FoLLoW

[hiroki 5521]

Masashi just finished the recording for their last single

 

 

[chemicalpictures 1888]

how good シアワセノカタチ sounds? holy molly!

 

dat melody  from 1:15~1:20 giving freaking goosebumps... hell of a preview!

[echo 547]

Tonight was FoLLoW's last Tokyo shusai @ Shibuya REX

 

Set list:

 

I was basically bawling the whole time. How does one cry during Uppercut? I honestly don't know. I think Masashi stepped on stage and i just died. haha Every time I calmed down, Masashi would start singing again, or sing a lyric a certain way and I'd die all over again. FoLLoW's furi is really fun though! I just wish I wasn't dying the whole time haha <3

 

Honestly this was a first experience to be so torn apart at a live haha

 

Masashi got really choked up occasionally too. He lost the lyrics during Alice in Wonderland and you could just see it in his face and hear it in his voice the whole time. During guitar solos and whatnot I'm pretty sure he was wiping away his tears when he turned around. And he kept slapping his face (like how Japanese people do when they say something wrong) saying that he wasn't being like himself haha <33

 

Sorry I was pretty much only looking at Masashi the whole time so not sure how the rest of the members were 

 

For the encore he said they really thought hard about which song to play. They played LAST DAY in Nagoya the other night because that's where they made the song (something like that). So on the same train of thought, they decided to play Planetarium cos they made that song in Tokyo (I think? Sorry, it was difficult to hear/comprehend between sobs). He said something about seeing a star. A SUPER small star super far away, but that even if it's a teeny tiny star something something something. Probably something really profound but I just lost it cos I could kind of tell where he was going with it lol. Plus he was on the verge of tears himself while telling us about the song. 

 

He got really emotional during the song and by the end he was like "what's wrong with me?" kind of thing and then went into Let it go. I'm glad they ended on a happy note <3

 

Junsei and Masashi were at buppan again! I was really lucky too cos at first it was only Junsei, but Masashi came out right before it was my turn. 

 

FATE. 

 

<333333333333

 

I bought 6 cheki and got NO Masashi though. Junsei was like "what?? no Masashi??" (cos I was obviously a Masashi fan lol) so I bought two more and the LAST one was Masashi. And he was like yay!! haha <333

 

Their next live is November 25th!

Spoiler

 

ラッコ主催TOUR『秋の海水欲情遊泳特区』

 

Date: 2016-11-25 (Fri)

Venue : Osaka RUIDO

Time (open/start): 17:00/12:30

Tickets (advance/doors): ￥3,500 + separate drink fee/￥4,000 + separate drink fee

Line up:

ラッコ
BLESSCODE
FoLLoW
i.Rias
-真天地開闢集団-ジグザグ
シェルミィ

 

Tickets:

eplus (http://sort.eplus.jp/sys/T1U14P0010843P006001P002202513P0030001)

 

 

The next FoLLoW shusai is November 28th!

Spoiler

Date: 2016-11-28 (Mon)

Venue: Kyoto MUSE

Time (open/start): 16:00/16:30

Tickets (advance/doors): ￥3,000+ separate drink fee /￥3,500 + separate drink fee

 

 

Lineup:

FoLLoW
ジャシー
ビバラッシュ
麗麗
SHIVA
ASTARIA
KAVKA

 

 

Tickets:
A: e+ (http://eplus.jp/sys/T1U14P0010163P0108P002202895P0050001P006001P0030001)
B: band reservations
C: doors

 

Edited November 16, 2016 by echo

[hiroki 5521]

^ THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT

 

i read your post like 20 times T_T

 

Masashiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii <33333333333333333333333

 

like wtf i miss him already.

[echo 547]

@hirokithank YOU for introducing them to me <3

Masashi was definitely feeling all of the feels tonight ><

 

I can't imagine what the one-man will be like...

 

although I think part of it was like 悔しい for them cos they mentioned how for all bands the dream is to like, make it big in Tokyo. You haven't really become successful until you can succeed in Tokyo... and I guess they weren't really able to accomplish that. They mentioned a few times that they had come to Tokyo a lot, but it sounded like they just never really did as well as they hoped... which I guess is part of why they are disbanding... but... yeah. ><;;;

[Yukimoto 1237]

OHHHH that sounds very interesting... thanks for the post... I'm sad I won't be able to see them live so I do hope they are able to come back in some form of a band or at least my fav Masashi<3<3<3(so biased I know) but I'm glad you were able to see them

[echo 547]

@Yukimoto Based on his tweets and the lyrics of Shiawase no katachi  I'm pretty sure he's retiring from music T_T

which is why I was pretty much a mess their whole set. And why I'm still kind of a mess T_T

Edited November 16, 2016 by echo

[Yukimoto 1237]

@echoI did hear he's retiring but I'm hoping by some miracle he returns to me<3

[hiroki 5521]

i have no words for how much i'm gonna miss masashi so this video is for all fans of follow and masashi!

 

 

[echo 547]

^ Thank you so much for making this video <33333333333333333333 it's so perfect!!! <333

I literally cannot stop dying watching it

[Yukimoto 1237]

Sigh it is the most perfect thing around.... He is so perfect ugh<3

[echo 547]

GO BUY CHEKI!!

 

3,000yen for a grab-bag of cheki! It'll be randomly chosen from their older looks

You'll get more than 3,000yen-worth of cheki.

The sale is only available until November 28 (JST) via their online shop

 

http://follow-webshop.com/

 

click on the tab that says 福袋 on the left side for the grab bag

 

GO FORTH AND BUY! ヾ(*≧∀≦)ﾉﾞ 

[chemicalpictures 1888]

guys, was this 'Snow Again' song released in any of their singles as b-side or something? cuz I don't seem to find much info about it online, and the first time I ever knew about it was after hiroki's tribute video

[hiroki 5521]

4 hours ago, chemicalpictures said:

guys, was this 'Snow Again' song released in any of their singles as b-side or something? cuz I don't seem to find much info about it online, and the first time I ever knew about it was after hiroki's tribute video

 

it was sold only at their 2nd anniversary one-man last year!

 

 

 

[hiroki 5521]

Today's Masashi's birthday live at Muse, and it's also the final live of FoLLoW's last shusai tour before their final oneman.

 

Look at all the love for Masashi!!!!!! T____T

 

 

 

 

[Yukimoto 1237]

I replayed that like a billion times.... He is such a cutie I swear<3<3<3

[kareta-uta 99]

Nariyuki just tweeted that it makes him sad thinking about announcing the end of his bandman-life on 11th ._.

Edited December 6, 2016 by kareta-uta

[hiroki 5521]

yeah that's sad. when they announced disbandment a few months ago, the first thing a friend of mine (who knows nari personally) told me was that he's probably gonna retire.

 

to make things worse, yesterday masashi tweeted quite explicitly about his intent to retire as well

 

 

it didn't really come as a surprise really. but it still hurts to hear it from him directly.

[hiroki 5521]

Masashi's planning to have a twitcast tmr night at 0.30 JST

[hiroki 5521]

Setlist for their last oneman yesterday @ HOLIDAY OSAKA:

 

 

Flowers

 

 

Group shot

 

Last comment from the band

 

Thank you FoLLoW! You will remain in my heart forever

[hiroki 5521]

Masashi wrote a letter to all fans, which he read aloud on stage last night after the encore.

 

Here's what he had to say:

 

Quote

Finally this day has come.

Even for myself the feeling still hasn't really sunk in yet.

Just thinking that it would already be encore by the time I'm reading this makes me not want to read it.

Because I don't want this to end.
 

I've lived my life alongside FoLLoW since its formation 3.5 years ago. More than 4 years if you include the preparatory period before we formed.

FoLLoW is the longest band I've been part of in my whole life.
 

I've tried to leave this scene before, and I ended up spending a year on things I didn't really want to do.

But still I felt like I had some regrets, and was determined to give it a shot one more time. That was why I formed FoLLoW.

 

When I was searching for potential members, personality was most important for me--even ahead of the person's appearance, skills, popularity, and so on.

To put it bluntly, none of FoLLoW's members is the best fit for visual kei. But I think it might be precisely because of that that we were able to carry on till now.

That isn't to say that we had nothing but fun, as there were plenty of tough times as well.

As FoLLoW's leader, there were indeed numerous occasions where I had racked my brains over how I ought to carry this band forward.

Nonetheless, even at the times when I started to lose faith, the moment I stood on the stage I found myself smiling for some reason.

Surely that's thanks to the support of all of you. Thank you, really.

 

Among FoLLoW's members I had the longest history as a bandman and I used to know lots of people in the scene.

But before I know it, everyone around me was disbanding and quitting music.

This is a cruel industry, a world where it's no easy feat to chase your dream.
 

When we announced FoLLoW's disbandment, a lot of people got in touch to say they felt bad for us.

I'm really sorry that we made all our fans miserable.

We weren't able to bring all of you to an even bigger place. Sorry.

Yet, I received sooooooo many valuable things from all of you that can't be bought with money.

Moving forward, I'll surely remember all your smiles and do my best.

All of you too: even if it's just once in a while, please remember FoLLoW.

If you somehow feel like listening to my voice, please listen to your CDs. If you want to sing along, please go to the karaoke. If you want to see me, please watch our MVs.

If thinking of us can give you just an ounce of strength to carry on when things aren't going well, then I wouldn't have started this band in vain.

My wish is for all of you to continue smiling going forward.

 

There are still many things I'd like to say, and to be honest it's regrettable that things have to end this way.

Everyone who has come to see us today means the world to me.
 
It would be great if someday I'll be able to meet all of you again.

When that day comes, please be a grownup who can confidently tell me "Masashi, I'm really happy now!"

Because I'll want to be able to return the exact same words to you.
 

Thank you for spending your precious time on all of us.

 

From the bottom of my heart, I just want to say that I really love FoLLoW and all our fans.

 

Thank you.
 
 
FoLLoW MASASHI

 

Edited December 12, 2016 by hiroki

[Mihenno 4195]

34 minutes ago, hiroki said:

Masashi wrote a letter to all fans, which he read aloud on stage last night after the encore.

 

Here's what he had to say:

 

 

I'm literally sitting here eating mashed potatoes with tears in my eyes because that was so beautiful

 

Edited December 12, 2016 by Mihi

[Yukimoto 1237]

Based on personality, eh.... I felt like they did such a good job as a band though and I do know it's always a  bands dream to get bigger and bigger but I did hope they would stick around because they made such wonderful music.... Honestly being in this scene makes me sad at times because there are so many bands that make such beautiful music and disband before those that make ok music or maybe just not at the caliber of those that do disband...

 

I mean everyone knows by now that I fell in love with Pinocchio I mean that was basically the first song I heard by them and the song that got me the most attracted to them or basically anyone in such a long time... They hit me hard and I wanted the best for them. If this is the best thing for them right now then I'm glad they made it thus far but I do hope by some miracle Masashi can't live without music and brings them back in the future... I mean that is all I can say at this point but I do hope the best for everyone else if this does not happen.... Fight on FOLLOW<3.... I'll miss you dearly<3<3<3

[echo 547]

Masashi just posted a video of right before the last one-man:

 

[echo 547]

Alright guys. Here it is. My thoughts/experience of FoLLoW's last one-man. 

It's not really a live report cos I suck at writing those. Basically just random things I remember and feelings I felt. I've divided it so you can kind of skip to w/e you're more interested in lol

 

First of all, I want to thank @hiroki for introducing me to this band. If not for him I would never have fallen in love with Masashi and FoLLoW and would definitely not have experienced their last one-man. I'm so so so so so so so grateful!!!! <3333333333333

 

Disclaimer: all quotes are basically me translating my memory of their Japanese into the way that I would say things. Don't quote me as if they said these exact words ><

 

some words that might be helpful to know:

• buppan - the tables where they sell goods/merchandise
• kamite - right side of the stage from the audience's POV, as in the side the lead guitarist usually stands
• shimote - left side of the stage from the audience's POV, as in the side where the 2nd guitarist and bassist usually stand
• satsueikai - photo session with the bandmen. Usually after you've bought a certain amount of merch or if you pull an atari cheki or something

 

Alright, here we go. I wrote a shit ton so... prepare yourselves!!

(Also, I realize say "like" a lot. Deal with it. I can't help myself lol)

 

Before the live:

Spoiler

They started buppan as soon as the doors opened (17:30) for people who were worried about making it home. I decided to buy stuff ahead of time. The girl in front of me in line for buppan stared talking to me. She asked if I commented on Masashi's stuff on twitter a lot and I was like yeah? Lol. She asked if I was from China lol I was like no… I'm American..? And she was like "wow! I'm from Japan! You're from America! Wow!" and I was like …???? Haha She was kinda weird but really nice <3 she even let me come stand next to her instead of way in the back when the live started!! <333 She was like where are you watching from? And I pointed to the super far back. (the livehouse was divided into an "upper" and "lower" section.. The upper section is basically just like one step up from the lower section. I was in the second row of the upper section.. Literally right in front of buppan lol) She was like, that's where I am! *points to back area of the lower section* You should stand next to me!! I was like is there space??? It looked really crowded, but she assured me it would be fine so I grabbed my and my friend's jackets and put them on the floor to save some space while I went to buppan. Because of that I had the PERFECT view of Masashi. I'm pretty sure she just wanted to have a friend next to her though lol

 

While in line for buppan she kept talking to me and was really friendly. It got closer to 18:00 and we weren't sure if we'd be able to buy stuff before the live started and she really had to pee so she decided to go to the bathroom first. She made it sound like "let's go together" but then she just kinda left me and I was like huh? Was I supposed to follow you? But I was closer to the buppan table so I opted to stay in line lol. I was originally gonna go to the bathroom with her to change into my Follow shirt. I wasn't wearing it cos I didn't wanna be the only one there wearing it haha. I told her that and was like idk if I should change and she was like YOU DEFINITELY SHOULD! WE CAN MATCH! (she was wearing her shirt) lol. But anyway, after buppan I had enough time to go rush and change so all was well! And there ended up being enough space for me to stand in the front section instead of up on the second back section. I was towards the back of the front section, but on kamite and had a good angle to see Masashi. <333

 

During the live:

Spoiler

I cried. I laughed. I died. I lived. 

 

Random girl from the buppan line kept reaching out to hold my hand during the headbanging parts. It was kinda weird but kind of nice to have some comradery ^^ And when I was crying intensely during random parts she would tap me and ask if I was okay <3

And like I'm so glad she let me stand next to her. She ended up being pretty far kamite side, but I think it's okay cos she also seemed to be a Misono fan. But like where I was standing I had the perfect view of Masashi through the heads of all the girls in front of me. Seriously, it was like the Red Sea opening for me to stare at Masashi. Which was great and also embarrassing cos he definitely saw me crying a lot haha but I'm sure I wasn't the only one so it's alright <33 I'm so proud of myself for not crying during the ENTIRE thing this time though. The Tokyo shusai was just ridiculous. I guess I had more time to mentally prepare myself lol

 

I'm so glad they started with Don't Stop Music!!! I seriously love this song so much!!! <33333333 I feel like it really set the tone for the live. Like everything will be OK. <333

And I'm so proud of myself for not crying during Upper Cut this time LOL. I have no idea why I cried so much during the Tokyo shusai >< Upper Cut is so fun! (Okay, let's be serious. All their upbeat songs are super fun <3)

 

When the intro for Pinocchio played I died more than I normally do. I feel like this song hits me harder each time I listen to it. Masashi sang it with so much emotion I just… could not >< I definitely started crying and the girl who was talking to me in the buppan line was like "are you okay?" and I was like DO I LOOK OKAY??? Haha

 

During the first or second MC they mentioned that they saw some people crying and thank you but, isn't it a little early for tears??? Haha BUT WHAT DO YOU EXPECT WHEN YOU PLAY PINOCCHIO IN THE BEGINNING? Lol <3

 

During 祭りの後 Masashi yelled 踊ろう！("dance!") on the wrong part and all of kamite started doing the dancing furi and he was like whoops! Cos it was supposed to be clapping or waving or something hahaha and he was like "I messed up!" lol

 

LET IT GO IS SO FUN LIVE. IT'S SO SO SO FUN!! I'm glad I experienced it at the Tokyo shusai first so I knew what to expect of the furi though haha. So much jumping <3333 I really really really really really love this song. Idk if I liked it this much before seeing it live but w/e. It's great. Go listen to it and love it.

 

Perfect Love also makes me super happy. Like.. It's. so. Perfect. I cannot. <3 Masashi always look so happy singing it! <33333

 

After Perfect Love, Masashi walked off stage and they started a jam session. It was really cool! Like battle of the guitars and battle of the rhythm section. But like a few times I think Maki didn't know if he was going first so when it was his turn it was just like… silence? With a few beats when Maki finally realized lol but Wanwan did a good job of mimicking a similar silence and sounds on bass. At one point Junsei motioned that he wanted to battle Maki (Maki derped again I think lol) so then it was Wanwan vs Misono. Misono played a difficult riff and Wanwan's face was like "wtf I can't match that." Then he played and was like "ugghhh I faillll" expression after haha.

 

There was one song that had a really beautiful intro different from the usual intro.. I can't remember which song it was though T_T I think it was LAST DAY or For You… a song similar to that kind of sound/feeling. Maybe it was Pinocchio? I feel like it was towards the beginning… and it was a really nice piano intro… sorry my memory sucks T_T

 

In any case, hearing Masashi sing LAST DAY live is like getting your heart ripped out (in the best way possible?) I know I've probably said this (or will say this) a thousand times, but Masashi sings with so much emotion. I've never heard a vocalist feel the words he's singing so strongly. Like some vocalists I feel put on the act and are just acting out the feeling, but I feel like Masashi literally feels what he's singing? Idk. Maybe I'm biased? Lol

 

Throughout the live, Masashi made lots of eye contact with everyone! I felt like he was singing directly to me sometimes ♡ I'm sure everyone feels that way though haha. But I think he knows who his gya are so he just sings to them a bit <333 there was only me and the girl next to me in kamite who were Masashi gya I think. At least only us two would saku him haha most of his gya were center of course.

 

But yeah, I definitely felt like I got attention from him. During Ningyohime especially. I was literally dying. I told him on twitter that Ningyohime is my favorite song because it hits me so hard. I doubt he remembered that or that he even knew it was me, but I was crying and he looked at me and smiled and sang a few lines at me and I died… okay that happened on a lot of songs though lol but every time he makes eye contact with you while he's singing it's like he's saying "you'll be okay" with his eyes <3 Like he looks thankful and loved and appreciative and reassuring all at once. Which makes me want to try to stop crying but cry even harder at the same time. 

 

Okay and not fair. They can't play Akashic Records and then Ningyohime and expect me to be okay. Both those songs kill me so intensely. IT'S LIKE THEY KNEW. lolol I was so proud of myself cos I didn't die during Akashi Records this time and could actually thoroughly enjoy myself and then the underwater effects for Ningyohime came on with the kind of narration of the story and then into the intro of the song itself. I was done before the song even started T_T SORRY FOR CRYING SO MUCH MASASHI lol <3 He looked like he was really emotional too… I mean of course he was.. But yeah ><

 

Oh and so apparently Masashi's parents were there and Junsei and Wanwan's parents were there too <333 So in 春風 for the furi, you mosh kamite and throw two hearts instead of clapping, mosh shimote and two hearts, hop in a circle two hearts then hop the other way two hearts. (for those of you who don't know, "moshing" at smaller VK lives is more like cutely hopping to one side and then the other lol) Masashi said that they haven't done it in a a long time so he said he'd demonstrate the furi for us. So he was doing it as he explained but then felt really embarrassed cos he remembered his parents were there (he did it in a SUPER cute way like wtf lolol) He was like "OMG THIS IS SO EMBARRASSING WITH MY PARENTS HERE" But then shook himself out of it and was like "OKAY ONE MORE TIME! LIKE HOW I NORMALLY DO"  and he did it (IN LITERALLY THE CUTEST WAY POSSIBLE.  He kept sticking his tongue out like a kid <3) and stopped when he was about to do round two and was like "HEY WHY AM I THE ONLY ONE DOING IT??? EITHER DO IT WITH ME OR AT LEAST SAY I'M CUTE LOUD ENOUGH SO I CAN HEAR IT!!!" And everyone promptly shouted KAWAIIII <3 and he smiled all embarrassed/happy-like <333 and he was like yup. This is what your son has become, parents. Sorry. Hahahah

 

Planetarium hit me pretty hard because of how I experienced it at the Tokyo shusai I think. I was definitely randomly crying a lot during this song >< like I just kept remembering his MC from the Tokyo shusai and how we was kind of choking on his words and I fell apart. Also every time he sings the "you stole my heart" line I'm like "YOU STOLE MINE" and I die a little more hahaha

 

They ended the set (before the encore) with one of Masashi's favorite songs (or is it actually his favorite?), 告白大作戦 He even said that he SUPER SUPER loves this song before they went into it. I LOVE THIS SONG SO MUCH <3333 It's so fun! And it's just… SO MASASHI <3

 

Throughout the live you couldn't really tell that Masashi's throat had been bothering him. During the MC's you could kind of hear it sometimes. Like his voice sounded a bit scratchy when he was talking. You really couldn't notice it at all when he was singing. Once in a while I thought maybe it was bothering him, but I couldn't tell if it was his throat or his emotions. I was pretty impressed that he could push through his throat not being at 100% and through the emotion of it being their last live as Follow and his last time on stage as a bandman. But, I guess that's Masashi for you. He never even once mentioned the condition of his throat. He was trying really heard to sing everything and not break down.

 

Overall I felt like their setlist was really smart. Fun songs followed by songs that will destroy you followed by more fun songs. It was literally an emotional rollercoaster, but I'm really glad they did it that way so we could like regain our composure and not just have a huge section of crying or something haha I don't think my heart could've taken it.

 

Random instances/MCs:

Spoiler

At one point Masashi was like "this is our LAST LIVE!! Go all out! Have fun!!! I have bad eyesight but today I'm wearing SUPER BIG ROUND contacts so I can SEE EEEEEEVERYONE and EVERYTHING!! I can even see your makeup getting messed up! That's how well I can see all of you!! So go all out!!"

 

One of Masashi's bracelets got stuck on the beam from the ceiling during one of the songs. He kind of pouted at it and tried to pull it off without breaking it and it came off his wrist (I thought it had snapped) and he tossed it on the stage somewhere since they were in the middle of a song. I was worried it was the one me and hiroki bought and was kind of sad, but at some point he must've found it and it didn't break cos he was wearing it again by the end <3

 

During one of the MCs Junsei and Wanwan kept talking about their parents or family members or something and naming names (Emiko?) and Masashi was like ”Seriously guys, stop using everyone's real names and talking about your families." haha he said it a few times but Junsei and Wanwan couldn't help themselves. It was like they were competing with who had better parents or something haha

 

In FoLLoW MCs when they are getting the crowd pumped up, they usually start on kamite then go to center then shimote. So Masashi will yell "KAMITE!" and kamite will yell back. He yells "CENTER!!" and they yell back. Then he lets Junsei yell shimote, but no one says anything. Complete silence. LOL. But they did it more than usual this time and one of the times Junsei was like "SHIMOTE!!!" And one girl in the front was like "YAYYYYY" in a super intense voice. And Masashi was like "OMG YOU MUST  BE SO EMBARRASSED" And made a big deal about it and literally pointed her out LOL and then they did it again, but this time one girl from the back yelled and Masashi was like "HOW EMBARRASSING!! Someone tell these people what we do!!" Lolol <3 Then Masashi was like "you suck at this"  to Junsei and was like "okay, Wanwan you give it a try I bet they'll cheer for you! So Wanwan tried, and everyone did a half-assed "yay" and Masashi was like "LOL it's like they're saying 'well if it's Wanwan, I guess we have to'" hahaha He even had Maki and Misono try lol <3

 

They did this routine two (or more?) different times and I can't remember what happened which time, but the 2nd time (I think?) Masashi had Wanwan do it again and no one yelled so Wanwan was like "okay here! *throws bass picks* if I do this you guys will yell for me right?? I prepared a lot of them!! *throws more picks*"  and Masashi was like "Ahh, typical Osaka people. They won't do anything unless you give them something" lol so then Wanwan tried again and more people yelled this time but still pretty half-assed and Masashi laughed and was like "now they're all just like 'gimme gimme' Haha" Oh I think this was when he had Maki try. But Maki mumbled "busu" (ugly) into the mike before saying anything and Masashi was like "WTF DID YOU HEAR THAT???? LOLOL" and then to Maki "You can't call them ugly!!!" and then I'm not sure what Maki said to amend himself. Either that we weren't ugly or even if you're ugly it's okay or something. So he yelled for kamite and we all cheered then we yelled for center and they were silent. Masashi was like "sorry, they're used to doing it a certain way" maybe cos they're usually just for Masashi? idk, but he was like it's okay just try again, I'm sure they'll yell for you this time *starest pointedly at center* And Maki was like "Even if you're ugly, COME ON CENTER!!" Or something and some girls cheered and Masashi was like "WAIT YOU GUYS AREN'T UGLY!" LOLOLOL

 

And then they were going back to Junsei, more silence. More people almost yelling. Masashi imitated some girls who were all ready to yell, but then noticed no one was yelling so they stopped themselves before they could let it out and it got stuck in their throats kind of thing haha. The way he imitated them was hilarious!! Then they went back to Masashi. But Maki was standing behind him motioning everyone to stay silent even for Masashi. And Masashi turned and saw Maki standing and was like wtf are you doing? And Maki was just like YAY! *thumbs up* lol So Masashi turned back to us and was like "EVERYONE!!!" And only a few people cheered. And he was like WHAT DID YOU DO MAKI!!! Lolol So them Masashi was like "STAFF!!" And way in the back they yelled LOL <333 and the bandmen were all shocked like "omg they actually yelled back there" lolol They were like "that was definitely Yoshida-san!" (I think it was Yoshida? Idk who that is) so then Masashi was like okay you try Misono. So Misono was like "okay I'll do it without the mike." *sounds of everyone being impressed at his coolness* and he even motioned for us to be very quiet (as in he put his finger to his mouth to shush us). And then he yelled "YOSHIDA-SAN!"(or w/e that guy's name is lol)…. Silence. And everyone laughed lolol Masashi was like "wtf! That's so mean! All your fans were so excited like 'omg Misono's gonna do it, he's gonna do it, he's gonna do it!!' And then you yell 'YOSHIDA-SAN?!?!?!!?' that's so mean!" lolol so Masashi made Misono try again and we all yelled for him haha <3

 

Also during one of the MC's Junsei started talking about sports bras because apparently the topic came up in a twitcast he did. He asked who was wearing a sports bra today and Masashi was like "wtf??? No one's gonna raise their hand for that question!" lolol

 

Okay yeah I honestly can't remember the order of the MCs… some of those might've been split into different MC's or some of the ones I split might've been part of the same ones, but that's the basic gist of some of the things that happened? Haha the MC's were all pretty long <33

 

Encore:

Spoiler

We all started cheering for the encore. After a while they closed the curtains and we were all kind of confused, but then they started playing a slide show and we all sat to watch. The slideshow had a bunch of pictures from forever ago up until really recent. It ended on a group picture of them in front of a flower stand for their 3rd anniversary live. The song playing during the slide show was Shiawase no Katachi… A lot of the girls were crying pretty hard >< I managed to keep it together somehow…

 

They opened the curtains and it took a little while for all the members to come out. They all said a few words (Maki went on and on about each member <3 He kept thanking Masashi for getting mad at him sometimes lol) Junsei was crying a lot during his turn and Wanwan cried SO MUCH. He almost couldn't compose himself so Masashi was like GAMBARE and clapped him on the shoulder. I think Misono is the only one who could kind of keep it together. After he spoke Masashi was like he said it in the typical Misono way. lol Short and to the point I guess. I'm sorry I can't really remember anything in particular about any of the other member's speeches. Like they were all just so grateful to come as far as they have. Junsei quit for a while and came back or something(??) and he was so happy that he came back.  Wanwan was seriously torn apart >< Masashi looked like he was about to cry the whole time Wanwan was speaking. Masashi spoke last and he said he wrote down what he wanted to say cos he didn't want to lose himself if he started to cry. He got choked up on some parts, but he made it through. Towards the end he was almost shouting as if too prevent himself from crying. All the fans were pretty much falling to pieces throughout his whole message. @hiroki translated the entire letter that Masashi read here. <33333 The part that really killed me (and I think a lot of other people) was this part:

Quote

 

なんとなく声が聴きたくなったら、CDを聴いてください。歌いたくなったら、カラオケで歌ってください。見たくなったら、ＭＶを見てください。

If you somehow feel like listening to my voice, please listen to your CDs. If you want to sing along, please go to the karaoke. If you want to see me, please watch our MVs.

辛いときに、少しでも俺らの事を思い出して元気を出してくれたら、それだけでこのバンドを結成して良かったと思えます。

If thinking of us can give you just an ounce of strength to carry on when things aren't going well, then I wouldn't have started this band in vain.

俺はみんなにはこの先も笑っててほしいです。

My wish is for all of you to continue smiling going forward.

 

^( @hiroki's translation)

 

After he finished ,one of the staff came out and asked for 30 seconds of their time. I misunderstood at first and thought he was saying they only had 30 seconds left and had an internal panic like wtf no time for encore??? Haha but yeah. Masashi was legitimately confused lol And then out came some other bandmen with flowers for all of them. Follow is really loved by so many people! <33 Masashi went to take the flowers from the guy closest to him, but he was like "oh… these are for Misono" lolol Masashi was like WHAT I DON'T GET TO CHOOSE? But then Axkey's Yuuki was holding Masashi's flowers (of course). Each of their flowers had the number of days they've been a part of Follow so Masashi, Wanwan and Misono had the same numbers but Maki and Junsei had different ones. After receiving the flowers and exchanging a few words with the bandmen Masashi was like "man, I just poured my heart out and you guys ruined the mood!! But I guess it's okay cos now everyone's smiling again" lol But then they went into Shiawase no Katachi and we all died all over again. Hearing Masashi sing it live pretty much killed me. He always sings with such emotion, but that song in particular, you could see the tears in his eyes. But he did a good job and didn’t really get too choked up. The second half of that song destroys me. I pretty much lost it when he sang the last part of the song:

 

遠く離れても　心は繋がってる　

Even if we are far apart, our hearts are connected

忘れないよ　君と生きた　奇跡の時間を　

I'll never forget the precious time I spent with you

何年経っても　たまに思い出してね　

No matter how many years have passed, think of me once in a while

今日は君に　一言だけ　伝えたい言葉　

The one thing that I want to say to you today is

「ありがとう」

"Thank you"

 

(^ my rough translation)

 

You could really feel the emotion. Like you could feel the emotion that whole song, but just the build up of the music up to that point and the emotion in his voice like… I cannot even begin to explain. Words are not sufficient to describe how this band and how Masashi makes me feel. Even now I can't listen to it. I listened to this song once while writing this and I was a mess. I don't think I'll be able to listen to the entire song for a while...

 

But once the song ended they went right into Music Garden and we didn't have time to think about being sad. Some people even laughed a bit at the change in tune and mood. Masashi was like "BECAUSE WE GOTTA BE US" kinda thing like Follow isn't about crying or being sad. They're about being happy and looking to the future so they ended on a really happy note. <33333333333333 Before Dancing Venus Masashi said something about "even if we have the lamest furi or our music isn't the best, this is us" and a "this is the end so go all out" kind of feeling. I don't remember exactly what he said but I definitely remember him saying "even if we have the lamest furi" lol I wonder if they've been criticized for it before? But I'm pretty sure there are bands with lamer furi than Follow... lolol

 

In any case, they really did keep the live in the true Follow spirit I think. It wasn't about "This is the end, woe is me." Despite all the tears, it was a very happy and uplifting experience. I still don't really feel like it's the end. And I guess it isn't really. <3

 

At the end we took a couple of group photos! Masashi counted down and the girl took the pictures really quick. He was like what it's over?! wow that quick! <3

 

oh and I somehow got two of Misono's guitar picks! They were made specially for the last live!

 

Also here's my post-live and satsueikai experience for those who are interested lol:

Spoiler

So I didn't know where to go for satsueikai. I heard the announcement for people who needed to leave earlier but I didn't understand where to go so I kinda just awkwardly sat and then half went to go to the staff to ask but then he'd disappear before I got there… so I just went back to sit down. Finally I just went near the drink bar and stood there where it seemed like people were waiting in line. A random girl asked what I was in line for and I was like "I think the satsueikai?" and she was like "lol me too" so she asked some other girls and they pointed us in the right the direction. It was really confusing cos the satsuei, drink bar, and buppan lines were all near each other. I noticed everyone was holding all their shit and I was like oh, do people normally just bring all their stuff with them? And she was like yeah I think you just go your pictures and then leave. I was like "oh! Can I go get my stuff and come back here??" She was like "sure!!" so I grabbed my stuff and came back. We made some small talk and then she asked if I could hold her drink while she rearranged her stuff. She was like omg so sorry!! And I'm like no worries lol it was kinda nice to just randomly talk to people. It really feels different in Osaka compared to Tokyo!

 

Satsueikai:

Pictures were with your phone. You could take one picture for spending 3,000yen (or 6 cheki) and two pictures if you spent 6,000 yen (12 cheki). I bought 10 cheki and two Shiawase no Katachi CDs so I got to take two pictures ^^

 

When I walked in, Masashi said thank you for always replying to his tweets (he prob says that to everyone who chooses him but I don't care ♡)

I got to sit next to Masashi (the staff asked which member you wanted before you got into the room)

So I sat down and Masashi asked if there was any pose I wanted to do

I derped and was like "uhhhh anything's okay??"

So he said "okay let's do peace signs!"

Someone behind me was rubbing my shoulder in a really comforting way during this exchange. Either Wanwan or Junsei. I couldn't look away from Masashi to check. I think whoever was rubbing my shoulder could tell I was on the verge of breaking haha (I just checked. I think it was Junsei. His hand is on me in one of the pictures lol)

After the first picture Masashi turned to me and was like "...?" Like "what do you want to do?" More derping and I think I just said "whatever is fine?" like I honestly don't remember what was happening haha and I'm sure they just wanted us to get in and out as fast as possible cos there were so many of us and I'm sure they were exhausted ><

So he said "hmm, let's make a heart then!" and put up one hand for half the heart and I finished it. He leaned into me and pressed his head against mine >< 💖💖💖💖💖💖

I pretty much just said thank you and お疲れさまでした and once again didn't say any of the things I wanted to say

But there was a long line so that was that

And I was gone

 

Surprisingly I'm not as sad as I thought I would be. I don't feel empty or devastated. If anything I feel really full and positive lately. It didn't feel like a last live. Masashi kept saying いつも通り and I think they really tried to keep things the way they always do it. I've only seen them a few times so I don't know if they really kept everything the same as usual, but I think they were able to. Of course we all cried, but not for very long. We all had a lot of fun and even though it was the last live, it felt more like a "until next time" and a "we'll meet again someday." I hope I really do get to meet them one day. Even if it's not as a band. I want to be able to tell Masashi that I'm living a happy life ♡ I really hope they all find their own happiness as well. I feel like they've changed something in me. I'm not sure if it's just cos the live is still so recent, but I hope this feeling and my new positivity can last a long, long time. I'm so glad I was able to meet Follow, even if it was at the end of their band activities. It's not how long you've known someone, it's the depth of the connection, the moments you share, and how they make you feel. I know Follow is a band that I'll never forget.

<33333333333333333333333333333

 

 

Also, here's the last "だ～れだ" video! (filmed by Axkey's Yuuki lol)

 

♡

Edited February 22, 2018 by echo