I've written this to the best of my memory's ability. If anyone who was there has any corrections or additions, please feel free to email me at (for now) rook49_1999@yahoo.com and I'll edit my report.

Lining up for the live

Before arriving at Fanime Con, I had been quite concerned that no one would be interested in seeing Kamijo, since Lareine is still comparatively a pretty underground band. I knew that xane from inertia's LAREINE Yahoo! group would be there, but that was about it. As it turned out, inertia herself showed up as well! Anyway, the live was supposed to start at 4. I got to the stage to line up around 2:45 or 3...and the line was already pretty long. Fortunately, I was able to just join inertia and xane near the head of the line. inertia was wearing the Metamorphose costume and I was borrowing her chou no hana costume. I was surprised that there were other obviously LAREINE fans, as there were three other cosplayers--one each of Kamijo, Mayu, and Emiru--plus several other people holding flowers, mostly blue roses. It was nice to see that all the people with flowers were at the front. It was still a surprise, though, since I don't think that this event had been talked about much anywhere. As time wore on, the staff moved the line to let it wrap, and suddenly we looked out and there was a huge line outside! The line had grown that long and was apparently over 400 people! O_o Anyway, while we were waiting, we could hear the sound checks going on inside and Kamijo practicing a few songs. It was cute when the staff would open the door to slip out and people in line would try to see in or run up to the doors to listen. We were finally let into the room around 4:15 or 4:30. It was quite late, and no explanation was given, but we were thinking that perhaps they had been removing the chairs from the room since there were more people than expected. Nevertheless, they still didn't fill the room to full capacity, perhaps due to the fire restrictions. When I glanced back, it looked like half the room was still empty. I don't think they let the people outside in. They had us hold hands as we walked in to make sure we didn't cut in line and then once inside, we could run to the front. I ended up in the second row behind inertia (there was no gap between the front and the stage). The lights were already off when we entered, so there was no telling when it would start. There was lots of talking and anticipation and then over the noise, you could hear, "Cette histoire qui commence maintenant..." and the room quieted with the help of some people saying, "Shhh!"

The live

1. hakuchou
The French narrative introduction to the mini-album LILLIE CHARLOTTE. When she got to the part where she says, "LAREINE," the room's back door opened to cheering, and as the track continued, Kamijo walked in to even more cheering. He was wearing his Never Cage outfit, with a gold hand/wrist decoration on his right hand. He entered carrying a small sheet of paper; what could it be? When he got to the microphone in the middle of the stage, he started reading English off the paper, with "hakuchou" continuing in the background. Unfortunately, my "memory" of the live is not good enough to understand him (NOTE: Quotes are not necessarily exact.), but I do remember him saying something about making that night a wonderful memory. Then the beat to "LILLIE CHARLOTTE" picked up, and Kamijo said to us, "Wide, wide," but no one understood what he meant. He quickly and oh-so-cutely peeked at his paper again and said, "Spread your arms wide." We naturally complied with much screaming.

2. LILLIE CHARLOTTE
Lots of screaming after the introductory refrain. Really, the whole live was very energetic. When Kamijo started the first verse, he stepped towards the front of the stage and people pushed forward as if to touch him, but he didn't invite touching and amazingly, no one forced it. The first time "silhouette" came around, he lifted the mic out to the audience, but pretty much everyone just screamed. (As if they'd know the lyrics. ^^) At the end, he did his usual prayer*. He also said something at the end of the song in Japanese (most everything from here on out was in Japanese) but I can't remember what anymore.

* If you're unfamiliar with the story of Jérémie and Lillie, my (currently defunct but hopefully soon revived) LAREINE website has the lyrics translations and inertia's site has the actual story translation.

3. setsurenka -after it snowed- (MC)
This song was the background to the MC. Kamijo plucked at the top of the mic (a rose petal or a feather?) and blew it into the air. He did this a few times, kissing it and blowing it, etc. Then he said quite a bit that I can't recall. But he did ask (in Japanese), "Do you believe in eternity?" There was a pause and figuring that almost no one understood him and that he wanted an answer, I said, "Hai!" ("Yes!"), and first inertia, with arms raised, and then others followed suit or screamed. Then he told us that the next song was a special song for Fleurs*. He said that as he sang it, we should think of the person who is most important to us...at which point a guy shouted in Japanese, "I love you!" ^o^; If I recall correctly, Kamijo returned the feeling. ^^

* Fleur is the name of LAREINE's fanclub and it's also what its members, as well as all the band's fans, are called.

4. ano hito no aishita hito nara (NEW SODMY arrangement*)
This version of the song is all piano accompaniment and it's apparently what Kamijo has been singing as his solo at LAREINE's lives since the reunion. As always, an emtional performance. Before the last refrain, he said to us, "Flowers please" (in English), and we all raised our flowers and waved them to the music. He bowed at the end.

* NEW SODMY was the band that Kamijo was in while LAREINE was on hiatus from 2001-2002. He first performed the song on their CAT WALK tour.

5. MC
Not sure what the background music for this one was. (I'm sure it's on the instrumental soundtrack, which I haven't gotten yet.) He told us to send our feelings all the way back to Mayu and Emiru who couldn't come today and held out the mic to us. We screamed, although I'm sure most people had no idea what he said. He asked us to try again, harder, and we screamed again, louder and longer. I remember that his next words in Japanese were spoken very slowly and with hand movements to try to help us understand. It was so cute. ^o^ He said, "You all have your various names. But tonight" and then in English, "Your name is 'Cinderella.'"

6. Cinderella Fantasy
This was much as the live PV showed. Very energetic, lots of clapping and waving. At the line that begins, "DORESU no suso o," he swished his coat and ran in place with the lyrics. The former was elegant and the latter was cute. ^o^ I'm sure most people didn't understand. At the next line, he said, "Flowers," before he picked up the singing, and those of us with flowers lifted and waved them in circles with the lyrics. And I can't remember if this is when it happened, but it's my best guess since I do recall that it did happen. It would've been during the instrumental before the clapping picked up. Kamijo went off to my right, plucked a blue rose from someone's hands, kissed it, and returned it. Lucky girl! ^o^

7. MC
Kamijo started walking off panting and then walked back. Someone in the back shouted, "How are you?" Kamijo didn't understand and stood there with wide eyes and his mouth open (cute!) until someone else translated, "Genki desu ka!" This time he responded, "Genki desu." ("I'm fine.") Then he returned the question and we screamed. When that died down, he said, "Yappari...I love you (U.)...S.A." ("Yappari" is a little difficult to translate. It basically means "in the end/after all" with the connotation that it was expected.) Shortly thereafter, he did his usual "Bonjour Honey!" thing. Those who knew shouted back, "Hi, Darling!" The screaming drowned it out, though. He shouted "Bonjour Honey!" again with the same result. Then he pointed to himself and said (normally) "Bonjour Honey" and pointed at us and said "Hi, Darling." Once again, he said, "Bonjour Honey." Some people caught on this time. Then he said, "Okay, music staaaaart." It was much like the live CD. After his "Thank you Honey!" he said that that was supposed to end the live. And what's funny is that some people cheered. *sigh* ^o^ I heard one girl shout, "Dame!" ("Not allowed!") He said that he would play for us a song that had not been prepared. I'm not sure how to take that, since the next song was most certainly one that we could hear him warming up beforehand.

8. fiançailles
During the instrumental before "oozora ni" Kamijo had the same narration as on the live CD about hoping that our wishes would reach, but instead of sending them to the world, this time it was to Japan. ^^ And when he got to "kanarazu aeru" he held up his pinkie. Since this was at an anime con, I imagine more people than average might have understood, but for explanation, it was the symbol of a yubikiri, where two people join pinkies to indicate a promise to each other. I know that since the reunion, LAREINE has been using "saikai no hana" at the end of each live as their promise to meet again at the next live, but before 2000, I think they used "fiancailles"--which means "engagement" in French--in the same role. Take that as you will. I did hear later from someone who went to the Friday dinner that Kamijo said that this solo performance was a promo to prepare for the entire band's appearance... Anyway, Kamijo said his farewells during the final instrumental and at the end he walked off the stage and out the back door, but the lights didn't come on right away. A few of us at the front started the encore chant, but we weren't a few seconds in when the room brightened. How sad. Well, we tried. The end. The whole live lasted just under half an hour.

©2006 by geikou. You may reprint this elsewhere if you include the copyright. Thanks to xane for the extra information in #7 about the "How are you?" and "I love U.S.A." parts!