WE ARE... WE ARE... WE ARE... X!

Went to see X Japan live tonight, at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama... Something I NEVER thought I'd get to do.

I've been into this band forever, and then right as I start getting into them, they split up. This was back in 97 and I was about to become a freshman in high school. And then a year later, my favourite band member, hide, who also had a solo career and so much amazing music that I was completely devoted to, died. I cried bitterly, and helplessly, all night, listening to his song "ever free" and some X tracks on repeat. This is significant, in a way, because I do NOT fawn over bands. I am not a groupie or a fangirl. I don't follow star gossip or any of that kind of thing. But their music, for whatever reason, has always really moved me. And I never thought that I'd get to see them in person.

And let me happily report that the live was AMAZING. I went to the 8/15 showing, the last one in Yokohama (and Japan for now I think). My seat was awesome, right in the center. I could see both the front and rear stages, and all the screens and pyrotechnics and theatrics really, really well. And what SHOWMANSHIP - it wasn't just music, which, by the way, was really really amazing in and of itself, but there was some actual performance involved, and they had such energy. The crowd was great too. Our nearest neighbour was a girl from Taiwan who had come all the way from India to see the concert, and she was so vibrant, nice, and into it, she was really a delight to sit next to. She convinced me to help lead our seating section into a chant of "We Are--X!" for a few minutes. It was really a lot of fun. I was moved to tears a few times but kept it together - my neighbour on the otherside of me wasn't able to though! The girl was BAWLING as the whole crowd sang along with the refrain of "Endless Rain." All I want to do now is break out all my X Japan and hide concert DVDs and watch them. The plus side, is that I believe this live is getting a DVD printed in Fall, and I can't wait to see it again.

TL;DR: omgomg X Japan was cool and I'm a total nerd for them