patientZERO

I only saw people holding out Zyean checki for the most part. My guess was gya mostly wanted Ricko's as it was his birthday live and he spent a LOT of time taking cheki back stage before the encore because he cosplayed as Hyde from L'arc en Ciel. They pulled a prank on him since it was his birthday. Boogie and Sena told the crowd that they were going to give him this tiny piece of cake and then after that, they'd play a few songs until the final song and then surprise him again with a real cake. So Ricko came out, got the crowd hyped for the encore and then the background synth started playing Happy Birthday. Boogie walked out with a TINY piece of cake and went to hand it to Ricko, after Ricko reluctantly said thank you and Boogie took a huge bite out of it and then walked away! We all laughed, they played a L'arc cover, another song and then Ricko went "This last song is called ... BLOOD ... FUCKING ... SHOT!!!" And they all played the first bar of the song before the birthday music hit again. Ricko's back was facing the crowd and he just stood there, and went "he~?" into the mic. It was super hilarious. Boogie brought out the real cake and they all said some words about Ricko and his impact on their lives and the band. Zyean was pretty soft-spoken (I've never really heard him talk much before) and was saying how nice Ricko was and how they had similar interests in games and such and Ricko started crying. He held it in pretty well, and then cracked a bit again when Sena started talking. It was a pretty astounding experience. I stood out like a sore thumb being the only gaijin and probably one of six or so men, but I could visibly see the band were excited to see a male gaijin at such a small show.

I still haven't watch it, but the DVD I got was the SZ version. I have to say, too, that Ricko made his way up to number 2 for me after seeing him live. He's so energetic, and ALWAYS on key. He didn't hit a flat note the whole live, plus he was smiling ear-to-ear the whole time. Zyean's still my dude and it was real cool seeing him sing backing on some songs, Boogie too.

It fills my heart to read all this. They really do get along and it shows that it’s not just a bunch of dudes stuck together by a contract, and that friendship and passion shows on stage. 

Ricko is such a bright and pure person, he really is one of the nicest people I’ve met. I’m happy to hear he was happy. 

Omg please let me know how Sena sings 🤣

Zyean is awesome, period. He’s so chill and easy to talk to and tries his best to speak English with foreign fans lol I hope you get a chance to go to a M&G someday. They are really fun to interact with. 

It's wonderful to hear that you had a great time in Japan and at the live. I love how intimate and heartwarming VK lives at smaller livehouses can be, giving both the fans and the musicians/band a very memorable experience. Aside from the live, I agree with the cuisine part! It's one of my favorites parts - eating authentic Japanese food at the restaurants and food stalls. I always sorely miss it after leaving. Fingers crossed for your permanent move to Japan!