Digital Diversion

Japanese experimental band Dir En Grey hit San Francisco’s Regency Ballroom on their Age Quod Agis Tour, supporting their 2011 release, Dum Spiro Spero. Despite the less-than-ideal pre-holiday weekend timing, there was a decent-sized crowd amassed in front of the barrier and erupting in seemingly random cheers as they waited for Dir En Grey to take the stage.

At 8:30 sharp, Dir En Grey took the stage to Kyoukotsu No Nari and a shrieking crowd that belied its size. Throughout the set, vocalist Kyo seemed particularly agitated … at one point summoning a member of the crew to unplug one of the spotlights beneath his riser. Apparently not satisfied with the on-the-fly lighting adjustments, Kyo proceeded to knock the rest of the lights over before eventually tossing the whole riser on its end.

Despite whatever may have been going on in the frontman’s head, he delivered a blistering performance that showcased his vocal range … from the guttural roar to the ear-splitting falsetto … across a setlist heaped with a healthy dose of Dum Spiro Spero.

During the break before the encore, a crew of four dutifully replaced the riser (but not the lights) and did their best to secure it to the floor with tape and sandbags … knowing full-well that it wouldn’t stand a chance against Kyo.

Setlist:

• Kyoukotsu No Nari (intro)
• Juuyoku
• Obscure
• Lotus
• Dozing Green
• Rotting Root
• Kasumi
• Shitataru Mourou
• Inward Scream
• The Blossoming Beelzebub
• Tsumi To Batsu
• Yokusou Ni Dreambox
• Different Sense
• Merciless Cult
• Hageshisa To, Kono Mune No Naka De Karamitsuita Shakunetsu No Yami

–Encore–

• The Final
• Reiketsu Nariseba
• Rasetsukoku
• Vanitas (outro)

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