We got down to London a few days before to hang out and visit museums, also to attempt a good night’s sleep the night before the concert. When that night came, we went to bed as early as we could, wanting to give us the best chance at sleep as possible. It wasn’t happening 😛

We woke up early and head to the venue, queuing from the earliest time Tegan could get me to wake up. We were alone for a good few hours before Keita and Jake showed up! Finally, friends! ❤ Then more of our buddies showed up, including, but not limited to, our dearest Northerner pals, and Heather and her cute daughter! Time continued on and everyone was buzzing to head inside.

The doors opened (on time, which we were incredibly shocked about) and we head in to the venue, lining up at the stage instantly to cement our places. I managed to get in right between KUZE and Shoyo’s spot! Which was also perfect viewing for DAISUKE! Tegan was to my right, directly in front of KUZE’s mic! We all got settled, Tegan rushed off to get us some merch and then it was the loooong wait for Jupiter’s show!

The Show Begins: Support Acts
The first of the support was Lightning, a French solo singer and guitarist who played to a backing track rather than a band. He was so sweet! He seemed genuinely excited and happy to be there on stage! He gave me GACKT and Sugizo vibes, which one was proven true when I saw that he had an X JAPAN tattoo on his wrist! He was definitely a good opener for us! However, we did notice that he had knocked over some water when playing which was cleared up after his set! It was so terrifying to watch the water spread though!
The next band was one of our favourites of the night, Aeternitas! They were a German band, very reminiscent of Nightwish, very symphonic with added electronic parts. We really enjoyed them! They had both a male and female vocalist (the male vocalist also played guitar), a guitarist, a bassist, keyboardist and drummer! They were definitely amping up the crowd of fans ready for the show with a lot of interaction between the members!
The next band to come on stage was to be Season of Ghosts! However, we didn’t get to see much of them because we were taken out to have our VIP session! What we did manage to hear (after the session) was pretty damn amazing! The vocalist’s voice was absolutely gorgeous and she held so much personality on the stage! I’m so sad I missed the first song as that was the one I was mostly excited for! But I suppose the VIP session was worth it!

VIP and VIP Premium Session
We were told to head to merchandise at 8:00, so when that time hit a majority of the front left the concert pit and head up towards our designated area where we were sectioned in to VIPs and Premium VIPs.
There were seven Premium VIPs (we still have no idea how there were seven…) and when we were all grouped, we were taken away to an area just next to the stage, where we were all taken, one by one, backstage to take our photo with our chosen member. There were three people in front of me and I noticed their expressions of pure ecstasy when they came to us!
It was soon my turn and I followed HIZAKI’s manager, who lit the floor with his phone torch, who took behind the stage to a ‘green room’. I waited for the final person to finish, standing in a room with Shoyo (who I didn’t actually know if I was allowed to talk to, so I just pretended he wasn’t there and placed my things down //quietly dies of embarrassment). Then that person left and I was led in to the room, saying hello and bowing to the members as I stood next to DAISUKE, facing the interpreter, manager and tour-manager. She then asked me who I wanted my photo with and I said “DAISUKE”, gesturing to him as well. That was when all of the members said ‘ohhhh’ in surprise! I couldn’t help but laugh because I never expected they would be so shocked that I chose DAISUKE! We sat down on the couch together and he put his arm around me. We were both so lost with what to do. We didn’t have a clue of how to pose together or where to look, but, eventually, we took our picture. He then turned to me and took my hand, shaking it and thanking me. I felt so glad that I chose him because he seemed so genuinely happy! I stood up and left the room, thanking everyone and saying goodbye to them, then I picked up my stuff and left, following HIZAKI’s manager again.

When everyone had taken their photos, we were led back to the merch for the signing. I didn’t have anything to sign, really, because I’d left all of my merch back at the stage along with my bags where our friend looked after them. So I approached and offered my wristband, which the ink wouldn’t take to. They also tried to sign the fanbook for them… Which Tegan swiftly helped explain that it was for them and, eventually, I got my ticket signed. We all then shook hands, HIZAKI taking my hand the firmest and thanking me with the utmost sincerity. Then, we went back to our spot at the merchandise to get our group-cheki. I had to borrow some money from Tegano to get my cheki (thank you, Tegano!), and ended up getting three!
It wasn’t long before it was my turn to take cheki with the band! I sat in the little chair next to TERU and HIZAKI, as DAISUKE and KUZE stood behind me. We took the first of three cheki, not really knowing what I was doing, when HIZAKI and TERU leaned in for the second. I then decided that I wanted the other two closer so I ended up gesturing DAISUKE and KUZE further down, and took the photo! Just having them closer made my third photo the best and my favourite!

I finished up and said thank you to everyone before making my way back to the front, waiting for Tegan to finish her photos with the band.

We were soon heading back to the stage, managing to catch the end of Season of Ghosts, thankfully getting back to our position as well! It was then time for Jupiter! It wasn’t that long of a wait until the roadies came out to set up for everyone. Surprisingly (and quite sadly) DAISUKE came out to help set up as well! I don’t even think anyone cared that he was there, which was absolutely astounding to me (if it was Versailles and YUKI came out, there would be screaming and cheering!). Shoyo soon came out as well, setting up his own bass. He glanced over to the crowd and caught Tegan and I’s gaze as we waved at him. He smirked and looked a little bit confused until he slowly waved back, obviously amused. I wish I could have done the same with DAISUKE but he was far too busy!

Jupiter’s Set Begins!
After that, it wasn’t long at all until Jupiter came on stage! They all came out to cheers, HIZAKI and TERU getting the biggest cheers– though I tried my best to cheer loudly for DAISUKE, Shoyo and KUZE!

They opened the show with Birth of Venus, which had the entire crowd thrusting their hands in to the air excitedly. KUZE’s vocals were incredible, though we couldn’t hear much throughout the night, most-likely due to being at the front. I cannot remember much of the concert, other than a few stand-out songs from the new album.
‘SHOW MUST GO ON’ was definitely the highlight of our night, having being one of Tegan and I’s favourite songs produced on Zeus! The guitars were heavier than on the track and the bass was prominent; we had such great chance to headbang!
Another amazing song was ‘No cry no more’ as that was one of the songs I vividly remember hearing KUZE’s voice in! He managed to hit all the right notes and maintain his voice right until the end!
Another song I remember quite clearly was ‘Memories of you’. The members had paused to take a drink and the lights above them had dimmed down to a soul-stirring emerald green, causing all of the members to glow under the almost-somber mood. The imagery was beautiful as it was, then KUZE began to sing and his voice was haunting with only the guitar behind him during the verse. That performance was truly a poignant one and I shall never forget it.
The final song that I remembered was Zeus, mainly because it was another one I could KUZE’s incredible vocals in, mostly. It was another important song as Tegan and I’s favourite musicians were part of the chorus for the song! They made it sound perfect!
Of course, they played other incredible songs, like Bring Me Out and Arcadia, but I was headbanging through most of their set when I could!

It was a whirlwind of amazing music, sore-throats and dizziness! HIZAKI and TERU were truly incredible, as per usual, giving fans the experience of which I expected nothing less! DAISUKE, though in the background, performed just as hard as his counter-parts, keeping everyone as in tune as they possibly could be! Shoyo was a delight to see live! He was talented and truly a spectacle beyond anyone’s imagination! I’m certain many fans didn’t expect to leave the venue practically demanding he become Jupiter’s official bassist, but we heard those words often!
During one of the songs played, HIZAKI made his way towards the front of the stage but ended up stumbling, almost falling in to the crowd, but we tried our best to lift him up without making it seem like we were trying to pull him back down. Thankfully, he got back on his feet in no time, with assistance from the roadie near-by.
At another point, I managed to get an amazing view of DAISUKE who wasn’t looking down at his drum-set so I flashed him a quick heart-sign, wanting to show some appreciation to him since he’d been so ignored for most of the show! I could see him trying to hide his smile which was so sweet and I was glad to have that moment. That’s when Tegan nudged me because KUZE had his arm around Shoyo who looked up to him! It was such a sweet moment! You could tell they were very close!
There were a few times when Shoyo caught my gaze and winked or smiled, but I ended up looking away for most of them because I got SO uncomfortable during the eye-contact (I know, it’s silly!)! But he was such a sweet person and very interactive with the crowd in front of him!

Encore! Encore!
The end of the show came far too quickly after a brief intermission with calls and shouts of ‘encore’ or ‘one more song’ coming from the crowd. They appeared on stage, one after the other, one of the members taking the beautifully designed and signed flag and held it up with excitement and happiness! One of the musicians, I believe it was TERU or Shoyo, took the flag and went to tie it around DAISUKE’s neck like a cape! He looked so embarrassed, it was hilarious! But I was so glad he managed to get another moment in the spotlight.

They finished the show with Symmetry Breaking and Theory of Evolution which went down a storm for the fans! As they came to a close, they took a photo with the fans and then went to shake their hands, throw plectrums and such. I managed to touch all of the members, this time (which is the first time that’s happened :P)!

But the best moment for me was watching DAISUKE get off his drum-set, approach me and hand me his drumstick with a soft smile. I was so surprised. I couldn’t believe it. After that, KUZE handed me his waterbottle! (I still don’t know the etiquette of show waterbottles so I didn’t know if I should drink the water or not :P)
Tegan managed to get a very sincere handshake from KUZE as he said ‘thank you so much’ to her. It was so sweet! We looked at each other in such surprise and affection! It was definitely an amazing finish to an amazing show!

The End is Nigh
After the show, we all piled out, heading to get some water and merch (if we wanted more)! I ended up getting a DAISUKE cheki and a Shoyo cheki! But we also head there for Tegan to buy an Ancient Myth CD and give Michal (the vocalist of Ancient Myth who was acting as Jupiter’s translator/manager during the tour) a gift; we knew of her as Naoki, from Lacroix Despheres, used to be in her band! We actually saw their band at Jupiter’s second show with KUZE! She seemed so happy and surprised by her gifts, which was a great call from Tegan for buying them her! She shook our hands and we left, hearts full and happy after such an amazing time.

We mingled after the show, taking pictures with friends and saying goodbye when we decided to head round the back to say goodbye to the members. We had such a lovely group of fans with us there! Everyone was so respectful of boundaries and very calm when they ended up leaving, for most of it, we just ended up speaking and acting silly in our tired states. A couple of the other band members came over to speak to the driver of the tour-bus at his door which we happened to be near-by. One of the members, playfully looked to us and rolled his eyes, saying ‘don’t go on tour, kids!’ We laughed and told him that his comment was noted! He was so friendly! Lightning even came over to thank us and speak to us, as did the bassist from Aeternitas! Everyone was so friendly and kind, we were used to having such interactions when J-Rock bands came over!

Soon enough, everyone head on to the tour-bus after helping load it and having their final cigarette or vape before the journey! KUZE was the first person to notice us, bowing and nodding over to us, then it was Shoyo who did the same, next it was TERU, HIZAKI and finally DAISUKE. All of them thanked us and waved, saying goodbye, which made us all very happy. We said goodbye to all of the other bands and even the driver! Everyone was so kind! We moved as the doors closed and stood in a line, preparing to wave as the bus pulled away when we had the strangest idea… A Mexican wave. Why? We don’t know. We just decided to do it, and it was wonderful. We knew the members on the other side of the glass thought we were going mad, but it was such a great ending to a day of playful fun!
The bus pulled away, beeping to say goodbye as we continued our wave, then we then said our goodbyes to each other, leaving and heading to get some well-earned food. As we head over there, we saw the tour-bus again. Our friends, who were on the other side of the road, decided to leg it across to us and continue the wave we were doing as the bus drove off, beeping to us in recognition, again! What a strange night it was!

It was a day filled with unknowing and nervousness but it ended up one of the best nights of my life! It was pure joy, fun and excitement as the night progressed and I’m so happy we had the chance to see them in UK after knowing how close we were to not having them here! So thank you, Underworld, for allowing Jupiter to play! Thank you to all the staff for making such an incredible night possible! Thank you to all the bands for giving your best performances and letting us enjoy your music! And thank you, most of all, to Jupiter for playing such a strong performance and giving your all to a bunch of music-hungry fans! I hope we gave you the energy you needed and we hope you come back soon again!

SETLIST:
The Birth of Venus
ARCADIA
Angel’s wings
Drastic Night
Bring me out
SHOW MUST GO ON
Straight into the flames
No cry no more
Tempest
Beyond the Horizon
Memories of you
The spirit within me
Blessing of the Future
Zeus: I .Legend Never Die
Symmetry Breaking
Theory of Evolution