One year ago today, on May 31, 2012, thousands descended from all
corners of the globe to the tropical paradise of Honolulu, Hawaii for a
weekend that would be known as "Hawaii~en~Ciel". The weekend marked the
end of L’Arc~en~Ciel’s 20th Anniversary World Tour, with shows on May
31st and June 1st.
The band’s concerts were held at Waikiki Shell, an outdoor venue located
in Waikiki, a famous beach in Honolulu. Fans filled the streets of
Waikiki, proudly sporting a wide range of L’Arc~en~Ciel memorabilia.
Cielers, or people who are part of the band’s official fan club,
“Le~Ciel FanClub”, showed off merchandise exclusively available to them.
Fans stopped to admire and photograph the goods which were rarely seen
outside of Japan.
Excitement for the weekend was at a fever pitch even before the band’s
concert began. A special announcement had fans rushing to get their
hands on limited edition T-shirts at a secret shop, 88T's, which sold
out within hours. The spectacle had the locals comparing the band to The
Beatles due to the near-hysteria they had caused just by showing up in
the city.
Before the concert started, a rainbow formed which arched in the
background over Waikiki Shell, a symbolic moment for fans who regarded
seeing L’Arc~en~Ciel live in concert as a magical moment. With the
weather as beautiful as ever, the band gave a spectacular performance
that wasn’t filled with fancy lights or props, but rather focused on the
band, the music and the audience.
Towards the end of the show, Promoter Tom Moffatt, Mayor Peter
Carlisle and two natively-dressed beauties entered the stage. The mayor
attempted to address the crowd in less-than-perfect Japanese, which
provided a humorous moment, but when he showed gratitude to the band for
choosing Hawaii as the last stop of their tour, he declared May 31st as
"L'Arc~en~Ciel Day”. Mayor Carlisle explained that the band had made a
great contribution to cultural activities, and built a bridge of
friendship between Hawaii and Japan. After the band’s leader, tetsuya,
was presented with an official statement and plaque, the band gathered
and took a commemorative photo to celebrate the big news.
The
concert came to a close when hyde began singing "Bye Bye", a song
dedicated to a staff member who the band, shortly before taking the
stage, discovered had died. The song was the person’s favorite song.
With the pain still fresh, hyde broke down in tears while singing the
song and could barely get the words out of his mouth as he choked up.
The audience could feel the grief the band was experiencing, with many
people crying alongside the band as well.
The following day was
dedicated to Cielers, many of whom had traveled all the way from Japan
to be part of the band’s final concert celebrating their 20th
anniversary. That Sunday tetsuya rented out the Hard Rock Cafe, Honolulu
for the evening and had dinner, autographs and a few tunes with his
loyal fans, while ken had a golf outing with his fans. On June 1st, a
special concert exclusively for Cielers was held.
Once again, the weather was as beautiful as ever and a rainbow arched
over the concert venue. Those who couldn’t get tickets to the concert
tried to watch from afar, not wanting to miss out on this special
moment. The band performed its own set list and fan-requested songs as
well. Even when they couldn’t remember the song by heart, they looked up
the music and lyrics to give their fans what they wanted. What the band
didn’t realize at the time was that they had already given their fans
what they wanted and more: 20 years of music, the promise of many more
years to come, and a sense of joy that only they could give them.
Source : jpopasia
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