Fans outside C.C. Lemon Hall on April 16th, 2009, didn't linger to chat or buy merchandise, they just rushed in to find their seats and sit, eagerly waiting for their chance to see hit act Do As Infinity take the stage. After a disbandment that seemed final, the band made a secret appearance at avex's popular summer show “a-nation 08 powered by Weider in Jelly”, and officially reunited as of February 2009. “Let's Get Started” was the title of their second reunion tour, and this was the final show. musicJAPANplus was there, and is happy to bring you a detailed report of the night's events.
Smoke began to fill C.C.Lemon Hall as fans were still filing into their seats just after the 7 PM opening time. Those who arrived and took their seats early were serenaded with the lovely music of duo “moumoon”, who performed a short set list before leaving the stage so that the main act's instruments could be set up and tuned. At five minutes past seven everything was set up and ready, and the staff had taken their positions to, like the fans, await the entrance of Do As Infinity.
At exactly 7:07 PM the house lights went down, and the audience stood and applauded as the support band came out on stage to take their places under dim, deep blue spotlights. Vocalist Tomiko entered last, after guitarist Ryo started the band playing some pulsing chords to welcome her.
“Shibuya!” Ryo called out to greet the audience, then the band began to play “Honjitsu wa Seiten Nari”, their first song of the night. The up-tempo music had the fans waving their arms toward the stage and bouncing in their places, and red, white and yellow lights flashed and shined down on the stage and into the audience. Ryo sang harmony with Tomiko, who wore a cute white t-shirt with jeans, black sneakers and a tiny black vest. Ryo, who was dressed in a baby blue t-shirt with jeans and blue sneakers, played a lively guitar solo at the edge of the stage on his shiny black guitar. The audience clapped to the beat of the music as the song wound down toward its end, and applauded loudly when it was over.
“Shibuya! Shibuya!” called out vocalist Tomiko, and the band began their second song, “under the sun”. A bright white spotlight shone down on her as she sang, and purple and green lights shined on Ryo and the support band behind her. Tomiko bounced and danced as she sang the verses of the song, walking along the edge of the stage from left to right. During each chorus, the audience waved their arms toward the stage to the song's happy beat. Both Ryo and the band's support guitarist came to the edge of the stage while Ryo played another great guitar solo, then retreated to their places as the lights went purple while Tomiko sang the song's bridge.
The next song was “135”, which featured rainbow spotlights shining down on the band and scanning the crowd. The audience clapped along to the up-tempo beat for the whole song, except during the chorus when they waved their arms toward the stage. The middle of the song featured a brief bass solo before Ryo's wild guitar solo, played by a female support bassist who wore a cute plaid dress. Tomiko again sang the bridge in a bright spotlight, and then the rainbow lights took over once again during the chorus all the way to the end of the song. When the music ended, the band was greeted by loud applause and cheers.
“Hey everyone! Welcome to ‘Let's Get Started!'” called out Tomiko. “Let's have a great night all the way to the end of the show. Yeah!!”
Up next was “Desire”, which began with Tomiko singing in the center of the stage bathed in orange spotlights. Once the song picked up, the stage was filled with pale violet and aqua lights, and the audience clapped along to the music as they had been doing for every song so far. The audience clapped affectionately when the song ended, then the stage was plunged into a few seconds of darkness before the more ballad-like song “Tsubasa no Keikaku” began. The stage was mostly dark but for aqua lights and some pale white spots that shined down on Tomiko as she sang, her voice ringing out clearly in the warm air. The audience was quiet and still as they listened, and beautiful white spotlights shined down on them during each chorus, spinning around to give the effect of many rays shining from pure white suns.
During the next song, “BE FREE”, the audience couldn't stop clapping along. The stage glowed with orange and gold lights, and during each chorus everyone waved their arms from left to right in unison, all holding them up over their heads. The stage went dark for just a few seconds after the song ended, but the darkness was far from quiet as the audience cheered for the band. The evening continued with “Maho no Kotoba~Would you marry me?~”. Bassist Yukiko sang harmony with Van-chan as they performed under pink and red lights, and the audience continued to clap along to the lively beat. Support guitarist Ishida Takumi danced around as he accompanied on an acoustic guitar.
“Thank you everyone,” said Van-chan. “We've only just restarted in February… so it's only been about 3 months. This next song is our way of showing you how important you all are to us.”
The song, “Yesterday & Today”, was performed with the stage mostly dark, though Van-chan stood in a spotlight. It was a beautiful slow ballad that featured Ryo playing a guitar solo in the lower register of the instrument's range. The stage remained dark as the audience applauded after it was over, and the band continued on with the next number, “Painful”. The audience again clapped along, showing their love for the music and the band, and guitarist Ryo sang the song's verses while Van-chan sang the choruses, his voice more like chanting or gentle rap than her melodies. The audience was silent when the lights went down after the song ended. For “Snail” the stage was dimly lit with electric blue and red lights. The song had a heavier sound with a strong, slapped bass line and a kind of funky tone overall. The stage flashed with wild white lights during Ryo's guitar solo, but was otherwise pretty mellow and deep. After the band finished, the audience cheered loudly, with some fans calling out, “Van-chan, you're so cool!”
Van-chan again took up the microphone to speak to the audience. “Next is a song for peace. There have been things that have happened in our country in the past, and in those near ours, that I don't really understand. This song is a song to make people smile, and to help those smiles grow.” With her warm words, the band began to play “Tsurezure Naru Mama Ni”, a song with a faster beat that had a really fun tone. Ryo sang the lyrics again, and the audience all clapped happily and smiled just as Van-chan had said before. Van-chan played a tambourine, and the stage lights overhead flashed in a bright rainbow of colours as she sang harmony along with Ryo. Everyone cheered and applauded loudly when the song was done. During the next song everyone was filled with energy, and as she sang the words to “Toku Made” Van-chan walked all over the stage, singing with a smile on her face as the fans waved their arms up toward her. Ryo sang harmony, along with bassist Yukiko and support guitarist Takumi.
“It's going to be a series,” said Ryo. “Maybe there will be “∞2 (Infinity Ni)” and “∞3 (Infinity San)”…” The audience laughed at the thought.
“This next song is a new one,” said Van-chan. “It'll be on our single, which comes out June 17th.”
The first encore song was “Umareyuku Mono-tachi E”, a slower, power ballad pop song that featured beautiful piano, and was performed in front of a canvas of little green lights that shined like alien stars. The audience clapped affectionately when it was done.
“The next one is new, too,” said Van-chan. “And energetic!” “Mera Mera”, another song from their upcoming new single, was indeed an energetic song that they performed under red and gold lights. The music was light but powerful, and the fans clapped and cheered for it when they finished.
At this point, a staff member came running onto the stage and motioned Ryo and Van-chan together. The three turned their backs to the audience and spoke together in a circle for just a moment, then turned around with surprised looks.
Catch Do As Infinity's new single “∞1 (Infinity Ichi)” this summer on June 17th and hear the two brand new songs “Umareyuku Mono Tachi e” and “Mera Mera” for yourself! They will perform at Nippon Budoukan November 29th, be sure to get your tickets early to make sure you have a prime seat to watch the magic of Do As Infinity on stage.
Do As Infinity LIVE TOUR 2009 – Let's Get Started! – 2009-04-16 @ C.C. Lemon Hall
Set List
01 Honjitsu wa Seiten Nari / 本日ハ晴天ナリ
02 under the sun
03 135
04 Desire
05 Tsubasa no Keikaku / 翼の計画
06 Rakuen / 楽園
07 BE FREE
08 Maho no Kotoba ~Would you marry me?~ / 魔法の言葉～Would you marry me?～
09 Week!
10 Yesterday & Today
11 Painful
12 Snail
13 Kagaku no Yoru / 科学の夜
14 Tsurezure Naru Mama Ni / 徒然なるままに
15 Toku Made / 遠くまで
16 One or Eight
17 SUMMER DAYS
18 Umareyuku Mono Tachi E / 生まれゆくものたちへ
19 Mera Mera / メラメラ
20 Grateful Journey
21 Ai no Uta / あいのうた
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