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BILLBOARD-JAPAN.COM: [Interview] GACKT Discusses His Thoughts on the Full Orchestra Performance "Maou Symphony," Starting This Summer as a Tour

GACKT celebrated the culmination of his 25th anniversary as a solo artist, and one night marked a new beginning for him as an artist. That night, on April 13, 2025, he performed "GACKT PHILHARMONIC 2025 - Maou Symphony" at Sumida Triphony Hall. The unique world of "Maou Symphony," created by the harmonious blend of a powerful band sound and a full orchestra, marked a new chapter in the music scene. In response to the many requests for a repeat performance, he held "GACKT PHILHARMONIC 2025 Maou Symphony THE REVIVAL" at the same venue on December 23rd of last year. He captivated audiences with even more refined sound and direction. Aiming to achieve the impact of that night and go beyond, this summer, GACKT will hold a full-scale tour of 10 shows in 8 cities across Japan, titled "GACKT Maou Symphony 2026 -INFINITY- organized by billboard classics." GACKT spoke at length about his desire for this one-of-a-kind stage performance, saying, "I want to create something that no one else can do."

Interview & Text: Tanaka Hisakatsu / Photo: Lestat C&M Project

GACKT's True Fusion of Rock and Classical Music in "Maou Symphony"

-- I saw "Maou Symphony" on December 23rd of last year. I was blown away by the unprecedented soundscape and immersive feeling, where the band and orchestral sounds didn't cancel each other out, yet surged forth as an overwhelming mass.

GACKT: When you say that, it's worth all the hard work. But, compared to my ideal, I'm only about 50% there. I'm not 100% there yet. Once one problem is solved, other areas for improvement become apparent. While the goal is still far away, I believe it's not an unreachable dream; it's a place I can reach. Once I've cleared all of these, I'll have created truly one-of-a-kind entertainment.

── What exactly do you mean by "50%"?

GACKT: We've done it twice now, and I think we've gotten pretty close, but it's the production, the sound, and sharing awareness with the orchestra. In the rock world, performing standing up is commonplace, but I think playing with a standing orchestra was a tough challenge for classical musicians. First of all, we had to start by breaking down the fixed idea that "you can't perform while standing." I'm trying to do something that can't be imagined no matter how much I explain it in words. That's why I ask, "Are you interested in creating a show that no one has ever made before?" and work with orchestra members who resonate with me.

── You said that when you actually experienced the fusion of rock and orchestra, "it's not that easy." How has it evolved since the premiere in April 2025?

GACKT: After the premiere on April 13th, issues arose, and as we worked out how much we could resolve in preparation for December 23rd, other problems arose (laughs). Ideas for how I wanted to put together the production also came to mind. However, it was difficult to fully realize this at Sumida Triphony Hall. The wonder of the band's sound and the orchestra's sound not clashing, that beauty, is the result of considerable attention to detail.

-- I heard that you create a pretty esoteric sound. What is your approach specifically?

GACKT: For example, let's start by talking about the base frequency. For concerts in halls, bands usually tune their reference pitch to either 440Hz or 442Hz. The same goes for orchestras. However, when I listened to it in the rehearsal studio, there was something that just didn't feel right. In the end, I arrived at the conclusion that I intentionally shifted the tuning of the bass and double bass to a certain extent. By doing that, when they actually play the sound live, each instrument comes through better. No one can do that for you, right? After the April performance, as you were making various adjustments in preparation for December, you felt something was off, so you gradually changed the tuning of the sound yourself, and then the idea of ​​where the base should be suddenly occurred to you, and you tried it out, experimented. I think that repetition is what led to the sense of immersion you mentioned.

── You must have been doing mind-boggling work all this time, so what was the main reason you decided to go on tour?

GACKT: [Maou Symphony] was originally done with the aim of going on tour, and if you could create this worldview, you had a strong desire to make it a tour. After all, as a musician, you have a desire to create something that no one else can do.

── It seems that the acoustic knowledge and experience you gained from [Maou Symphony] is also being put to use in YELLOW FRIED CHICKENz's live performances.

GACKT: First of all, the fundamental thing is that the core of [Maou Symphony] is, above all, a band. I imagine a symphony as the future of YFCz. So, even if the final live show doesn't reach the same level of excitement as a regular YFCz show, I want to create something that will make people wonder if it's even possible to have a full orchestra. The knowledge and experience gained from [Maou Symphony] is alive and well in YFCz's current live shows, and the sound is incredibly clear. This is unthinkable for a rock band live show, but we don't even have amplifiers onstage. We've perfected the "sense of separation" so that even with three guitars, each one sounds like a completely separate instrument. The technology for organizing the multi-layered sounds of an orchestra has also evolved rock band sound systems. I feel like this interplay is pushing me to the next level as an artist.

As [Maou Symphony], we're taking the dark fantasy world even further.
-- I heard that the production for this upcoming nationwide tour, [GACKT Maou Symphony 2026 -INFINITY- organized by billboard classics], will be significantly different from the previous tour.

GACKT: For example, in venues that have pipe organs, we can't use smoke, which is one of the effects. It's unbearable for me to be unable to create the ideal effect.

-- In the December performance, there were several songs in the arrangement that made impressive use of the pipe organ.

GACKT: For this tour, we avoided venues that have pipe organs and chose venues where we could freely use smoke and other effects. That's why songs that require the pipe organ will be rearranged with a different instrument. Although some things will be lost by prioritizing the effect, we want to create a dark fantasy world in the truest sense of the word on the tour, where the people who come to see us will have the illusion that they've been transported into a scene from a movie. After two performances so far, our challenge for the next tour is to remove all restrictions, such as "maybe we shouldn't exaggerate." That's why we titled the tour INFINITY.

-- Are you planning on making major changes to the set list from the last two?

GACKT: I want to change it completely. It's not that all traces of the story so far will disappear, but it will change. When I think about what I want to express and the direction within the theme of [Demon King Symphony], a picture emerges of me that I want to use this song. As that picture is coming together, if I feel it's not quite right, I'll change the song again. Right now it's only in my head, so I'm constantly refining it.

-- It was also impressive that the first floor of the audience was all standing and headbanging, which is an unusual sight for an orchestral concert.

GACKT: With an ideal worldview for the audience, I want to paint an even different picture next time. The reason we're introducing an all-standing first floor, which is unusual for an orchestral performance, is because I want to create a moment when the stage and the audience become one and are liberated.

── This tour will feature two maestros, Yoneda Satoshi (Saitama, Miyagi, Tokyo, Aichi, Hokkaido) and Murakami Fumiaki (Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Osaka), two orchestras, Grand Philharmonic Tokyo (Saitama, Miyagi, Tokyo, Aichi, Hokkaido) and Grand Philharmonic Kyoto (Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Osaka), and YELLOW FRIED CHICKENz. What is the intention behind this?

GACKT: We haven't even reached the number of performances that we originally envisioned. My original ideal was to aim for something that would be created by everyone in the area. If we're doing it in eight locations, I want to do it with orchestras that are rooted in each region. It's often difficult to explain it to classical musicians in words, so I want people to actually see and experience [Maou Symphony], and gather people from each region who will raise their hands and think, "I want to create something like that." I think that will lead to the next step, and it's close to my ideal.

── This year, you have a string of tours with completely different styles: [GACKT YELLOW FRIED CHICKENz ~WORLD TOUR ATTACK OF YFCz~], [GACKT LAST SONGS 2026 feat. K], and [GACKT Maou Symphony 2026 -INFINITY- organized by billboard classics]. I even get the feeling that you're "rushing through life" a little.

GACKT: You're rushing through life, aren't you? (laughs) But I don't mean that in a negative way at all. You don't know how long you'll live, right? Everyone feels that way, right? We don't have time. Right now, I feel like I have to do everything I can. So, it's not like I'm just doing a lot of things randomly, but rather, I'm doing it with the feeling that I want to do everything I can. Also, by performing live shows with various styles, our experiences interact with each other. I've never felt that the experiences from the previous tour had such a big impact on the next tour after one tour. [Maou Symphony], YFCz, and LAST SONGS, each one truly influences each other. For example, LAST SONGS is the polar opposite of [Maou Symphony]. Not only the worldview on stage, but the worldview in the audience, the picture painted in that entire space is completely different, and the way we think is different. That's why every live performance is so stimulating.

-- I'm looking forward to [GACKT Maou Symphony 2026 -INFINITY- organized by billboard classics], which will take me to a world I've yet to see.

GACKT: On this tour, I want you to feel with your skin that sound isn't just heard with your ears. It's scientifically proven that when a live performance is performed in person, it has more meaning than a CD or digital recording, even if the sound is a little rough. This is because energy is transmitted through sound. That energy isn't just felt by the ears, but also by your skin. [Maou Symphony] features the live sounds of a band and orchestra of about 70 people, and the energy emanating from their bodies directly vibrates the air. It's incredible. We'll deliver the passionate energy of live music to all the fans waiting all over the country. I believe that this is the way I, who have been saved by music, should repay it at this age. I have reached an age where I need to leave something behind, and I believe that this will be one of the reasons for my life as a musician. I am waiting for you with an exciting show ready.

Source: billboard-japan.com

Translation: GACKT ITALIA Team

Translation © GACKT ITALIA

by Erika