ToshI, YOSHIKI, ballrooms and politics - or rather, politicians...

That actually not really technically dinner show - the dinner took place in different rooms from the live; at traditional dinner shows here, the attendants listen to the artists from their tables - was held in the ballroom of the rather luxurious, to put it a little understated, Prince Park Tower Tokyo hotel right next to Tokyo Tower, not a location usually associated with rock musicians.

It fit however with a certain someone's reputation for doing everything in grand style.

To give you an impression of the scale and splendour of the event, here is a picture of the hall before the live. (There more rows of chairs beyond what's in the picture, the front red ones are only the Premium seats.)


Naturally, that also had the obligatory mirror ball (for anyone seeing two mirror balls, there was a large wall mirror behind the ball)



three, in fact, the large one in the picture and two smaller ones at both sides of the stage, as usually coming into play during Endless Rain, the last song of the live. Also as usual, ToshI and YOSHIKI towards the end of the song gave fans their chance to take over and sing for them.


There was, in fact, so much intersest - and ticket demands - from fans that the organizers, with many apologies offered that night, in the end had to scratch press courtesy seats, so we of the media had to watch standing - though probably got a better view for that - through the almost 3 hour performance, which lead to badly hurting feet by the end of the night. I'd do it again though, in the same shoes, too, if necessary; it was definitely worth the small discomfort to see THAT stage!

More about the things that happen on stage in the report - more pictures, of the performance, with that, too. (ToshI incidentally also had other guests on stage, that is, HEATH and Shinya of Luna Sea, to join him for Samurai Japan, probably the only song ever that I've heard performed with just vocals, bass and a bongo - I think - drum...)

For anyone interested in the goods sold at the live or wanting to acquire them, they are available through ToshI's webshop now, including the CD with "Crystal Piano no kimi" and "Ai suru hito yo."

As a last thing, something that amused me personally before the event was that among the dozens of huge congratulatory flower arrangements displayed in the hallway to the banquet rooms there were not only "the usual suspects" such as SUGIZO



but one that fans are rather used to in connection with YOSHIKI, namely former Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro sending flower offerings to his events. From the display last night it seems ToshI has his own fan among Japanese politicians, none less than current Prime Minister Hatoyama Yukio.


Maybe we should let ToshI and YOSHIKI take over Japanese government... but only if it wouldn't interfere with their and X music and schedules!

An unlikely combination...

Just as a teaser, here is a picture from our tonight interview with members of one of Japan's oldest rock groups. It ended relatively early as those things go with rockers - around 11PM - but that still made for about 3 hours of talk that should be interesting for anyone who wants to know more about them and that period in JRock history.

And I suppose I could outright give the name of the band or post "normal" pictures, but I love this one much more than I could any "normal" one, and thought it would have been a waste not to share it. As for "normal," that doesn't fit the owner of all that silver jewelry (nor his band mates) anyhow.

Just for the record, so no one will consider him strange in a way that doesn't apply, the pen wasn't his, it was a borrowed one.

Anyone who now is curious who that is - or wants to know what the interviewees did afterward (they told us about their plans) - can probably find out HERE.