HYDE - LIVE 2019 ANTI FINAL (Live Report)

HYDE
LIVE 2019 ANTI FINAL at Makuhari Messe – December 8, 2019
Live report by Shannon McNaught
Photos by Takayuki Okada, Kazuko Tanaka

2019 has been a whirlwind for HYDE in terms of touring, and it came to a brilliant close at Makuhari Messe on December 8, 2019. This was Day 2 of “HYDE LIVE 2019 ANTI FINAL”. The spacious stage was set up to mimic a scene from the set of “WHO’S GONNA SAVE US” – dark buildings, neon lights, and battered police cars made to look like they were aflame.

The set started with fire—literally—as HYDE took the stage on top of one of the police cars. The dramatic vocals of “WHO’S GONNA SAVE US” were met with fans’ call and response. HYDE wore a silver mask that covered a portion of his face, and support members were clad entirely in black (save for comically large neon eyes and a neon Cheshire Cat grin).

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to ANTI FINAL!” HYDE announced to the crowd before launching into “INSIDE OF ME”. Where the first few songs of the set were raw and rocking, “Zipang” offered an acoustic version of HYDE’s music, with the opening part featuring only HYDE accompanied by only a keyboard.

The angry rock and roller side of HYDE came out during “SICK”. HYDE came down from the stage to stand against the front row of fans, giving them the chance to get closer to him than ever before.

Perhaps the most surprising feature of the night was the sudden presence of ten enormous inflatable tube men that lined the front of the stage in a multitude of colors, matching the catchy, poppy vibe of “LION”. After “ANOTHER MOMENT” and fan-favorite “MIDNIGHT CELEBRATION II”, HYDE and his band members left the stage.

The band returned for an encore with an impressive cover of Slipknot’s “Duality”. For the last couple of songs, HYDE requested that fans use their cell phone lights to light up the audience. He commented on the beautiful sight and ended the night with the sweet tones of “ORDINARY WORLD”.

Setlist
01. WHO’S GONNA SAVE US
02. AFTER LIGHT
03. FAKE DIVINE
04. INSIDE OF ME
05. DEVIL SIDE
06. TWO FACE
07. SET IN STONE
08. ZIPANG
09. OUT
10. MAD QUALIA
11. SICK
12. DON’T HOLD BACK
13. LION
14. ANOTHER MOMENT
15. MIDNIGHT CELEBRATION II
16. DUALITY
17. AHEAD
18. GLAMOROUS SKY
19. ORDINARY WORLD