#257 Live Theory 14 | 020120 JAPAN TOUR 2002.10.14 Namba Hatch (THE MAD CAPSULE MARKETS)

I only have memories of having the best time at the THE MAD CAPSULE MARKETS, commonly known as MAD, concert in October 2002.

As for MAD, I haven't introduced them yet because I'm saving them for a 'Band Theory' post, but since I've already introduced them in 'Live Theory', I'd like to continue with that.

What is THE MAD CAPSULE MARKETS?

They might be the band that influenced me the most during my high school and college years.
Anyway, everything about them was cool, and I truly admired them so much.

During my college years, many people around me were music connoisseurs. I was mainly into 'Hi-Standard,' 'The High-Lows,' and 'MAD,' but one of my college allies was into 'BRAHMAN,' 'BDB,' and 'MAD,' and another ally was into 'Husking Bee,' 'BDB,' and 'MAD.' They were a band that was always loved by everyone, including my friends.

Seriously, everyone was listening to them.
That's how influential they were.

The path to the concert and the start of the show

MAD released a live album titled '020120', which featured a setlist centered around the two albums they released: 'OSC-DIS' in 1999 and '010' in 2001.

This album is such a cool piece of work that I'd even want to introduce it in 'Album Theory.'
It's no exaggeration to say it's the best album of that time.
Anyway, it's digital hardcore, and it's super heavy, cool, and ultra-pop. The essence of MAD is right there.

With that in mind, I got the information about the tour accompanying this live album release, and I got a ticket, thinking I absolutely had to go.

Since I didn't want to go to this concert alone, I tried to invite T, who went to Rising Sun with me, but as expected, MAD is super popular.
Friends I had started getting close to around this time had also secured tickets for this concert without fail, so I decided to go with them.

I had seen them two months prior, but... since it was a festival, the performance time and number of songs were limited, so I was incredibly excited for a solo show!

I was living in Shiga Prefecture at the time, and it took about three hours by car to get to Osaka.
Driving there while listening to MAD was an indescribably fun experience.

Namba Hatch is a venue with a fairly large capacity in the Kansai region. I've been to almost every live house in Kansai, and I remember this being the largest one (data from 20 years ago).

And so, we bought T-shirts at the merchandise stand without fail (almost everyone bought one) and headed into the concert.

Start to finish of the live show

A feature of Mad's live shows, aside from the performance itself, is that the live production is incredibly fun. With unique lasers and light beams,

special lighting effects, and visual effects produced by the VJ, it's like an Electrical Parade—a superb entertainment show. Add to that the booming guitar, bass, and drum sounds, along with programmed electronic beats, and it gets you incredibly hyped. You really need to experience it for yourself.

With that said, I don't really remember much anymore... haha.
I recall they played songs evenly from the two masterpiece albums, 'OSC-DIS' and '010'.

The first song was INTRODUCTION 010. Even though it's an instrumental, it gets you so hyped. It starts suddenly with electronic sounds, guitar riffs, and then TAKESHI UEDA
squeezing out the sound (this is probably the most appropriate way to describe it)! It's insane!

And then, when they play something like TRIBE, it's just the best.

Just this song alone is enough to satisfy me!

Then they played GAGA LIFE, GOOD GIRL, and CHAOS STEP, playing songs that get you super hyped... the tension reached its peak.

And in the middle to the end, the part that personally got me the most was, this intro is... no way!!
ASPHALT-BEACH!!!!

It's a cool, stylish masterpiece where the interplay of KYONO and TAKESHI's dual vocals is beautifully, perfectly, and incredibly awesome.
Since it was a song included on 'DIGIDOGHEADLOCK,' the album before 'OSC-DIS,' I thought they wouldn't play it, so when it came on, I was really hyped.
The friend I went with also said, 'I can't believe we got to hear ASPHALT-BEACH...', so this was seriously exciting.

And although I don't remember much else, they played the ultimate mixture dance tune PULSE, and finished with the digital hardcore monument, MIDI SURF. I was drenched in sweat, but it was incredibly fun.

Then for the encore, they played CRASH POW from DIGIDOG again! This also gets the crowd going!
And finally, they ended with the divine song, shouting 'Cho, cho, chochocho'.

Mad's live shows are always fun, but this one was also incredibly enjoyable.

Setlist

After the live show

After the show, drenched in sweat and exhaling cigarette smoke, we talked about our impressions while driving home.
It's a fun memory!

From then on, I became devoted to MAD, and the following year I played in a MAD cover band at a live event with friends, and things were really heating up.
And two years later, I went to the CiSTm K0nFLiqT... live tour, which was also incredibly fun, so I'll write a separate report on that!

With that, I'll put down my pen, hoping for the resumption of THE MAD CAPSULE MARKETS' activities! That's all!

In terms of timing, it's around this period. It's seriously cool, as expected.