The ultimate in male beauty probably takes longer
to achieve than the ultimate in female beauty. But the fans of the beautiful
men who make up the Duel Jewel band didn't care about the process; they
were interested in the results. At Project: A-Kon, fans packed their Friday
night concert and cheered every move and song by the band. And when the
concert wasn't enough, hundreds returned to the convention on Saturday
to toss questions at the performers. "The technology is the same. The instruments
are a lot cheaper over here," the band said when asked about the differences
between performing in Japan and the U.S.
One of the female fans asked Duel Jewel how they
got their hair and makeup so perfect. The first answer was that the band
members handle that themselves, and then they spoke about the work it takes
to prepare their looks: two hours of preparation to be ready for the right
appearance on stage. By comparison, vocalist Hayato said he doesn't perform
any warmup exercises before he storms on stage to sing. "I sing from the
heart. I don't do any preparation," he said.
Fans also wanted to know the origin of the name "Duel
Jewel." The band answered that they got together and thought up the name.
They were pleased with the fan reaction from their first American concert,
felt that A-Kon fans were just as enthusiastic as Japanese fans, and promised
to return to the U.S. for more concerts.
