Luna Sea "The End of The Dream" in Singapore

Lead singer Ryuichi might have reported sick for the press conference on Friday, but he showed no signs of it with his pitch-perfectness last night.

The band’s veteran performing experience was fully reflected in their passionate presentation of good ol’ J-Rock. Even in their fourties today, Ryuichi, Sugizo, Inoran, J and Shinya owned the stage with each of their own charms and talents.

Drummer Shinya showed off his extraordinary techniques with the instrument, rousing the crowd to chant his name each time he had a solo part. It is a wonder how Inoran and J ran all over the stage without missing a beat on their instruments, showing off top notch guitar and bass skills throughout the night. Last but not least, lead guitarist Sugizo’s violin solo during the song “Providence” was nothing short of brilliance.

While Luna Sea let their music do the talking most of the time, it was a hilarious moment when Ryuichi greeted the fans with “Happy Luna-r New Year!”

Other than the usual “encore” chants, the Slaves sang the lines from “Love song” (which was not on the set list) until the band returned to the stage with a three-song encore, starting with hit track “I For You”.

Luna Sea rewarded their support and patience with a breathtaking performance for the final stop of their The End of The Dream Asia tour. Not forgetting some fan service, Sugizo, Inoran and J went into the crowd for up-close interaction with the fans, and guitar picks, drum sticks and even water bottles were thrown into the crowd before the concert ended.

Playful Sugizo won the loudest cheers when he promised that “they will be back”.

And perhaps for some of the diehards, what they relished most was not simply the band’s first gig here, but also the chance to enjoy the “live” music of their favourite band together with the other J-Rock fans in Singapore.