THE ESSENTIAL SUEDE >> tour dates and gig journals >> ax 2003

ax 2003

>> Date: 29 Jan 2003 [Wednesday]

>> Venue: AX, Tokyo, Japan

>> Highlights:

They played Union City Blues!

>> Review:

Suede was great in Japan! They gave over 100%,Every night. The band looked in very good mood ,and enjoyable. Especially, I'd like to tell about brett. He was smiling so many times in this tour! For me, It was impressive thing that He showed us glad and tender smile every night. He looked happy, and His smile made us happy too. Also He seemed to be in very good condition. His performance was energetic, fascinating and even natural. His voice was powerful, beautiful, sexy, mellow, deep and gentle. His falsetto voice was also clear in 'So Young' or 'The Wild Ones' or some high key songs.

Now, I'll report the impressive moments about the 2nd night at Shibuya AX. The 2nd night was especially amazing night! Because They played some special songs.

The first special one was 'The Drowners'. I've never heard 'The Drowners' in live performance at that time. When I heard simon's powerful drum roll came up, I knew that they would play 'The Drowners' in front of my eyes. I went crazy and screamed!! I could not belive that! Then the crowds realized that song was 'The Drowners', they boiled up!! We rocked back and forth with Intro part and we were all singing in loud from the first line, of course! Brett stuck out his mic forward and let us sing,"you're taking me over" line. We sang 'The Drowners' with Suede! It was the most wonderful moment at that night. That night, They played other old songs 'Killing of a flash boy' and "The living dead (brett solo)" too. Both of wonderful. I am glad that the band changed the set list each night.

The other special surprise song they played was a cover version song. At encore part, Brett said "In TOKYO,we expected to play some special song traditionally" or something, and introduced "next song is our favorite blondie". Yes,they played 'Union City Blues'! Incredibly lucky we were! (in 1999, they played 'Bodies' at glanced Blitz TOKYO. So Brett used the word "traditionally".) While Brett was singing, he glanced down at the floor where the lyric card was prepared, once or twice or more. But There was the Power and the Passion in his voice, of course.

And Other impressive moment was... Before the band started to play 'She's in Fashion', brett sang "one, two, three,She's in fashion..." without instrumental (only with Simon's drum?) His a kappella was incredibly beautiful. He repeated that line,then the crowds joined brett. Brett lead us and sang with us "She's in fashion" line for some exercise. Then Alex's synthesizer started Intro, the song began. Wow! I felt sense of togetherness between all audiences and the band. We belonged to the band and they belonged to us at that moment, I felt. Nice and warm communications in there.At the end of the song, Brett was singing, The crowds were clapping, Mat clapped his hands overhead with smile, Simon gave us tight and comfortable rhythm, Richard and Alex made a beautiful harmony with Brett. It was really really wonderful night.

Reported by hino in Japan.

These wonderful pics are from Izumi Kumazawa. Click for larger version of the pics!

>> Setlist:

Beautiful Loser
She
Trash
Metal Mickey
The Drowners
Streetlife
Everything Will Flow
Lost in TV
She's in Fashion
So Young
Kiling of a Flashboy
Saturday Night
Positivity
Animal Nitrate
Can't Get Enough
Obsessions

encore:
Oceans
Untitled
Union City Blues [Blondie cover]
Electricity
Beautiful Ones

>> Source: hino, Tetsuya Nakagawa, Izumi Kumazawa