So, over this past weekend, a memorial summit was held for former (now deceased) X JAPAN lead guitarist, hide. I won’t take the time to detail the story of X and hide, so for those of you that don’t know, I’ll refer you to their wiki page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X_JAPAN. The summit found itself host to a number of famous Japanese pop and rock groups, most of whom owe their very existence to X and its influence on the world of Japanese music. Just today, various portions of the concert from the WOWOW TV broadcast were released online via JPOPSUKI.

So how did it all go down? I’ve only gotten to watch the X JAPAN portion of the show, and it brings me back to their recent reunion concert held in Tokyo barely a month ago. This was, of course, a very emotional performance as 10-years-former band members reunited for the sake of their late bandmate and friend, hide. A stunning performance of Yoshiki’s Without You really moved the crowd, and Endless Rain’s crowd participation was beautiful as always, but this is where I end my compliments.

After getting to watch the ultimate disaster that was the first night of the reunion concert held late-March (of three), I am sorry to say that X JAPAN is not what it used to be. The 10-year break has taken its toll on the band, and while not so much in the case of rhythm guitarist pata and bassist heath, it has not been kind to drummer/pianist/composer Yoshiki. While the band now has a more mature feel to it than in its wilder days (read: the birth of visual k), Yoshiki was unable to complete the first night’s show, collapsing halfway through during the ever-strenuous 30 minute epic, Art of Life. While this isn’t the first time that he’s fallen due to a performance, it is, however, the first time he’s done so in the middle of a show. The same holds true for vocalist Toshi, whose voice now breaks at the high notes he was once able to hit with ease. It would seem that he spends more time screaming than singing, as he tries to cover up every missed note with a loud, guttural cry.

Much like the memorial summit, however, the second and third nights were truly exceptional, and a real close throwback to the incredible performances of X from their prime years up to the Last Live (1997). Despite the setbacks of the first night of the reunion show, I think that hide is smiling down from heaven (or up from hell, as he might have preferred), knowing that he has not been forgotten, and was a part of something great.

While the current X JAPAN is still only a shadow of its former self, I think that they’ve done a wonderful thing in helping to organize this memorial summit as a tribute to hide. Whether you like X as a group or not, there is just no denying how important and influential the band has been in the evolution of modern Japanese music. It is an honor to get to see them on stage once again, aged and incomplete, still rocking their hearts out.

PS, Since when can Yoshiki play the guitar like that? God damn…