Oh my gods...Yesterday was so incredible I'm still in shock!You guessed it, the day of Sugoicon, and the D'espairs Ray concert. And I'm here to give a reprt of my stay -o^
At the con:
Hana spent the night at my house and we got up around 5:55 to get ready to go. We looked awesome, lol, I was very pleased.
I'll try to get a pic up when the people who had cameras get them developed. But until then here is a lil description of my outfit:
I was wearing a black tank top with a white, collared button-up shirt over it (unbottoned and loose). I was also wearing a black pleated skirt that Hana-chan and I had "altered" the night before the con. We had cut it shorter, so it was to my knees, then put alterations of different purple lace around the bottom, and ripped it up. We also put some of the kind of stiff, see-trough fabric underneath it in triangular shreds. I wore black and white striped socks and my 6-inch tall platform hooker boots. And my hair had black and white downward-hanging spikes on the right side and big white and black yarn hairfalls on the left side. Oh yes, and whitish lipstick. ^__^
We got there around 10:00, Dolly, Jen, Katie, and Bunra were already there.
For the first few hours, until about 1 o'clock it was pretty boring. Though we found this guy named Davie who had on a Dir en Grey shirt (which is how we met him 9_9 LOL) and we hung out with him practically all day. He had been to a LOT of Duel Jewel lives at conventions, and told us all sorts of stories.*information withheld, haha*
And we also found out that him and his friends whom were there too were all in this Duel Jewel live that we had DLed!!! We asked them if they had gone to A-Cen in Illinois and they said yes so we were like "hmmm" and then come to find out, we had seen them before about a hundred times!! But in a video on the net LOL
We also found the most adorable little Asian boy wearing a girls Hello Kitty shirt that said "Need a hug?" on it. He was sooo cute so Jen and I ran up and asked for a picture, and he let us!!
Then we saw what his shirt said and we were like "We need hugs!" and he gave us one ^^
He smelled like fruit Roll-Ups, and is now forever known as "The Fruit Roll-Up Boy"
Okay, so past that:
During the time before the photo session with D'Ray, I spent all of my money; $60.
I bought a Duel Jewel shirt (FINALLY), a Kyo shirt (so hot), a D'espairs Ray shirt, and a Duel Jewel poster ^o^
Katie bought a Kyo shirt (same one) and a Cure magazine.
Jen bought a Duel Jewel shirt (different one, but just as good, b/c I LOVE it) and a different Cure magazine with Kra on the cover.
Hana-chan bought the same shirt as Jen (Duel Jewel), a D'espairs Ray shirt, and she may have bought a Diru shirt, I dont remember.
Then we went to the photo session around 1ish (things were pushed back an hour -_- including the concert). We were so nervous waiting in line, and Jen and I had the most enthusiasm I think, b/c Hana and Katie didnt seem as spastic as we did LOL even though, dont get me wrong, they were excited i know that much.
Anyway when we got in line, we discovered that right after the photo session, we go into ANOTHER line, and when all the photos were finished, they would sign their Coll:set CDs, and afterwards if they had time they would sign posters and the pics we had taken with them!!
So I ran back to the Jpopohuse booth, with my Kyo shirt, since Katie had the same one and I could just borrow hers anyway. And I traded it in for a D'espairs Ray poster. Sorry guys, but I couldnt pass it up!! lol I then changed into the D'espairs Ray shirt (since right after I bought the Duel Jewel shirt, I put it on LOL, and I can't walk into a D'espairs Ray live or photo shoot without their shirt on!)
So we finally got right next to the door that hid the band only feet away from us. And low an behold, who was manning the door and also part of the staff--
Fruit Roll-Up Boy!!!! XDD
Anyway, by this time Jen and I were so scared to go in we were shaking and I was laughing b/c that is what I do when I'm nervous. And then, the coulds parted, and a sparkly glowing light shone down upon us as:
the doors opened, and they told us the next five people could come in.
We nervously and shakily walked into the room, and had to resist crying and/or "eeking" when we looked to our left and saw them. Their backs were to us, and they were waiting rather sleepily for the next person to come sit by them to take a picture. I must admit I feel sorry for the poor dears, they had a live just the night before and probably were exhausted.
Katie went up first b/c we were all still trying to regain ourselves. She told us later that she was perfectly calm walking in, but once her butt hit that chair she started shaking like a leaf.
I can now understand why, because I was next.
(best part so far, you guys!! here it comes!)
the Japanese guy who was saying "next" and such and so forth, looked at me, laughed and said sarcastically "Now you can't be nervous?" I just looked at him, said "No, nervous? me? Why would anyone be nervous?" and I took those fatal few steps towards them. I looked over and they all looked up at me while I walked to the seat between Karyu and Hizumi. Zero and Tsukasa were behind me and I was so freaking scared I thought I was going to start bawling of happiness!! I was so nervous!!! I glanced up through my hair, smiled really shyly, said hi and waved, and sat down.
I was shaking so hard and trying just to breathe that I thought I'd fall out of the chair!!
I remember that when I sat down, one of them said hi (I think Karyu-san?) and then as I sat down, the same one said something kind of like a yell but not an angry yell, in Japanese, when he saw my hair. I was like this --> O__O
It started with a K that is all i remebmer, b/c i was too nervous too pay attention to it, and hadnt been expecting it.
The picture was took and I stood up, turned and said "thank you", and tried to very calmly walk back to Jen. She was next, and I hugged her for good luck.
Right when she got up there she had one of these Jen-looks on ehr face that is completely indescribable. It was just of pure happiness, nervousness, and it looked kind of like she was going to cry XD
Anyway she took it and i watched her come back, but she had stood up, bowed a tiny bit (she bows whenever she says thank you, I think it has become a reflex for her LOL) and said thank you with that same look on her face of just complete gratification.
We all kind of "eeked" afterwards b/c we were on such a high we couldnt even stand it! then we got into the autograph line and made our merry way to the front finally. We did not have their Coll:set album (Jen has one at home, but it was pirated ._.;;) so we got our posters signed b/c that was the order they were signing things (album, posters, pictures). Jen and I went in together and were just as nervous as before b/c we could touch them!!!! LOL! They all wrote in huge letters that are kind of indistinguishable XD But it's okay, they were cute.
And Jen embarassed me SO badly in front of Zero, who happens to be my FAVORITE member of the band, and one of my heroes.
See, I had this plan that I was desperate to execute. I was wearing a leash and collar, and I wanted Zero to hold it for me LOL
But I was too scared, so I just forgot about it.
But then RIGHT as I got to Zero in the line, he was handing my poster back to me and before he could say "thank you" like the rest of the band had done, Jen goes "Alayna, ask him!!!" andI just went .___. *blushes extremely hard* "Shut UP Jen." and it went on for aobut two minutes, all of which the band was all looking at us like "wtf?" and poor Zero looked so confused as he looked back and forth between us arguing. He knew we were talking about him, I'm pretty sure, and he probably saw me blushing b/c i could feel my face turning hot. Finally I just bowed a little, said "thank you so much" to Zero and moved down to [Tsukasa I think was last?]. He smiled at me like "Wow you're weird" and signed my poster *sighs* Thanks Jen, really, lol. Then Jen got to the end, and saw Harry of the House of anime (SEXY) and got him, after a little pleading, to sign the back of her picture. He only managed to write an "H" and laughed, handing it back and said "It didnt turn out very well, but there is a picture." and he had drawn a little quick kitty! ^o^ it was so cute!
Then we got out, went back in line, and got our pictures signed LOL Mr. Fruit Roll-Up Boy let me win with Hana-chan b/c she was right up front when we got out.
Then we had to wait until 9, for the concert to start. The opening band was an American band called
Trash Light Vision.
>>>fast forwards, since nothing really important happened>>>
Oky you guys, here comes the best part of the entire day, THE LIVE!!!
We waited in line for about an hour and a half for the concert. Everyone was tired but so excited.
When the doors FINALLY opened, only those with premium passes could get in, which we all had, mwahaha!! It was just one huge mosh pit of people, and the premium-holders were right up by the stage. Originally, there was police tape so we couldnt touch the stage. It lasted about five minutes.
There was also a rule about no moshing. HA yeah right within TEN minutes it was nuts in there!
Trash light Vision was pretty good, there were very energetic and really funny and very interactive. Pretty cute up close as well LOL
Their music was great and everyone was having a lot of fun! The lead singer would look and point at me a lot, and he talked between every song. I really liked them, they reminded me of the Murderdolls. I dont really know anything about them, but I liked them. I got a pick from a guitarist! But it got knocked out of my hand l8er on and I was sooo pissed. And one of the guitarists kissed Katie in the cheek, since she was more to out left and actually touching the stage, where as Jen and I had been pushed farther back -_- lol, he had an open shirt and he had a nice body, I'll admit that *nod nod*. The drummer had a huge mohawk and it was so drawing I just wanted to touch it!! The opening was just great and it got everyone pumped, they cursed, flipped us off, threw glitter on us, screamed, threw water on us from a gasoline container, and even had some slight western-boy-fanservice!! ^o^
Then...
the best part.
They left the stage after their set, and everythign got dark as people set up for D'espairs Ray. That only took aobut five minutes. (I'm starting to shake just thinking about this, b/c it is so vividly burned into my memory, I remember everything, even the people I was moshing next to)
And everyone in the audience began to chant "D'espairs Ray! D'espairs Ray!"
Jen and I, by this time, had gotten pushed back behind people and were trying desperately to shove our way back to the front.
But we stopped when someone jumped up onto the stage, and threw their beautiful hair back with their hands in the air, before taking their place on the stage. You guessed it, D'espairs Ray had begun to come out.
Everyone was even louder than before. We were screaming and shrieking and yelling in Japanese as each member came out onto the stage. I believe it was i order as follows: Tsukasa, Zero, Karyu, Hizumi.
They all looked so amazing and sooo gorgeous. Zero's hair was in looonnng braids and I loved it!
Then they started to play.
The whole crowd screamed with everything we had, and immediately started jumping up and down, banging our heads, and rushing forward to touch them when they came close.
Hizumi got groped by numerous people, including me and Jen LMAO.
I got stepped on by his high heel, but not full-contact, but like the edge of my finger. But whenever Jen or I touched someone, we would freak and let the other rub their face on whatever they touched them with LOL
Hizumi got touched the most, he kept leaning into the crowd and just barely teasing us by making it so we couldnt grab his hands. He also spat water at us when we weren't looking at him, and I got it full-force in the face! I was so happy after that XDD But we managed to accidentally catch a piece of leather fringe that fell off of his costume!! Jen saw it in her hand, screamed, and tied it around her neck. All she could say for half of the live, was "oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" it was hilarious XD
Oh! Jen and I got shoved thruogh to the front about ten minutes into D'Ray's live, and we were LAYING on the stage!!! Our entire torsos were laying flat on the stage as we reached for Zero, who was right next to us. He would look down and reach his foot just out of our reach, then hop backwards a few steps. He was so mean LOL!
Jen screamed "ZERO-SAMA!" and he looked down at her with this smirk on his face and did this extra hard stroke on his bass. I was like this exactly: O___O
we were both screaming for him, and he would just continue to look down at us and kind of smirk, then continue looking through the rest of the crowd. Zero was so amazing, he would close his eyes every so often and just take in everything. He looked so into it, and everything it made me so happy so see him happy!
He finally decided not to tease us and right after we had yelled "ZERO-SAMA!!" again, he stuck out his foot right in front of Jen and I and Jen grabbed at it and almost pulled the poor baby over!! I think it was an accident and she got pulled back into the crowd when she had touched him, thus pulling him too. But he pulled it back and just kept playing with the same wonderful at-peace look on his face. We touched Hizumi so many times I cant even remember, but he had on an open leather vest and I got to touch his abs, VERY NICE! I had gotten to hold his hand too, as it waved over the fans! I reached up and laced my figners in his and he held on to mine the same way for about 5 seconds, which is long enough for me!! But as he let go I still had ahold of his glove and ALMOST pulled it off ._. oops.
Then Karyu and Zero switched sides on the stage, and our side COMPLETELY FREAKED when they saw Karyu, and he was so interactive, he hardly teased us at all he just touched us!!! ^o^
Jen had licked the air in front of him and he saw and stuck his tongue out back at her, his mouth WIDE open, and he had yellow and red contacts in if I remember right, and he made the "evil" look and strummed his guiter right in her face! She was ECSTATIC and so was I, b/c i was leaning up against her on the stage!
Then Zero came back and they did one last song, threw their picks and waterbottles into the crowd, and left the stage.
Well, we weren't quite satisfied, we meaning the whole crowd. And everyone began either beating on the stage if ther were close enough, and if they weren't they just screamed. But we all chanted again, "D'espairs Ray! D'espairs Ray!" and Jen and I would occasionally scream "MOU ICHIDO!!"
We could see Karyu hiding behind a speaker and we waved like "come here!!" and screamed MOU ICHIDO! again. Finally, Tsukasa got nice, and came back on stage, followed by Zero, then Karyu, and lastly, Hizumi. Hizumi talked between every song in his deep, hissing growl of a voice. And at one point in the first set, he took away the microphone and started singing just to the drums! The crowd sang with him and he looked so great up there.
But back to the encore, he came back, said something into the microphone, I didnt hear exact words, but i dont think anyone else got it either. We just screamed our hearts out anyway XD
And the next song started with a loud guitar note and Zero started headbanging (as he had done before in the 1st set, forgot to mention). Zero's braids were so amazing while he headbanged, I loved to watch them. I would close my eyes as well after a while and just headbang and listen, without the distraction of looking at how beautiful they all looked, and just take in the music. We headbanged, and we HAD been headbanging ever since the opening band came on! My head hurt so bad that occasionally I would HAVE to close my eyes b/c I would get dizzy and fall onto the stage until my senses came back! It was crazy!! But my hairfalls kept coming out b/c of my ferociously violent headbanging, and eventually i just took them out and held them as we jumped up and down. Hizumi, once again, got groped by me XD and Zero finally stood on the edge of the stage where me and Jen hugged onto his legs and rubbed his ankles like crazed fangirls. He seemed happy, even though he still never fully smiled, and finally managed to pull away. He would also sit on a speaker right in front of Katie, and JUST out of our reach, where he would play his bass and pretend that fans weren't completely mollesting him ROFL
Then when they finished that set, they threw more picks and waterbottles.
But this was the absolute best part of even the whole concert--
Zero stuck his pick in his mouth, and stage-dived RIGHT on top of us! He was immediately covered by people as a domino-effect rippled through the crowd in about a three feet radius. He was hugging onto Katie, who was laying right underneath him, and Katie was hugging him back, and he KISSED her on the cheek!! Afterwards she told me and I went "YOU LUCKY WHORE!" and licked her face where he had kissed it XDD
And a guy in the staff had to come rescue him and grabbed his arm to pull him up, b/c people were grabbing at his hair, poor thing! I got ahold of it at one point when I fell on top of him (I was RIGHT on top of his waist!) and it was so soft!
When he crawled back up on stage I helped push him back up (by his waist...and...*shifty eyes*), and he turned back, and he hugged this girl we had met earlier who was right next to Katie, then turned while he was still hugging her and saw me with my arms out and let me join in too!!! I was holding onto him so tightly I was afraid I'd break him LOL
Then he stood up, whipped his hair back, smiled at everyone, and jumped backwards and walked off the stage.
We all screamed and applauded until we were even more sore. Jen and I were crushed into the stage corner, our lungs and hips were being stabbed by people, and when people jumped we were practically getting humped o_O
:edit:: OH AND SOMEBODY PULLED UP MY SKIRT!! I screamed when that happened but I couldnt do anything b/c i was so tightly crushed against the stage, it was in the middle of the encore i think. It was only for a few seconds but I was still freaked -_- ::end edit::
But it was over, and we all left to the back of the ballroom and saw the opening band, Trash Light Vision, standing behind a table! We walked up to them, covered in sweat, our hair in a complete wrecks from the two-hour long headbanging, our makeup dripping off of our faces, and Jen's earring bleeding b/c of Zero's stage dive (he had accidentally ripped out her earring halfway ._.;), and talked to them for a minute or two. The drummer let us pet his mohawk, which made me happy, though I thought it was impossible for me to be any happier! The only way I would have been any happier that night is if Duel Jewel had been there, I would have surely had a heart attack and died. Jen had caught Hizumi's bottlecap and wouldnt let me hold it, but she let me lick it, and I grabbed it in my teeth and tried to run with it but she pulled back and the Fruit Roll-Up Guy saw us and just laughed. Then my dad called, pissed b/c we were taking forever, and it was now 11:30 pm. So I hugged the drummer, said "Thank you, you guys were amazing!" hugged a guitarist, and then had to take Hana-chan home.
All in all...it was the mozt amazing night I could have ever dreamed of, and I'll never EVER forget it! I had NEVER imagined anything that fantastic, and I am still so happy that I can wake up, look at the signed poster/picture framed on my wall, look at my Duel Jewel poster, and just remember everything so vividly. Right now, the morning after, my throat hurts from screaming for two hours straight, my body hurts all over from moshing and headbanging and getting pounded into rock star's shoes and other peoples body parts, but I dont care b/c it was worth every second.
My apologies for the EXTREMELY long post, but I actually left out a LOT of details, and if I had said everything that happened, it's be three times as long! So bear with me and try to imagine how exciting it was! Just one bit of advice before I go, if you ever get the chance to go, GO! And get right next to the stage, b/c it was just...it left me speechless all night.
Good luck to all!
~Areina-chan
