Otakon 2008, The Underneath featuring MarBell and DaizyStripper concert review: It was the last day of Otakon, and possibly one of the most anticipated events out of the entire three days for Jrock fans attending. The concert was set for noon, but regardless fans were lining up at the doors to the Baltimore convention center before they even opened to start the final day of Otakon for the year. At half past eight the doors to the event opened and Jrock fans mixed with anime fans rushed into the venue, all heading in different directions. For those anticipating the concert, it was to Hall D. Previously to the concert The Underneath, MarBell, and DaizyStripper had a question and answer panel and an autograph session on Saturday. Many attended the panel and even more attended the autograph session. Those two events alone made fans fiery with anticipation for an amazing concert. I was among them with two of my friends. We sat within the taped lines marking the waiting line to get into Hall D, excited to be in the first line of people. Not too much later, my best friend and her family joined us. And then the wait began. Fans began to slowly arrive until the entire line was filling up. No cameras were allowed in the event, making several people disgruntled, but the event was the kind that was difficult to forget. Personally, I was expecting it and was ready to have every memory etched into my mind. The time passed, but then a thought came to our entire group. My best friend’s mother talked to one of the staff members and upon request by a member of one of the bands “Mom” and the group of her choice were to be placed front row. (At the autograph session she had introduced herself as “mom”.) Excitement was coursing through us all at this point. And so the time seemed to pass quickly, but slowly at the same time. Finally the doors to the event opened. The people ahead of us moved down the steps quickly, taking one of the front rows, but a staff member saw my best friend’s mother and directed us to the front row that was simply spectacular. We were right in front of the microphone on stage and slightly to the right would be the place where we would see several guitarists from each band. Every place on the stage was in clear view. Merchandise was being sold while the fans were being seated. Soon the hall was filled with 1600 people. People were waiting for the lights to dim and the prerecorded DaizyStripper music to end so the concert could begin. Finally, the desire of all the fans became a reality. Everyone stood and began to cheer for DaizyStripper, the young band that has not even been together a full year. Their opening song came on and the fans went wild. The lights on the stage danced across the entire audience, reflecting the shimmer of admiration in their eyes. The first of the band to come on was Kazami, the drummer. All of them were dressed in the eccentric visual kei, their hair done to perfection, their clothes shimmering under the light. Following Kazami was Rei and Nao, then Mayu. Rei, Nao, and Mayu threw their kimono that they wore over their outfits into the crowd as Yu-Giri came on stage. My best friend’s mother happened to catch Mayu’s kimono, but a vicious fan girl tried to grab it too. In the end the fan girl lost. Then the performance began. It was difficult not to scream from happiness because DaizyStripper’s entire performance entranced the entire audience from beginning to end. Mayu’s performance was all over the place; he knocked over the microphone on the stand and the microphone went flying into the audience. It landed almost directly in front of a person about three people down from me, but since no one was making an attempt to do anything about it I grabbed the microphone and handed it to a staff member. DaizyStripper was certainly an energetic band. Mayu would switch places with Rei and Nao and move back and forth while Yu-Giri was pouring his heart into his voice. There were some microphone problems sadly, and when the microphone first died the surprise then panic on his face, but he made it work. The crowd gave the greatest reception for the song Dandelion and Yu-Giri saw the crowd “blossom” and said “You are all beautiful.” (During the panel DaizyStripper said that they want the fans to “saite” or “blossom” at the event. Tal from The Underneath commented on how The Underneath didn’t need us to “blossom.”) It was a sad feeling when they ended the performance. People were cheering for them, wanting them to stay on. Kazami threw his kimono into the crowd as he walked off stage. The cheering didn’t stop until a few minutes after DaizyStripper left the stage, and then the waiting began again. While the members of MarBell were setting up with the roadies people were cheering for them off and on. Mar, the singer, seemed nervous to perform, but the fans cheered in acceptance and to give her courage. Most of the fans were chattering with nervous excitement, but the group I was in spent most of the time just staring at the stage. As the anticipation rose the members of MarBell finished tuning their instruments and left the stage. The chatting grew louder as the intensity grew. The crowd was growing restless. When MarBell came on stage there was a hesitation as to the reaction of the crowd. It took a few minutes for everyone to cheer. Out of all the bands there it was easy to see that MarBell was the least popular. But as the performance began the crowd was immediately absorbed once more. The difference between DaizyStripper’s happier sound and MarBell’s darker sound didn’t matter. Every member of the audience was entranced by Mar’s beautiful voice, the sound of the harmonious bass and drums, and the decadence of Tsunoda’s guitar. The more MarBell performed the more the audience was drawn into cheering for them. Mar flashed the crowd several times; later on her blog saying “Did you like my a**?” She jumped off the stage and ran towards the front row of the audience, sending the staff members into a frenzy. On the last song that MarBell performed Mar became so overwhelmed that she began to cry. The audience cheered her on as she continued with the song through her tears. The cheering continued much after MarBell finished performing. MarBell had won over the hearts of all of those in the audience. The intensity in the air was at an all time high so far. Now everyone was ready to hear the stylings of The Underneath; the main act for the day. Everything turned surreal as people began to cheer for The Underneath. Each of the members except for Taka walked on stage to set up their instruments, creating a lot of cheers. Masato happened to be setting up his equipment on the ground in front of the group I was in, so we screamed for him. He looked up and smiled and waved, creating a lot of cheers in itself. There was a lot of screaming for Ryo and Tal also. Masaki was working hard behind his drum set to set it up perfectly, but people were still screaming for him too. After the tuning was complete the band members left the stage, creating an anticipation level I have never quite felt before. Everyone was ready for The Underneath, but were they ready for us? The cheers grew more and more. Chanting of the band name began and swelled then died then began again. No one would stop their excitement to see the band that had performed amazingly on the Taste of Chaos tour. This time it was going to be a full performance unlike any other. Between five and ten minutes later the band came on stage one by one. Cheers erupted for each of the band members and there was a sparkle in their eyes, showing that they knew how American fans would react, despite the obvious language barrier. Taka, the last on stage, grabbed the microphone and the music began. With the flashing lights and the musician-crowd interaction it was a performance that could not be rivaled. Each of the band members knew how to throw the crowd in a frenzy. Masato and Tal’s guitar duets, Ryo’s bass, Masaki’s drums, and Taka’s voice put together created the sound of The Underneath. Live, it far surpassed any recording they could ever make. Playing their entire repertoire from their new song Getting Closer to their very popular Gekkoh, the audience was entranced. During the song Fat Fatty F**kin Pigs Taka entertained the crowd by making his nose look like a pig’s. In between songs Taka would say things like “Are you having fun?” and “I have one question. Are you ready to rock?” During several of the songs, Taka did certain pelvic thrusts and touches, sending all the female fans into a frenzy unlike any I’ve ever seen. Taka also did a “dance” to Masato then moved onto Tal and kissed him on the cheek, making the fan girls scream and practically collapse. While the performance ensued Taka and Masato had a habit of staring at my best friend and I (later a friend of mine commented on how excited she was because she noticed them staring). They seemed to take turns; Taka would stare then Masato would, depending on the person. And then Ryo surprised us all and jumped off the stage and ran past us, giving the people in the front row a chance to touch him (and also making security panic). The Underneath’s last song was Womb is Planet, befitting for the parting song. Taka waved as he sang “sayonara.” It created such stirring feelings that it was difficult not to cry. The performance was over in such a short about of time that it seemed as if it had barely started. And now that it was the last song no one wanted to leave. As it ended screams for their amazing performance continued and Masato, Ryo, Tal, and Masaki threw guitar picks and drum sticks into the crowd. Luckily, I was able to get Ryo’s guitar pick, but not without sustaining injuries on my knees from the ground and a fan girl clawing my back to try to get me to drop it. And so the performance ended. The members of the band, except for Taka, came on stage to retrieve instruments and the cheers erupted again. People began to get in line to have official merchandise signed. The concert left everyone in high spirits. With all the personal experiences of concerts and different performances I’ve seen, I can easily say it’s one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to. The charisma and energy of the bands performing created an atmosphere of high level excitement unlike any other. Casting all bias aside, the young band DaizyStripper is going to become one of the most popular Visual Kei bands easily within the next few years. MarBell, though not always received openly, too will climb to the top of the Jrock world with their music of intense emotions and extreme style. And The Underneath is rapidly growing into an extremely popular band. Seeing their live performance, listening to their album, watching their promotional videos, and seeing how far they’ve come already, they are certainly a band other bands should envy and look at closely. They will rapidly become as famous as MUCC and D’espairs Ray are now as The Underneath, giving them a high standard to live up to but one that will be easily achieved with the superior talent each member possesses.

Otakon 2008, The Underneath featuring MarBell and DaizyStripper concert review:

It was the last day of Otakon, and possibly one of the most anticipated events out of the entire three days for Jrock fans attending. The concert was set for noon, but regardless fans were lining up at the doors to the Baltimore convention center before they even opened to start the final day of Otakon for the year.

At half past eight the doors to the event opened and Jrock fans mixed with anime fans rushed into the venue, all heading in different directions. For those anticipating the concert, it was to Hall D.

Previously to the concert The Underneath, MarBell, and DaizyStripper had a question and answer panel and an autograph session on Saturday. Many attended the panel and even more attended the autograph session. Those two events alone made fans fiery with anticipation for an amazing concert.

I was among them with two of my friends. We sat within the taped lines marking the waiting line to get into Hall D, excited to be in the first line of people. Not too much later, my best friend and her family joined us. And then the wait began.

Fans began to slowly arrive until the entire line was filling up. No cameras were allowed in the event, making several people disgruntled, but the event was the kind that was difficult to forget. Personally, I was expecting it and was ready to have every memory etched into my mind.

The time passed, but then a thought came to our entire group. My best friend’s mother talked to one of the staff members and upon request by a member of one of the bands “Mom” and the group of her choice were to be placed front row. (At the autograph session she had introduced herself as “mom”.) Excitement was coursing through us all at this point. And so the time seemed to pass quickly, but slowly at the same time.

Finally the doors to the event opened. The people ahead of us moved down the steps quickly, taking one of the front rows, but a staff member saw my best friend’s mother and directed us to the front row that was simply spectacular. We were right in front of the microphone on stage and slightly to the right would be the place where we would see several guitarists from each band. Every place on the stage was in clear view.

Merchandise was being sold while the fans were being seated. Soon the hall was filled with 1600 people. People were waiting for the lights to dim and the prerecorded DaizyStripper music to end so the concert could begin.

Finally, the desire of all the fans became a reality. Everyone stood and began to cheer for DaizyStripper, the young band that has not even been together a full year. Their opening song came on and the fans went wild. The lights on the stage danced across the entire audience, reflecting the shimmer of admiration in their eyes. The first of the band to come on was Kazami, the drummer. All of them were dressed in the eccentric visual kei, their hair done to perfection, their clothes shimmering under the light.

Following Kazami was Rei and Nao, then Mayu. Rei, Nao, and Mayu threw their kimono that they wore over their outfits into the crowd as Yu-Giri came on stage. My best friend’s mother happened to catch Mayu’s kimono, but a vicious fan girl tried to grab it too. In the end the fan girl lost. Then the performance began.

It was difficult not to scream from happiness because DaizyStripper’s entire performance entranced the entire audience from beginning to end. Mayu’s performance was all over the place; he knocked over the microphone on the stand and the microphone went flying into the audience. It landed almost directly in front of a person about three people down from me, but since no one was making an attempt to do anything about it I grabbed the microphone and handed it to a staff member.

DaizyStripper was certainly an energetic band. Mayu would switch places with Rei and Nao and move back and forth while Yu-Giri was pouring his heart into his voice. There were some microphone problems sadly, and when the microphone first died the surprise then panic on his face, but he made it work. The crowd gave the greatest reception for the song Dandelion and Yu-Giri saw the crowd “blossom” and said “You are all beautiful.” (During the panel DaizyStripper said that they want the fans to “saite” or “blossom” at the event. Tal from The Underneath commented on how The Underneath didn’t need us to “blossom.”)

It was a sad feeling when they ended the performance. People were cheering for them, wanting them to stay on. Kazami threw his kimono into the crowd as he walked off stage. The cheering didn’t stop until a few minutes after DaizyStripper left the stage, and then the waiting began again.

While the members of MarBell were setting up with the roadies people were cheering for them off and on. Mar, the singer, seemed nervous to perform, but the fans cheered in acceptance and to give her courage. Most of the fans were chattering with nervous excitement, but the group I was in spent most of the time just staring at the stage.

As the anticipation rose the members of MarBell finished tuning their instruments and left the stage. The chatting grew louder as the intensity grew. The crowd was growing restless.

When MarBell came on stage there was a hesitation as to the reaction of the crowd. It took a few minutes for everyone to cheer. Out of all the bands there it was easy to see that MarBell was the least popular. But as the performance began the crowd was immediately absorbed once more. The difference between DaizyStripper’s happier sound and MarBell’s darker sound didn’t matter. Every member of the audience was entranced by Mar’s beautiful voice, the sound of the harmonious bass and drums, and the decadence of Tsunoda’s guitar.

The more MarBell performed the more the audience was drawn into cheering for them. Mar flashed the crowd several times; later on her blog saying “Did you like my a**?” She jumped off the stage and ran towards the front row of the audience, sending the staff members into a frenzy.

On the last song that MarBell performed Mar became so overwhelmed that she began to cry. The audience cheered her on as she continued with the song through her tears. The cheering continued much after MarBell finished performing. MarBell had won over the hearts of all of those in the audience.

The intensity in the air was at an all time high so far. Now everyone was ready to hear the stylings of The Underneath; the main act for the day. Everything turned surreal as people began to cheer for The Underneath. Each of the members except for Taka walked on stage to set up their instruments, creating a lot of cheers.

Masato happened to be setting up his equipment on the ground in front of the group I was in, so we screamed for him. He looked up and smiled and waved, creating a lot of cheers in itself. There was a lot of screaming for Ryo and Tal also. Masaki was working hard behind his drum set to set it up perfectly, but people were still screaming for him too. After the tuning was complete the band members left the stage, creating an anticipation level I have never quite felt before.

Everyone was ready for The Underneath, but were they ready for us? The cheers grew more and more. Chanting of the band name began and swelled then died then began again. No one would stop their excitement to see the band that had performed amazingly on the Taste of Chaos tour. This time it was going to be a full performance unlike any other.

Between five and ten minutes later the band came on stage one by one. Cheers erupted for each of the band members and there was a sparkle in their eyes, showing that they knew how American fans would react, despite the obvious language barrier. Taka, the last on stage, grabbed the microphone and the music began.

With the flashing lights and the musician-crowd interaction it was a performance that could not be rivaled. Each of the band members knew how to throw the crowd in a frenzy. Masato and Tal’s guitar duets, Ryo’s bass, Masaki’s drums, and Taka’s voice put together created the sound of The Underneath. Live, it far surpassed any recording they could ever make.

Playing their entire repertoire from their new song Getting Closer to their very popular Gekkoh, the audience was entranced. During the song Fat Fatty F**kin Pigs Taka entertained the crowd by making his nose look like a pig’s. In between songs Taka would say things like “Are you having fun?” and “I have one question. Are you ready to rock?”

During several of the songs, Taka did certain pelvic thrusts and touches, sending all the female fans into a frenzy unlike any I’ve ever seen. Taka also did a “dance” to Masato then moved onto Tal and kissed him on the cheek, making the fan girls scream and practically collapse.

While the performance ensued Taka and Masato had a habit of staring at my best friend and I (later a friend of mine commented on how excited she was because she noticed them staring). They seemed to take turns; Taka would stare then Masato would, depending on the person. And then Ryo surprised us all and jumped off the stage and ran past us, giving the people in the front row a chance to touch him (and also making security panic).

The Underneath’s last song was Womb is Planet, befitting for the parting song. Taka waved as he sang “sayonara.” It created such stirring feelings that it was difficult not to cry. The performance was over in such a short about of time that it seemed as if it had barely started. And now that it was the last song no one wanted to leave. As it ended screams for their amazing performance continued and Masato, Ryo, Tal, and Masaki threw guitar picks and drum sticks into the crowd. Luckily, I was able to get Ryo’s guitar pick, but not without sustaining injuries on my knees from the ground and a fan girl clawing my back to try to get me to drop it.

And so the performance ended. The members of the band, except for Taka, came on stage to retrieve instruments and the cheers erupted again. People began to get in line to have official merchandise signed.

The concert left everyone in high spirits. With all the personal experiences of concerts and different performances I’ve seen, I can easily say it’s one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to. The charisma and energy of the bands performing created an atmosphere of high level excitement unlike any other.

Casting all bias aside, the young band DaizyStripper is going to become one of the most popular Visual Kei bands easily within the next few years.

MarBell, though not always received openly, too will climb to the top of the Jrock world with their music of intense emotions and extreme style.

And The Underneath is rapidly growing into an extremely popular band. Seeing their live performance, listening to their album, watching their promotional videos, and seeing how far they’ve come already, they are certainly a band other bands should envy and look at closely. They will rapidly become as famous as MUCC and D’espairs Ray are now as The Underneath, giving them a high standard to live up to but one that will be easily achieved with the superior talent each member possesses.

email me at music.ongaku@mac.com for any questions and comments on this review.

This review has been submitted to Jshoxx and the Otakon 2008 review submissions. Any other use of this review without my permission will be taken care of immediately.

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