Everything Λucifer / Aucifer / Lucifer / リュシフェル

An English translation of a live report by VISUAL goes JAPAN. Sorry for the delay — for me and my (low) level of Japanese, this was a tough one to translate. Sorry for the lines that sound weird. By the way, VISUAL goes Japan also did an interview with Makoto. Look out for the translation of that soon.

August 2010.
After a hiatus of around 7 years and 7 months, Λucifer returned to the live stage.

The tour entitled “10th Anniversary Live Tour ‐Rinne‐” spanning from 08/25 at Osaka, followed by Nagoya on the 26th, and finally 8/31 and 9/1 at the jam-packed Tokyo Akasaka BLITZ, gave them the chance to pull off a glowing comeback. The tour title meaning “endless cycle of death and rebirth” represents the connection between the members and how even after several years have passed, they will without fail stand on the same stage again. And so, to make that title live up to its name, Akasaka BLITZ was overflowing with dedicated fans on both days as everyone came to feel an affinity with the band and enjoy this timeslip to the past.

At 19:07 as the lights went out, the whole stage was veiled by a thin curtain. One by one, past clips and the members’ pictures were projected onto the curtain as the venue erupted into loud cheers.

“Let’s go, Tokyo!!“

MAKOTO’s voice resounded in the venue. Spelling the end for their long hiatus of 7 years and 7 months, the members’ silhouettes could be seen behind the thin curtain…

MAKOTO: “We’re back, Tokyo! Today the five of us will go all-out! Λucifer will play with all its love, so you guys, too, send all your love to the stage!” =One song after the other, the venue was filled with loud cheers. During “DUMMY“, MAKOTO, carrying a bouquet of roses, handed them out one by one to fans from the stage, and the fans who were lucky enough to get one contributed to the live visuals by swinging them from left to right. “After 7 years, Λucifer is back! Are you all doing fine?” That question by MAKOTO was followed by shouts of “Welcome back!!” and “We’re fine!!” from the fans. “What do you think, ATSURO, my comrade?” With that he passed the baton to guitarist ATSURO.

“Comrade?!” he laughed. “Are you all good? Are you excited? Was that alright just now? Oh man, I was so nervous I thought I was gonna pass out, so I messed up!” That nice guy personality from ATSURO threw down the fans like dominoes, as they were shouting “Don’t worry about it!“

As MAKOTO said “If anything happens, I’ll save you, my beloved fans“, ATSURO responded without a moment’s delay to change the subject: “Ooh, like I thought, it sure does feel different today with the cameras here.” Everyone bursted into laughs. MAKOTO, laughing and saying “It might ruin my character a bit saying this, but we’re finally back. In more ways than one, we’re back!” the venue again laughed as they were shouting “Welcome back～!” MAKOTO, jokingly showing his datenshi persona once in a while: “The fallen angel’s swooped back down again from above. One by one, I’d like to present your hearts with a kiss.“

As for the prince YUKI, he’d become a lot more assertive in his MC’s compared to seven years ago. What actually caused this was his mother coming to see the Osaka performance and later mailing him, saying “To make the fans excuse you for that singing, you too need to at least talk more.” MAKOTO praised him for having become more talkative because of his mother’s request.

TOWA, bass, revealed to have become anxious after he saw a dream with just 20 people showing up for the revival live. But in reality, seeing this many people actually come to the live made him really glad and delighted. When he asked “How many of you have been coming to our lives ever since back then?” and around 90% of the audience raised their hands, among them some parent and child fans standing out as well, you could really feel how deep-rooted everyone’s love for Λucifer was.

SANTA on drums made everyone laugh by saying “I’m glad we could have everyone gather here like this before our ‘best before’ date expired.“

With the warm, enthusiastic reception of the crowd, the band getting back on stage after 7 years and 7 months really felt like a homecoming. Not resting even for a minute, with each passing song the fans relentlessly cheered and moved around to show support for the band.

MAKOTO: “I wonder if I could get you guys to sing with me? You guys are seriously nuts! You being here makes all of us members happy!” With that, they began the last song of the main set “Midnight Crow” with the audience singing along loudly. During the encore… “Seeing a piano, doesn’t it remind you of something? We’ll be doing this one again for the first time in 10 years.” With that, they kicked off into the ballad “Dakishimeru Hoka ni Nani ga Dekirun darou?” as ATSURO played the keyboard for the intro, drawing applause from fans.

“Thank you very much for coming in such large numbers today. From here on, too, in times of difficulty, times of sadness, times of joy, Λucifer will always be beside you all.” With that, they kicked off into “See You.” MAKOTO, who was always cheerful and happily chatting with fans during this tour, now had tears flooding his eyes.

To the sound of that melody resounding in the venue, the fans sang the song in MAKOTO’s stead.

The performance having ended, TOWA said: “With this tour, it really felt like we’d obtained a time machine. I don’t mean that as a time machine made by people, I mean that as in a time machine made by everyones’ hearts. ‘Rinne’ means the ‘endless cycle of death and rebirth’ — we were born again as Λucifer, and you, too, came here to see us again. We used the word ‘reformation’, but this time we’re not ‘breaking up’ again. I’d rather strongly prefer to use the word ‘frozen’. The five of us were able to get together and with time, I’m sure we’ll be able to muster up the strength needed to do it again. So until that time comes, I’d like you to watch over our individual activities.“

SANTA: “It’d be nice if this became a band that crosses generations, one that even after 10 years from now, you fans would come see again with your children.”
ATSURO: “The fans having come together with the band like this, it felt like 1 + 1 didn’t equal to 2, but more like 83%.” (Note: …your guess is as good as mine!)
YUKI, explaining what Λucifer and its fans meant to him, said: “Having set the laying foundations for me to become the way I am today, Λucifer’s existence is very important to me.”
MAKOTO: “From now on, too, please support Λucifer who are working hard towards our individual dreams!” With that, Λucifer finished off with their signature song, “Datenshi BLUE.”

Until when might this “frozen” status last?
There’s no mistaking it that TOWA certainly chose those words to imply that sooner or later, the day will come. It seems that for 7 years and 7 months, the fans never stopped waiting for the band. No matter when the day of their next revival is, the warm bonds between the members and the fans will forever remain unchanged. That’s the kind of stage Λucifer had that night.

Here’s a fantastic, heartfelt report of Λucifer’s recent live at Bangkok, Thailand, contributed by reader HoTaRu. Thanks so much for doing it, miss! 🙂

I have been doing a little (well a lot) of reading lately on blogs, links and fan sites about /\ucifer and I was amazed at how their legacy lives on even after years have passed. New and younger generation have come to know and love them and their previous fans still adore them. For me, this is just one legendary band and I do hope they can create more music still. Almost everyone in their blogs, write-ups and fan sites are actually looking forward for new songs and new album from this group and every generation who comes to know them becomes hooked with them.

I for one have been hooked the moment I heard their music. I came to know of the band by the time they were already disbanded. I love manga and anime. One of my favorites is the manga by Mayu – Kaikan Phrase. The first song of the band that I heard was “TSUBASA” and I was really captivated by their melody and the vocalist’s voice…listening to the song altogether gave me a wonderful feeling, . The song also lead me to knowing that my favorite manga has an anime version and that a real band was formed based on this anime with members Santa, Towa, Atsuro and Yuki adopting the same name except for their vocalist Makoto. I dig the anime and the band that I really hoped I got to watch their live performances and was saddened at the thought that I got to know of them when they already disbanded… but hey, it did not change the fact that they are still are my all time favorite.

~ /\ucifer 10th anniversary celebration

When I heard that they will have a 10th anniversary reunion, I was so happy that I wished “if I would only be given an opportunity to watch them perform live, I would surely grab it without second thoughts” haha! (addicited?) I was so excited when their site opened but was a bit disappointed because their only performances were in Japan. I was still happy for their short comeback though. Few weeks later, they opened additional performance but still in Tokyo…phew…no chance still. Then came July…the day before my birthday, I opened their site and was shocked to see a press conference of /\ucifer LIVE IN THAILAND! *opportunity yay!* Came my birthday… it was my one special wish… “fly to Thailand to watch /\ucifer perform live”. LOL! I booked my concert tickets a week after the booking site opened. I booked them even before I booked my plane and hotel tickets! hahaha!

First time in a foreign country, first time seeing /\ucifer live and waiting for the day of the concert gave me anxious and excited feelings. Good thing, before I flew to Thailand, I get to meet an online friend who has greatly helped me get through almost every /\ucifer event but…. that would be another adventure to tell hahaha!!

rock on /\ucifer! \m/(>.<)\m/

It was already more than a month ago, September 25, 2010, one memorable day for me, the day of the concert. I never thought that the seats I got for me and my friend were really close to the center stage! о(ж＞▽＜)ｙ☆ ♫ Lucky! LOL! The crowd then in the stadium began to get thicker as the time to begin the concert proper is nearing. Cameras were not allowed, but you can see camera phones everywhere. Cute! I can really feel the excitement among the crowd.

~ this is how close we are to the stage haha!! didn’t expect it to be this close lol!

The lights went dim, the sound of LEGEND with the VTR flashback came up and you can hear the screams in the air. Then one by one the members entered the stage as their names flash on the big screens – SANTA, TOWA, ATSURO, YUKI AND MAKOTO – I was also shouting my lungs out because if I don’t, my heart might jump off my chest due to too much excitement. This has been my most awaited moment. A dream come true! Seeing them in front of me right now I don’t know if I should scream or I should cry… I choose to scream instead! LOL!

Then Makoto’s voice floated in the air, a bit modulated and round compared to his singing voice before, but still perfect to my ears.

The lights turned up at the stage – DATENSHI BLUE, the song that the band is most known for rang in the air. That melody and that voice I so admired so much which I only heard in videos and MP3 formats has now come to LIFE! “kyaaa!” Smooth voice… sweet melody… it was MY DREAM COMING TO LIFE RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME! OMG!! I think I’m gonna faint! LOL!! I know I was not the only one feeling this as I can hear the screams in the crowd, but my ears went deaf to that noise and focused on that wonderful melody which these 5 amazing guys is creating. Exhilirating and exciting!

Next up, CARNATION CRIME, then FURERU MAGMA where Makoto scoot down in front of the stage to greet the fans and did a little sensual dance which made the crowd shout even louder. In between songs, Makoto shouts in English “ARE YOU READY! which is totally cute (^^) Then everyone enthusiastically replied “yeah!!”

It was non-stop music and I can really feel the intensity in their songs. Then even louder screams from fan girls, well including me, can be heard in the stadium when Makoto pulled out a bouquet of red roses while singing DUMMY from the side of the stage and began throwing them to the waiting fan girls! Uwa~ *giggles*  I was about to grab a rose that was about to fall into my hands when the girl beside me leaped in front of me, whoa (Oo)! Shock! She made me miss my chance T^T and I was totally disappointed. But then, I heard louder screams and when I looked up to see why…there was another bunch… waa!! But this time, I really didn’t hope I could still get one so I just enjoyed listening to the song when suddenly … he threw the whole bunch and a beautiful red rose fell right into my hand!! OMG! ‎(ж＞▽＜)ｙ ☆ I’m the luckiest person alive now to be able to get a rose from my most adored vocalist uwa! ‎What a treasure I could bring home! hahaha!! I LOVE YOU MAKOTO! (ж＞▽＜)ｙ ☆

Then after that, each of them gave their greetings. I can’t understand everything since it was spoken in Thai, but I can see from the fans’ reactions that they are enjoying each members introduction and greetings. First up was Towa, then Santa, then Yuki (which has the longest cheat cheats) haha! Makoto’s intro was short but still charming haha! Atsuro’s voice was quite hoarse though as he had been sick for quite sometime but still all good. I totally love all of them with their cute expressions while giving their best in greeting their fans in Thai.

One thing that is different in this performance though, you can see the guys enjoying and taking the time of their lives playing their songs. Yuki did a guitar solo which is totally totally AMAZING! Makoto singing eyes closed while lying down on the stage floor and focused by a camera and only seen on the wide screens made the crowd totally scream that I think my eardrums would break! lol!!!

Another one very memorable thing is seeing Makoto tease his band mates. He kissed Atsuro on the cheeks!! kyaaaaa (ж＞▽＜)ｙ ☆ then he kissed Yuki too! uwa~ so adorable! (me too! me too! hahaha!) ~(ж＞▽＜)ｙ ☆ It was to die for… those moments of seeing these guys fool around. hahaha! Ok…Makoto’s next target… TOWA…(LOL!) I can still picture vividly Towa’s face wincing while trying to avoid Makoto’s smooch! At one time Towa took the middle stage but was backing up while Makoto is trying to move towards him like telling him “don’t you dare Makoto” …hahahahahahhaha!!! Makoto is totally one of a kind! woooo!!!! LOL!

Okay for the songs, recalling them one by one, in between FURERU MAGMA and DUMMY in the first set, they had PLASMAGIC and JEALOUSY. After the greetings and introductions, they sang TSUBASA! Weeee! Well I totally screamed and sang with them because it is my all time favorite song, a very memorable song, a very special song haha! Then they sang TOKYO ILLUSION. And my heart melted when LOVE AND PAIN and SHOOTING STAR (another favorite) was played for a slower mood. Totally AWESOME! For a faster beat, ORANGE, JUNK CITY and C NO BINETSU. All the members are totally having fun! Yuki and Atsuro would go up front and so is TOWA and just jam. You see them dance along, and they are like partying along with their music. hahahaha! Also, as I can recall after C no Binetsu,  Makoto was about to give his message for his Thai fans and while everyone was silent waiting for Makoto to speak, one of the guy audience called out “MAKOTO!!” and everyone burst into laughter as Makoto waved both his arms at the guy fan and everyone went screaming and laughing. LOL!! Ok, his message as I read (with translator tool haha!) from one of my source sites goes something like “I am delighted that the people did not forget /\ucifer (Ryushiferu). Thank you for the concert. I love you (phom rak khun)” hahahaha! I do hope it was the right message ‘coz I only understood the “phom ra khun” part. lol!!

Continuing with the songs, they had LUCY, EGOVISION and POKER FACE. For closing the first set, they had LABYRINTH and ended with the song MIDNIGHT CROW then they went backstage. A few seconds later, the crowd’s voice calling out for /\ucifer grew louder and louder and went into a total scream when the boys came out again for another set starting with the song REGRET then CASTAWAYS and another one of my most loved song SEE YOU, the song which totally made me cry the first time I heard it. *sniff* Seeing this song in YouTube, you can feel the sadness and longingness of this song. But there is this different feeling when Makoto sang this song during the concert. It was not sadness that you can feel in his voice.

There was a hint of happiness, of gladness and you can see that smile in his face. The audience were also singing this song and there is gladness in seeing /\ucifer back on stage live. It gave me goosebumps… It made me feel warm inside… feeling that this band is still loved by everyone despite the times that had passed. So beautiful. The atmosphere inside the stadium is full of love for /\ucifer and so are the members to their fans. *gets teary eyed again* haha!

Makoto’s voice never faded, the sound of that voice after how many songs is still powerful, it’s still soothing. And the melody, all the others played is so alive and upbeat. It’s like you can hear their heartbeat with every music they create. Be it slow or fast tempo, this band is taking you to a different level of excitement song after song.

For the last encore, they sang DATENSHI BLUE. To everyone’s surprise, MAKOTO finally got to kiss the unknowing TOWA. hahahahahahha!! ICHIBAN!! LOL!

Before they totally leave the stage. Each of the members congratulated and hugged each other and you can see happiness in their faces, trying to hold back the emotions that’s overtaking them with the end of the tour. Makoto called the staff that contributed to the success of the tour. Then he suggested a photo-up with the audience. The instructions are in Thai but I believe what Makoto wanted the audience to do was when he shouts “DATENSHI” everyone should shout “BLUE” hahahaha! It was one of the happiest part of the concert. Everyone scrammed to get in the middle to be able to take part in the picture taking. They took three shots with everyone shouting “DATENSHI BLUE!”. In the last shot, Makoto said “chotto” and faced the audience with a smile and said “SMILE?” then everyone burst into laughter. Everyone cheered and the final shot was taken. The Makoto again instructed for everyone to hold hands and at the count of three… everyone jumped their highest JUMP! LOL!! After that everyone waved goodbye.

~ the final JUMP to commemorate the end of the concert together with the fans…yay!! Tanoshii desu! ≧(´▽｀)≦ ~ ♥☆ minna OMEDETOU GOZAIMASU! ♥♥ I WILL TOTALLY MISS THIS BAND ~♥♥

YUKI took off his shirt and threw it to the crowd.. kyaaa!!! Atsuro and Towa threw their remaining picks and Santa threw his drumsticks at the crowd and Makoto threw some of the water bottles (What the! hahahahaha!!) well I think everyone was expecting him to throw his shirt too but sadly… he did not. LOL!!!

Everyone cheered and shouted “RYUSHIFERU” and I can feel everyones heart even mine beating so loudly, never ever wanting the performance to end…. never wanting Ryushiferu’s performance to end. I want to cry but was holding back my tears. The reason was because I was so so so happy and blessed that I get to see my favorite band perform live for the first time and  because I never wanted this band to depart, never wanting them to stop creating such wonderful music. Everyone is still hoping they make a comeback, make a new album, create new wonderful songs. It’s really amazing to see… but still…. it has to END. My heart hurts but my heart goes to all of them… each of them will be back to their own world, their own performances… and all we can do is support them individually…. but their songs and the name /\ucifer (Ryushiferu) will live on… in the minds and hearts of their fans… and the generations to come.

And for me…. UNFORGETTABLE… FOREVER…

I LOVE YOU /\UCIFER! You will always be my NO. 1. Zutto… zutto… \m/(>.<)\m/

♥ memorabilia of my adventure ♥

after-concert photo with the adorable /\ucifer vocalist Makoto *lucky*

Thanks again to HoTaRu! Finally, check out this awesome video of See You from the show.

Shinsaibashi CLUB QUATTRO in Osaka, the venue where Λucifer played their first ever show in 1999 — as well as their first reunion show in August 2010 — is closing down its doors for good.

From tokyohive:

To the disappointment of music fans everywhere, Osaka’s Shinsaibashi live house CLUB QUATTRO, will be closing its doors in September of 2011.

The decision to close the live house came from the condition of the buildings in the area.  The main building of the Shinsaibashi district, Shinsaibashi PARCO, was built back in 1972 and has been slowly aging and wearing down over the past four decades.  The owners of the building have been considering tearing it down and rebuilding, and with the leases expiring in September of 2011 the timing finally seemed right.

…

Shinsaibashi’s CLUB QUATTRO was one of the three original QUATTRO clubs to open across Japan in May of 1991.  Since then, the intimate 650 person club has been host to a variety of Japanese and International artists and has become a token gateway for new artists expanding into the national music scene.

PS. New poll on the right! Check it, and notice that you can add your own poll choice.

Selection of Atsuro’s tweets

• After the lives were finished, I’ve been in a daze. I forgot about twitter… reminds me of way back, when I once completely burned myself out at a school festival and didn’t go for a week… Sep 7th
• Today’s Λucifer’s rehearsal and I was wondering how everyone already knew about it. Then I figured it must be the fault of this guitarist companion in front of me!!♪( ´▽｀) — Sep 9th
• I want to update my blog, too, but I’m busy so I keep putting it off… on that point Twitter is simpler♪ During Λucifer’s time, I did my best with SMS. There’s a stronger sense of closeness now. — Sep 10th
• Also, today marks Λucifel’s (sic) debut day! We’re breaking into our 11th year. I’m grateful to everyone who still keeps supporting us!! — Sep 15th
• Hosoki Kazuko tells me that on our 11th year we should rename the band Aucifel (^^;; — Sep 15th
• Of course, the band’s name is “Λucifer”! Sorry sorry～! — Sep 15th
• The offer this time, starting tomorrow: Quarter Pounder for ¥200♪───Ｏ（≧∇≦）Ｏ────♪ — Sep 16th
• As I thought, as per all your wishes, starting tomorrow I’ll be attempting a consecutive Quarter Pounder record…? — Sep 16th
• For now, I’ll be having a Quarter Pounder tomorrow. There’s only one in a set so I’ll be alright～☆ — Sep 16th
• Since I didn’t have time to have one during the rehearsals, I’m having a Quarter Pounder now after leaving the studio… delicious☆ — Sep 17th

• After rehearsal, I’m at Maru-Kin Ramen with Towa and Uecchi for the first time in a while. We’re all having seconds♪( ´▽｀) — Sep 17th

• Today I don’t feel like eating that… — Sep 18th
• I’ll skip the Quarter Pounder today～! — Sep 18th
• Today it’s this! A hamburger steak from a neighborhood Western style restaurant is good no matter where you get it eh～☆ — Sep 18th

• I’m getting a haircut & coloring now. Having my beloved Premium Malt’s while I do (^з^)-☆ — Sep 19th

• After the haircut, I found a new hiding place! — Sep 19th

• Good morning～☆ Sure is hot eh (>_<) There’s lots of things I have to do today so I’ll eat this to get a lot of power ＼(^o^)／ — Sep 22nd

• That’s the one. A Quarter Pounder～☆ I wonder why you can’t see it in the picture～? I saw it in there though… But it’s not an important picture anyway σ(^_^;) — Sep 22nd
• I have a feeling I won’t be able to eat those from tomorrow onwards, so I went ahead and had sushi today. From tomorrow onwards it’s just going to be stomach medicine and spicy food. Last time me and YUKI-chan had tom yum goong every day so I’m prepared for that this time, too～☆ — Sep 22nd
• Heading towards Narita now after just one hour of sleep… I predict I’ll be sleeping like a baby on the plane σ(^_^;) — Sep 23rd
• South wing now～☆ A different version than YUKI-chan’s picture (^_-) — Sep 23rd

• Having mango juice. YUKI-chan is drinking root beer ψ(｀∇´)ψ — Sep 23rd

• TOWA is coming separately so don’t worry～☆ — Sep 23rd
• There’s lots of rain… will we be able to take off safely?! — Sep 23rd

• This is our plane. I’m actually very weak at taking offs and landings… — Sep 23rd

• Our take off was one and a half hours late but we’ve arrived safely! Now at a seafood restaurant. As expected, authentic Thai food is really good☆ But spicy (>_<) — Sep 23rd

• My throat is sore (>_<) I brought lots of stomach medicine but… my stomach is just fine (lol) So my body is used to that part of Thailand huh ψ(｀∇´)ψ — Sep 24th
• At a Thai idol shop, there was a 10th anniversary celebratory handmade poster! The dearly missed redhead ATSURO-san σ(^_^;) — Sep 24th

• Press conference soon! — Sep 24th

• Soundcheck done～! My throat’s gotten worse… swallowing hurts too (>_<) — Sep 25th

• Thai performance over! Somehow I overcame it with fighting spirit☆ — Sep 25th
• Thanks for all the “good work” messages～☆ — Sep 25th
• I came back to the hotel without taking part in the wrap-up party. It sucks, too, since I wanted to drink with everyone (>_<) Have to take care of my body… — Sep 25th
• I got hungry because of this and that so I ordered my loved pad thai from the room service. Some seriously delicious stuff! — Sep 25th

• My voice won’t come out so I’ll drink medicine and lie down～☆ — Sep 25th
• Preparing for the Thai fan meeting. My voice is raspy so I sound like Kenji Oshima (lol) — Sep 26th
• Even though I have some off-time in Thailand, I’m just feeling under the weather at the hotel… Even though I want to eat spicy food and drink Singha beer until sunbreak (>_<) — Sep 27th
• Since I don’t have anything but stomach medicine, I’ve received lots of throat medicine from the staff & Makoto☆ — Sep 27th
• Let’s read a book. Lately I’ve been too busy to read a book… Keigo Higashino — Sep 27th

• Watching F1 Singapore GP’s rebroadcast. All of a sudden, the safety car! This SC sure is cool☆ I know how the race ends but I’m still watching (lol) — Sep 27th

• My condition was taking a turn for the better but at night I couldn’t stop coughing so I hardly got any sleep (>_<) Today we’re gathering some additional footage so I’ll be doing my best～☆ — Sep 28th
• As we’re doing a photoshoot with Makoto & YUKI & ATSURO for an article, this person is drinking. A foreign celeb! — Sep 28th

• @Lucifer_nuch posted this picture in reply to the above tweet.

• At Santa now (lol) — Sep 28th

• Returning to Japan today. YUKI-sama’s completely wasted (lol) — Sep 28th
• Arrived in Narita～! The air is clean☆ Feels nice to my throat (^ ^) Once I get home, I’ll stop by the hospital… — Sep 29th
• Sky Tree under construction☆ Saw it from the Express! — Sep 29th

• Went to the hospital. As the doctor was taking a look, he said “This is bad～” — Sep 29th
• They put a scope in through my nose and my tear glands wouldn’t stop watering. That’s pretty crazy… “I’m inserting it all the way to the lung～” — Sep 29th
• “This could turn into pneumonia～” “But my body feels fine though…” “That’s because you’re young. An older person would collapse” — Sep 29th
• “I’m prescribing you with some pretty strong antibiotics～. Complete bed rest!!” and with that, I’ll be taking it easy for a while (^_-) Everyone, sorry to have troubled you and made you worry m(_ _)m — Sep 29th

Selection of Yuki’s tweets

• I went to see Acid Black Cherry at Yokohama Arena. It was my first time seeing a full size live from them so I was really moved. It’s risky for my tear glands to think about the QED tour. I’m glad to have seen yasu’s comeback live. Good work to all the members, too～(o^_^o) — Sep 6th
• Morning (*^_^*) Today’s Λucifer’s Thai rehearsal. I’m glad (the weather) this morning is cool (^o^) The studio is really cold. By the way, my air conditioner isn’t fixed yet (T^T) — Sep 9th
• Returned from the rehearsal. I’m really really glad it’s not that hot～ (lol) But doing the application for a Visa is such a pain in the ass (T^T) After this I’ll write music for the sake of tomorrow’s recording. Seems like it’ll be a long day tomorrow, too — Sep 9th
• Phew, I wrote some music～(*^_^*) An 8-minute song with no repeats is difficult (>_<) (Note: …8-minute song with no repeats? Just what band is this?! Rayflower? I need to hear this!) I’ll take a shower and go to sleep… — Sep 9th
• Morning (*^_^*) Finished setting up at the recording studio (^o^) But I’m tired (T^T) — Sep 10th
• I’m secluded by myself in the acoustic guitar booth but I really need to go to the toilet (@_@) — Sep 10th
• Came back from recording. Practicing for the fanclub event in Osaka the day after tomorrow and making guitar parts for the next recording session. I’ll hold out a little longer (^o^) My cooler will get swapped Wednesday (>_<) It’s noisy so I closed the window, and now it’s like a real sauna. — Sep 10th
• Finished preparing for tomorrow’s recording session～(*^_^*) A 10-minute song and a 9-minute song, looks like it’ll be a long one. Tired today. Gonna sle～ep (-_-)zzz — Sep 12th
• Finished with one of the songs just now (^o^) I’m concentrating on doing arpeggios on a gut guitar. Starting on the second song now. — Sep 13th
• Recording’s finally ended. Did some ultra high speed harmonies which felt really good (^o^) That’s prog for you eh. Ah～ Tired～. Sleep (-_-)zzz Night. — Sep 14th
• Morning. Today’s the day I get my new cooler, as well as Rayflower’s mini-album’s release. I also have a DUSTAR-3 event. And it’s really cold… what the heck’s this… — Sep 15th
• DUSTAR-3’s event is over (^o^) Really happy to see so many people seem to be listening to Rayflower. It was also Λucifer’s 11th anniversary. Thank you for the congratulatory messages (^o^) — Sep 15th
• A DUSTAR-3 event today, too. Gotta fix my hair. — Sep 16th
• Today’s the last rehearsal for Λucifer’s Thai performance. — Sep 17th
• Atsuro’s reply to above tweet: Done with setting up! Let’s work hard at the rehearsal～☆ — Sep 17th
• Yuki’s reply to above tweet: Let’s start early. — Sep 17th
• In the middle of recording. Today’s a 10-minute song (^o^) I’m in a spacious booth by myself, feels quite lonely. — Sep 20th
• Still recordi～ng. But the song a long one (+_+) Battling with the high speed harmonies. — Sep 20th
• Mornin’. After this I’ll go make my YUKI-model ear monitors. — Sep 21st
• Atsuro’s reply to above tweet: Good to hear the ear monitor troops are increasing! If you have any problems, do get in touch～☆(^_-) — Sep 21st
• Yuki’s reply to above tweet: Thanks. It takes some time to get used to them eh (+_+) I’d rather not use them if possible but if the venue’s really large, they’re kinda necessary right (^o^) — Sep 21st
• They measured my ear shape (^o^) The last time I just got it over with quickly, but this time I got a properly fitted one (*^_^*) Looking forward to when it’s finished. — Sep 21st
• Arrived in Narita (^o^) Ended up not sleeping a wink. The airport procedures sure are bothersome eh. Had to take off a lot of stuff at the metal detector. — Sep 23rd
• Well then～～YUKI～～heading off to Thailand～(*^_^*) — Sep 23rd

• Arrived in Thailand (^o^) Happy about the fans who were there welcoming us at the airport (*^_^*) — Sep 23rd
• Arrived in Thailand. Enjoyed Thai food to the fullest. Press conference tomorrow. — Sep 23rd
• Morning. Having breakfast right now. It’s a good way to wake up. — Sep 24th
• I’m going to do a little bit of shopping. — Sep 24th
• Had lunch and now I’m taking it easy. I didn’t leave the house yet as I’m hiding from the hotness indoors. By the way, the cooler in the room has 10 different settings, but why? Because it’s a hot country? (lol) The person in front of me is drinking beer. I feel like drinking too. I want to have a morning beer. — Sep 24th
• Press conference over (^o^) A lot of people were there. Though we did it in the open air, it was still hot～(+_+) After doing this article for a column, we’ll do a rehearsal for tomorrow’s live. — Sep 24th
• Rehearsal done (^o^) It was a long day. Tomorrow’s the live. I’ll drink beer, too (^-^)v — Sep 24th
• Morning. Ate lunch and I’m heading towards the venue. It’s Λucifer’s last. Right now I’m still relaxing. — Sep 25th
• Arrived at the venue. It’s a big hall. Doing rehearsal with high spirits～ — Sep 25th
• Morning. The live ended and I got to drank delicious alcohol, a Thai beer called Singha. There’s no alcohol left but there’s still that feeling of wanting to drink after a live. Heading off to the fan meeting. — Sep 26th
• Morning. Yesterday we did a final wrap-up party with all the staff. During the party there was a lot of thunder and rain. I might’ve drank a little bit too much (lol) Mai-Maow! — Sep 27th
• Arrived in Pattaya (^-^)v We got on the statue and shot some guns, too. Having lunch right now (*^_^*) Mai-maow means “I’m not drunk!” (^o^) — Sep 27th
• Returned to the hotel. The weather in Thailand right now is cool, but I’m sweating because of green curry, tom yum goong and other super spicy foods. It was delicious. — Sep 27th
• Mornin’ (^o^) I’ve returned to Japan. Ahh, it was truly enjoyable～(*^_^*) Well, I’m completely exhausted though (lol) Thank you very much to all the Thais, too. — Sep 29th
• Arrived at my house. When you get back to your home after a while, you can clearly sense the smell of your home. The smell of sweet osmanthus also calms me down. It’s Autumn, eh. By the way, I’m not completely wasted (-｡-)y-ﾟﾟﾟ Just a little bit tipsy (lol) — Sep 29th

As a sort of follow-up to all the members constantly talking about alcohol on their blogs/twitters, check on the right for a new poll! Notice that you can add your own poll choice.

Λucifer comeback live!!

I went! Λucifer’s comeback live in Akasaka BLITZ!!!
They started off with Datenshi BLUE!!
From the very start my excitement level was at its peak!
Although I thought I might be moved to tears from the nostalgia,
something surprising happened!! I didn’t feel nostalgic at all! (lol)
It felt like we’d jumped 10 years back in time,
Like “Hmm, I wonder around how many months is it since the last tour?”
I was watching the live with that kind of mindset! It was really strange.
Later, TOWA said in an MC that he felt the same way.
There’s just one thing that was different: the members’ skill levels respectively had all gone up!
At any rate, thanks to playing music in all kinds of styles, the members were already very skillful 10 years ago, but this time they’d gotten so much better, I was actually surprised!
They all played freely and enjoyed the show.
I think they were able to convey that to the fans, too.
Also, the MC’s were funny!!
In those days, Λucifer had an image to keep up with,
and they couldn’t hurt that image back then.
Now they don’t have that kind of an obligation anymore, so
YUKI was speaking in Kansai-ben, Akkun was an airhead,
MAKOTO-kun was making dirty jokes, TOWA was speaking like a bank employee (lol)
And San-chan was… yeah, San-chan’s MC’s hadn’t changed. (lol)
The selection of songs, too, was just filled with ones I love.
When they played the song I absolutely wanted them to play no matter what, Midnight Crow,
I got goosebumps!!
I love that guitar solo in the latter part.
Though I was in the 2nd floor center, wh-wh-what!!!
Somehow a pick from the famous Akkun flew to me.
This is the one.

What are the odds!! I was surprised～
They did Egovision, and they did DUMMY, and they did CARNATION CRIME
And C no Binetsu and LUCY and TOKYO Illusion and all my other most loved songs, I probably got to hear them all.
I was really glad!!

As we were watching the encore,
“They’ll definitely do ‘Dakishimeru Hoka ni Nani ga Dekirun darou?’“… is what some fans were thinking
Those fans knew their stuff quite well.
They did play it.
That song was the first one Sakuya sang in the anime.
It’s one that I really love.
There were 3 encores.
They finished with Datenshi BLUE.

The last one they played the time they broke up was Datenshi BLUE then, too～
As I thought, that song is the best.
Mori Yukinojo’s ingenius lyrics that have impact, and
TAKUYA’s catchy composition that you can’t forget once you hear it once.
It’s seriously amazing.

And then, this part of everyone’s youth, this band that I love
The fact that it was born from a manga that I created,
Every time I realize that, I feel I’m the luckiest mangaka in the world.
At the end, TOWA said “We used the word ‘re-formation’ and it won’t end here.
Just, until the next time we meet, Λucifer will be freezing its activites.”
I agree with that.
I’m really looking forward to being able to go to Λucifer’s live again.

I wasn’t able to attend the wrap-up party, but as they were practicing at the venue,
I got to talk to the members a lot.
San-chan… please stop calling me “mama“… (lol)
All these musicians who are still working hard at their craft,
we were able to have a fine reunion and talk a lot!!
It was fun～
Since I couldn’t go to the wrap-up,
It’s too bad I couldn’t meet the staff who have been supporting Λucifer since the beginning…
But, I’ll see them at the next live!
I’m already looking forward to it now!!

Thanks to all of you who greeted me at the venue!
Truly, it was really an awesome live!
Let’s meet again!

Selection of Atsuro’s tweets

• Soundcheck at Nagoya now. — Aug 26th

• In the bullet train. Nagoya’s live was a fun one filled with lots of talk between the members♪ In the olden days there’s no chance we would’ve had MC’s like that～(#^.^#) — Aug 27th
• Back in Tokyo. Playing squash right away☆ — Aug 27th
• At Happy Music now. I’m supporting Shokotan☆ — Aug 27th
• I got picks made for me by ESP. That’s 400 of them!! I throw lots of them away in lives so everyone be sure to catch them☆ — Aug 29th

• I’m abstaining from alcohol today for tomorrow’s live’s sake… — Aug 30th
• Just for today, please let there be no beer commercials… — Aug 30th
• Reply from Yuki to above tweet: Beer, eh(*^_^*) I’ve got some ice cold, -196 Double Grapefruit. Even the naming’s lovely right (lol) Let’s do our best tomorrow～. — Aug 30th
• Reply from Atsuro to above tweet: Stop it with the alcohol talk～(>_<) Let’s work hard tomorrow☆ Today I’ll just go to sleep like this, without drinking～! — Aug 30th
• Because of this and that, my tension got raised and now my stomach hurts… could this be nervousness?! — Aug 31st
• Outside BLITZ now (>_<) — Aug 31st
• Some flowers from Minorin arrived in the dressing room～☆ Thank you～ヾ(＠⌒ー⌒＠)ノ — Aug 31st

• And (she realized it’s) not Dai-chan but ATSURO!! — Aug 31st
• Doing soundcheck. The lighting’s beautiful☆ — Aug 31st
• 40 minutes to go! It’s almost time. Finishing up with the preparations. I’ll do my best～☆ — Aug 31st
• Show’s over. I did my best～☆ — Aug 31st
• I swung my head too much at yesterday’s live so now I’m lightly warming up. – Sep 1st
• My neck getting sore at lives is completely normal, so don’t worry～(^_-) I’ll give it my all today, too!! — Sep 1st
• The dressing room is calm. It doesn’t feel like today’s the finale… — Sep 1st
• Soundcheck over now. I’ll be firing off picks today, too!! — Sep 1st

• Tweet to Yuki: Let’s do our best today, too～☆ (we’re in the same room right now) — Sep 1st
• Reply from Yuki to above tweet: Let’s do our best～(o^_^o) I’m right in front of you (lol) — Sep 1st
• At the wrap-up party now. Tiiired～… I really used up all my power (^-^) — Sep 1st
• Hungover for the first time in a while… Still have a bit of a headache — Sep 2nd
• Thank you for the enormous amount of tweets with your thoughts on the live!! I’m soaking myself in the memories now. They even cured my neck that got sore from swinging my head too much again yesterday (lol) — Sep 2nd

Selection of Yuki’s tweets

• Morning (o^_^o) We’ll be leaving to Nagoya now. Taking it easy in the lounge. — Aug 26th

• Λucifer performance over. We’re all gathered in the lounge, taking it easy. Good work everyone (o^_^o) — Aug 27th
• Photoshoot today for a Western style clothes brand HIDE ROCK Design (o^_^o) Hot today, too… — Aug 28th (Note: picture from HIDE ROCK Design’s blog)

• Though I’m doing a photoshoot, I’m gulping down draught beer (o^_^o) It’s way too hot. — Aug 28th
• Having wine after that beer (o^_^o) I have a live tomorrow but it’s alright. Miyako-san don’t Michael. (Note: …seriously a pun not worth explaining!) — Aug 28th
• Right now, thinking up ideas for a Miyako song on the guitar. (Note: guessing this refers to Rayflower and its leader Miyako Ken’ichi) Came up with a good melody just now (*^_^*) — Aug 30th
• I’ve injured three of my fingers (+_+) Even though I went through the trouble of doing manicure on them. It’d be good if my nails grew a little by tomorrow… — Aug 30th

• About to go on-stage (*^_^*) I got my hair firmly raised up, too (o^_^o) — Aug 31st
• Λucifer live at Akasaka BLITZ over. (o^_^o) It ought to be a sweet send-off, heading towards tomorrow… (*^_^*) — Aug 31st
• Morning (*^_^*) Early wake up baby. I’ll lie down again though. (o^_^o) — Sep 1st
• Reached the venue (^o^) — Sep 1st
• Soundcheck has begun (^o^) — Sep 1st

• This is late, but a huge thank you to everyone who came to see Λucifer. All of the fans and the staff, having you all support us has been a privilege. Please watch over me from now on, too. YUKI — Sep 3rd

Bonus: Mayu Shinjo’s tweets to Yuki and Atsuro about the 09/01 live

• Tweet to Yuki: Good work～!! Sorry, I’m swamped with work so I couldn’t come to the wrap-up party～! But, let’s drink with everyone sometime! You were good at guitar back in the day, too, but you’ve improved so much more!! My ears are ringing now. You have to do a reunion again at my wedding! … Well even though I say that, it’s still going to be who knows how many years until that day… (-。−;) — Sep 1st
• Tweet to Atsuro: Good work today～! The wrap-up party is still going on it seems! Ah!! I want to go, too～～But I’m busy with work～～ Say hi to everyone for me! Thanks for throwing your pick at me today! (￣皿￣) I’ll write about it on my blog～ (⌒▽⌒) Ahaha! (Note: I’ll post a translation of the blog soon) — Sep 1st
• Atsuro’s reply to the above tweet: Thank you for coming yesterday even though you’re busy～☆ It’s too bad we couldn’t go drinking together, but please do your best at work!! As for the pick, I specifically aimed at the second floor seats so it’d get to you♪ Miracle control☆ — Sep 2nd

Towa’s blog 2010/09/09

Rehearsal～

Today it was rehearsals for Λucifer’s performance in Thailand.
Today we also said farewell to the staff who were with us on this tour… really, thank you very much!
Then, I contemplated on it for a long time, but I ended up calming myself with a beer after all.
Ah man, I still love the taste of beer…
Oh, but it’s not like I’m a drunkard or anything…

Santa’s blog 2010/09/09

Heading towards Thailand

The rehearsals for the Thai performance have begun.
Although it was just a while ago, this is the first time everyone’s together again since then, so it took some time to say hello.. (^o^)
It’s been eight days since BLITZ so of course we hadn’t forgotten about each other. That’s a relief (lol)

When the rehearsal ended, we went to have horumon～
I wonder why horumon’s so good..
However, it feels like when you see how it’s made, you absolutely don’t want to eat it anymore. (sweatdrop)

Towa’s blog 2010/09/15

11th anniversary!

‘Tis Λucifer’s debut day today.
Though the Thai performance still remains for the 10th anniversary tour, it’s already the 11th anniversary!
In any case, it’s a joyous day!

Towa’s blog 2010/09/17

Ramen!

Λucifer’s last rehearsal has ended, too!
Then, after rehearsal we had ramen with Akkun and cameraman Uecchi!
Now then, only the Thai performance left!

Santa’s blog 2010/09/18

Heading towards Thailand, continued

As we’re heading towards Thailand, we’ve finished with our last rehearsal ＾＾
Now it’s just…..
Getting to Thailand safely and doing the live～!!!
Today in preparation for the live….
It’s maintenance of the mane (lol)
I cut the sides a little too close than normal!!!!
It should be just right on the day we get to Thailand (lol)

Towa’s blog 2010/09/23

Starting from tomorrow～

From tomorrow I’m going to Thailand～
The other members aside from me landed there safely today.
I had WeiWei’s erhu classroom recital’s rehearsal today, so I’ll be going one day later.
I haven’t been on an airplane alone before, so I’m feeling a little bit uneasy!

Towa’s blog 2010/09/24

So!

For now I’m heading towards Narita Airport!
Narita sure is far…

Towa’s blog 2010/09/24

On this guy

It seems I’ll be getting on this guy.
Well then, I’ll be going now!

Towa’s blog 2010/09/24

Safe!

I’ve arrived in Thailand.
I’m in the car that picked me up but there seems to be lots of traffic!
I’ll be joining up with the other members soon!

Towa’s blog 2010/09/25

Thai kitty cat

Now then, today it’s Λucifer’s reformation live’s last day!
In this picture’s a Thai kitty cat I met by chance while running!
I’ll do my best on this last day!
Best regards to all of you Thai fans!
And the fans in Japan, please cheer us on from there!

Towa’s blog 2010/09/26

It’s over…

Thai performance over!
All the Thais, everyone in Japan who cheered us on, the staff, the members, thank you!
Thanks for the good work!
It’s over…

Towa’s blog 2010/09/26

At Thailand

The fan meeting we had with all the Thai fans is now over, too, which means all our work as Λucifer is done.
Maybe I’ll take it easy for a while…
The picture is the scenery from the hotel.

Towa’s blog 2010/09/27

By airplane…

We took a one-hour flight from Bangkok to Phuket Island!
I’m having a bit of a late, short summer vacation with the company president!
But, it’s pouring down with rain!
When it’s rainy season, it really rains huh…
The evening sky was beautiful when it stopped raining for a bit…

Towa’s blog 2010/09/28

The best!

The weather today isn’t perfect, but it’s quite alright!
The hotel is only a 5-second walk away from the sea, so I’m at the beach now～ (Note: This is a pun. Towa’s radio show is called “Umi Made Toho 5fun” (“A 5-minute walk to the beach“). Here he says “Umi Made Toho 5byou” (“A 5-second walk to the beach“).)

Towa’s blog 2010/09/29

Goodbye Thailand

I’m departing from Thailand.
Goodbye, Thailand.
Thank you, Thailand!

Santa’s blog 2010/09/29

Λucifer Thailand performance

Λucifer’s 10th anniversary commemoration reunion domestic tour took place in August on the Osaka, Nagoya, Akasaka area.
At last, the Thai performance has also finished.
I’m presenting you with a picture diary of Thailand.. (lol)

1st day

Finally, we got inside the plane headed to Thailand… we were on the runway…
But…
Because of strong winds, we had to wait inside the plane for an hour and a half…. (sweatdrop)
Seriously…. I had a hard time keeping calm and was about to chicken out during that time….

Arrival to Thailand～ As we were in the car, I got excited for a bit (lol)

The next day’s newspaper↓ Nestor… is leading!! (lol) (Note: absolutely no idea who this guy is…)
It’s the same kind of thing when Hollywood stars or something come to Japan but～
When standing side by side with Nestor… he definitely stands out more (lol)

2nd day

An event at the side of a shopping center!!!!!
It looked like there were maybe a little less than 1000 people there～…. A lot of people came to see us.

TOWA joined up with us just before this.

After an event there was a press conference～

Lots of cameras, too＾＾

After that, we had a rehearsal at the the venue at around 12 o’clock (2 o’clock Japan time)

3rd day
Finally, the live!!!!!!!!
First… a rehearsal↓

The venue was… kind of like a little martial arts hall.

The sound engineer Takama who’s been with Λucifer since we were active gave us a nice sound today, too.
I’m really glad he wasn’t busy with GLAY this time～～..

3rd day

Fan meeting～～～～～～～

And then an interview for the photobook!!!

Wrap-up partyー～～～～～～～～～～!!!
We received delicious beer from SHINGHA.

With all the bodyguards who protected me during this trip!!!!!!!!! (lol)

Translation of text in the photo: Photo by Uecchi!! As expected of a pro! Although it’s a cheap camera, I got this kind of a result (lol)

And then we returned to Japan～～～～～～～～～～～～～

Arrival in Japan～～!!
Got together immediately with the Miliyah team ＾＾
Didn’t even have time to change clothes… sorry for wearing the same attire (lol)

OK, here’s some photos from the Thai show~~

You can see more pictures from these two galleries at J-Channel official website:

Gallery 1

Gallery 2