[rookies]

Since Leo is a not so well known artist, I know there won't be much to discuss about, but I will try my best to keep this thread as active as possible, since I did create it. I can't wait for a new single or some sort of announcement.

Anyways, I found a fan report / review of someone who attended one of Leo's live shows! Includes setlist as well.


luminaire @ JPM wrote:

Spoiler:

LEO Imai | Tour Synchronize 2009 [L.R.] 20090619 @ Osaka Umeda Shangri-La

Setlist:

01. Connector (Rock version)
02. High Speed Window
03. Rush
04. Metro
05. Lemon Moon
06. Synchronize
07. Laser Rain
08. Naive Melody (Talking Heads cover)
09. Tokyo Lights
10. Airports
11. You Me Electricity
12. Beautiful Face
13. Fit Of Love

Encore

14. Thunder and Lightning (new song)
15. Pulse
16. TAXI

official setlist from his staff blog!

Anyways, the live was scheduled to start at 7:30pm, but it ended up starting some 10 minutes later - and ended at around 9:05pm, so that's 85 minutes or so. Setup was bass, drums, guitar, guitar/percussion/loops, vocals+keyboard. It was pretty much the "LASER RAIN" recording crew - Shirane Kenichi on drums, Kogure Shinya on guitar, Ishiwatari Junji on guitar/percussion/Macbook, Suzuki Kenji on bass. He introduced the band after "High Speed Window" - "I'm LEO Imai, you all are LEO Imai, we are LEO Imai!"

Anyways, the band was LOUD. I typed "Connector" as "Connector (Rock version)" because even though the keyboard was there, he really didn't use it all that much, so it was largely the band - and boy, did they rock out, especially Kogure, who had a hell of a time teasing the girls right up in front. "Connector" was really good - very high-octane, great way to kick-start the live. I thought he would've started with "Synchronize" and then "Connector", but this was so much better. He wasn't very loud, though - could be the settings or something, but there were many moments where he was overpowered by the backing band, particularly towards the end when his vocals started to die. Not many MCs; the first one after introducing the band was about how he was "going to use the power of "LASER RAIN" to drive away the monsoon season", and mainly song intros after that. LEO rocks out much harder live; he struck me as a bit smaller than what I expected him to be like in real life. And yes, he was doing his weird moves throughout the entire live.

"Thunder and Lightning" was kinda chill; just keyboards and programming. And his Talking Heads cover was really good too, I hope it sees the light of day on one of his releases someday. I was kinda surprised he didn't perform "Time Traffic", but for me it was either that song or "TAXI" in the encore - and I'm glad he ended off with "TAXI", although by that song his vocals were completely wrecked. He wasn't really singing, and he didn't hit the lower notes at all. But it was really great fun, I bopped and swayed and clapped and did all those rock groupie things I never thought I'd do, heh.

I don't know how ticket sales for today went, but I guess there were over 200 people in the club? Pathetic, really - non-talented people should be seeing those numbers, instead of talent like LEO and Isayama Mio. It was great seeing quite a few of them wear the "UUSS!" T-shirt from his previous tour - I would've bought one, but they didn't have that design, just a weird "LASER RAIN" one that LEO said looked like "something from communist Soviet". XD
Not much in the way of goods, too - just his CDs, the tees (2500 yen), and a tote bag (2000 yen). Didn't get anything - too expensive for me, and what I wanted was the "UUSS!" tee. I did get that "LASER RAIN" sticker they were giving out as a web pre-order bonus; it's so small, it hardly seems worth the extra 500 yen or so I forked out. T____T