Dir en grey: The Marquee, Tempe, Az
Dir en grey @ The Marquee, Tempe, Az
28 November 2008

Dir en grey, a popular visual kei japanese rock back is currently promoting their latest album Uroboros with a US tour.  The recently played a show here in the Valley. prompting all our j-rockers (American and not) to crawl out of the woodwork, dress up to their Hot Topic nines and gather together on this auspicious night.  The opening act was a heavy metal band The Human Abstract.

Before the show started.  They were playing some rock songs on the loud speakers to keep the kids entertained until showtime.  I just wanted to noted they were playing some j-rocks song mixed in with some commonplace american alternative rock (smashing pumpkins, tool, etc.).  They played some Hide which was a treat to hear, as we'll probably never hear him played at a public venue here in the states again. haha.  Just thought that was worth mentioning.

The opening act was The Human Abstract, a heavy metal band made up of six guys.  These guys put on an excellent show.  The lead singer had solid vocals, easily varying from somber and soft to strong aggressive melodies to screaming fits of rage.  The other members of the band, specifically the guitarists, also contributed vocally with their own screams and harmonies.  I thought they really had worked the songs out well for live performances.  Having not heard any of their songs previously, I only assumed they managed to maintain the full sound of their songs.  I also found their song compositions rather refreshing.  They really changed up tempos and threw in different 'movements' in their songs, and still maintain some cohesion throughout.

The guitarists of this band were awesome!  Their solos were superbly done.  I enjoyed watching the one guitarist stage left.  His head full of long dreads were in the spotlight with his headbanging and guitar-wailing.  The guitarist stage right had his own set of tresses that rocked out just the same.  The band also had a keyboardist, who was really utilized in many of the songs.  He played some serious melodies and chords that really helped break up much of the aggressive guitars and vocals, commonly associated with the heavy metal rock genre.  He didn't just hammer out harsh chords hidden behind all the electric strumming; he didn't merely provided sound distortions for the band.  He was a fully active piece of this ensemble.

Another neato thing about their show was their lighting.  It changed and flowed with their music incredibly well.  And occasionally, the the lights over the band would go dark, while spotlights would shine on the crowds on the floor.  It was awkward at first, but I really liked the idea of putting the concert-goers (myself and buddy included) under lights and initiate some response from them.  Neato idea, indeed.  Unfortunately, many of the concert-goers up front by the stage really didn't feel the need to move to this band.  There was minimal moshing, some done by actually fans of this band.  But this didn't seem to discourage them from their stage presence and performance.  The mark of true professionals.  Definitely a band worth checking out if hard rock and heavy metal is up your alley.  Apologies for the lack of song recommendations.  I honestly don't know/remember the titles of the songs performed at this show.


Dir en grey.  How should I start this review out?  A japanese hard rock outfit of five members.  The fangirls (and boys!) were out tonight!  They started cheering when the japanese stagehands were setting up Dir's equipment.  Silly fankids.  Anyway.  The stage was dim.  The backdrop was up, proudly stating "Dir en grey."  And one by one the members of the band casually entered stage and take his instrument, to the cheer and adoration of their fans.  Kyo, lead vocals, is last to come on stage, and the band launched into a semi-aggressive song to get their fans going.  Immediately, Kyo served a concoction of vocal sounds that he continued serving for the rest of the night.  It comprised sounds anywhere from your standard visual kei vocals (do know what i mean?) to tortured puppy shrieks to vicious doberman-monster growls.

As the show progressed, my nerves were rubbed raw by Kyo's gruff monsters vocals.  At one point in the show, he gave solo with all the crazy vocal utterances possible.  It was bizarre and, honestly, not music to me.  But it was a performance to remember.  As for the rest of the show, Kyo managed to mix it his vocal styles, but for most songs, there wasn't enough melodic singing to establish a "song".  I'll admit I'm a melody-person, so all I say is mere biased opinions.  I am in no way, saying Dir is any less a good band for all Kyo's odd "singing".

I can only assume Kyo's short stature was the reason for him climbing up onto a higher platform during much of his performance.  This was to the delight of fangirls (and boys).  Up on his platform, he danced his little serpentine dance that echoed, though not as twisted as that of, Scott Weiland from his Stone Temple Pilot days.  But his little snake-like body movements made the fangirls go while, nevertheless.

I spent the majority of the show watching the guitarists, Toshiya, Die and Kaoru (and if the lighting was right, Shinya on drums).  I always like to watch the other band members strumming and drumming away on off to the sides.  A few times Kyo would step back and let our guitar heroes take up the spotlight to strut their stuff.  The guitarist in the white t-shirt would raise his arms into the air energetically, ushering in rounds of cheer and applause from the crowd, myself included.

Despite my negative comments, I really did enjoy the show.  Dir has great stage presence and put on a fine show.  I was not disappointed, nor were the rest of their fans that night.  Ive embedded links to some of the performance that I (and buddy) were able to capture on camera, for your viewing pleasure.