D'espairsray

I don't have time to write a lot, but I will say that this concert was amazingly fun. I think the audience could have been more enthusiastic and participated more, but that aside, it was perfect. The band was perfect, the set was well-chosen, and I'd recommend seeing this band to anyone vaguely interested in the genre. Surpsise meet and greet at the end didn't hurt anything either. ;D

This is the second time I've gotten to see this band live, and it was even better then the first. The band was really active and nice and the crowd really loved the whole event. If they ever come back I'm definitely going to make it a mission to see them again.

Such a great show!!! They played all their best songs, lots of new stuff, had a wardrobe change, and played for like 2 hrs, what more could u ask for?! I would def recommend seeing them, and i would totally see them again.

From what I can tell you D'espairsray is an amazing band and I loved every moment they played on the stage. The sound howeve was not so good as a small venue combined with the loud noise made it really hard to hear the vocals and made it out to be more of a instrumental concert. Which is a shame cause I really love the lead singers voice. I would deffinatly reccommend it to a friend and would do it again with proper ear protection this time ;)

D'espairsRay, riding a decade-plus career of success in the visual rock circuit of their native Japan have expanded their fanbase and increased touring in Europe and USA. Their concert on Friday August 6th was their second visit to the Emerald City, one anxiously awaited by their American fans like myself. With a majority of their lyrics in Japanese, much of their lyrical content is lost on unilingual english speakers, but their songwriting and musicianship will speak for itself. The venue, The Showbox, located near the intersection of 1st & Pike, was excellent as always with friendly staff, decent bartenders and excellent accoustics. Pinning down the levels always takes a few songs at first, but for the most part the Showbox has never disappointed me in their mixing. I didn't catch the name of the opening act, but they were easily forgettable electronic act: three guys on stage, one running an audio mixer, one adding effects with a ChaosPad, and the last simply singing. All three supplied vocals, but each guy's voice was too similiar to the others, making for a multi-layered exercise in mediocrity. I fully support local acts of all kinds striking out towards their dreams of stardom, but that doesn't mean some don't simply lack what it takes. When D'espairsRay took the stage, it became obvious how dedicated the crowd was to having a good time. The band took special effort in playing their best and playfully interacting with the crowd. Karyu (G), Zero (B) and Hizumi (V) all crisscrossed the stage multiple times during their set to assure interaction with the entire crowd, often leaning out to touch the hands of the fans up front and encouraging dancing and singing along, Tsukasa (D) maintained his usual composure, pounding out solid beats and making it look easy. Hizumi addressed the crowd multiple times between songs, often whipping the crowd into frenzied cheering. Their set was a choice mix of their most popular singles and album tracks from throughout their career, with the tour focus supporting their latest album MONSTERS. The set overall ran approximately 95 minutes including encore, while its pacing felt perfect: never dragging or rushed. I myself have been a longtime fan of the band, avidly following their career since late 2000. I missed their first visit to Seattle, so this show was something I looked forward to from the moment I heard about it, thus my review is pretty biased in favor of the band. Be that as it may, I would strongly recommend catching these guys the next time one of their tours bring them close to your hometown. You'll find yourself dancing and headbanging along whether you understand them or not, proving one thing to be true: Music is a universal language.

IMHO~ these guys put on a hella show especially since so few people came out to see them ~ Seattle ~ ya missed a chance to see a great show. If they ever decide to come back you should check them out !!

it was great to see them again,especially due to them headlining the show. Great stage presence,great track list,real crowd pleasers im glad they came out here again and it was awesome they gave us an encore,hope to see them again real soon.

Probably one of the best concerts I've been to in a long time. The stage presence the whole of d'espairsRay presented was absolutely amazing and I found myself doing all the typical rock concert things like head banging and all that good stuff. Everything went absolutely perfectly but they need to do something with the microphones next time. Usually the vocalist is a bit difficult to hear but I couldn't hear him most of the time. The vanue was amazing and the sound quality much nicer than a lot of other places I went to. My only complaint was the railing seperating the stage and the crowd, but I have to say it's understandable as well. The mix of new music and old was amazing as well, allowing people to sing along much easier when they wanted to. To put it simply, I will be going back if/when they decide to tour again close to home.

Wonderful music they really worked the crowd opening act (Opus Dai) could have been better but d'espa was wonderful! lots of music from MONSTERS! i loved it.

The Roxy is a suffocated, pokey little thing right next to a bar and some food joints on a street you'll likely see a lot of open-topped trucks running through because it's on a lot of Hollywood sightseeing routes. Aside from the compulsory $3 drink fee for everyone under 21 that isn't made apparent until about 30 minutes from when the doors are set to open, the bar is nice; the merch stand is barely an indent in a wall, the line intersecting the entrance hall if too many people are waiting. The stage itself is trapezoid-shaped; Zero was on our side, the ever-terrifying Karyu on the other, Hizumi dead center, and Tsukasa kind of tucked awkwardly a little too far back for him to be seen unless one was standing on either extreme of the stage. Their stage presence is amazing---Hizumi and Karyu especially. They twitch and writhe and slam themselves forward and make a point of interaction, and although the crowd was on the meager side that night they managed to wring the enthusiasm out of the audience all night. Hizumi made two MCs, both in practiced English, in the middle of their setlist made up of their songs from Monsters. I was not familiar with Opus Dai but they were pretty gracious and seemed to be having a good time; I'd definitely recommend people to check out shows of theirs. Their frontman is a twiggy, charismatic dude whose powerful voice came out of nowhere. I'm definitely checking out more of them later.

It was wonderful!!! I love Despairsray and the venue they performed at.

The Roxy Theater in Los Angeles, CA was packed with people of all ages, ready to see D'espairsRay last night. It was the first show of the band's tour titled HUMAN CLAD MONSTERS showcasing their new album MONSTERS. As it was the very first show, I wasn't sure what to expect, but D'espairsray did not disappoint even in the slightest! But before we get to the main act, the opening band, Opus Dei, just cannot go without mention, and major credit. They were wonderfully engaging and captivated us all with their short set which included a song that they have just finished working on. It was a real treat to be able to hear them, speaking for myself, for the very first time. They were nothing short of unforgettable. As soon as the curtains rose up again, the crowd was thrown into D'espairsRay. The drum beat of DEATH POINT met us right at the beginning. The band played many songs from their new album MONSTERS such as 13-Thirteen-, DEVIL'S PARADE, dope, the ballad abyss, and their new hit dance single LOVE IS DEAD. These songs got everyone dancing and shouting sporadically. D'espairsRay also performed songs from their earlier albums Mirror and Coll:set, which was an excellent treat for long time fans. We screamed the lyrics of MIRROR and INFECTION together alongside Hizumi. it was almost like a time of bonding with the band. There was also the classic performance, which has already been marked by fans around the world, as a favorite, of HOLLOW. Brand-new fans, friends of fans, and die hard fans alike, all could get into this song, shouting "Hollow" back to Hizumi, just as in the song. D'espairsRay did not let the show end there, with the last song, Garnet, the crowd was thrown into a frenzy as Hizumi announced the name of the last song. Garnet is a song also from De'spairsRay's earlier days, and can now be found on their "best of" album titled IMMORTAL. Speaking for myself, I had forgotten just how good this song was, so it was a pleasure to see it live. The band truly gave it their all, and the audience responded with much enthusiasm. The dark beat drove us all together. Then the band left the stage. It was sad to see them leave. Everyone, feeling this sentiment, shouted "D'espairsRay!" together in unison, clapping their hands and shouting for an encore. It was only a short matter of minutes before the band returned to play two more songs, TRICKSTeR from their album Mirror, and their single KAMIKAZE! We all shouted and jumped, we sang the lyrics to Kamikaze with Hizumi, reaching out for the band members as they approached the edge of the stage. As the songs ended, I couldn't help but feel nothing short of elated, and as the band shouted their thanks and goodbyes, tossing water bottles into the crowd, the sound died down, and all that was left was a ringing. All in all, D'espairsRay and Opus Dei put on a spectacular and breathtaking show for anyone, whether they were long time fans or just getting started with that show right there. I enjoyed seeing D'espairsRay, and already cannot wait to see them again. I definitely send my thanks to everyone who made this show possible, and to the fans for believing in the band and buying the tickets. It was a truly unforgettable night with D'espairsRay.

I have seen their tour DVDs quite a few times and I have learned the following: I REALLY need to actually become a member of the audience and see D'espairsRay for myself! Finally, yesterday night allowed me to cross over from fantasizing to standing in Hizumi's, Karyu's, Zero's, and Tsukasa's presences, without a screen separating us. Doors opened at 8PM, I didn't get in around until around 9PM, and the opening act came on around 9:30PM. The opening band Opus Dai was energetic enough and some of their lyrics had that same heartrending feeling that accompanies many D'espa songs. At 10:15 PM, with the opening act long over, a huge tension began to build among the fans, to the point it could be felt since the room temperature suddenly rose. The sound checks going on behind the curtain were just killing us. But shortly after, the curtain rose, displaying the members of D'espairsRay in their full glory! They opened the concert with their newest single Death Point and proceeded to play two songs from their new album Monsters, then two older songs, and alternated in that manner until they reached the end of the show and concluded with three older songs. They, of course, gave us an encore with Trickster, Bullet, and Kamikaze. My only regret was that I haven't bought Monsters yet so there were few of the new songs I could name and the others I only recognized by sound. A lot of my favorite songs were not played, yet I can only call that refreshing since I had not heard some of the other songs live before, like Bullet or Infection. When I thought about their song choices, D'espairsRay did an excellent job. They chose songs that they audience could participate in, such as Redeemer and Hollow, and the response received was more than enthusiastic. In a way, it is good that they stayed away from the slower, darker songs because there did seem to be a bit of a problem with the sound system and Hizumi's microphone was not loud enough at times, so I could barely hear him when he was hitting high notes. That was the only flaw I found, but even then it was not enough to ruin my experience of the show. Thank you, thank you D'espairsRay for coming to LA and I want to see you again very soon! Also, thank you to Hizumi who performed most of the concert with his shirt off (just like in the DVDs :D).

The Japanese rock band, D'espairsray, played an amazing performance. There skills and great stage presence made the whole experience a blast. They seemed to have an unlimited amount of energy, and had a warm feeling towards the audience, and didn't mind being touched, haha. I loved how they really got into each song, which really helped the beat, and the whole overall feeling of the performance. This was my first time seeing them live, and I can t wait to see them again!

The sound kind of sucked (signs point to the sound crew) but D'espairsRay was super awesome! I can't wait to see them again!