What Did We See at BRAHMAN's "Rokubon Zensho"?

These were the words spoken by TGMX (SCAFULL KING, FRONTIER BACKYARD) in a special interview with his close friends in "Ongaku to Hito" magazine in 2015, which featured BRAHMAN on the cover to celebrate their 20th anniversary.
However, nine years after that interview, on November 4, 2024, as if to blow away his doubts, BRAHMAN completed a spectacular live performance titled "Rokubon Zensho - Six full albums of all songs -" (hereinafter referred to as "Rokubon Zensho"), spanning 75 songs and approximately four hours.

Although BRAHMAN's 30th anniversary is next year (2025), "Rokubon Zensho" served as the kickoff for their anniversary year in the latter half of 2024. Starting with this concert, they will spend about a year running through numerous celebration events together with their fans.

"Bon" (梵) refers to "Brahman," the supreme principle of Brahmanism, and is also a term used for things related to Buddhism. "Rokubon Zensho" is thought to signify the six albums BRAHMAN (＝Bon) has created so far: "A MAN OF THE WORLD," "A FORLORN HOPE," "THE MIDDLE WAY," "ANTINOMY," "Chokoku," and "Bonbai" (＝Rokubon). It was announced in advance that all 72 songs recorded on these six works would be performed over the course of four hours.

When I arrived at the venue, Yokohama BUNTAI, before 2:30 PM, it was filled with a wide range of audience members—mainly those in their 40s and 50s who have marked time alongside BRAHMAN, but also younger generations in their 20s and 30s, and even children brought by their parents—all eagerly awaiting the start. Everyone was wearing band T-shirts released over the past 30 years, which alone made it feel like an anniversary event, but behind their excitement, one could sense a kind of resolve to witness the grueling four hours that were about to unfold.

The concert started a little behind schedule. As always, the Bulgarian folk song "Molih ta, majcho i molih (Mother, please)" played, and highlights of BRAHMAN's 30-year live history were projected one after another on the screen behind the stage. Amidst cheers that sounded like roars echoing through the venue, the four members slowly appeared on stage and chose "Shinzenbi," the first track from their latest album "Bonbai," as the opening song.
Afterward, TOSHI-LOW declared the opening with determination, quoting the lyrics of "Shinzenbi": "30 years isn't just one lump, and today's 72 songs aren't just one lump either. It's the accumulation of each day, each song. When the curtain rises, it means an end will come. It's your turn to question this 'now' that only happens once. I don't know if I'll be able to stand here four hours from now, but I don't care about that. We've given it our all for 30 years."

From here, for about four hours, they performed a total of 75 songs, including three tracks from "Grope Our Way" and "WAIT AND WAIT" in addition to the six albums, turning the event into a true battle. However, this report is not intended to be a main live report, but rather to write about "what BRAHMAN wanted to convey = what I received" through this concert.

※ For "Rokubon Zensho," live reports by talented writers are being published sequentially on various web media, so please refer to those. It is unclear whether all reports have been published as of the time of writing this note, but the following are the reports I particularly like. Both are writers I love who have continued to walk alongside BRAHMAN.

First, about the MC.
Since 2011, TOSHI-LOW's MC, which takes place after the first song and before the final song of the main set at BRAHMAN's concerts, has been a highlight. The audience has had various emotions stirred by his words, which are sometimes funny and sometimes serious. However, the only MC-like MC on this day was the one that took place after "Shinzenbi" at the beginning of the concert.

Also, while BRAHMAN has always been described as a "live band" in various situations, it should not be forgotten that they have a side that focuses on production for "crucial" concerts, not just unfolding an overwhelming live performance on stage.
For example, the production of hanging a curtain between the stage and the audience to perform behind it while projecting images was incorporated mainly for album release tour finals around the mid-2000s. At their first-ever Budokan performance in 2018, titled "Hachimen Reiro," they used projection mapping on the ceiling and placed four screens in the extension of the audience's line of sight to the stage, allowing everyone to experience the live performance and the projected images together from any position.
Naturally, I expected large-scale production for this "Rokubon Zensho," but when the lid was opened, there was no special production (although the members' expressions were projected on the screen behind the stage depending on the song), just a passionate performance unfolding on stage.

BRAHMAN's live performances before 2011 were often described as "martial arts." This is a metaphor for the fact that once they appeared on stage, they would play continuously without any MC or breaks, a serious battle of endurance between the band and the audience.
Then, after the Great East Japan Earthquake, TOSHI-LOW began to speak. This change in mindset has been explained by the person himself on various occasions to the effect that "(until now) I wanted everyone to receive it on their own without needing to convey it in words. But after the earthquake, as various 'normal' things collapsed, a feeling sprouted that I wanted to directly hand over what I wanted to convey."

However, at the beginning of the 30th-anniversary milestone, perhaps they wanted not only to convey their thoughts directly as they usually do, but also to have each person gathered there receive the band's thoughts and take them home, just like in those days called "martial arts."

And this stance of "like in those days" also seemed to be reflected in the setlist for the day.

As has already been introduced in many places, the setlist for the day was performed in the order of the tracks from their current latest release, the 6th album "Bonbai," back to the 4th album "ANTINOMY," and from there, tracks from the 1st "A MAN OF THE WORLD," 2nd "A FORLORN HOPE," and 3rd "THE MIDDLE WAY" were combined and performed.

The word I felt from that was "return to the origin."
There is an album they released in 2009 called "ETERNAL RECURRENCE." This refers to Nietzsche's philosophy of "eternal recurrence," which posits that "in this world, everything is repeated exactly the same way forever," and it is thought to have been named for the nature of the album, which was produced by re-recording tracks from their first three albums, "Grope Our Way," "WAIT AND WAIT," and "A MAN OF THE WORLD," which had been discontinued due to past contractual troubles.

And what comes to mind is "Jinmiraisai," held about 10 years ago during their 20th-anniversary year. "Jinmiraisai," which reached its grand finale with "Jinmiraisai" held with friends over two days at Makuhari Messe in November, started with concerts held at three small live houses named "Kaibyaku." The first concert, held at Shimokitazawa SHELTER, was particularly masterful. In fact, that live house was where BRAHMAN held their first concert in Tokyo, and that day became a complete reproduction of the concert at that time, including the setlist, costumes, and even MAKOTO's MC.

This is just a hypothesis, but perhaps when BRAHMAN reaches an anniversary year, they first wind back the clock to their early career and then walk the path they have taken so far, performing an "eternal recurrence." By doing so, aren't they building a solid foundation for the next 10 years for the band itself and for their fans throughout the anniversary year?

In such a situation, why was the setlist, which was performed by going back through album releases, mixed with "A MAN OF THE WORLD" and "A FORLORN HOPE" as soon as it entered the "THE MIDDLE WAY" part?
BRAHMAN is a band known for having relatively long intervals between album releases, but their first three albums were released at three-year intervals, a relatively short term for them, and they were also works released during the period from the height of the so-called AIR JAM movement toward its end. Perhaps they reflected them in the setlist as a single continuous work because the mode of the entire album and the atmosphere of the scene at the time of release were similar.

BRAHMAN returned to their roots through "Rokubon Zensho," but finally, I would like to think about the future of their anniversary year.

The surprise announcement at the end of "Rokubon Zensho" was the release of a new song, "Junpu Manpan," a new album containing the same song, the seventh book "viraha," and the holding of a tour following the release.

Even now, the image of BRAHMAN as a band that has many friends while being described as a "solitary live band" has become firmly established.
However, as the members themselves have often mentioned in interviews and other places, for a relatively long time since the beginning of their career, they were a band that stood somewhat alone in the scene. This may have been related to their unique musical style, which could not be 100% classified as either melodic punk or hardcore, and their determination not to get cozy with others.
And perhaps it was by continuing to show their music, their band, and their way of life to those around them over a long period of time that they increased the number of people they could truly trust, leading to where they are today.

If BRAHMAN's next path after returning to their roots is to be an encounter with the friends they have walked with so far and new friends, it is expected that the "vihara" release tour will be a large-scale joint gig tour. In fact, the tour held for their 20th anniversary, "Jinmu-Kousai," was titled "Iyu" (Respected Friends), and they had a history of holding joint gigs with their allies at live houses in various places.
And as the culmination of that, the "Jinmu-Kousai" finale with their friends, which has already been announced, is waiting.

On the other hand, it is also interesting that the title of the new album is "vihara." It is said that "vihara" in Hindi means "the importance of someone you only realize after you have been separated." If we take that meaning, perhaps a story will be depicted for their 30th anniversary where they dare to separate from their friends, tour all over Japan as a one-man show, and then reunite with their friends at the "Jinmu-Kousai" venue.

In any case, BRAHMAN's 30th anniversary has only just begun. And there is no doubt that throughout this year, they will let us experience their 30-year journey in every possible way. For fans who have walked with them, it is a nostalgic experience as if it were their own, and for new fans, it is an opportunity to experience the journey of a band they did not know.

Let's all celebrate and enjoy the band until the "Jinmu-Kousai" where the finish line tape is set (Wait, "Jinmu-Kousai" is really the end, right?)