Shock wave ~ アポロ~vol.29
Wow.
Had the greatest time at my first visual kei show. Couldn't have imagined anything better than how it went. The lineup of bands was great; short of seeing Kagrra, or Miyavi, there was no one I wanted to see more than v neu or Sug. Sug!!ヾ(＠^▽^＠)ﾉ (Which I found is not pronounced スグ like it's spelled but サグ, as in rhymes with thug, lol).
Can't believe I haven't been to Takadanobaba AREA before this. I mean, it's pretty close, in an area I'm familliar with, and was incredibly easy to find, so it's strange I never stumbled across it. Whatever. When I got out of the station I knew I was in the right place because I could see other punk girls (and a few boys) around, in a higher concentration that what is common. At the venue there was a whole line of people snaking around the building, obviously in some kind of order so I wasn't sure where to go in the line at first. Realized they were in line by ticket number (there were signs posted every ten feet or so with numbers on them, so you knew where to go stand.) I was number 409. Pretty much gave up all hope of getting a good spot inside, assuming I'd just have to stand in the back and try to peer over people's heads. When I got to the door had to pay 500円 extra even though I bought the ticket in advance, for whatever reason. Pushed my way inside and decided to forgo the merchandise tables to try and get a good spot. And, shockingly, was able to get a spot really close, about four feet from the stage on the left side. Decided I would just stay there and not move the entire time.
First band was トゥーン工場, and they were... pretty ok. Not as pretty as in their pictures, except for the singer who was admitedly gorgeous (including his snaggle tooth, lol.) He was also a total stage whore, and kept sticking his tongue out strangely. I also found out at this time that v-rock concerts involve a lot of dancing in the crowd. Like, they have special routine hand movements for each song, and a lot of jumping and moving side to side (luckily all easy enough to learn.) Around this time made friends with a tiny pig-tailed Japanese girl when she grabbed my hand while dancing. The first thing she asked me when the set was finished was, "are you half?" Which surprised me considerably, but was really flattering in a way since I've never seen someone who was half who wasn't extremely attractive.
Next band was v neu!! and they were soooooooo great. Was really unsure since they have a new singer if they would be good at all but they really really were. Was just so amazing. Mitsu, the singer, is totally gorgeous and adorable except for the pale blue contacts that make him look like he has no soul. And, and... the bassist, Hiiro. Omg. I was right in front of him, literally less than three feet away. He's so cool. かっこいい
The music was fantastic, like kind of a cyber rock feel. Not exactly the old v neu, but awesome. Combined with all the dancing it reminded me of Psycho le Cemu in the best way.
Then the next bands were zip.er and bergerac. Zip.er... not so much. The singer had a voice like he had inhaled too much helium, though the bassist Sakura was adorable in lolita gear and really good. It's not that I didn't enjoy it, I just wouldn't make an effort to go see them in the future. Bergerac was actually really good. They're disbanding I guess next month, which is sad because I wouldn't mind going to more of their shows. Two noteworthy points: the bassist (I always love and notice bassists expecially) looked like a child. Seriously. I have no idea how old he really is, but he was not over 5'1" or so, and looked about 14. Actually, he looked remarkably like Ue-pi, if Ue-pi were a v-rock star and not a Johnny's boy. Super cute. And the other point: due to the mosh-pit crowd, I was unable to keep my spot on the left side and wound up being pushed front and center, about three people deep from the front of the stage (and all the girls in front of me were really short) so I was right in front of the singer the entire time (who was very attractive, of course.) At one point, the singer looks straight at me, motions for the crowd to come closer to the stage, and then grabs my raised hand (like, fingers intertwined) and kind of nods at me. Which I thought was totally awesome, and bound to be the best part of the evening.
Until Sug came on stage.
Oh my god. I cannot belive how awesome it was. I can't belive how close I was. Was directly between Takeru and Chiyu ('Oshare boy' is what M and I always called him), close enough to see perfectly. Close enough to see Takeru's dimples and to see that he's not as flawless as music videos and magazine photo's make him out to be (thank god) but was even cuter and more charming in person. His smile... omg. I have a major thing for Japanese boys with dimples who smile a lot. And he smiled a lot. And then 'Oshare boy' Chiyu (never knew his name before so it may take time to get used to), who was always M's favorite, not mine, well, he had a stage presence that was undeniable. Attention whore? Yes, definitely. Not that I minded, lol. Was close enough to touch him, and did, of course, along with a dozen other girls (it seems that Chiyu, maybe even more than Takeru, is the idol of the band. Personally I always liked Masato more, but he was on the other side of the stage.) At one point Chiyu took a drink of water and then spit it out. On me, and the other girls in front of him. Which is something I should find disgusting but instead think was heartstoppingly amazing. I mean, it's Oshare boy! I've only been in love with the whole band ever since I saw the video of Love Scream Party two years ago when I was in Missouri and didn't think it possible to even see them live, much less be close enough to touch them! They were so increadible. At the end, after the encore I think, Chiyu was making his last rounds with his fans in front of him, and he grabbed my hand, looked directly at me, and stuck his tounge out. Like, totally Jin from Kat-tun style. Was funny because he was trying so hard to be sexy (and he is sexy) and that more than the action made me smile. But that totally made the evening that much more awesome. At last it was over and I finally made my way to the merch tables and bought the v neu photo set. And left with a pounding head and ringing ears and a vow to repeat the experience again as soon as possible.