Sometimes, just when you think you’ve finally outgrown something, a strange twist of fate slaps you hard and proves otherwise. This was what happened to me roughly a week ago, when I flew out of the country to see L’Arc~en~Ciel play live for the first time.

I’ve been a fan for many years now (a decade or so, perhaps!), but I had also come to accept that seeing them perform in the flesh may be no more than a dream. So, when it finally skirted from “possibility” to “actuality,” it unearthed the emotions and fangirl fantasies that I thought I had already locked deep inside me some years ago. It was definitely a unique experience that did not only awaken such feelings, but also took me somewhere I’ve never been before: Singapore.

Tour merchandise by the venue entrance. I bought a canvas bag and t-shirt as keepsakes of the memorable experience!

I am actually at a loss for words to describe how the whole concert went; awesome, amazing, fantastic–all of these and more have already been said by the fans who have written about it as soon it concluded. But, for someone who was swept away by the J-Rock legends for the first time, the experience is nothing short of epic and mind-blowing. Just when I thought never in my lifetime I’d hear hyde belt out tunes, watch ken with his passionate guitar-playing, giggle at tetsuya‘s playful banana-tossing, or marvel at yukihiro‘s pounding drum beats, there I was (and my boyfriend and his friends beside me! HAHA), swooning over them along with a crowd of 6000+ adoring fans.

I was ecstatic when they started playing some of my favorites, one by one: Honey, Forbidden Lover, My Heart Draws a Dream, The Fourth Avenue Cafe, Stay Away, Ready Steady Go, and in the encore, Anata, Winter Fall, and Blurry Eyes. I have always found Forbidden Lover a very strong and passionate piece, and to have seen and heard hyde belt it out live really made an impression on me. Anata, the first song on the encore set, was also something memorable; fans seemed to coax Laruku out for a few more songs by singing the chorus! See the full set list here!

For a band to turn twenty years strong and still have so much energy to give and get is no mere accomplishment. Also, I’m actually impressed that L’Arc~en~Ciel has beein giving their fans around the world a chance to become part of their history, even if majority of these fans hardly understand the Japanese lyrics. So, with all the awesomeness outpouring from hyde, tetsuya, ken, and yukihiro with every performance, congratulations, L’Arc~en~Ciel, and I wish you more fruitful years to share with everyone who adores you and your unique music!

I didn’t get to snap nice photos during the concert because we were a bit far from the stage, but if you’d like to see some good ones, check out the L’Arc~en~Ciel community on Live Journal!

Now, I leave you with a video taken by my boyfriend, of the song where this blog post got its title, My Heart Draws a Dream: