KAMIJO, solo artist and also well-known in the Visual-kei community as the vocal of the famous Tanbi-kei* Symphonic Metal band Versailles, held a stunning, sold-out live performance in Cologne on the 14th of June, 2024, as part of his KAMIJO Europa Tour 2024 “The Anthem”. It’s been his second solo tour in Europe.
This time, he brought along his support members Yohio (guitar), Hiro (guitar), Ikuo (bass), and Ushi (drums). As EN.CORE ROCKS, we’ve covered KAMIJO before, but it’s been my first time seeing him live. I was very curious prior to the show, wondering if KAMIJO’s voice and vocal skills will deliver the same feelings, emotions, and intensity as they do on record. Let me tell you, I wasn’t disappointed!
The venue Luxor is a rather small but cozy place. When I entered, I first of all noticed all the well-dressed people in the audience. The fans were wearing elegant dark-colored clothes, fitting perfectly into the vampire image KAMIJO has. There were people of all ages, standing together and waiting for their idol to enter the stage. The very moment the live started, the crowd was feeling it.
You could see a lot of rose light sticks people were holding up for KAMIJO, welcoming the show master entering the stage after his support band. The atmosphere was immediately on fire. KAMIJO requested his fans to dance, to sing, to jump. And they did. All of them. I couldn’t resist either as from the beginning, the show was captivating, interesting, and a lot of fun.
Whatever aspect of the concert I focussed on, it all came together smoothly and elegantly. The interaction between visuals and sounds was well-balanced. Even though the headlights were blinding me sometimes, I really enjoyed KAMIJO’s ornate outfit, which was very suitable for a ‘vampire’ like him. His support members were wearing similar costumes, all in their own way beautiful.
The sound quality in the venue was pretty good, which made it even more enjoyable to hear KAMIJO sing his high notes and hold them impressively long. I was astonished by how KAMIJO was able to perform in that way so that everyone was just captivated by his show, drawing people into his allure.
SETLIST
01. Yamiyo no Lion [闇夜のライオン ]02. Conspiracy
03. Moulin Rouge
04. The Anthem
05. Louis ~Enketsu no la Vie en Rose~ [Louis 〜艶血のラヴィアンローズ〜]06. Unmei [運命]07. Eye of Providence
08. Habsburg
09. mademoiselle
10. Crimson Family
-SE- (Delta)
11. Castrato
12. Beautiful Rock’n Roll
13. Bara ha utsukushiku chiru [薔薇は美しく散る] (from Lareine)
14. Nosferatu
ENCORE
E1. Avec toi 〜君と共に〜
E2. Sang I
E3. Sang II
E4. Vampire Rockstar
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*Tanbi-kei [耽美系] (›Aesthetical Style‹) is a sub-style of Visual-kei, known for its elaborate costumes inspired by European fashion from the Baroque, Victorian, and Rococo eras.
**Fan service [ファンサービス] during a concert are actions to please fans, often with erotic or sexual connotations.
We would like to thank KAMIJO, his support musicians, and Envol Production for the wonderful evening and making our concert report possible. Furthermore, our thanks go to Omurizer for sharing her dreamy artwork with us to further illustrate our report.
