Alice Nine - Fan Club Only - Concert

(More posts to come, about older goings-on, but since I had this one written already, I decided to go ahead and post it)

July 5th was the Alice Nine Fan Club Only ‘FLASH LIGHT from the Past’ concert. In hindsight, it really wasn’t all that different than other Alice Nine concerts, not to say I didn’t have a blast! Tour merchandise, as always, went on sale earlier than admission, starting at 3 o’clock. The various members of Alice Nine had actually designed special T-shirts for this fan club only concert, all but Tora’s using photographs Hiroto himself had taken (his shirt actually had a picture of his own lips on it, though it was graphic-designed up to look trendy and flashy). Unfortunately, not wanting to wait around for 3 ½ hours, I decided to wait until 4 to go, and by the time I got there, all the T-shirts were sold out. : (

I might mention that on top of rain, the humidity was about 130% on top of the 90 something degree temperature outside and everyone, packed in the first floor of Shibuya O-East, trying to stay out of the rain, was sweaty and all but melting. I was lucky in managing to secure a locker (though it cost $3 every time you open it), so for the first time ever, I didn’t have any baggage when I went into the venue.

Because of the sheer number of people packed in, they started admitting everyone a little early, and with ticket number 435, I was let in well before half of the crowd got through. Earlier, when I bought my obligatory towel, pamphlet and other goods, I had to get my ticket stamped and show my Fan Club ID card, so by the time I got up the stairs, it was no time before I was in the venue.

After a minimal amount of weasel-ing my way through the crowd, I managed to get closer to the stage than I ever have at any concert ever. I was dead center, fourth person from the stage (though by the end of it, I was a bit farther back). I met a nice Canadian girl who lives here, and we chatted for the remaining time before the live kicked off. As is always the way, the concert didn’t start on time, but after a 15 min. delay, the lights went off, everyone screamed, and a piercing, blinding, rotating circle of lights shot out toward the audience. In due time, the members came on stage.

I won’t give the blow-by-blow of every song and everything that happened, as the concert was 3 ½ hours long and it would take forever (and I’d be sure to forget something any way). But, suffice it to say, I was close enough to see the sweat running down their faces, the intricate detailing on their costumes, and the glitter on Saga’s half exposed chest (that’s Saga for you).

At one point, toward the end, Shou attempted a stage dive that didn’t quite work out since no one was really expecting it and it turned out being a surprise to everyone involved. Had I been adamant enough, like some people, I could have leapt over the tiny Asian next to me and touched his arm or something, but I heeded the advice of the stage hand when he asked everyone to get back and helped Shou back on stage. After that, during the encore, Saga attempted a stage dive and pulled it off successfully. For my part, I’m not much of a mosher or headbanger myself, but that didn’t stop me from getting shoved around and stepped on until I bled (my poor shoe choice for the night didn’t help). But who am I kidding, it was SO worth it.

The Mcing was long and I can’t really remember much of what was said. Saga talked about his computer, Nao talked about Akihabara, Hiroto talked about his photos and designing the T-shirts, Tora hardly talked at all. Same old, same old. However, at one point the band made as if they were going to go off stage, and then, as Nao, always the last to exit, was about to disappear behind the curtain, he jogged backwards to his place behind the drums, and in due time, Saga came back out and, taking up his bass, led a chorus of ‘Happy Birthday to You.’ It was Shou’s birthday after all, and as Tora pushed him back out on stage, from the opposite side, Hiroto and their manager came wheeling out a two tier cake decorated with tall, lit candles. The band and the audience sang another chorus, the lights dimmed, and Shou blew out the candles, or at least attempted to. Everyone congratulated him and Hiroto handed him a fan which was decorated on one side with Shou’s angel bunny, and on the other had all the bands icon characters. Shou had to use this to extinguish the few obstinate, straggling candles that remained lit. It came out then that Nao had hand made the cake, and upon looking at it closer from my standpoint, I could just make out the homemade-ish icing job, and the green gel flowers decorating the sides. Shou stuck his finger in it and pulled out a chunk, tasting it and proclaiming it delicious, then after saying he was so happy about the homemade cake (‘Meccha Ureshi desu’), he jogged up behind the drums and gave Nao a hug. There was a little more talking, then Shou started singing Happy Birthday again, and everyone was baffled. Confused as we were, the audience took up the song halfway through and discovered, by Shou’s lead, that we were singing this time for Saga, who’s birthday just passed. Then, from the side of the stage where Shou had earlier emerged, their manager wheeled out another cake with candles, unlit, that was covered with roses and carnations. Hiroto stepped forward to light the candles and Nao explained how everyone felt bad that Saga’s birthday didn’t fall on the day of a concert (nor does Hiroto’s it would seem, as he proclaimed himself jealous), and so they thought they’d make up for it tonight by celebrating it then. Saga, embarrassed, protested that they shouldn’t have gone through the trouble, then blew out the candles and received his fan, saying he’d been suspicious of Hiroto for a while, thinking he might have something planned.

After that the concert got underway again. Shou, in reference to a promise months ago in a magazine interview he’d done with Tora, actual did some Djing with two turntables that had been set up on stage, playing with the commercial jingle for Meiji chocolate (the choco-la-to song). That got everyone stirred up again.

They finished with an encore of heavy songs and after exiting the stage, the lights stayed off and two big screams began playing the music video for ‘Senkou,’ which was phenomenal and only reconfirms my suspicions of it being my all time favorite Alice Nine song. (During the concert, they had also played the other new songs on their new, unreleased album, btw). After the video was over, there was a short montage of pictures of Nao, with his red hair and oversized sunglasses, baking Shou’s cake, and then the lights went up and it was over.

Standing there I felt like I was either going to suffocate or die from the heat (you were pretty much drinking in body heat the whole 3 ½ hours without letup, but thankfully, it didn’t take too long for everyone to filter out.

Instead of spending the money on train fare, I decided to go ahead and walk through the heat back home, since the venue was already sort of down that direction. From downtown Shibuya, it takes about 25 min. to walk to my apartment, but I decided I’d much rather contend with the heat at a slow pace, then with packed trains in Shibuya, and since it wasn’t raining, I just walked home. After stopping by the conbini (convenience store) across the street from my place and buying the customary soda, carton of Jasmine Tea, small individual ice cream and spicy udon with gyoza that you just heat up (the same thing I get after every concert, without fail), I hurried into my cool apartment and collapsed.

Baseball, BBQ and LM.C

Well, first of all, I should talk about the baseball game I went to on Friday (4/30). This game/experience was quite a bit different than the last, plush game that I went to at the Tokyo Dome. This baseball game was between my host father’s beloved Yakult Swallows (Tokyo) and the Yokohama Bay Stars. The venue was an open air stadium somewhere in Aoyama called Jingu Stadium, and markedly smaller than Tokyo Dome, by comparison. This time, we didn’t sit on the balcony with the box seats (in fact, the stadium was so small, it had no box seats), but rather in the cheapest of cheap, the stands. The stands are mere benches, not even seats with backs or arms, just plastic stool tops lined in a row. The plus to these, however, is that there is no need for assigned seating, so you can pick wherever you like and just sprawl out there. The stands were anything but full, with lots of leg and arm room to spare, despite the fair weather.

We came in during the bottom half of the first inning, toting with us the yakisoba and gyudon we had bought from street vendors on the walk to the stadium (or rather, street-side restaurants who were selling their wares out their front windows while continuing regular business inside. My host mom had brought chips and other snacks, but as is traditional (or so it would seem), my host dad was sent off with some money to go buy a huge tray of sausages smothered with ketchup and mustard (stacked to resemble a burial mound no doubt, large wooden skewers sticking out from the topmost sausages), and a small bucket of French fries. Meanwhile, my host mom flagged down a handsome young boy of seventeen to buy three cups of chuhai (sparkling, flavored sochu/sake) for a reasonable price. As I saw at the previous game, youngsters selling their wares (mostly drinks) out of trays and neon packs on their backs were prowling throughout the stadium in droves, though in contrast to before, there were an equal number of boys and girls working, whereas before it had only been girls.

When my host dad got back with our sausage mountain and fries, we opened up our yakisoba and chips and started feasting. You might ask why the sausages, but you see, in Japan it appears they do not sell hotdogs, and in contrast to our peanuts, they sell edamame beans, a tasty, healthier finger food that I now affectionately call “Japan’s Peanuts.” So we ate and watched the game. It was Lady’s Day at this game too, strangely enough, which really bears no mention only that I found it peculiar. As opposed to before, I hardly watched the game, spending my time equally between watching the crowd and chit-chatting to my host mother about any old thing. This time, my host dad had his clackers and, sitting in the row in front of my host mom and I, he spent his time clacking along with the music of the crowd. She only saw fit to join in when the Swallows won a run, at which point she would get out her mini-umbrella, bearing the team’s logo (like everyone else in the crowd), and start waving it around in formation to a special chant which ended in “Banzai! Banzai!” It was around either the fourth or seventh inning, I’d had a few more Chuhai and wasn’t really watching the game anyway, that it got a little chilly and we left. And that was that.

In other new, my host family had a BBQ yesterday. The day before, my host mom, host dad and I drove out to a huge department store (the kind you read about in your ‘Let’s Learn Japanese!’ books) that was towering and massive and thoroughly enthralling, though I hardly got a chance to look around. On the top floor, from what I could tell (we didn’t stay there long), was the food court, the kids section, some electronics and a few other knicknacks. Then there was a floor with a bookstore (sigh), and men’s and children’s clothing; we only took the escalator through this floor. Then there was a women’s clothing store, then a bathroom/outdoor/cooking needs floor, which we stopped on in search of the little tool you use to grease a takoyaki pan. Next I was whisked off, past the cosmetics floor, past the 2nd food floor, and onto the first floor where the deli/meat counter, the frozen foods and the fresh foods were kept. I instructed my host mother, to the best of my ability, what vegetables were fit to grill (agreeing to celery, though I’d never known it to be grilled), and assuring her, despite suspicious looks, that pineapple was very good on the grill. We bought American beef, chicken, shrimp and octopus (for the takoyaki), celery, green bell peppers, pineapple, onions, asparagus, cucumber and I’m sure something else I’ve forgotten. Lastly we went in search of beer, which happened to be on the 2nd floor we’d passed, so we went up again to the boxed foods/kept foods/sauces and alcohol floor where she loaded in the 12 packs and where I convinced her to buy some Worchestershire sauce which I was astonished to find. After that, we packed it all in the car and zipped home to start chopping and marinading.

Come the next day, I was put to work assembling the shish-kabobs and my youngest host brother begrudgingly took up the grill. Finally, after about an hour of cooking, things were done and my host dad came up from the shrine’s office to eat. In addition to our BBQ, there was potato salad, two bamboo baskets of rice (one with carrots and lotus, another with red beans and chestnuts), and foi gras from Europe. We all tucked in royally. The cooking, of course, was far from done as we had four plates of shish-kabobs, and when my host dad went back to work, so did we. When everything was finally cooked and eaten, we all sat back to watch a baseball game, or rather, I was taken off to play with the kids before their bath, until finally they went off and I was left to help with the last of the takoyaki and the baseball game progressed. We had tea and dessert and when the party started to wind down, I excused myself to my room where I made an effort to busy myself with nothing in particular until my concert.
The doors to the C.C. Lemon opened at 4:30, and though I was a little late, it didn’t seem that they were letting anyone in just yet. I made my way for the merchandise table and spent too much money on stuff I probably (or certainly) didn’t need. Usually, concerts open an hour before they actually start, so after I got my goods, I found a spot to sit down, watching as hordes of people filtered through the front doors, herded by a man with a megaphone, the likes of whom I couldn’t understand in the least. It was after I was done fooling idly with my cell phone, that I noticed a poster saying the concert started at 5, not 5:30, so I beat my way to the back of the line with 7 minutes until the concert ‘started.’ Unfortunately, the seats were far from perfect. They were, naturally, on the second floor, and sort of up toward the top, but as the C.C. Lemon isn’t all that massive, I could see the stage well and could see LM.C’s faces too (if not the sweat beading on their foreheads). Despite being scheduled to start at 5, per the usual, the concert started late, about 20 minutes late, in fact. One quick note was that this concert, in contrast to others I’ve gone to, had a large number of male attendants. In fact, I’d say about a third of the audience was guys, which shocked me. Especially for it being LM.C. And another thing, the concert experience itself (that is, the overall feeling and the hand motions, etc.) were completely and utterly different. It was slightly unsettling at first, and certainly a learning experience for a girl who thought to call herself a seasoned expert at these sorts of things by now. But, on to the concert…

When you go to an Alice Nine concert, you’re there to hear the music, to move along with it, and to ultimately watch. And the things you watch are five guys, dressed up nice, playing instruments. While somewhat different than an American concert, it’s not too far off as to seem entirely different. LM.C is entirely different. You go to an LM.C concert, and it’s like stepping into an alternate world, a fantastical realm you’ve never seen the likes of before. The best way I can think to liken it, is to say it’s a mixture of a cartoony Alice in Wonderland meets the circus. I mean really, all they’re lacking is an elephant and a trapeze artist, and only that because the stage couldn’t support such hijinks, no doubt.

Rather than the lights quickly dimming, all of a sudden someone throws the switch and you’re plunged into darkness. Then red light is thrown up from behind the red curtain shrouding the stage to illuminate shapes from within of curving, winding, impossible staircases. The lights swirl and twirl and then the curtain is pulled back to reveal the stage. The winding staircase shapes remain, flanked by large curves with comically large spikes on them which rise out of the floor on either side, and behind, at different levels, are metal and glass shelves, five in number. Upon the left one is LM.C’s signature silver skull/Mohawk figure which I can’t describe any better than that. To the right is the keyboardist, and on the middle, highest platform is the drummer. Off somewhere to the left on the stage, dressed in an unassuming black shirt, is the bassist, to the right, under a yellow light stands Aiji, the guitarist, in his LM.C jumpsuit, his hair a mix of bleach blond and black, holding his sleek guitar, decaled by flames. And in the middle, under the brightest spotlight, looking down to throw his tall figure and blond hair in relief, is Maya, the singer. Wasting no time, Aiji starts on the guitar, Maya looks up, lifting the microphone, and the concert stars with a bang.

They played a long first set, several of their best songs, including ‘Oh My Juliet,’ which has an amazing guitar part that I love to watch. Maya, as befits his youthful image, was a ball of energy, jumping around the stage, waving his arms, and pouring his heart into his singing. Aiji, quite the opposite, spent almost all of his time, throughout the entire concert, planted in the same spot, feet slightly apart, bobbing his head to the beat and playing expertly on his guitar. Because LM.C has only one guitarist, he has to provide all the sound himself, and oh how he does. This was certainly the loudest concert I’v ever been do (30 square speakers and 4 standing speakers). I was leaning up against a wall, and it was shaking the whole time; twice, when the drum beat and Aiji’s loudest chords fell in time with each other, it shook such that you might have mistaken it for an earthquake.

So they played for a while, adding the effects of dancing polka dot lights that twirl on the ceiling, a huge globe of a mirror ball, and two VERY large illuminated bunny ears (as see on their logo) which hang over the front center of the stage. During ‘Ghost Heart,’ the bunny logo was lifted by phantom strings up to over at the back of the stage, covering over a backdrop of black and white polka dots; this, no doubt, achieved at 3D effect for people in the audience sitting dead center, what with the bunny logo at the back falling in line with the massive rabbit ears hovering over the stage. It was somewhere around here that they took time out to MC. They seemed to do a lot of talking over the concert, stopping probably 4 times to do so, so that a good ¼ of the concert was talking (which you might like or not).

When the talking was done, they started again, playing '88' my very favorite, then another I don't know so well. You should know that yesterday was Kodomo no Hi, aka, Children’s Day which is ironic and a perfect day for LM.C, in accordance with their image, so, during one of the songs, one I'm not too familiar with, a carnival tent wall and a line streaming with traditional red and white hanging lanterns was lifted at the back of the stage as yet another platform was raised and people dressed as LM.C’s skull/Mohawk figure poured out, crossing the stage and waving flags with the bands logo, whilst still more took up a V formation behind Maya and started doing an intricate, synchronized group dance that lasted the entirety of the song, and which the entire audience (excepting myself), seemed to know (even the keyboardist was doing it in between notes). After that funfest, the lanterns were lowered and most of the skull people when off, the resident one taking up his proper place again. There was more MCing, during which the skull guy actually spoke (quite possibly for the first time), but he spoke through a voice distorter in his mask and did it to comic effect. Then there were a few more songs. Much to my surprise, they didn’t end with ‘Rock the LM.C’ but with some other song I can’t remember, after which, the house lights went up, Aiji threw his picks into the audience and Maya threw the lollipops off his Chupa-Chups tree into the audience and they finally departed the stage. Strangely enough, there was no call for an encore. Perhaps typical of their concerts?

So, that's what I've done so far. I have another concert tomorrow, and then Mother's Day is on Sunday and I'm taking my host mom out to eat, then cooking dinner. We'll see how that goes. Here in Japan, it is customary to give a red carnation to mothers on Mother's Day. Interesting, huh?

やった！

Today's word of the day is: Ureshii, which means happy. Why? Because I just got back from Alice Nine's last concert on this, their "Reason of Geometry" tour. And while I won't give you the blow-by-blow of this concert, because you're probably tired of hearing concert details, I will say that 1) Tora sang a song (something no one ever thought he would do), 2) I got to hear them play "Q" live (which I never thought would happen since it's older an not a hit, making that a highlight of... my life) and 3) they made their announcement.

Since the tail end of March, the Alice Nine official homepage has had a countdown leading to tonight, when there would be a big announcement. There for a while, a lot of us were thinking it might be a breakup (from how the guys were acting [reminiscent and what not]), but in fact, it was the best news you could imagine. Of course, as expected, there's a new album coming out in August, and a tour starting at in July that will run for four months, into October (which is impressive in and of itself. But then came the big news, the big suprise. The tour finale for the new tour, will be at... the Nippon Budokan! Everyone there tonight was so happy, applauding, crying, calling out congrats. It was all anounced one the curtain had fallen on the concert (literally), and was a video that told us all. Now, if you aren't into Jrock, you might not understand what a big deal this is. The Nippon Budokan is the Madison Square Garden of Japan/Tokyo. Like the Royal Albert Hall of London, the Sydney Opera House of Australia (I think). Only the best of the best can fill the Budokan. Because Visual Kei is still a young, growing genre, not many VK bands ever achieve enough success to merit having a concert at the Budokan, it would set them back financially. The Gazette (who has 2 days booked there in July), and a few others are exceptions. But Alice Nine has never been popular enough for their company, PS Company, to play there. By playing at the Budokan, it shows that Alice Nine has finally made it as a band, in a big way. After five long, hard years, they've finally achieved what so few in their business can. And I am so happy for them. A9, congrats!!

Hanami

Today's Word of the Day is: Hanami (花見）, which is the term used for flower viewing here in Japan, specifically in relation to Sakura, aka Cherry Blossoms. Because Cherry Blossoms only last a few weeks before the blossoms fall and fade away, they hold a special place in the hearts of the Japanese people, and thus, whenever they are in bloom, everyone stops what they're doing to go out and admire them. Along with the Weather forecast on the nightly news, there is certain to be a report on where the Sakura are blooming and when they will fade. Typically they bloom from the West of Japan, moving to the East, and here in Tokyo, they are finally in full swing. Hanami is such a big thing here in Japan that even entire companies take hour off to go collectively and sit on blankets under the trees (which lowly minions have been staking out since the wee hours), eating BBQ, bentoes (lunch boxes), basking in the Sakura's beauty and drinking late into the night, when all the lanterns that have been strung up special for this time, come on and prolong the loveliness and viewing.

It just so happens that I live about two blocks away from one of the most famous spots in Tokyo for seeing Cherry Blossoms, a river called Megurokawa, which is lined the entire length by them. Traffic around the river is a big dodgy for drivers who are having to stop and avoid hundreds of dazed pedestrians, but the sight is quite gorgeous. And it also just so happens that the man who's company built this apartment complex (termed 'Mansion' over here), lives here and his company, as many do, was having a special outing/party for the occasion, and my family was invited. So just around noon today, my host mother and I, my host father tagging along somewhere behind, walked the two blocks to the river and then followed it aways, stopping to take pictures and admire the beauty, before happening upon the little gathering that was being held in an open garage of sorts. We signed in, were shown to our seats by handsomely sophisticated looking young men in black suits and ties, obviously the underlings in the company, and our order for drinks (alcoholic or otherwise) were taken. Not long after that, a very fance bento made up to look like a ornamental box, and a cup of soup was placed before us, and various uppety-ups came over to talk and schmooze. The man who had invited us, I had met once before, at my host father's ritzy Lion's Christmas party, and I found him to be a very agreeable sort of man. My host mother later told me he was in his early sixties (though he looked like early forties), with a 30-something year old wife. But he was affable and pleasant and spent most of his time talking with us, even after my host father slurped up his lunch and took early leave. We also talked to a man I'm assuming is the head of the company, and he was rather pleasant as well, as were they all really. There was talk of various things, happiness in marriage, vacations to the sea, the beauty of the cherry blossom trees, etc., and then my host mother reminded us that we still had tea lessons and had to get going. Thus we took a commemorative photo and then left, her showing me another way back I've never been to, though it couldn't be but a few streets over, and it was an interesting sort of street with all manner of shops strung along it. Anyways, so that's the blow-by-blow of my Hanami experience.

In other news (which seems to be a phrase I use a lot, but oh well), I also went to The KIDDIE's final concert on their first one-man tour. For the first time since ever, I wasn't one of the last 5 people to get in (despite my ticket being C 249), and was lucky enough to get a spot on the perimeter. Let me tell you something about Jrock concerts, and perhaps Japanese concerts in general. Because you are admitted one by one acording to the number on your ticket, people don't go and stand in line 4 hours early to get a good spot. At first I thought this was nonsense, because if I'm willing to wait in line for 4 hours, I should get a better seat. But after going to enough concerts now, I see the infallible logic of this system. Everyone is equal and there's no rivalry and it works. Also, and this is something I don't understand... first of all, at almost any venue, you have to purchase a mandatory $5 drink ticket, which you can use on whatever they offfer (water, cocktails, soda, etc.). So, when people get admitted, rather than rushing into the venue and getting a place close to the stage, most people just mill about. And once the concert starts, people don't attempt to get any closer than wherever they land, though there is ample room to do so. In Jrock concerts, the very front maybe 30 people (so a few rows equivalent), those spots go fast, and then around the perimeter (that is the walls and anything solid to lean against) go fast. The reason for this is, at these concerts, there is a lot of waving of hands, clapping, what have you, and then, because it is Rock, there is jumping. And most people have at least a purse. Now, there are lockers you can use, if you get there before they're all taken, but you're usually left carrying something into the venue, so if you find a place on the perimeter, you can deposit it there and ensure it won't be crushed. Many times, people will leave there stuff there and then go off into the crowd, coming back for it at the end (as there's hardly ever crime in this country, there's no concern over theft).

So, back to what I was saying, I got a spot on the perimeter, which I love since my back is screwed up, and after waiting an hour in line, then an hour for the show to start, then however long it takes for them to actually start (they never start on time), my back was hurting, but I had a rail to lean against, so it was all good. Oh, and another interesting, 'first time' at this concert was, there were special people being admitted with VIP passes while I was standing in line. Some, you could tell, were big wigs from other companies, who just had that air of 'coolness,' and then in the back, in a cordoned off area where there were seats and small tables, were guys that were quite obviously other Visual Kei bands. I didn't recognize any of them, but that is undoubtedly what they were. So anywho, the live (concert) was great, lots of fun as always, and at the end, they announced that they had finally got signed with a major label (King Records, I think), which I was quite happy to hear since I've been pulling for this particular band for a while. They have, I think, a lot more talent than most of the bands out there, and appeal and seem like nice guys, so I was glad to hear the news. Of course, this being the finale of their very first independent tour, they were all quite emotional and spent a long time saying things to everyone, saying how they've had the strength to stick with it because of the smiles of the audience, and their warmth has washed away all the fears. And then they revealed these five banners that the fans at all the concerts on this tour had made. It was rather cute. And then they finished with my very favorite song, Noah, which I will post below. The words to this song in particular, more so than probably any other Japanese song (at least that I can think of now), are rather beautiful to me. The beat is nice to, but I love the words. So anyways, good luck to The KIDDIE. Unfortunately, I think this was the last time I'll ever get to see them, as their next concerts are in Sept., and I will already be back in the old US of A. So anyways, that's my 25 cents for now. School kicks back up on Monday (sort of, I think). And we'll see how that goes. I've also continued by KimuTaku fest, but this is a long blog entry already, so I'll blurb about that some other time. Ciao!

PS: This translation might be a little hard to understand, but it's the only one I could find on Youtube. Maybe I'll translate it someday ; ) And what ho! Sakura make an appearance in the lyrics/video!

Live going in Japan

So, instead of blogging about different stuff that I haven't blogged about before, like me going to a soiree (if that's how you spell it), last weekend, I'm going to bore you yet again with my concert-going experience. I won't bore you with the details in full, but last night was Alice Nine's last live of 2009, White Period II at Shinkiba. In following the band's request that everyone where white (as it was the theme), I don't think I saw a single person there who didn't have white on, so that was so awesome. The band opened with a cover of The Beatles' song "All You Need is Love," then did a lot of their lesser known/rarely played live songs. They did another few covers, one of some Japanese song, and then that song that goes, "You're just too good to be true...Can't take my eyes off of you..." Anyways. And Shou sang Silent Night (in Japanese), Saga played an acoustic version of either Armor Ring or Mugen no Hana (can't remember) on the guitar, they all came down to the edge of the extended stage (where I was) and played a song after having a little talk session and everyone hugging everyone. It was all a lot of fun, though they did play a lot of their heavier songs (or maybe it just seemed that way since I had a moshing lunatic beside me). But anyways, it was nice and long and wonderful, and got me to thinking up a list of things to know when you go to a Visual Kei (or perhaps any) concert in Japan.
Things to Know:
1. Even when tickets are for standing room only, it's no use showing up early, because they let people in one at a time according to the number on their ticket (learned this out the hard way by showing up crazy early for a concert). Thus, you might want to know what your ticket's number sounds like in Japanese when you go.
2. The concert will always, without fail, start late. How late, however, changes, ranging from 10-30 min. or so.
3. When you buy merchandise, they won't give you a bag to put it in, so either bring your own, or buy one there (which is probably why they don't give you one: to make more money)
4. At the door, you are expected to pay a mandatory $5.00, that is 500 Yen fee for a drink ticket, which you then can exchange at the bar for whatever is on their list (though the most popular drink is probably water bottles)
5. Almost all songs have accompanying hand movements that coordinate with the rhythm, and which can be quite disconcerting the first few times you go to a live, but which you gradually pick up on as you gain more experience.
6. Rather than clapping (though sometimes you do), or trying to grab the singers on stage, fans show their love by stretching their arms out in a hand gesture which is supposed to simulate a sakura bud blossoming.

To be sure, there are other things that I've forgotten, as I'm in a flurry right now, but I suppose I can always add them later. Suffice it to say, it has been a learning experience, as has everything else here. You probably won't hear from me for a few days, since my family is coming to visit, but I'll post again when I can!

V-Rock Fest '09 Here I Come!!!

So now is when I freak out because I just bought my two-day ticket to what I'm confident is going to be the single best day of my life: V-Rock Fest 2009 in Chiba, which is just East of Tokyo. For all you non-jrock lovers out there, just imagine about twenty of your favorite bands coming together to sing over two days of musical bliss and merchandise stands, and for you Jrockers out there, I'm talking names like LM.C, The Gazette, Kaggra,, abingdon boys school, Kra, DuelJewel, D, and everyone else that's awesome (minus alice nine, miyavi, abc and nightmare, cause they have their own tours). This is how much of a nerd I am, that I've been fretting for probably a week, frantically trying to figure out the nearest Family Mart or Lawsons to Machida so I could figure out how to get my ticket. And then, because the big man upstairs loves me, the people hosting the concert opened up ticket purchases to oversees people about a month and a half early. Yes, the ticket was expensive ($200), but 50 big name bands are going to spend the entire weekend jamming out and I'm going to be there with them. So excited I can't even tell you. I'm going to buy so much stuff, I can't even fathom the expense. Well anyway, I'll stop gushing now. If you want to check out the site, here you go: http://v-rockfes.com/

And in honor of the awesomeness that is V-Rock Fest, I will try to put up a link for a song from on of the artists everyday. And today, the ever awesome LM.C with their retro-y cute song, 88.
LM.C is a 'band' or rather a 'unit' made up of Vocalist Maya, and Guitarist Aiji. The two got together in 2006 when Maya quit being Miyavi's back-up guitarist, and Aiji's band, Pierrot, disbanded. The two have stuck mainly to making songs for anime OPs, but have since branched out to full albums, and maintain a bright colored, fun, 80s-ish style. If you want a subbed version, I've done one and would be happy to upload it for you (just comment or e-mail).

And now, enjoy LM.C's '88': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMkxfU7_Wts