This makes my YEAR.

I've spent the last two days at the film festival, so I may be missing out on things at the moment, but I hope to rectify that as soon as I can. Will post movie reviews in the near future as well - I'm just too tired to write them right now. There's also another thing I'd like to talk about...

THE X JAPAN REUNION CONCERT!

Actually, I just can't pass up an opportunity to talk about one of my top favorite bands and maybe even get someone else to give them a try. For a long time, it looked like X had been finished for good ever since their break-up in 1997. Nothing else was to be expected when the lead guitarist, hide, died the following year, and the others - most importantly Yoshiki (pianist/drummer/composer) and Toshi (vocalist) - were going their separate ways. But last year things started to move, and now we have them reconciled and selling out the Tokyo Dome.

This concert series has been going on since yesterday, and although I've only seen YouTube videos of it, I'm seriously blown away. It's incredible to see this happen. I wouldn't have guessed in a million years. All I can say is that I love X and admire them, now perhaps more than ever.

Some notes:

~ You know how some accomplished musicians resume their career after a pause and only end up disappointing their fans and mostly everyone? Well, this is not the case. They haven't played together for some ten years, the band had ended in disaster, the reunion only came recently, but the music? Right on.

~ So what if Toshi still wears those sunglasses. I've noticed these are smaller and more transparent than what he used to have before X's original break-up, and if having his eyes covered is something he needs, I don't see what's wrong with it. His emotions show in the songs and in what he actually does during those concerts, anyway. During some songs, it was so obvious that he was on the verge of crying, even his voice cracked. I'm not surprised opinions are differing when it comes to him, considering the whole mess between him and Yoshiki, but he is making effort now. That has to count for something.

~ Yoshiki is still brilliant beyond words.

~ Sugizo (ex-Luna Sea) playing in hide's place is great. It is something to see members of such legendary bands on the same stage, period. I'm so glad he's doing this with X - he's just "the one" for the job in my mind.

~ Those videos are made so that hide (immediately recognizable - he's got pink hair) is shown as if he was right on the stage with them. For most of the concert, they were using these huge screens in the hall itself. Then those were replaced by a hologram, which was even more realistic. What can I say, hide will play with X no matter what.

Videos:

I'm just going to link to my favorites of the concert (otherwise there will be overload) but you can be sure that the entire thing was awesome. (It can all be found on YouTube, just search for X Japan 2008 and look through it.) Feel free to watch any and every bit you please.

In all honesty...it doesn't matter where the band is from. It doesn't matter how many people know them or not. This is awesome music and those guys have overcome a lot for anyone to see them together again. That's that.

Week End - Just check it out! There is even Yoshiki's trademark shift from the drums to the piano and back again as the song progresses.

hide no heya - Watch hide rock it from the screen. This is his solo.

Say Anything (Acoustic) - Toshi, Pata and Heath performing this song with just the accompanying guitars. You can see how touched they are by this. I wonder if Yoshiki heard it backstage...

Without You - Even if you're only willing to watch one video if any, don't miss this one. Without You remained instrumental for the longest time, although it did have lyrics, because Yoshiki wouldn't have just anyone singing it. Only Toshi could do it, it seems, and now he finally has. This song is seen as the one Yoshiki wrote for hide, and judging from how it's presented here, it really is. Both Yoshiki and Toshi are wearing a white shirt in this part and I like to think it's on purpose since they change clothes several times during the concert (also, white...mourning color? I'm not sure). I'll admit it, I cried. "Ah, how should I love you? How could I feel you? Without you..."

I.V. - This goes directly after Without You. The beginning when they're just improvizing I.V. is amazingly tender. At one point as Toshi goes, "Can't you see me standing right here?" the camera shifts towards Yoshiki, who is only playing with one hand and looking at him. But later on it all just blows up and you get the full song with the whole band joining in. Notice Sugizo (shoulder-length brown hair, lead guitar) appearing here.

Kurenai - One word: Wow. Almost like the old times! Powerful song, powerful live.

Art of Life I & II - Art of Life lasts about half an hour altogether, with several different parts making up the whole. (Yeah, it's epic. But you never get bored since there's always something going on in the song.) They didn't finish it in this concert, though. They didn't finish it because Yoshiki collapsed halfway through. As far as I noticed, nobody has been able to tell whether he had wanted to do it or if it was totally unplanned, but what I saw didn't seem fake to me. Sure, Yoshiki has a flair for drama and has been known for always taking it to the limit...but I was sick with worry about him yesterday! Turns out he was able to participate in the following live (which I'm awaiting, damn it!), so I hope he's okay now. Also, this is the song with hide's hologram playing along.

Well. WE ARE X!