生誕典礼祭〜Mana様Birthday〜 (18th & 19th)

On the 18th and 19th Moi Dix Mois held their annual Mana birthday live gigs! This was my first time being able to participate so I was rather excited! However things didn't really turn out the way I planned.

18th

On Saturday there was the seated live at Mt Rainer Hall in Shibuya! I have never been there before but it was very close to the station, and acctually part of a shoppingmall (uniqlo was located at the bottom). The previous years I've been very impressed by the fact that they've always sold out the first evening, seeing the venue I understood why, it's very small! It was also a bit confusing to reach the right floor, but I made it just in time! JUST in time :P
I had planned for this day (okey, not that much), I had to pick out a present for Mana (I even bought a blueribbon to attach to the package), I had my outfit planned and I had the time scheduled. Nothing went as planned. I ended up leaving my apartment around 4p.m, it takes me about 1h to go to Shibuya... I got dressed in 10minutes, I didn't even have time to tie my corset properly. I left buying a present until the day before and I was really busy that day so standing in the store, paniced, I decided not to get Mana a present, instead I'd give him my cash by buying something at the live :P
The good thing was that I didn't have to wait for that long when I arrived (I hate waiting for the band to start). I had not seen Moi Dix Mois since 2014 so I felt really hyped, since I remember them as a really good live band.

The setlist felt kind of flat to me, the songs I truly enjoy that they played was Sanctum Regnum, Dispell Bound, Perish and The Sect. This time they did something interesting with The Sect, the beginning was sung in accapella. At first I didn't realise which song it was, until I connected the lyrics with the song. They also did Sanctum Regnum and Dispell Bound after eachother, and Seth gave instructions on how you're supposed to do the D-I-X sign to the music. I was really excited about this, I love Dispell Bound and I felt childishly excited about being able to do the D-I-X with them XD At my first Moi Dix Mois live I got to hear Sanctum Regnum but since it also was my first concert in Japan I remember feeling really freaked out about having to do parapara and ended up not doing anything.
During the MC Mana came out with a panda backpack and threw out candy to the audience (later discovered it was candy bought from the 100yen shop, and Mana had signed each tiny piece of wrapping). Because of the over all boring setlist and the fact I had not eaten in all day, I couldn't help but to wish they were done soon, and he'd throw a piece my way because I was so hungry. Unfortunately I didn't get any.
As always Mana had a message for the audience read by Seth. I didn't follow everything he said but there seems to be some sort of event later this year to celebrate Mana's long time in the music industry.
During the evening they played all of the new songs, again, I'm sorry but only one of those acctually caught my attention. I've heard two of them before (Beast Side and the slow one I can't remember the name of, Twilight something?) and I'm not that impressed by those. But this really new song, I think they played it for the first time this evening, it was acctually good.
As finale they played Je l'aime, and when Seth pronounced the words I was sure he said something completely different so I thought I'd get to hear yet another new song XD When entering the venue they handed out glowsticks, and for this song we were supposed to use them. I haven't used anything which glows for years and years. I used to have those bracelets which glows as a child, but I had completely forgot how you activate them! Seth told everyone to grab their sticks (hehe, that sounds weird), and he held it horizontal, a clicking sound and then it glowed. And I just couldn't get how to get mine to glow! So embarrassing, I just stood there, squeezing and pulling, but nothing. After a while I just gave up XD
So the gig was over, and since I was late I didn't get time to buy any of the new merch when I arrived, so I lined up and most had been sold out, but I got the blue one piece! Maybe it will come in handy when Tokyo gets warmer, so far I've slept in it hehe. I feel kind of weird using these onepieces as dresses outside, because they feel more like something you'd walk around in at home (still haven't used the Dalle one either). Eventhough I didn't get any candy, when the lights were turned on I realised one of Ryux picks had landed right infront of me! Always nice to see that some can throw...

19th

Home to sleep and then up the next morning for yet another Moi Dix Mois evening! This time it was held at Tsutaya O-west, also in Shibuya. It was the first time for me to attend a live at this venue as well, but it lies within an area with a lot of venues (like Vuenos) so it's rather easy to find. This day I was better prepared and since it was a standing live I was hoping for a better setlist. My number was ok I guess, 200-something, but it felt like this venue wasn't that big either, so after I got in and unfortunately couldn't decide wether I should get a locker or not (and then also realise I didn't have the right amount of coins :P) many had already gotten in and close to the stage so I ended up standing in the back after all with an acquaintance. I was a bit right, the setlist had improved but what suprised me was that they played songs they played the night before again! Perish is one of my favorite songs so that was alright I guess, but they played Dead Scape and it's not that good (IMO) to do two nights in a row. What bothers me most about the fact that they play the same songs both evenings is the fact that Moi Dix Mois has material enough not having to do that but they (or Mana?) chose to do so. There's so many songs they rarely play live, why not do those...

Anyhow, I did get to finally hear Unmoved, and they also played Seventh Veil which I love.
During this night MC they talked about Mana being a musician for long and how it started with Malice Mizer, so Mana (or Seth) asked the audience what song they'd like Mana to play! He'd play any Malice Mizer song for us. People started shouting and it wasn't very audiable what they were asking for, so Seth stoped everyone and asked us to shout at the same time. And you could sort of hear most people yelling for Vert Ailes (or as most fans believe it to be called, Bel Air). So Mana started playing it, and to be honest, I'm not an expert but from time to time it sounded a bit off but it's ok, probably been a long time since he did it. Anyhow, I began feeling like it was made up when Seth began singing the lyrics WHILE looking down in his papers. He couldn't have had all of Malice Mizer's lyrics in there, so they sort of knew they'd play that song... Made me a bit disapointed. Mana also threw in some Kioku to sora at one point, which is kind of funny. Makes me wonder if he misses Malice Mizer or if he just wants to show that he hasn't forgotten about it (since many fans still admire them). They of course did Immortal Madness and like always they want everyone to shout out something, tonight though the thing to shout was no less than "sexy, pretty, angel Mana sama", with movements to it....yes, that's how far from the darkness we have gone. I couldn't help but to laugh at it, but at the same time it's sad. I remember watching part of the live performances from Moi Dix Mois first live DVD in high school, and thinking they looked so cool because the atmosphere was so dark and witch-like. Everything in black and Mana was pretty badass showing no emotion. Now we're down to the band performing in gold, while Mana smiles making the audience do movements as shouting he's sexy, pretty and an angel... I wonder what my reaction would've been if someone would've told me 8 years ago... What caught me with Malice Mizer in perticular, but also Moi Dix Mois was the mysterious thing going on. With Mana it felt like it was alywas a performance of music but in a theatrical way. Like you didn't get to see the real people, they were performing EVERYTHING on stage. It might sound weird and as something negative, but to me it was the contrary. I found it very appealing. Now that Mana is slowly breaking that down I feel like Moi Dix Mois image is sort of falling apart as well. The previous evening Mana kept making jokes (through Seth of course) about Ryux, making us shout he was a doll in Immortal Madness, and he pretended to fall to the ground etc etc. I just feel like this wasn't really Moi Dix Mois image to begin with, to make the audience laugh at them, doing slapstick comedy while singing songs about angels and sabbath's, you name it. Maybe I'm wrong though, I didn't attend a Moi Dix Mois live until 2011, but even at that they didn't do all of this...weird stuff. :P I had overall fun (and I finally understood how to use my glowstick:P) but if they were to have another regular live while I'm in Japan, I wouldn't go to be honest. I would've settled for one of these evenings even. Hopefully the new album will be better than I think the new songs has been.

Some fans had contributed with a bouquet for Mana, the blue one of course. And the amazing thing was that someone had made tiny snoopy's, one representing each member, with tiny costumes and Sugiya even had a bottle of Jack Daniel's in his hand!