Keith Watanabe * NET 2.0

Before Maiden I was able to see my other favorite band: MAX! This occurred on Jan 3rd and 4th at the Akasaka Prince Hotel. The place was great since there was a buffet for the fans. Tickets were high priced but just a bit below the Maiden tickets! So I didn't mind shelling out the dough, especially for the food. What can I say about Reina Miyauchi...I mean MAX? Their music has always been wonderful to me. So what if they're a manufactured product of some producer. I'm glad they have been able to last this long. Sadly enough, the way things seems to be going with them, that might not be the case much longer. I see less and less produced albums from them so I have to wonder how long they will last. As performers though, they're great! Probably the best (Japanese) dance group around. Morning Musume just sucks in terms of timing. Of course, they're little girls in adult clothing, but I hope no one else is watching them for their choreography. MAX just have their timing down. They don't really perform often anymore, but they're crisp in their movement. They're typically in synch with each other and their movements are sharp. I have a few other favorite dance groups like Trinity, and they simply don't compare. Maybe I don't watch enough of these other people, but I haven't been that impressed with what I've seen thus far. Vocally, they're lacking without Mina as expected. But what's interesting is how they've rearranged the songs with Reina not doing her usual parts. Instead, it's not just Aki taking over Mina's spots, but the other girls as well. In a way that's good because it gives Lina and Nana a chance to show their prowess, but at the same time it shows their limitations without Mina. Their set was really good including most of my favorite tunes including Isshoni and Ginga no Chikai. Since they only had the DJ available and no back up band, they seemed to use the karaoke version of the song. However, most of the songs seemed truncated, which sucked because you didn't get the whole version which is what you partly would pay for. On the other hand, they were able to whip through more songs on a whole, so I guess it's a game of give and take. Disappointedly, I didn't hear Spring Rain which is one of my favorite MAX songs. In terms of presence, the girls were wonderful and lively. They constantly waved to fans and would chat a bit with each other and the fans interactively. The set list were the same both nights but their speeches differed. The last night was great because it signified Reina's birthday. Kinda nice way to end a show. My thing was I kept my eye on Reina the entire time. Too bad I couldn't get any close ups. But she's just gorgeous. Love ya if you're listening!