February 2020 / Ongaku to Hito
BUCK-TICK THE DAY IN QUESTION 2019
2019.12.03 Takasaki City Theatre
THE DAY IN QUESTION 2019.
This is their annual year-end show. They chose to play in their hometown, Takasaki, Gunma on the opening day of this tour. Because this was a place befitting their announcement of a new beginning.
text by Kanemitsu Hirofumi
photographs by Shibata Eri, MASA
The band’s freedom and the absolute trust they have. That, I believe, without a doubt, is what leads into their next release.
3rd December. Takasaki City Theatre.
This was the first day of the tour, so I can’t deny that there were still areas to be explored. The fact that this is their hometown, a special place to them probably has some bearing on it too. During the member introductions in the encore, Higuchi and Yagami, the brothers who grew up in Takasaki, were standing all smiles while being introduced last. But what the live show conveyed was akin to a firm resolve to take a step forward into somewhere new. This is a band whose members are all above the age of 50 and which was formed more than 30 years ago, but this spirit with which they still take on their music, live performances, and the band itself can only be described as amazing. Therein lies the enormous trust that has been built up through the years.
Since THE DAY IN QUESTION is positioned as an annual year-end show unrelated to album releases, the members deliberately bring in songs that they don't usually play. And this time, the set list that they eventually decided on here didn’t include a single song from their latest album No.0. Of course, they did go on a long tour for it the year before last, so they might want to keep their distance from that particular release for the time being, but more than that, it feels like their reason behind this was a decision to reset everything and head towards what’s next.
And in terms of song selection, even though this was THE DAY IN QUESTION, with the exception of Uta, SILENT NIGHT, Speed, and LOVE ME which were released during their debut with their first era in Victor, most of the songs they chose were from the 2000s, released after they moved to Ariola. Because of this and the addition of various arrangements, the overall tone of the set list left a fresh impression, emphasising a band which has grown stronger since their ONE LIFE, ONE DEATH days.
On this day, Sakurai’s emotions were once again conveyed with a tingling pain. As shown to us during the No.0 tour and Locus Solus Bestia, his method of looking at himself from an observer’s point of view and “performing” Sakurai Atsushi separates the stage from his daily life for him and thus, likely reduced the burden on himself, making it comparatively easier for him to confront the music but this live show leaves a heavy weight in my heart. There’s even a kind of fear that I’ve seen something I was never meant to see. But that’s a good thing. Mudai in the encore was especially stunning, weaving darkness over magnetism. The way he sang as if he was squeezing everything out of himself could only be described as bona fide.
Because this was the kind of show they gave, Imai’s wildness stood out. From Cyborg Dolly: Sora-Mimi: PHANTOM to PINOA ICCHIO -Odoru Atomu-, and Alice in Wonder Underground to Speed, the sight of him playing the guitar while hopping around the stage was of an uncontrolled creature not found anywhere else. There probably aren’t many who can tame him. And here is where he can be free.
The more I watch their contrasting performances on stage, both Sakurai and Imai seek what they lack from each other. They can be described as light and darkness, but in the end, it’s as if they have a complementary relationship with each other; one can’t be without the other. And that’s why they are unafraid. Whatever the approach of the music they create, no matter how heavy the themes, it will all become a part of and also build up the prominent individuality of the band that is BUCK-TICK.
Among all of that, they performed their new song Datenshi. At first listen, it makes you think that they’ve decided to make a U-turn back to a simple band sound, but discomfort and avant garde can be glimpsed, in a good way, on their faces. And also, those catchy yet dark lyrics. I kept wondering what it was, and in the interview, I found out. From this song comes the band’s motivation to step out into new frontiers and the suspense which currently exists within.
In 2019’s THE DAY IN QUESTION, the band’s freedom and the absolute trust they have in each other was felt more strongly than usual. And that, I believe, without a doubt, is what leads into their next release.
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【SET LIST】
01 Muma - The Nightmare
02 Uta
03 Kemonotachi no Yoru
04 Jonathan Jet-Coaster
05 Hamushi no You ni
06 Zekkai
07 Cyborg Dolly: Sora-Mimi: PHANTOM
08 PINOA ICCHIO -Odoru Atomu-
09 Gekka Reijin
10 Snow white
11 SILENT NIGHT
12 Alice in Wonder Underground
13 Speed
14 New World
15 FLAME
ENCORE 1
16 Datenshi
17 RONDO
18 Mudai
ENCORE 2
19 MISSTAKE ～Boku wa Misu Teiku～
20 GLAMOROUS
21 LOVE ME
