MIYAVI WHAT'S MY NAME Tour 2011

Courtesy of J-slam

Wow...


That's all I could say as I realized I would finally get to see another famous J-Rock musician live. If you have not noticed, I love J-Rock, but being a U.S. fan makes it difficult to see some of my favorite artists since very few Japanese musicians make their way over here. Except MIYAVI; this recently-turned- 30 guitar manipulator decided to do something that few Japanese artists have done: a world tour that hits multiple venues within the U.S. and South America. So again, when I walked into 930 Club five minutes to 7pm, all I could say was :


"Wow."


The main floor was dark -as always- and the occasional appearance of MIYAVI's crew onstage gave everyone in the room a preemptive feeling of the excitement ahead. I invited one of my friends to join me for the show, promising that it would be a fun experience and he would love the Samurai Guitarist's unbelievable skills. 


Even I did not expect the phenomenal show that followed. 


I knew MIYAVI is one of Japan's best guitarists, but it was not just his playing that wowed me; The man has stage presence, confidence, and a charisma that swallows you up whether you want it to or not. He jokes with the crowd like they are long lost friends and wins them over via his charm and his music. Take for instance when he asked the crowd for a song request and someone screamed "SUPERMOTHERFUCKINGBITCH!" He immediately became the clever rascal saying "Oh what a dirty mouth, did you hear what she said? Who taught you such a phrase?" Between his moon-walking and rebel yell, it was like listening to a rock version of Michael Jackson with a dash of mischief.

He could not have played long enough (no an hour and a half is no where near long enough to enjoy all of his awesomeness), but of all the songs in his set, I fell in complete love with "Futuristic Love." He mixes in effects with his guitar playing for this song but what really pulled at my dancing strings was the fact that the song is ten minutes long. Ten. As in ten minutes of dance and rock joining to make a music baby. For an artist to play a song for ten minutes without a break is a true test of endurance and musical skill since that song must be able to capture and entertain your audience for the entire time. Did it capture my attention? Let's just say the song has been playing on my iPhone since 10am yesterday. ^-~


For more info on the Samurai Guitarist as well as upcoming tour dates for his WHAT'S MY NAME tour,  visit MIYAVI's official webpage http://myv382tokyo.com/ or his official Facebook page 雅-MIYAVI-. He changes up his music style considerably, so also try listening to his new single "Strong".

MIYAVI rockin' it at 930 Club Nov. 2nd, 2011

Until Later Guys,
^_^