Dir en Grey Concert in Baltimore

 The Dir en Grey concert I went to was absolutely amazing. It starts off with the ride down there. It was quiet as we were listening to the Wicked soundtrack and then we finally get down into Baltimore City. With a bit of trouble (going around the same block fifty bajillion times) we finally find the parking garage. We then learn that the elevators are broken and we must go down several flights of stairs. It wasn’t so bad, especially with how cold it was.

We get down to the building where the concert is taking place and see a line starting to form outside. We say screw that and enter the pub next door where it’s nice and warm. We order sprite and freeze to death. We began talking to a waitress about the concert and the various customers that she sees. As we talk, I notice a heck lot of food being sent back for the bands (and possibly their management and whatnot). Those people eat A LOT.

The time comes to go line up and we force our way into the building where it’s warm. The line itself was very long and overall, uneventful. However, we did have fun talking about the different costumes people wore. It was great. Eventually, we make our way into the actual performing area. Immediately we head over to the merchandise for sale. I buy a tee-shirt and nothing else at the moment. Someone tried to sell us a Fair to Midland cd, but we didn’t buy it.

Now came time to look for a place to stand and watch the concert. The front was already jam packed with at least a hundred or so people, so that was a no. The first band comes on, Bleed the Dream, and we stand in one place before going up to the balcony to try to get a better view. For a song or two from Bleed the Dream we have a pretty good view, but not the greatest. Then some ignorant bitch decided to stand in front of me. I get annoyed and went back downstairs.

Instead, we stand behind the lighting and sound crew and, surprisingly, we have an awesome view! Bleed the Dream finishes. They were pretty dang good, in my opinion. Then Fair to Midland came on. They didn’t start great and they didn’t finish great. The lead singer looked as though he were having a seizure on stage and I was almost sure the guitarist was about to smack him in the face with his guitar.

They finish and the crew comes out to set up for Dir en Grey. At muliple times the crowd started cheering for no reason whatsoever. I found it amusing. Some random asian guy or girl would walk on stage and there’d be loud cheering for no reason. I guess they mistook the random asian crew people as one of the band members? Haha.

I’m under the impression the band members are serious sadists because they made us wait outside in negative degree weather and made us wait FOREVER before they came on. Finally, they came on. Shinya has amazing hair! Toshiya grew his out so he doesn’t look so bad anymore. Die, Kaoru, and Kyo looked about the same as pictures predicated. Only two or three songs in and Kyo took off his jacket. For being in his thirties, he sure doesn’t look half bad half-naked. <3

The songs I remember hearing are Dead Tree, Saku, The Final, Obscure, The Screams of Agitated Maggots, and I’m sure there were more. During one of the songs (The Final or Saku, I believe) Kyo began doing the thing I didn’t want him to do. Fish-hooking. Fish-hooking is where one somehow rips the inside of their mouth and blood goes everywhere. It’s gross. The crowd was cheering him on too, which upset me a little.

The concert ended and they started throwing out drumsticks and guitar pick and water bottles. That ended and all of a sudden I see a guitar pick fall from the sky. Literally, it fell out of the sky. =O I tell my friend and we get the attention of one of the light and sound crew and he was nice enough to get it for us. I’m not sure if he even spoke english though…he seemed pretty clueless. Haha. Unfortunately, my friend got the guitar pick even though I was the one who first saw it. =/ Oh well, it seems fair since her dad stayed the whole concert with us and drove us there.

Anyway, Dir en Grey was amazing regardless of the blood. <3 I did see several mosh pits throughout the concert and apparently some people actually went to the hospital for injuries, but I wasn’t involved. So yay! After the concert, I ended up buying the other tour tee-shirt and a poster.

We leave and are on our way out of the parking garage when we learn you’re supposed to pay some machine after parking. Wtf? Whatever. So after about a half hour of trying to figure this out, we’re on our way out of Baltimore. I finally get home about midnight and talk to my mom and sister about the concert a little. I then go to bed. When I woke up the next morning, I check the poster I bought and I found out it’s signed. =O I heard some posters were signed, but not all of them. I can’t read the signature though. =/ I’ll find out one day though, I swear I will.

So that ends an amazing night.

P.S. I want Shinya’s hair.