was a performance, and he remained in character until he left the stage, and I say this with uttermost respect. Close-up shots revealed strong eye contact full of commitment, and his cheeky Axl Rose postures combined with cute poses were quite fun to watch. To top it off, Hyde could sing well, switching between high and low tones throughout the entire concert.
There weren't that many artistic inclinations in lighting and visuals, but they were so grand that you couldn't help but to be awed. The screens were high definition, built to accompany 3D visuals while the lighting evoked such grandeur that I thought we were in some kind of religious rite. However, it worked in revving up the crowd.
L'Arc-en-Ciel played over backing tracks, a custom for many famous Thai bands. Personally, I find the practice problematic, and in this case it was made even worse because the balancing between the backing tracks and the actual instrumentation was quite off, and that became a little annoying to hear. Still, all band members were on point with their instruments, except for the drum solo part, which was redundant and pointless.
At the end of the night, L'Arc-en-Ciel were impressive, and I hope they keep going for 20 more years.
