2022.12.14 WANDS×BREAKERZ ROCK BONDZ

December 14, 2022 WANDS×BREAKERZ ROCK BONDZ
The venue was Zepp OSAKA Bayside

On this day as the year drew to a close. The weather was rainy in the morning, but the rain had stopped by the time merchandise sales began at the live venue.
The first Zepp Haneda performance was at its peak and was a legendary joint gig.
Some fans who hadn't planned on going ended up getting tickets at the last minute due to the reputation after the show.

The start was almost exactly on time. A sincerity not typical of a rock band joint gig. I love that about them.
The opening act was BREAKERZ.
It was so exciting.
DAIGO, who has natural star quality; SHINPEI, the guitarist who is always smiling and is the best; and AKIHIDE, the craftsman guitarist who plays with sex appeal and a single guitar.
I think it was a shocking live performance for WANDS fans.
For those seeing them live for the first time, it was like, 'Is ROCK this fun? Is it this free?'
In a way, they showed us a dream-like time that changed our values regarding ROCK.
And I felt that BREAKERZ themselves were truly looking forward to this day, and I think everyone under their masks was smiling.
Watching the live show, it truly came across that DAIGO-san loves music.
The setlist was one that even BREAKERZ fans felt was aggressive.
It was truly a BREAKERZ live show packed with their charm.

The second act was WANDS.
What kind of singing voice will he let us hear today? I hope to hear the best guitar playing again today.
Everyone in the venue was thinking that.
However, Uehara's singing voice on this day was not his usual one.
His thick, resonant singing voice and his piercing shouts didn't seem to be going as he wanted.
In the midst of that, Shibasaki-san captivated us with his guitar playing.
Even when the stage lights dimmed from the performance lighting to the MC lighting, the venue remained wrapped in a tense atmosphere.
Seeing Uehara, whose raspy voice was occasionally mixed with coughs and who seemed to find it painful even to speak normally, Shibasaki-san gently touched on the subject, saying, 'You don't seem to be in good shape.'
He continued, 'Well... these things happen sometimes, don't they?'
The tension eased a little thanks to the persuasiveness that comes from Shibasaki-san, who has remained at the forefront of the music industry, and his gentle way of speaking.
After that, Uehara continued his performance, looking pained and frustrated.
We even saw him singing in falsetto for the first time.
His desperate shouts and the way he clawed at his head were truly intense.
I think there were fans who couldn't help but cry at the sight of him struggling desperately to sing again and again.
Even after it was over, Uehara kept making eye contact with the fans while apologizing over and over again.

As the 5th generation of WANDS, they have been in the COVID-19 pandemic the whole time and kept saying, 'I want to hear everyone's voices soon.'
Has there ever been a live show where they regretted not being able to hear voices this much?
Everyone was clapping desperately, raising their hands and fists, sending voiceless cheers.
The artist himself said he was 'frustrated' with his live performance, but the fans must have felt 'frustrated' that they couldn't raise their voices.

Appearing like a comet as the third vocalist of the legendary band WANDS, Uehara Daishi was initially always compared to the previous vocalists and even sang with a difficult expression at fan club events, but he showed a relaxed performance on his first tour.
As a professional, I think it was a truly frustrating result not to be able to give a 100% performance this time.

But perhaps this was a trial that needed to be overcome.
If anything, I'm glad it was a joint gig. And I'm glad the partner was BREAKERZ.
I'm glad it was an environment with only seniors, both musically and in life.
Watching the Slam Dunk movie, it hit home that this was a necessary experience.

So that he can gradually talk and laugh about singing under crushing pressure.
So that WANDS' activities will continue for a long time and we can laugh and talk about 'how that happened.'

It might take more time for this incident, but it will be okay.
Hoping for the day when we can sing in a great chorus with the fans' voices.

Being is the best 🤘

2022.12.16