VAMPS' El Rey Banquet: VAMPS In LA Live Report

Just a year passed since Japanese Rock duo, VAMPS had their last show in Hollywood, and their success then is matched with another North American tour for November of 2016. With the chilling, breezing weather, fans looked forward to a heated performance. This time around, VAMPS welcomed Michigan-based band, Citizen Zero, to tour North America alongside them. On November 7th, the two groups made their second stop on the tour in Los Angeles at the El Rey Theater, while crowds of fans began to lined up outside. The large venue was a significant boost for VAMPS, with its broad stage and spaces that gave both the band and the audience plenty of room to rock out.

Around 8:30, the theater darkened, and guitars echoed, signaling the start of the concert. The curtains opened to reveal the first act of the night, Citizen Zero. The quartet delivered an energetic and powerful start to the show. From playing a song dedicated to L.A. citizens to walking into the general audience area, Citizen Zero succeeded in pumping fans up for VAMPS while winning new supporters of their own.

A brief ten minutes passed by after the first performance, when the theater lights dimmed out, flashed red, and the speakers blasted a mixture of rock and hip-hop music accompanied with siren noises. The curtains swept open, with all the members of VAMPS already in their place. In that moment the audience cheered, knowing that they were in for another wild night of rock and roll.

VAMPS began their show with one of their newest songs, “INSIDE OF ME”. Vocalist HYDE sang several parts of the track through a megaphone while fans raised their hands and waved them along to the rhythm. During “REDRUM”. HYDE pulled down the hood of his sweater to show off his blonde hair, earning surprised and delighted screams from the crowd. Guitarist K.A.Z and bassist Ju-Ken often walked to the front of the stage, motioning with their arms towards the audience to move around and sing along with the band, a request that the crowd was more than happy to comply with.

After playing a long line of upbeat songs, VAMPS toned-down the concert with “SIN IN JUSTICE”. Blue lights gently swayed around to set a mystic atmosphere as HYDE held out a large black flag with the label “VAMPS” and an image of skull on it. While the song was on the slower side, it did not stop the band and fans from interacting with each other. K.A.Z walked over to the drummer, Arimatsu, engaging in playing face-to-face with one another, while keyboardist Jin remained calm but still provided melodious tunes for everyone to enjoy. The group then surprised their fans with a cover of Rihanna’s song “DIAMONDS”, with lavender lights suiting the light-hearted theme of the song in which everyone should believe they are as beautiful as diamonds.

Following “MEMORIES”, VAMPS paused their performance to let HYDE speak with the audience. The singer claimed with joy, “We’ve been looking forward to this tour, and here we are.” He thanked the fans and Citizen Zero for their support, and introduced another new song, “RISE OR DIE”. Throughout the next three songs, the theater grew hot with enthusiasm as the group played upbeat songs such as “WORLD'S END” and “BLOODSUCKERS”. They finished their first set with "MIDNIGHT CELEBRATION” before exiting the stage one by one. Wanting more music, the fans chanted the opening lyrics to “REVOLUTION II” in hopes for the band to come back and continue their show.

It took only several minutes for the members of VAMPS to return onto the stage. HYDE lifted the VAMPS flag and waved it to the beat of the popular encore song. The crowd went crazy, from jumping up and down, to swinging their heads around, and throwing their fists in the air; it was a clear picture of the band’s powerful effect on their audience. The members themselves were covered in massive pools of sweat from the exhilaration of their performance.

Everyone in the theater gathered together with the last bit of energy they had left for the final song of the night, “SEX, BLOOD, ROCK 'N ROLL”. The music slowly began to diminish towards the end, as the members focused on communicating with their fans before they concluded their show. K.A.Z and Ju-Ken threw guitar picks into the crowd, while Arimatsu and Jin waved goodbye with smiles. HYDE shared his thanks once more, blew kisses to his fans, and promised to return to the United States before following the others backstage. The audience let out their last cheers and thanks before as music halted with the closure of the theater curtains, concluding the band’s performance.

With Thanksgiving around the corner, it is without a doubt that fans of VAMPS and the band themselves were thankful for the chance to meet again. Their outstanding performances continue to open the way for more distinguished recognition and concerts.
 
Setlist

1. INSIDE OF ME
2. LIPS
3. REDRUM
4. EVIL
5. REPLAY
6. GET AWAY
7. SIN IN JUSTICE
8. VAMPIRE DEPRESSION
9. DIAMONDS (Rihanna Cover)
10. MEMORIES
11. RISE OR DIE
12. WORLD’S END
13. BLOODSUCKERS
14. MIDNIGHT CELEBRATION

Encore

1. REVOLUTION II
2. DEVIL SIDE
3. SEX BLOOD ROCK ‘N ROLL

-Claudia

All photos by Manuel Figueroa