Miyavi Concert Review

Now, first off I am the last person someone would ask to write a review especially of a Visual Kei artist who I adore and I would be the first to tell you, that I am certainly biased. With that being said, I think my opinion is worth something since in truth, there are probably other people out there who are think the same as me.

First off, Miyavi’s show at the House of Blues was the second time I had seen him live-and at the same venue I might add. With that in mind, I would say that from both my experiences and from live performances I have seen via Youtube or on DVDs, Miyavi is a superb performer. Even if I were not a fan, it is hard to disregard his charisma, his style, his humor and his amazing skill. The first time I saw him live, I honestly couldn’t understand why the man wasn’t world famous (of course, I have opinions on this matter but that’s another topic for another time). And to put it out there, I found that the second performance lacked much in comparison to the first time I had seen him and it wasn’t because my Meev’s cherry had been popped (excuse the phrase). In fact, anyone who had heard his latest record What’s My Name would expect a similar bare bones approach: Miyavi on electric guitar accompanied by Bobo, the inexhaustible drummer pounding away.

I went to the concert expecting a similar performance to the first, and there was much to be compared. But I found the one glaring difference between both concerts was the set list. Although, in the first concert Meev’s played tracks that would soon be featured on his album, songs that I wasn’t aware of and he certainly played new songs in the second concert, I found the second one lacking the overall flow of the first. Where the first time I had seen him at the House of Blues a year ago, there were slower songs, emotional songs, there were moments when the crowd just watched in silence and the lights dimmed. I was disappointed that the same wasn’t the case the second time. I’m not sure if it was because of some unfortunate technical difficulties or other unavoidable circumstances that cut the set list short but the show went from start to finish without any slower songs. Don’t get me wrong, although “Gravity” and “Itoshii Hito” are my favorite Miyavi songs, I still love his fun tracks that make Miyavi so unique in comparison to so many other musicians out there which makes him almost to me, like a baby hide (prepares to be shot). Yet, I think a concert performance should go through motions and flow. A great performance takes the listener and viewer from multiple emotional experiences from fun to angry, from sad to happy and to whatever other emotions the artist gives us. And to me, that is what was lacking in the performance I saw. It was like a continuous high.

But with that being said, that high was awesome as it was. And if you are a person who doesn’t give two shits about flow and you just want to have a good time and dance your ass off and watch Miyavi play the guitar behind his back while galloping down stage like Chuck Berry meets Hendrix, then the show was right up your alley. Hell, I would say that even if you didn’t care for his tunes, he is still a sight to see. Rock and Roll needs to have its fun moments and without it, it’s not the same and certainly, Miyavi delivers.

Let’s be honest, I’m not sure he lacks anything as a musician. Among these qualities, he is always willing to try new things and experiment. He explores all the different avenues of music and never limits himself. It’s exciting to see what new things he is going to bring to the table and to listen to how he reinvents his older songs and play them through his new bare bones medium. And although, I thought the concert could have been better, I know that it’s completely in his capacity to get it there. In short, I would recommend seeing Miyavi to anyone who appreciates Rock and Roll and even if you just think it’s alright, his humor, his amusing Michael Jackson dance moves and his good looks aren’t bad either.

So in my book, any Miyavi concert is 5/5 but in terms of Miyavi concerts, the one I saw in Chicago on the 28^th would have to rank as a 3/5.

Oh and by the way, I have no photos. Couldn’t take any.

To close it off, here is Miyavi’s latest, “Strong” which he did play live. I chose the KREVAless version since that is how he performs it and I also prefer it since Meev’s provides more vocals. Enjoy~