PSYCHO LE CEMU Bids Farewell... to the Indies!

There were plenty of moist eyes as droves of young girls, many in costume and some cradled on the shoulders of friends, made their slow exit from the theater of the Nakano Sun Plaza and into the 2nd floor lobby that has the posh visual brilliance of a kabuki theater. This however was no Kabuki night, it was the final, and I mean the very last, indies live for Psycho le Cemu.

Playing their second night in a row at the 2,300 seat Nakano Sun Plaza, Psycho le Cému created a intimate fan-centered atmosphere that had all the nuances of a  Kasan (break-up) live, and in a way it was. Their next stop is Budokan, then a TV special on WOWOW in November, and all the rest of the major-status perks and responsibilities of a band in the big leagues. So it came as little surprise that many fans probably felt the approaching loss of band/fan intimacy. For two hours tonight, however, Psycho le Cemu did their utmost to stem the inevitable. And when they did go out, it was just like they did when they came in  with a bang!! The show opened with a Psycho le Cemu movie trailer that took place on some huge temple ground. The Psycho boys tour costumes all reflect an ancient period in Japanese history so they played it up like an old-time samurai pic, each with characters, and entrances just like in a movie trailer. It was fun. When the trailer ended and the curtain lifted and we were presented with a set in the design of a Japanese temple grounds. Huge stone steps center stage led to Yura`s drum kit. Above the drums was a huge glowing pentagram with a Ying/Yang symbol within it. To either side of the drums were gigantic red  torii , those column-like structures that guard and surround temple grounds. From them hung huge pentagram tapestries. The backdrop of the entire set was in two interchangeable sections, one a forest design, the other huge were  shoji , huge interlocking sections of wooden planks (imagine a giant set of wooden tic-tac-toe things).

With dry ice cascading the steps of the Psycho temple, Yura appeared with cimbles on his fingers and chanting away evil spirits. He paced about until finally the Sun Plaza auditorium was engulfed in the sound of symphonic disco and within seconds the huge tapestries were lifted and the rest of the band charged out from behind and took the stage with majesty as full concert flash pods and lights turned everything to eleven. It took nary a second for every fan to leap to their feet, many waving neon glow sticks. The party was under way.

Performing the best in their arsenal, Psycho le Cému paced the first set for a good thirty minutes before taking to the wings for a break. Yura was the first to return and in keeping with their live events, Yura commenced with what turned into a nearly 20-minute long skit with each member coming out acting out and lip-syncing through a pre-recorded dialogue comedy sketch played over the concert speakers. Now if someone is close to the stage as I was the first time I saw Psycho le Cému, such skits have some funny moments, remembering that I cannot understand Japanese. For this show, however, I was in the bleachers, the second level three rows from the back. And while the second level is at a good 45 degree angle and the view excellent, it is still a good 200 feet from the stage. So, this skit seemed a tad long to me, but what the heck!