Have you ordered yours yet?

The first press is sold out at CD Japan but they still have copies at yesasia.

Pati Pati October 2006 magazine

A big thanks to Matsuchan (dream_berry ) for scanning the article and concert photos in the Pati Pati October 2006 issue and sharing them on the Hydeist Live Journal community.

(the image above was resized and flipped)

"The whole thing is over..." ~Hyde

Thanks to Eleonora on the ARK for translating Manager FA's diary entry about the last FAITH concert at Ginowan Seaside Park, as well as MC’s by Hyde and company.

She also translated of a couple of Hydeist messages where Hyde says he's decided he definitely likes performing better than recording, talks a bit about the final concert and the upcoming DVD, and tells his fans: "Everybody really arigatou."

T-shirts and stuff!

I've wanted to do this for a long time but finally got around to it. I've created t-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies at CafePress.


They say:

You know you’re obsessed with

a certain j-rocker when you

think human bowling should be an Olympic sport

can identify the year of a music video by his hair color

discover your new career goal: be a microphone

replay the line “Dig in and get your hands dirty”

over and over and over

realize fuzzy hats are a legitimate fashion statement

have no idea what beyblades are but think they're

the greatest invention on planet earth

If you're interested here's the link: Mesmerized Café Press Store

Faith DVD

Hyde has announced the release of a Faith DVD, which will include U.S. concert clips. You can preorder it at CD Japan.

It's Region 2, though, so most American DVD players will not play it. Bummer.

EDITED: Found out that if you have a DVD player on your computer you can set it to Region 2. Woot!

On your mark, get set...

OSAKA JOHALL 08.20 MC

Hyde: Once...I came to the Johall to watch Duran Duran...did you know that? Back then...I didn't know very well how to buy tickets, generally you bought them by queuing at the playguide...of course the seat was so far! I couldn't see anything. The only thing I can remember is...John Taylor...that guy that was the most good looking, when he came out he jumped. I thought,"Cool" (laugh). And then I thought if I'd become a pro I'd wanna absolutely jump (laugh).

Fans: Waa~ Jump!!!

Hyde: If I jump you jump too!

Fans: Ooh!

(Hyde took a bit of space and of all a sudden he jumped)

Fans: We didn't get you were about to jump!

More MC's, concert reports, manager Fa diary entries, etc. (thanks to Eleonora and the ARK)

Manager Fa Diary: OSAKA JOHALL 8.19 and 8.20

MC’s and Set Lists

Manager Fa Diary: NAGOYA ARENA 8.13

NAGOYA 6.08.13 Report

New Quiz!

This one is a little tougher, hopefully it's not so tough it's unsolvable.

It's born out of the fact that I always need to come up with secure passwords in my jobs so I started making acronyms of lyrics substitute some numbers for letters, and voila.

Thus, DWITSF can become DW1T5F and I'll always remember that "Devil's Walk In The Strawberry Fields" from Promised Land by L'Arc~en~Ciel.

So, can you identify the following songs from the acronyms of the lyrics?

1. BATTAS
2. TLTYIAIM
3. YABSDTM
4. SFTSIF
5. IJADFD

All lyrics are by Hyde, solo and L'Arc, all are in English within the songs. Good luck!

Thanks to all players!

Hooray for everybody who played the name the PV quiz:

sherlock-nomes
Cloud
asa-chan
Nikki
Amby!

m(_ _)m Me bowing

Here's a picture of Hyde eating!

For the Curious

Most of us have seen this:
Hyde Karaoke Matthew's Best Hits


So how does it compare to the original?

The Checkers, ジュリアに傷心




(The Checkers found by B and her Japanese teacher).

Pop Quiz!

1.



2.



3.



4.



5.




Identify the PV's above and you'll win...I don't know what you'll win--you're name here, a screen grab of your choice, the joy of being a Hydeholic, but have fun! Icons courtesy of miphileg at Tenshi no Koe.

Hyde--Newsmaker, 7/2006

These are probably up elsewhere, but these are my very own scans from my very first magazine with Hyde. I've had the chance to buy others and resisted, but this was a present from a Japanese co-worker who visited Japan in June. Unfortunately she works in a different office and kept forgetting to bring it in to send me in the inter-office pouch (very official!) plus she wanted to read it first to catch up on the new bands. I finally had to send her an email:
Hey, T! WHERE'S MY MAGAZINE? And in the Smith case, how are the... Yeah, working hard. So scanned in, once again courtesy of office equipment which allows me to focus in on my favorite picture--in the Hyde Hearts Food category:
















Scans of Yuki are up at the sister site.

Yeah, we know you're all bad and sexy...

but sometimes...


you're simply downright...

adorable.

(Thanks to dream_berry for the pics from Hyde's 666 tour. More scans here.)

Tour Goods

This is the official list of "Arena" goods for Hyde's upcoming shows from the Hydeist site.
http://www.hyde.com/news/visitor/arenagoods.html
What is with this Willi Wonka thing anyway?
http://www.hyde.com/news/visitor/mints.html
First the Gummi's and now this?

Tofu interview and concert photos

Here’s the Official Tofu Interview with Hyde that's posted on their site.

Not much new in the way of information and way too many questions that only require a “yes” answer, but they do include pics from all four of the U.S. concerts.

Two of the questions and answers:

Earlier you said that you don’t have many chances to meet your American fans. You came to the Baltimore with L’Arc~en~ciel for Otakon once, but was this the first time you got to interact so closely to your American fans?

HYDE: That’s right. I hadn’t had a chance to interact this closely with them before. So it felt very real this time, I could see the fan’s faces really well so it felt really new and exciting.

So I heard the album. You’ve always had a lot of English in your lyrics, but this time even more of the lyrics are in English. Was this because you were thinking of releasing it internationally, or is this just your style?

HYDE: The music I usually listen to has English lyrics, so it feels more natural for my own music to have English lyrics too. That’s the reason. But as long as my main career is in Japan, I’ll write lyrics in Japanese as much as I can.

I can't learn to read Japanese fast enough

Thanks to matsuchan on the ARK for scanning the Monthly Sky PerfectTV May 2006 article.

A Little Fun

Puzzle

In lieu of anything new, a little fun.

International Music Feed

Haven’t watched all of this, because I’m going to be late for work if I do, but this looks like a fantastic video mixing footage of Hyde at Anime Expo and a separate interview.

(A big thanks to aai on the ARK for posting the link)

UPDATE: I read on the Hydiest livejournal community that there's also some U.S. concert clips in the video! Can't wait to get home from work to see/hear it (I have no speakers on my computer at work).

R&R Newsmaker September 2006, or Hey, he does sweat!

A big thanks to matsuchan for scanning the photos/article in the latest R&R Newsmaker showing fantastic pics from a recent concert.



(found via the ARK)

Soon. I like that word.

Thanks to Eleonora on the ARK for translating Hyde’s recent Hydiest entries.

The LIVEHOUSE 3 comments included thoughts about the U.S. concerts. Hyde said the lives were "really satisfying." And he writes of the crowd response:

FURUTON definition: "Happy like children receiving a cake."
…understand?
One by one they felt it deeply~
Even if it was the first time, receiving such a response was great.
I thought that I'd like to go back there soon.

Cape of Storms sheet music

Thanks to ilfirin elyanwe for scanning the piano sheet music to The Cape of Storms. I think I'll dust off the ivories and give it a try (also I had to copy/paste the last three sheets and resize them to be able to print them out).

It's shounen-ai, er, I mean showtime!

Thanks to Eleonora on the ARK for translating Manager Fa’s diary entries for the recent Zepp Sapporo performances.

It seems that for the concert on 7/22 the band gave the crowd a surprise. When the curtain rose, Hyde was nowhere to be seen but there was Hiroki and Jin kissing!

After a burst of laughter, the curtain was dropped and the announcer said: “Excuse us, pull yourself together and please watch the amazing live of HYDE." Up went the curtain again and there he was.

UPDATE: According to Eleonora’s translations of Hyde’s recent Hydiest entries, he called the kiss a “stupid” idea. It seems, too, it was originally supposed to be Hiroki and Furuton, but since the latter had a cold Jin took his place.

UPDATED AGAIN: Just watched the 2nd disc of Hyde' s Faith DVD set and, um, he seemed to get an awfully big kick out of that kiss. Maybe he later said it was stupid just to smooth some ruffled feathers.

Bridge interview

Future ambition?

Hyde: ...there's nothing planned in the immediate for my solo activity. But when L'arc en Ciel will start, it'd be postponed for later.

Thanks to Eleonora for translating the interview in Bridge magazine.

(Thanks to Rabi for the scans & bailey59 for posting them.)

JaME interview and concert report

Thanks to songstalker for the links to JaME's (J-Music America) recent interview with Hyde and a U.S. concert report.

“I hope that this is just the beginning.” ~Hyde

Tofu has up a transcript of the Anime Expo interview!



(Thanks to Tofu for the pic)

HYDE Me article

From the Nichi Bei Times Weekly July 13-19, 2006
By GREG YANO

Why are Japanese guys so hot? A 15-year-old girl named Pia assured me that I was in good company after a voice from the crowd posed that rhetorical question for the ages. It was last Wednesday, and I was among hundreds of Japanese rock fans, most of them female, who gathered at Slim’s in San Francisco to see one of Japan’s biggest stars, a 5-foot-2 androgynous pop icon named HYDE...read the rest of the article.

(Found via the ARK)

All four concerts

Here's the link to zelda-zero's review of all four concerts, which includes her airplane encounter with Hyde and band.




(Found via Love Laruku)

A late Slim's review

Classical music (can't recall the piece) played over the change--with much crescendo and cymbals--different, kept expecting Hyde to appear in a puff of smoke with the timpani. And then, at last, drummer, masked keyboardist, bassist, guitarist entered and at the last, small figure with bandana over face. It's real. That's Hyde, less than ten feet from me, in the flesh. And am bowled over by a wave of sound. Damn, that I didn't stop for earplugs on the way down. I was so sure I would have time. I stood resolutely against the crush like a stone in a stream to maintain some personal space and quickly realized that there were now more people between me and the stage. The stream rushes past the stone and fills the pool (or something like that). Decided that that would not do--let myself go with the crowd, not actively pushing, but letting the crowd move me into empty spaces. To hell with personal space. This is rock and roll after all. So if I trod on you, bumped you, crushed you, stabbed you with my purse, or otherwise impeded your enjoyment, I am sorry; it was not intentional. At one point near the end I was only three rows of people back.
In person he is still beautiful. I can't decide if he was wearing foundation or not, but either way, his skin is lovely. He looks (to me) closer to his age than the photoshoped pictures will allow, but in a good way--biseinen. Like Bowie in his early 30's, his face all sharp planes, sculptured bones. He was wearing artfully shredded jeans--at first I thought it was just a pattern, but I think now that it was tufted or textured in a design, a brownish or plum colored long sleeved shirt (with the lights it's hard to tell) with reverse seaming and a leather vest with misc. straps and dangly bits, typical of his taste (or his stylist's taste) these days. At his hip he had a sort of flat leather bag or holster, apparently holding nothing. Once he pulled down the bandana (with his signature sigul) it stayed around his neck through the whole show. What I remember most are his eyes, lined in a thin ring of black, wild whites, and the deep dark pupils that seemed to be looking at each of us individually, (but was probably just seeing the spots left by the changing lights). A master showman can make each person in the crowd believe that he is talking/singing to them alone and Hyde fulfilled that. He did "crazy" eyes to convey emotions--like way back in the Claustrophobia days. His voice has all the things that I love about it, with few of the things that annoy me. It is full and resonant without too much vibrato. I fear I will leave the instrument review to others as I was pretty deaf pretty early on--I am out of practice. It was, as I've said, a wall of sound. This is my fundamental problem with Faith as an album in general--just a roar of sound without detail. In the end I do prefer Ken's delicate, and varied finger work, but a concert is in part about the group gestalt. How we all wanted to be there with Hyde. The louder songs that I like less on the album worked best live, more than "I Can Feel," for instance. As often happens when I see a concert I walked away from it with a new found love for the album and a need to listen to it--to lock the image with the sound. As with all concerts I've attended, I swear to myself that I will remember the set list for Mesmerized, but I don't.
So stealing from others set lists (and remember, this is my opinion and my taste, backed by nothing but my opinion and my taste): I'm really glad he opened with "Made in Heaven" rather than "Jesus Christ" as he did at the other concerts. It's just a more fun song than the wailing angst of "JC" even if I like the concept of "JC. "Still don't like "It's Sad." Just rolls off of me on all levels. "Jesus Christ" was fine for 3rd--we were all warm then and needed a small spacer. "Season's Call," "Dolly," and "Prayer" all rocked along although, again the softer parts of "SC" were lost for me. I liked "Dolly" much more live--the "Build a tower tall and strong. It will be beautiful. Using our technology. Babel will stand anew" really lifted the roof live. In between the little chats--"MC", presumably after the English master of ceremonies. His amusing Japanese intonation on "Why do I see my name everywhere (in San Fran)? Are you welcoming me?" 'Welcoming me' rising an octave like the mother in "My Neighbors the Yamadas." He said something we all failed to understand about the slopes of San Francisco, and our misunderstanding sent him scrambling back to the cue cards at his feet. I wonder if they let him rollerblade on Lombard Street? When the crowd misunderstood his intro to "I Can Feel"--"...that perfect moment when love becomes one with the universe," which of course everyone thought was going to be "Perfect Moment" it seemed to surprise him--as did the gifts tossed on the stage. A startled look crossed his eyes. "Faith," again, I enjoyed more live. Then "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." Now I had heard the download of this and actually deleted it--just what the world didn't need, another Beatles cover, but sung live, in Engrish by a small Japanese man and his fans it was more surreal than John, Paul, George and Ringo could have imagined. The luminous eyes were rolling for the verses--"Kaleidoscope eyes" indeed, then we were all nearly head banging on the screamed chorus! When I got back home I requested it from friends to listen to again and again. I like "Hello" and "Masquerade" which I know puts me in the minority--for "Masquerade" at least, but I saw the lyrics first and I love them--the IRONY. The bands I love are ironic--never take yourself too seriously. Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't, maybe he doesn't even know what he's singing (I hope not) but it's ironic when I sing it. "Hideaway" not one of my favorites because the pronunciation on the album is cringe making, but fun in concert. He asked us to sing with him on "Unexpected." How could we refuse. Ending with him nearly disappearing as he jammed to the floor. Then they left the stage and when he returned he was wearing all the same clothes. Very disappointing--unexpected indeed. Before the show I had seen the roadies set up the acoustic guitar and I was hoping for "Mission" but he hadn't played it at the other shows, so you can imagine my delight at hearing the notes begin. A predictable song, but I love it. We counted backwards with him on "Countdown" and ended with his intriguing lyrics to "Midnight Celebration." (That song still puzzles me, but I fear to question it's meaning too much is to be fangirling.) He made a brief reach into the audience for hands, and I hoped he'd repeat it on my side but he seemed to not enjoy it much and escaped quickly.

For more miscellaneous thoughts on San Francisco, fandom and Japan go to:Novel Eye

A bit of history

Got back from San Francisco on Sunday and got True in the mail on Monday. How delightful! This is Hyde's page from the booklet.

I'm sorry for fans of other members that their pages are not as much fun (although Tetsu is with cars--which he seems to love). I imagine that we've all seen the image on the far right, but I was much more intrigued by
the inset photos.

The wingless back, the chest, the rolled out of bed hair. Makes one feel naughty just to look at it.

As a set designer I am amused by the room dressing, a Graham Greene novel, a copy of Melody Maker with Human League on the cover, a copy of NME, several copies of Harper's Bazaar, a book apparently called Freak with the title written in both English and katakana, several coke bottles, Camels, and tissues. What are we trying to say here? Hmm. (And yes, I did look at it through a loupe).

Anime News Network interview

Here’s the recent interview with Hyde on Anime News Network’s website.





(Found via sora shoma)

Mercury News article

HYDE: CAN ONE OF JAPAN'S BIGGEST ROCK ACTS BREAK BIG IN THE US?
by Brad Kava

Based on its San Francisco debut at the Fillmore Thursday the Japanese band HYDE may be hard rock's answer to baseball's Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui.

That is, superstars in an American game who are considered the equals of their American peers, and whose country of origin is secondary to their abilities to entertain.

With a 90-minute set of original, dark and glistening hard rock, metal, and a couple of ballads, this tight quintet's sold out local debut was mesmerizing and primal, with more than a few similarities to David Bowie's U.S. debut decades back….read the rest of the article.

(Found via shinimegami21)

More concert pics

Thanks to bluebird for posting these Faith Tour photos on the ARK.

See more pics here.

Significant Other’s POV

Just read this intertaining piece on Hydeist live journal community by hau_kane:

What do you do when your wife of almost 10 years turns the clock back to her teenage youth and lets the fangirl in her rise to the surface? The answer is you pack your bags and hop on a plane to fly 2,500 miles to San Francisco to see HYDE in concert. Oh, but one concert won't do when there are two in as many nights just miles away from each other. So, as you probably guessed, I went to the HYDE concerts at both Slim's and The Fillmore…read the rest of the report.

We’ve been to heaven, heaven on earth

Ikuni and both wrote concert reports and then decided it would be fun to put them into one, since the trip was such a joint adventure. Here are our thoughts:

MUSING

Our Hyde concert experience started Monday evening at an American Airlines counter, biting our nails because they couldn’t get our boarding passes to print. Tickets finally in hand, backpacks and shoes scanned, we boarded the small jet that would take us to Dallas.

Ikuni had never flown before. I had flown a number of times but not for over twenty years. She was as calm as a lily on water. I was as calm as a drowning cat. After a bit of turbulence, a cup of Sprite, and one stunning sunset on top of the clouds, we landed safely and I decided we just might make it alive to hear Hyde. We boarded the plane to San Francisco. I listened to FAITH three times on the way.

IKUNI

Okay, so we land and find the shuttle that would take us to the hotel. The driver was an adorable little middle-aged Asian man with thick glasses and an even thicker accent. I watched him catapult my mom’s bag, with a sickening thunk, into the back of the van. When asked if I wanted mine stored, too, I said, “Um, no.”

We buckled ourselves in and…BANG! Imagine the Night Bus from Harry Potter, except with seatbelts. We nearly collided with two cars on the way to drop off another prisoner--I mean, passenger. The van shook and shuddered, kind of like a spaceship entering the atmosphere. I’m thinking, “Great. We’re probably going to be the very last ones he drops off...what’s left of us anyway.” But, just a few minutes later he skidded to a halt in front of the hotel and we were still breathing. Amazing.

MUSING

By now it was after midnight, California time. We checked in, brushed our teeth and collapsed into bed. Tuesday was spent in Japantown. That evening we met Novel for dinner. Good food and conversation (lots of talking about Hyde, of course) then back to our room to watch L’Arc-en-Ciel DVD’s on her laptop.

Wednesday morning, Ikuni and I had planned on visiting the Museum of Modern Art but discovered it was closed. More shopping and eating at Japantown. We headed to Slim’s in the early afternoon to meet Novel. The idea was to check out the venue then spend some time at Starbucks or Trader Joe’s until 5:00. Turned out, though, that Slim’s lied. They let people line up early. We heard some had even spent the night there. So, to the back of the line we went.

IKUNI

We finally got into Slim's at about 8:20. We found our spots and had an excellent view. I think I was in shock during all of the pre-show. At roughly 9:00, Blacklist Club took the stage. Oh, sweet pressure. But I was NOT about to pass out during just the opening act.

Black List Club was okay. They weren’t brilliant, by any means, but they weren't horrible. Their vocalist annoyed me, though, because he kept threatening the audience into screaming instead of earning it from his performance. And he kept calling Hyde "a band." What the frick? Hyde is a solo artist. You're touring with him how could you not know that?! Oh, well.

Around 9:30 Black List Club left and Hyde’s crew struck the set and got it ready. We waited for what seemed like hours and then...the band started filing on stage. The crowd surged forward, and we all screamed like there was no tomorrow. Suddenly, a small-purple-and-black-clad-half-masked-by-way-of-bandana-ball-of-engery-with-a-guitar-and-fantastic-hair exploded onto the stage. It was HYDE!!!

He and the band instantly struck up a heavy riff, and Hyde kept leaning over the audience. The riff morphed into Made in Heaven as he reached the mic and ripped down his bandana to sing. That's when I just lost it and stopped thinking. I moved with the crowd and sang with Hyde without thinking about any of it. His voice was in perfect form and I do mean PERFECT. His energy level was through the roof and therefore so was ours.

He was also so gorgeous. I'm sorry people, but he really IS that attractive WITHOUT photoshop. Deal with it. His hair was getting long again (think "666" tour) and he was wearing eyeliner. His outfit was a death inducing mix of cloth and leather. He also had the "Dune" eye-thing going on during this song (and a few others), but it actually worked and didn't seem fake.

MUSING

Ikuni and I had hoped to stay together for at least a little while, but before It’s Sad even started we were already separated. But, what an awesome song live! Hyde rocked it. Ikuni told me later that he messed up the lyrics on one of the last choruses (I was in such a euphoric state at the time I didn’t notice) but we agreed it wouldn’t truly be a Hyde performance if he didn’t have a little trouble with the words. It’s one of the things we love about him. He’s so adorably human.

IKUNI

Jesus Christ came next. This song hit me really hard live. When he sang, "I'd do anything to save this life," I realized, with an odd pain in my chest, that Hyde is probably going to die before me. I'll out live him in all likelihood. And so when I sang along on the line, "Take me instead," I really meant it. The disturbing realization of Hyde's mortality aside, his performance on this song was all-consuming, gut-wrenching and heartbreaking.

MUSING

When the first notes of Season's Call started I melted. I love, love, love that song. The soaring vocals, especially, and the melody. But also because so much of it’s sung in Japanese. Pattyb said that Hyde asked permission to sing in Japanese at one of the earlier concerts. Wish I could tell him how much I enjoy hearing him sing such a beautiful language so beautifully.

I think the first of many MC’s came after. "Why do I see my name everywhere here? … Are you welcoming me?" You better believe it!

IKUNI

Dolly and Prayer were next (both were fantastic). During the following MC there was a moment where the audience was calmer and Hyde was quiet and I realized there was something I HAD TO DO. "Ai shiteru!!!" I yelled. Hyde heard me, he heard MY voice. He was like, "Woah!! Who said that???" like it completely shocked him. He scanned my side of the audience looking for the crazy person who loved him. I know he saw me (I’d been jostled to the front by this point). If he knew I'd said it or not I'll never know but I know he both heard and saw me. After a moment he continued with his MC, saying the next song was about when "love connects to the universe."

MUSING

I Can Feel was simply gorgeous. And I’ll never forget--I looked around for Ikuni and when I finally spotted her, she was gracefully moving one arm to the music. That image will be forever linked to that song.

IKUNI

Another song that made a real emotional impact on me live was Faith. "To you I entrust my will." When I heard that I thought, "Christ gave his will to Hyde, Hyde gave his will to us, and now we're giving our will to him in return." It was somehow bittersweet.

MUSING

Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds!! Can’t say it better than Nepenthes did in her report. “Beatles? What Beatles?” Hyde totally owned that song. I also loved how everyone swayed to the verses and then rocked out to the chorus.

For Hello Hyde let the audience sing much of it, while he moved around the stage. Hyde is a master at knowing when to move and where to move to. Like a well-blocked play, he’d effortlessly be one place then another, never lessening the intensity of the songs. Everything he did heightened the power of the music.

IKUNI

My favorite song off 666 is Masquerade, so naturally I went insane during this one. I sung the second verse very loudly, because it shows some of my exact issues with religion. Hyde's English was also much cleaner live then on the recording.

MUSING

Hideaway--another great performance. Just wish he’d sung the “Dig in and get your hands dirty” line himself, instead of letting the crowd sing it. Although, I might have died of an advanced case of Fangirlism if he had, so maybe it was better he didn’t!

Somewhere during the concert I did watch the other band members for a bit. I couldn’t see Furuton very well but Hiroki and Kaz were both giving it all they had, with sweat dripping off them. Which reminds me, does Hyde never sweat? He headbanged and rolled around on the floor and jumped off stuff and yet I couldn’t tell he was ever sweating.

IKUNI

In the MC before Unexpected he said, "Let's make love." The effect that statement had on everyone was unbelievable. Hyde has always compared lives to sex. But when he said that it was a serious moment for me, because I realized a good live SHOULD be like making love. With all the sweat and heat, the passion, and both partners (in this case the singer/band and audience) reaching out for each other. A great live should be like a 2 hour orgasm and this one was.

Hyde also asked that we sing with him and I got pissed because as soon as he asked them to sing pretty much everyone stopped. Anyway, that was the last song before the encore or second part.

MUSING

I can’t tell you how happy it made me when I recognized the first sounds of Mission. He hadn’t played it at the other U.S. lives, so I wasn’t expecting it. But, I was so glad he played it. It seems to encapsulate Hyde’s view of how things ought to be.

IKUNI

For Countdown Hyde had us countdown from 13 before the song, which was fun...well, 'cept for the fact that I forgot how to count in English. Eh-hem. Anywho, the song ROCKED! It's much heavier live then on recording. I truly headbanged for the first time in my life.

Midnight Celebration was the last song. They rocked so hard and on the last chorus Hyde handed off his guitar and ran to the front of the stage singing his heart out. And then, just as suddenly as he came, he was gone. The shock kicked back in. Oh. My. God. I just saw HYDE!!! The concert was the most emotional, orgasmicly spiritual experience I've ever had. I will remember that night 'til my dying day.

MUSING

After the concert Ikuni, Novel and I met back up. We were practically speechless. Just too much to take in to talk about it yet.

Ikuni and I flew out the next day. In spite of what appeared to be a pilot in training for the first flight (shaky take off and landing, sudden turns and “Um, sorry folks, I turned off the seatbelt sign too soon, please, return to your seats and buckle up”) we got back safe and sound.

We're still processing the experience. It almost seems like a dream. We were so privileged to see Hyde live. He surpassed all our expectations.

Hyde’s thoughts on the U.S. concerts

Thank you to Eleonora for translating some of the Hydeist messages from Hyde about the California tour. He sounds happy with how they all went.

Also, I hope to update more later today or tomorrow—posting a concert report, etc. Unfortunately, I’m having to work this weekend to make up for the time off (in accounting, we must have everything closed and updated by the 10th of each month, so I’ve got lots to catch up on—Hyde was worth it though!!).

Early reports--House of Blues concert, Anaheim

Haven’t found too many reports about the concert last night. Here are three, so far: iheartlarc, SunshineSlayer and karinberry.

Appears Hyde’s voice was in good form, he made a face when a guy in the crowd yelled, "You're a sexy beast," about 5 people fainted, and the line everyone’s quoting is when Hyde said, “I am so happy to see me,” then realized his mistake and said something like, “You. I'm so happy to see you.”

And I probably won’t be able to post again until we get back from the San Francisco concert. See you later!

Q&A at Anime Expo

The first reports of Hyde’s interview at Anime Expo are coming in (and I'll edit this post if I come across others--I'm especially looking for those with the specific questions and answers). Seems he got there at 4:30 PM and answered questions for about thirty minutes. The interviewer’s name was Kana.

Here’s the link to Shizuyuki’s report on Tofu’s forums. She ended it by saying:

[Hyde] seemed really surprised that he had the turnout that he did. Even more than ever I definitely know that my admiration of his music and of him as a whole is not in vain. He didn't appear to be vain or even seemed to be trying to be polite. It appeared as if he was actually a very nice and funny guy. His answers seemed to be from the soul and he was very laid-back and collected at the same time.

One other thing, Hyde said he’s excited but also worried about the U.S. concerts. I think he’s going to be relieved to discover just how much he’s loved here by American fans.

Thanks to SelphieFairy for the above pic of the stage. Also, here’s a pic of the crowd (thanks to pikachax2713).

UPDATE: Thanks to Zeldazero for posting a report about the Q&A at Love Laruku where she includes a few more of the questions. It also seems Tofu recorded the session, so maybe they'll put the whole transcribed interview on their site.

Hiroshima MC's

Eleonora translated what fans are reporting Hyde said at the Hiroshima concert. Here’s the link.

For those going to the Slim’s concert

I’ve heard from a few places, one being Love Laruku, that Slim’s will let people line up at 5 PM and not before.

Someone else told me they said they might ban from the venue any who persist in lining up earlier.

I’m kinda glad, actually (not about the banning part but the line up at 5 part). Now, I can sleep in that morning instead of hauling myself down there at the crack of dawn.

EDITED: Just read on Tofu that some are saying 3 PM. I think the latest word from Slim's is 5 PM but can't say for sure (I may call or email Slim's and ask).

I’ve seen photos of Hyde in these glasses before but…

Was happy to see that loveoohyde uploaded a video clip of him talking (and flirting) while wearing them. A performance of Countdown follows.

(Thanks to kairi-yume for the pic)

Opening act

Saw a post on Tofu saying the band The Black List Club will be opening for Hyde. Looks like that’s true. Here’s their My Space page.

Also, a sort of "6 degrees of separation" kind of thing: the lead vocals/rhythm guitar for Black List is Evan Taubenfeld, who played with Avril Lavigne, who is admired by Yuki, who is a member of L'Arc~en~Ciel along with Hyde (and I think L'Arc played her music before the Otakon concert??).

EDITED: realized that last part could sound like L'Arc covered Avril Lavigne's music. I believe it was just that they had her music playing over the loud speakers before the concert started.

Translations of three interviews

All hail to zelda-zero who has translated Hyde interviews into very readable English. Here are the links (all interviews were published in March 2006):

What's In?
Oricon Style
R&R Newsmaker

"He looked like a fallen angel."

A huge thank you to Miya, who recently attended a live in Japan and has given us permission to share part of her report (also, she's asked that no one copy it--thanks!). Reading it makes me even more excited to see Hyde in California!! Enjoy!

SHIZUOKA CONCERT

The FAITH concert was in the city of Shimizu, in the Shizuoka prefecture, right by Mount Fuji. The show was at 6:30 PM in a little local club called JAMJAMJAM. The venue was tiny. I don't know how they managed to fit 300 people in there!

While waiting in line we met lots of cool fans. Some asked us where we were from, and we explained that we didn't live in Japan. One woman said how proud she was to see Hyde fans from overseas. She was very sweet.

Later a cab pulled up in front of the door. Hyde got out of the taxi, waved at us, smiled, and then went inside the club. He was wearing black sunglasses and a black sweater, I believe. Now let's stop for a second.

It was HYDE. The real, one and only, human version, and I had seen him in person for the first time in my life. I didn’t scream. I just stared in wonder and waved back. I was already in another dimension at that point.

They started selling tour goods at 4:30 PM. "Zenbu ikko, onegai shimasu." I bought two of the Hyde gummies (ate one; the other will remain untouched), two faith t-shirts (one for my younger sister), two tour bags and a tour book. I also spotted a group of high school boys who stopped by to purchase things. That was really cute.

So we got our goods, went to the train station (where we’d already reserved a locker) and deposited our stuff.

Back at the venue they organized us in different rows, one after the other, according to ticket numbers. 1-50, 50-100, 100-150, then 150+. My friend and I were in the last group, because we had tickets 280 and 281. We were very lucky to have them. About 90% of the people there were Hydeists.

We finally were let inside (my legs were about to give out on me - with anticipation, you know?) and the place was crowded!! Like crazy. Not only that but they had a barricade in the middle of the venue! Therefore, fans were separated halfway through. The barrier was too high to jump over (I tried), so we couldn't get up front even if we wanted to. That didn’t really matter to me, though, as long as I could see HIM.

Most of the fans were female but there were a few guys. I positioned myself behind a "sea of little people" and there it was: the staaaaage. I could see almost all of it.

The lights turned off. I stopped breathing. Kaz, Hiroki and Furuton came in, together with a secret/masked bassist (my friend who was with me has an interesting theory about who the guy was~). Then THE MAN came out.

He was wearing his Cape of Storms sweater! The hood was on, and his head was down. I was completely in wonderland, when they started rocking on Sweet Vanilla. I couldn't help but scream!

Hyde first came up and got on the speakers, so I could see all of him. Playing the guitar, shaking his head up and down. The way he does. Then he took off his hood and started singing.

His voice...was I listening to a DVD or something? I couldn't believe it. Instead of jumping and cheering with the crowd, I just stood there, in awe. The power that emanated from him...I can't put it into words. I was shocked.

This may sound real cheesy, but his voice was so damn sexy. And he looked...unbelievably hot. His hair was a little longish (more than the recent photo shoots) and darker. Some strands of hair were covering his eyes, but not completely. You could still see them, scrutinizing the crowd.

Second song: Jesus Christ. This might be my favorite song on the album, so imagine what sounds my heart was making! I will never forget his expression. He had his eyes closed most of the time, and sang with this…voice...I still shiver when I think about it. And his face…he looked like he meant each and every word. He looked hurt and like he was desperately praying. My heart broke every time he sang, "Ah, God give me death." So many emotions, so early in the concert. I was utterly happy. And touched. God...so touched. Especially when he reached those high notes.

Total change of atmosphere with the next song: Words of Love. That's when I really started jumping with the crowd. Hyde sang with a rough, sexy voice. He also made us sing with him, the "Six Six Six" part. Of course, he was playing guitar and singing at the same time, as with all the songs (except Midnight Celebration at the very end). He had his eyes open, but his head was mostly down when he was not singing and playing the guitar.

Then Dolly! I absolutely love the part, "To bring you back into this world..." So did the other fans! We all sang that together with him! I felt such a sense of unity. And, oh, he made his crazy eyes during the, "Build a tower tall and strong, it will be beautiful..." You know, his Bull's Eye eyes, like during the Otakon concert.

During the guitar part he got up again on the speakers. The crowd, including myself, went wild as he was banging his head to the music, before pausing to make hot faces. He showed his teeth to the crowd, in an open/close motion, like a vampire. Then he gave the crowd the "I'm your god" look. Yes, Hyde-sama.

And did I mention he had black eyeliner on? The power and testosterone emanating from him, though, was crazy. Even if he has soft features, there is absolutely nothing effeminate about Hyde, as least not on stage. A MAN. All in caps.

Next song: I Can Feel. Hyde's voice and performance made me feel utterly peaceful. He had his eyes closed the whole time. I closed my eyes during some parts, to hear his voice better, and damn was it deep. However, I didn’t close my eyes for too long. I mean, I had to see him perform, you know? Every minute of it.

Now Evergreen! The new/rocky version. The performance was great like all the rest, however, the crowd didn't seem as enthusiastic. I was kind of disappointed at the other fans for that. I wanted to shout, "COME ON GUYS IT'S EVERGREEN!!!" Didn’t matter, though. I highly enjoyed it.

At that point, I was lacking air and starting to feel faint. We were all so squished. I raised my head up for air a couple of times. That was noticed by one of the staff members, who were there the whole time with flashlights and water to make sure everyone was okay. One of them asked me, "Daijobu deska?" I innocently said: "Wakarimasen" (I don’t understand you). I wasn't gonna let him pull me out of my spot! No way!

I think the MC break happened at that time. According to a friend who knows the language better than I do, Hyde talked about how he liked Japanese animation, and how he was happy about artists participating in soundtracks and such.

As he was talking he would look down, while speaking with a sultry voice. Then, with his hair in his eyes, he’d look up once in a while and smile. He asked questions and random people in the crowd replied back in a relaxed, familiar fashion. Everyone was laughing and being cheerful. I found myself laughing with them, even though I had no idea what he was saying.

It was also during the MC that I noticed Hyde was sick! He made a sniffing sound/gesture with his nose then wiped it with his wristband. He did that a few times, so I'm pretty sure he had a cold. With so many venues and after performing two nights in a row, I can see why. But, he performed with such energy! The show rocked from beginning to end.

Masquerade was next. The Japanese fans LOVED it, as the crowd heated up right away, myself included. We jumped and banged our heads the whole time, and especially when Hyde got up on the front speakers. And I think that's when he started holding onto the ceiling and sort of hanging over the crowd, teasing them. I could see his arm muscles quite distinctly.

It's Sad. Let me tell you the music rocked on this one, especially the guitars. If I recall right, Kaz got on the speakers at this point (and one thing’s for sure, Kaz is much hotter in real life than in pictures! So many tattoos, too! I like him).

But back to Haido~ He was really having fun with his guitar. He got up next to Kaz, then Kaz went down, leaving Hyde up front. Then he...spat on the crowd. They were little spits, so I wasn't sure what he was doing at first. I was like WTH??? Why was he gesturing those hot, pouty lips like that? Then I realized what he was doing. I still can't decide if I'm repelled, confused, or whatever about that.

But, then, the perfect song. The perfect performance. The flawless voice. It was the best performance of the night. Hyde just mesmerized me. It was unreal. It was Perfect Moment. Bathed in a soft blue light, they played a longer version of the intro music. It immediately calmed me down, made me feel so peaceful. After about two minutes of beautiful chords, Hyde started singing. That voice broke me. It was perfect. And he looked like a fallen angel.

That's when I realized how lucky I was to be there, how lucky I was to be able to see him so clearly, right in front of me like a framed painting. When he was singing, "I'm happy, to die in this moment,” I thought, "Yeah...I really wouldn't mind to. At this very moment."

I think he whispered, “thank you,” at the end of the song, although, I'm not sure because I was so high up dreaming, as were the other fans. We clapped quietly. It was beautiful. I'll never forget it.

Hideaway was the last song of the first half of the show. It rocked, maybe even more than all the others. I'm not saying the performance or song was better (they were all so good) but the crowd was SO into the song!! And Hyde as well!! The groove got RIGHT to me, rather quickly, especially after the previous performance. Lots of jumping/happiness! The official setlist doesn't have this song next at all, but I think my memory is pretty accurate about which songs belonged to what part, although the order might be messed up.

And the tongue. That wonderful entity of its own. When Hyde was leaning on top of the crowd at a certain point, he had his tongue out for a long, long moment. I think everyone was just fascinated, because I didn't hear as many screams as expected. Or maybe they were just covered by the music? And of course, he kept tempting us with it throughout the night, sticking it up, down, to the side...

Hyde also gave the crowd the finger several times It just looked awfully sexy, especially with that ravaging expression on his face, erotic and rough.

A little detail: the guy with the mask was hidden even on stage. He was all the way on the left side, behind big speakers, so most of the crowd couldn't see him. Quite the mysterious one, ay?

During the intermission I tried breathing normally, taking a moment to observe the people around me. That didn't work out too well cuz I couldn't take my eyes off the stage, hoping Hyde and the rest of the band would return soon!

And they did. Again, Hyde was last to enter. He looked absolutely flawless. The light was brighter, now, so I could see everything clearly, including his skin. His hair was pulled back, and I could see his perfectly smooth features. He looked relaxed, with a cigarette in one hand, a bottle of water in the other. I melted. My knees felt weak. I couldn't believe it was the real thing. That I wasn't watching some computer screen. He was beyond words.

Water time!!! Too bad he didn't have the water gun this time. He just used the bottle he was drinking from. Without realizing it, I started squeaking like the rest of the fangirls, reaching out with my hands. When he came to our side and threw the water, first to the people up front then to those in the second section, with a stronger arm movement, a big splash hit my face. It was the water he was drinking. A sense of bliss overcame me. I can't explain it, but it was like he had touched me. Very strange, I tell you…

Oh! I forgot something! The naughty joke of the night. I don't know if he did it after they got back from the break (that's my guess) or during his previous MC, but Hyde said something about being wet, like after sex.

Also, this is where I get a little confused about the order of songs…Let's say it’s Made in Heaven. That's when I realized his English has improved so much! Also, the crowd was singing the "Ha, ha!" part, except for the first time. I wasn't happy about that. I adore it when he sings that part. But, oh well, no complaining.

Then… Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds! I love his cover of this song, especially the part where he plays really fast. And he did play really really fast in the last part. The whole crowd was loving it. Lots of jumping/head banging. I thought I was gonna faint at one point. The energy was just so overwhelming. But, I took a moment to rest, and I felt better. And as if that wasn't enough, he performed Hello closely after!!

Another heavenly, softer performance: Season's Call. For some reason I remember his each and every expression during that song. He had his eyes tightly closed on "does it have an end," and for most of the chorus he had this dreamy look on his face. He looked down at his guitar when singing, "How many cuts should I repeat.” He completely pulled his hair back at one point, starting at the top. When he did that he looked like young Hyde! Like pre-Moon Child Hyde. That image of him hit me in the face. I was like, "Wow, total flashback." Overall, this was one of my favorite songs in the show.

I think they did another MC next. Kaz did the talking. I couldn't see him from where I was because he was sitting, and he was on the far right, while I was on the left side of the venue. Hyde didn't say a word, and he was looking at his guitar most of the time.

Then Mission. The fluffy song off the album. It had a nice feel to it live! I just wanted to dance, but everyone was a little too packed for that. His voice went really high, like on the album, without breaking. Also, he had us sing the "Come and dance with me" part. Everyone was a good fan and knew her lyrics

Faith. I adore this song. Like pure LOVE. And the performance was pure LOVE as well, exactly as I expected it to be. You have to understand, hearing and seeing Hyde sing those lyrics with the crucified picture of him in the background is very special. Even the light on this song was bloody/dark orange. I can still see his face when he sang, "Carried down through time…my will…lives on~“ Mysterious. Fascinating. Both the imagery and the song.

Next was Countdown. The crowd was really heated up, so it just went wild during the performance. Especially when he came back up front on the speakers. During the guitar part Hyde did the "Jesus pose" (like on the cross) with such a superior, defying look. Ah, how I wish I could have taken a picture of that very moment!

The song he always ends with: Midnight Celebration. The energy of both Hyde and the crowd was simply out of control. With that whispery voice and those lyrics, how could it not? I think Hyde stopped playing guitar after a while, because he came up front several times and I don't think he had it. He was being overly sexy at this point…the man, he was so provocative! Almost indecent…

Then he did it: He grabbed the mic, went on the front speakers, and just went crazy with the song! The guy from the staff was underneath him trying to hold the cord, so the crowd wouldn't pull on it. Hands were up, really close to Hyde. One girl even TOUCHED him!! I could feel his aura, his energy from where I was…it was so intense.

Next thing I knew Hyde dived into the crowd! I was actually expecting this, because he was SO into the song! He went down, away from my sight. I don't know if it was because the crowd was pulling on him, or because they couldn't hold him up…but I actually stopped breathing until he resurfaced, with some people from the staff helping him get back on stage. I was so worried, but excited at the same time.

Hyde didn't look back. His hair kind of was messy. I think he waved goodbye and exited from the back door, followed by the rest of his group members. I still couldn't believe he did it.

One staff member told the crowd to move aside, to see if Hyde had dropped anything. I wasn't really paying attention, as I followed Hyde with my eyes as he exited the stage, and then kept looking at the stage until the normal lights lit up, meaning it was the end of the show. I stood there for the longest time after people started leaving, leaning on the barricade, looking at that empty stage. I think I saw Hyde pass by the door that led to it. I thought to myself, "thank you."

At that point I couldn't really think. When we finally exited the venue, I cried. It was just too overwhelming. It was beautiful. We waited a little bit in the cold (man, was it windy) but decided to leave, because we were just too exhausted.

CD Listening Party

From Tofu:

Big News for HYDE! FAITH is now listed on AOL music for a limited time full CD listening party!

http://music.aol.com/songs/new_releases_full_cds

scroll over a few times on the cds across the top and you'll see HYDE's FAITH pop up!

Congrats to HYDE!

As I type this, I'm listening to it on AOL instead of my CD. If AOL Music is keeping track of hits then I figure the more people who click on the link the better for Hyde.

Kyoto and Saga

Eleonora translated two more diary entries by Manager Fa. One for the Kyoto concert and one for Saga.

During the Kyoto concert there were numerous blackouts during the song, Midnight Celebration, so Hyde started it over three times. The lights went out again in the middle of the third try but “obstinate” Hyde kept going anyway.

Also, if I’m understanding right, Hyde has a favorite lighter jar with the anime character Hakushon Daimaou - The Great Magician Hakushon on it.

* * *

(As an aside, I was glad to read Eleonora’s notes about the shortened versions of standard greetings, such as “Chi-su” for “Konnichiwa,” Good afternoon. It confirmed what Ikuni and I thought about a certain humorous Dir en grey clip, where they use both “Ohayo gozaimasu” for Good morning, as well as a shorter version of it.)

Tofu announcements

Tofu Records announced that a FREE Hyde Badge Holder (works for keys, too) is available at participating retailers--Virgin Megastore in Boston, MA or Amoeba Music on Haight Street in San Francisco.

Tofu provided “this handy coupon” to present at the register. Supplies are limited!

* * *

You can also enter to WIN concert tickets at these Virgin Megastores:

Virgin Megastore @ The Block, Orange, CA (7/2 Anaheim Show)
Virgin Megastore Hollywood, Hollywood, CA (7/3 Sunset Strip Show)
Virgin Megastore Sunset, Los Angeles, CA (7/3 Sunset Strip Show)
Virgin Megastore San Francisco, CA (7/5 Fillmore Show)

* * *

Tofu also included this flyer to give to local record stores that aren’t carrying FAITH. You can print it for them and request that they stock it for you!

FAITH Reviews

Fan reviews of Hyde’s album are starting to pop up on the Internet. I'll post excerpts here (or just the links if this post gets too long). You can read the whole review by clicking on the author's name.

I'll edit this message as I find others, and there will be a link in the sidebar to this post with the last time it was updated.

If you know of reviews not listed, feel free to email us at mesmerized [at] insightbb.com

Steven

Not only does this album portray HYDE's amazing sound, but it also offers fans of L'Arc a new way to look at one of their favorite vocalists. As far as U.S. debuts go, HYDE's proves to be one of the strongest yet, and when you throw in the fact that Tofu Records even mixed in a DVD of HYDE's "COUNTDOWN" and "SEASON'S CALL" music videos, it becomes apparent -- as a fan of HYDE, L'Arc~en~Ciel or J-Rock in general -- you would have to be an idiot not to pick up this release.

Nepenthes

Pros: Hyde's amazing voice, nice concept, you gotta give him kudos for that English, mostly good. No really bad songs. No bad songs at all really. Arrangements are less simplistic than 666. Depending on your pov, the lyrics. Straightforward, yes, but also thoughtful.

Cons: the singles didn't seem to fit with the rest, the drumming on Season's Call, the rather grating vocals of Made In Heaven (though I like the song), sometimes the uber distortion is a little much. Depending on your pov, the lyrics. If you hate them,you're missing some good music.

"I thought of stopping, but this band can’t be stopped."

~Hyde, said while covering Smells Like Teen Spirit at a recent live (seems they were only going to play part of the song).

Eleonora has posted translations on the ARK of Nara, Wakayaman and Nagasaki diary entries by Hyde’s manager. Among other things, the messages tell of playing with deer, riding in rickshaws, and a peeping Hyde.

Also included are translated fan reports of concert MC’s. Hyde spoke of unexpectedly good food, scary band members who swim in the buff, and getting sunburned.

And is it possible Hyde could ever be boring?

Hyde's signature

Thanks to fantomu for sharing this pic of Hyde's autograph. I've seen his signature before and this does look like it.

And though the accuracy of Graphology (handwriting analysis) is debatable it would be interesting to see what they’d say about Hyde!

Also, here’s a fun site that “analyzes” your handwriting online.

Hyde at Anime Expo!

Tofu Records just announced that HYDE will appear and be interviewed July 1st at their booth in Anime Expo!

They’re also asking for questions from fans. If you have a question for HYDE, fill out this form and e-mail it to info@tofurecords.com or FAX it to 310-829-3743.

Message for U.S. fans

Hyde recorded a brief message for American fans. It’s on Tofu’s site in the sidebar under Artist Extras, titled Hyde Web ID.

Thanks to lovelarc for the heads up.

Pati Pati July 2005

Thanks to Asuka Tsuzuki for scanning the whole photo shoot from the Pati Pati July 2005 issue.

This is how much Hyde has invaded our home

Two of my sons are playing Guild Wars on their computers. 20-yr-old son listens to some jrock. 15-yr-old listens to none.

15-yr-old yells, “Mom, you gotta come see this.”

I enter the room and he’s pointing to a necromancer class character on 20-yr-old's screen. He says, “Looks like Hyde, don’t you think?”

“Actually,” 20-yr-old son says, as he turns the character to face us, “it looks more like Toshiya from Dir en grey.”

Ikuni joins us and we agree that, yes, it looks more like Toshiya. Still chuckling, though, that my 15-yr-old called me in there to show me a potential Hyde look alike.

Perfection deserves perfection

click to enlarge

Found the above image of Hyde posted by yorupan on photobucket. It originally looked like this. Not sure I covered that long white line like I wanted to, but it’s as close as I could get.

Concert MC’s

Eleonora translated a few recent concert MC’s by Jin and Hyde. She also included a couple of brief fan observations.

It seems Hyde likes physical contact (is a “touching devil”), didn't notice the earthquake in Kyushu, and teaches his audiences bad words in Italian.

"Fashion is the attempt to realize art in living forms." ~Francis Bacon

Hyde placed 4th in Oricon's “Dressed Stylishly” poll. You can read a translation of the whole list thanks to Ikuni-web (not to be confused with Ikuni who comments here).

Seems this particular poll was done in April. Ikuni-web also mentions that Hyde placed fourth in the “Best of the Best” poll, too.

I was hoping someone would upload this on YouTube

And Luthi585 just did. It's Hyde's Faith interview on Space Shower Hot 50 Chart Cobain. In it we see a relaxed Hyde who seems to be fighting a cold. Watch the first part here.

*UPDATED*
Here's Part Two

Now, for a really serious subject

For those attending a Hyde concert--what are you wearing???

No wheelchair for me, thank you

The other day I read someone’s live journal account of the Wiltern Dir en Grey concert. She said that, because of the packed crowd and the sweltering heat, a bunch of people fainted and there were at least eight or nine wheelchairs carting fans out.

Okay, now, I’m not flying cross country to see Hyde only to faint and miss the performance! And I’m sure none of our Mesmerized readers who are attending his concerts want to faint either. We have to do something to prevent this, people! Every one of us must come out of these concerts with a memory of Hyde not an emergency room doctor.

So, I did a little research. According to this guy, when seven or more people are squished into a square meter the crowd becomes a fluid mass and individual control is lost. The heat and pressure of the bodies can cause some to faint (or worse--almost all crowd deaths are from “compressive asphyxia” due to the domino effect of people leaning against each other). The main reason this happens, he says, is because there’s lack of communication from the front to the back of the audience. Fans in the back have freerer movement and don't realize that those up front are being crushed.

How to keep the above from happening? Well, here’s a summary of what I found from a number of different sources. Print it out, memorize it, and let’s all enjoy ourselves!

1. Before the concert eat light but often and drink lots of water. This helps keep your stamina up and reduces the chances of fainting.
2. Dress in something lightweight or at least in layers (so you can remove clothing when it gets hot).
3. Wear well-fitted shoes. Crowd surges have been known to lift people right out of them if they're loose.
4. Avoid wearing things like long jewelry, flowing scarves and dangly purses. They can easily get tangled and cause problems.
5. When the doors open don’t run like a crazed maniac to the stage. You won’t be able to be up front if you break your leg on the way.
6. Once inside note where the exits are and make sure they’re not blocked (if so, tell the venue’s staff).
7. Keep a little bit of distance between yourself and others, at least, enough so everyone can breathe.
8. If someone near you is bugging the heck out of you, don’t cause a fight. Move away from them and/or call security.

If there is an emergency crowd situation

1. Keep calm. Do NOT panic.
2. Try and maintain your balance so you don’t fall (if you do fall, get up as quickly as possible, and if you can’t get up, curl in a ball and cover your head).
3. Don’t pick up any items you might drop. You want to stay upright at all times.
4. If things get unbearable, move toward an outer edge, taking the path of least resistance. There are usually lulls in any crowd push. Wait for one then move to an open space. A MTV writer says these spaces are often located in a diagonal fashion. So, make like an accordion and zigzag your way out.
5. Usually you should move with the crowd, especially if you’re in the middle of a wave, but in the rare case of a fire the best direction might be toward a lesser used exit.

Muse n. A source of inspiration.

I found some fantastic sketches of Hyde while surfing the Net. There are three more drawings of him on larukulove's photobucket page.

Nagasaki MC

Thanks to Eleonora for translating a fuller explanation of Hyde’s MC at Nagasaki, which included his comments about the dropping of the atomic bomb.

She also shares brief MC’s from the Saga and Miyazaki lives.

Read her translation here.

Definition of a the diehard fan

Was looking at the official fanclub site for the band, AFI (saw their recent performance on the MTV Awards and my first thought—J-rockers!—only they’re from California). Anyway, their fanclub’s website gave this definition for the truly devoted.

"…This is for the fan-letter fans, the gift-package fans, the first-in-line fans, the front-of-the-stage fans, the eight-hour-drive fans, the cross-country-flight fans, the fan-since-I-was-a-kid fans, the fan-till-I-die fans..."

Okay, let’s see. If I think Hyde instead of AFI. First-in-line fan: check. Front-of-the-stage fan: check. Cross-country-flight fan: check. Fan-till-I-die fan: check. (I know the first three haven’t technically happened yet, but I already have my plane tickets and I’ll do everything in my power to make the other two come true)

So, I’m missing the fan-letter, gift-package (I plan on signing the banner, though, so I’ll count that) and the fan-since-I-was-a-kid fan (I’ve been a fan since I first heard him sing, so that’s close enough). And if he ever plays within eight hours drive of me, I'm there.

Off to write letter to Hyde.

The very first time

Patty mentioned in a comment that Shallow Sleep was the first song she ever heard sung by Hyde.

The first song I heard him sing was Orenji no Taiyou from the movie Moon Child, however, I didn't know the difference between his voice and Gackt's when I heard it. The first time I heard him when I knew it was him singing was Kuchizuke on the Smile CD.


What about you?

Work of art

Hydeist entries 2006/06/12(Mon)

Thanks to Insomnia on the ARK for posting her translation of the most recent Hydeist entries.

Hyde writes of the lucky people born on 6/6, practicing for the acoustic mini-concerts while baking shellfish on the beach, deer, and the big Buddha statue. He also apologizes to female fans who apparently were frustrated by his coded message.

And he has no mercy on bugs.

Just because this is a Hyde solo site

Doesn’t mean I can’t plug Get Out from the Shell posts, right?

Go there now!

More about the secret code mini concerts

On the ARK liv shared a fan’s report about Hyde’s recent surprise performances.

Seems Hyde and the band played twice, once around three in the afternoon, while sitting on some steps near a building that looked like a church, and then again near a small bridge. They played six to seven songs at each place, and it was said Hyde made everyone feel comfortable.

Go here to see a list of the songs and also the comments Hyde made to the crowd like: “The next 666 will be 1,000 years from now [06/06/06--June 6, 3006]. I'll be dead. We have to appreciate/do our best each day.”

Oh, also, the fan who saw him said he had nice shoulder muscles and the blood vessels in his neck were amazing.

R&R Newsmaker or, The most recent photo in the continuing saga of Hyde's Love Affair with Food

A big thanks to matsuchan for posting on the ARK about the R&R Newsmaker FAITH Tour report.

Click here for the article and a bunch of pics.

The place he comes from

I’m not sure how many Mesmerized readers are like me, where your love of Hyde (and jrock in general) has spilled over into a love of Japan. But, I’m seriously studying the language and would like to live there one day, at least, for a year or two.

Because of my interest, I frequent a number of blogs whose authors are Westerners living in the Land of the Rising Sun. One of my favorites, Thrusher, has just returned to the U.S. Before leaving Japan, though, she wrote some great posts.

In one, she listed why she loves Japan. She said that the people there are the “kindest, most courteous, gentle, friendly, smiley, biggest-heart-est people in the entire world.” She also mentioned their focus on nature, their lack of crime, their thoughtfulness and simplicity.

I especially liked her list of things she'll miss. She writes:

• 800 year old people talking walks everyday
• Seeing people wearing coats in summer in the 90* weather because they have zero body fat
• Women riding bicycles in high heels e-mailing friends on their cell phones holding umbrellas and adjusting their skirts - all at the same time
• The sing-song "Ohaiyo gozaimasu!" that I hear multiple times every morning ("Good morning!")
• Being called -san or -chan (Thrusher-san, Thrusher-chan)
• Awesome foot reflexology places in every mall or shopping center
• Japanese pottery - intricate, moving, (I won't miss it too much because I'm bring a thousand pounds of it with me to the US)
• Crazy demonstrations in the aisles at the supermarket
• Pizza with corn (I love you, Potato Country)
• The customer service - you wouldn't believe it even if I told you about it, so just trust me on this one. You'd miss it, too.
• Japanese men who tszuj their hair all the time
• Kids reading manga in Family Mart
• About a million more things

Granted, no place is perfect, but reading her thoughts made me want to experience Japan for myself even more.

Something else I thought of when reading her words--that is the place Hyde is from. Where he grew up, where he lives. He is truly and totally Japanese. And I love that about him.

* * * * *

EDITED: Just so I’m not misunderstood. I don’t believe Japan is some kind of utopia. It’s not that it’s better or worse than my native country (America), it’s just that it is so foreign. A friend who’s traveled the globe--Italy, France, Morocco--said that, after a while, she would feel a kinship with most countries, but that during her stay in Tokyo she never got her feet under her. It was that different. And it’s often those differences that appeal to me.

Leaving no controversial topic unturned

Fans are saying that at the Nagasaki concert Hyde said he visited the memorial for the atomic bombing and said that even though Japan lost to America, they should be proud to live in a country that doesn’t make war (and I’m thinking he meant doesn’t make war now, not referring to the past).

Seems he then went on to say, “America no baka na yatsura” and “mawari ni meiwaku kakerunayona” (the Japanese text is posted on the ARK).

According to Insomnia (No.15217), Hyde is not saying all Americans are stupid ("baka") but is referring to when the U.S. has fought battles where innocents have been targeted. In the context of Nagasaki, he’d be talking about the bombing of civilians who had nothing to do with the war.

Hyde Hearts Hats I

Got carried away... Boy, I've spent a lot of time looking for pictures of this guy.