SUMMER SONIC 2011 Summary (ooo allitteration!)
Very quick notes from this year's SUMMER SONIC. Fest report to come later when I am less busy and am up to it.
DAY 1
SCHEDULE
[Champagne]
THE PRETTY RECKLESS
THE BAWDIES
NICO Touches the Walls
andymori
MUTEMATH
THE STROKES
KOЯN
[Champagne]
- Yoohei tried English on the crowd but obviously almost everyone didn't understand him. I kinda felt sorry for him.
- I always look forward to hearing Cat 2 live, because it's one of the moments when you can scream "FUCK OFFFFFFFF" loudly in public and look completely normal. Such emotional release, you know. Haha.
- They did not play "You're So Sweet & I Love You". We were both very sad :( Only realised it much later, when we were wondering to ourselves why it seemed like something was lacking.
THE BAWDIES
- Much better experience at ROCKS than here.
- They didn't perform up to standard, felt tired. Possibly due to weather.
- Speaking of weather, I was dying.
- Annoying people dancing in a circle. You're doing it wrong.
andymori
- They covered "Stand By Me"! Tako and I were the only ones singing in happiness.
- Unfortunately, they also did a very unromantic "Nagekissu wo Ageru yo". Sigh.
- I think there was a drunk foreigner in the background, who shouted at them to (if I'm not wrong) "Play some rock n' roll". Seriously drunk dude, go home.
- The boys are fail at MCs, but awww :)
THE STROKES
- Most of the stuff they played were from the new album.
- But they did play "You Only Live Once", which I was overjoyed to hear.
- Unfortunately, my recording was a big fat blank. Sad.
KOЯN
- There was a part where they did metal/hard-rock versions of old nursey rhymes, and you could really feel the difference between Japan and the rest of the world. The references were completely lost on the audience. And when the vocalist got us to sing the next line (which you would know if you knew the nursery rhyme), everyone around us was silent (the line was "My fair lady". He was singing "London Bridge is Falling Down").
OTHER STUFF
- Bumped into JIM from THE BAWDIES in between the andymori and THE STROKES sets. Recognised him INSTANTLY, no doubt at all.
- My heart stopped for a split second. Thank goodness I don't have a history of heart attacks, because this would really have triggered it.
- He wasn't allowed to have a photo taken with us, but I managed to get a signature! We were very fail because we DID NOT HAVE A PEN. Was saved by fellow THE BAWDIES fans who had a marker on them.
- JIM has been to Singapore with his family before! During high school.
- Before he left, JIM reached out (with both hands!) to shake our hands. He is such a dear.
- Continued standing at the side anguishing over our fail for 15 minutes after JIM left.
DAY 2
SCHEDULE
NEON TREES
the telephones
TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB
ONE OK ROCK
TOTALFAT
マキシマム ザ ホルモン
X JAPAN
RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS
NEON TREES
- Loved their songs, despite only being familiar with "Animals".
- We were fail, and wasted a lot of time and energy because we had wanted to conserve energy for the day by sitting in the stands, but eventually decided to head into the arena halfway through the show.
the telephones
- Nobu's silver mirror ball shirt is now pink.
- He is also no longer being the magic stripper we know him to be :(
TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB
- Awesome set, despite me knowing almost none of their songs beforehand.
- So awesome that I decided to forgo ONE OK ROCK for them. Well, until their show ended, and I'd just catch whatever's left of the OOR set. Had initially intended to leave TDCC halfway for OOR, and I'm so glad I didn't.
ONE OK ROCK
- Was very surprised that the area was almost full. However, probably 2/3 to 1/2 of the people were standing there motionless. Probably just heard of them and wanted to check them out, not really "fans".
- Manage to catch the last 3(?) songs.
- Explosive energy as usual.
TOTALFAT
- I'm going to say "standard setlist" here, but this isn't to say that they were bad, I didn't enjoy myself, or anything. It's because I watch them too much to know what songs they usually play and in what order.
- Shun asked the audience during the MC to raise their hands if they were in and trying to make it as a band. I don't know why, but I raised my hand after a split-second of hesitation.
- Kuboty was wearing an X JAPAN shirt.
マキシマム ザ ホルモン
- Watched them outside the stage, from the screens.
- Was totally amazed at the fully packed stadium. By this, I mean that BOTH the arena AND the stands were FULL.
- They really love to talk and stay on stage hahaha.
- I want Nawo to be my friend :( She is teh awesumz.
- The bassist somehow reminds me of RHCP's Flea.
X JAPAN
- They are a very good stadium band, and their music was made for arenas like these.
- Every concert special effect there is, they had it: green lasers, billowing white smoke, fire balls, fireworks, shooting silver streamers.
- Yoshiki and Sugizo's violin and piano duet.
- They did not play "Forever Love" :/
- Although I cried during "Endless Rain".
- Three words: Heath. Is. Hot.
- One minute of silence for all the deaths (hide, Taiji, earthquake and tsunami victims).
- Yoshiki must have thrown about 10 waterbottles into the crowd -_-
- It seems... that Yoshiki's really putting on A LOT of makeup. He looked kinda Takarazuka.
- Although they don't look their age, it really showed when they did a close up of Yoshiki's hands when he was playing the piano.
- X.
- You can really feel it very strongly that there's no other band that can compare to them in the hearts of everyone there today. And I agree. They are legends.
RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS
- Anthony and Flea went on and on in English. Too bad almost no one got what they were saying, because they were funny.
- To give you an idea on what they were going on about, there was a part where Flea talked about a competition in which the winner would get to carry his sweaty balls. Anthony proceeded to back out of the competition after hearing the winner's prize.
- There were pockets of laughter in the audience, which were probably where all the foreigners like us were standing. We were the only two nuts clapping and laughing in our area.
- One boy in front tried to take the laughter cue from us once. Lol.
- They played some songs off their still unreleased new album. But I liked the selection of old songs they played as well.
- Chad's bass drum died during "Californication".
- They came out for an encore, played a song which seemed to go on forever, and then ended off with "Give It Away".
- Fireworks at the end (though a little delayed).
OTHER STUFF
- Bumped into Tomoya and Toru from ONE OK ROCK when we were going to queue up at the R block entrance for X JAPAN.
- I saw them, but was REALLY unsure because they looked a little different from what I remembered. But it would be very coincidental for two people who looked like them to be walking together, and I also saw the tattoo on Tomoya's left calf. Decided that there was nothing to lose by going up to them and asking. At most if it were a random stranger, I would just have embarrassed myself and make them feel complimented.
- So I did, and it turned out to be them alright. Managed to get a photo and a signature.
- Wasn't impressed by the attitude at all, though. This is probably the first time I've gotten a photo taken and a signature and not be overjoyed by it. Sigh. Somewhat disappointed.
- But my day was made LOADS better by meeting the [Champagne] boys on the way home to the train station. Actually, only Satoyasu, Yoohei and Maa-kun. Hiro went home :(
- Realised that it really was Satoyasu I saw during MUTEMATH on Day 1, because he was carrying the same red hat.
- This chance encounter has taught me that good things can come out of bad things. The only reason I returned to Makuhari Messe, and was in the far end was because I had a stomachache and was looking for a washroom. I was dying from the pain (both stomach and feet) during RHCP.
- Anyway, recognised Yoohei and Satoyasu (sorry, Maa-kun >_<) and ran all the way back. Pretty much a "now or never" moment.
- Asked if I could have a photo, and got immediately asked by Yoohei in English "Where are you from?" Apparently, we give off an aura of non-Japanese-ness. I don't know in what exact sense though. I hope it's a good one.
- Yoohei has an awesome accent. Really. Well, at least I think so (looks at Tako, who probably begs to differ).
- Really friendly and nice bunch of guys :)
- #lolzforever (for details, PM me)
And randomly, SUMMER SONIC has taught us that sometimes you need to give up on some things to be happier and less stressed. A pretty good life lesson, I must say. It's been an unforgettable summer fest with awesome company, bands, and chance encounters :)
DAY 1
SCHEDULE
[Champagne]
THE PRETTY RECKLESS
THE BAWDIES
NICO Touches the Walls
andymori
MUTEMATH
THE STROKES
KOЯN
[Champagne]
- Yoohei tried English on the crowd but obviously almost everyone didn't understand him. I kinda felt sorry for him.
- I always look forward to hearing Cat 2 live, because it's one of the moments when you can scream "FUCK OFFFFFFFF" loudly in public and look completely normal. Such emotional release, you know. Haha.
- They did not play "You're So Sweet & I Love You". We were both very sad :( Only realised it much later, when we were wondering to ourselves why it seemed like something was lacking.
THE BAWDIES
- Much better experience at ROCKS than here.
- They didn't perform up to standard, felt tired. Possibly due to weather.
- Speaking of weather, I was dying.
- Annoying people dancing in a circle. You're doing it wrong.
andymori
- They covered "Stand By Me"! Tako and I were the only ones singing in happiness.
- Unfortunately, they also did a very unromantic "Nagekissu wo Ageru yo". Sigh.
- I think there was a drunk foreigner in the background, who shouted at them to (if I'm not wrong) "Play some rock n' roll". Seriously drunk dude, go home.
- The boys are fail at MCs, but awww :)
THE STROKES
- Most of the stuff they played were from the new album.
- But they did play "You Only Live Once", which I was overjoyed to hear.
- Unfortunately, my recording was a big fat blank. Sad.
KOЯN
- There was a part where they did metal/hard-rock versions of old nursey rhymes, and you could really feel the difference between Japan and the rest of the world. The references were completely lost on the audience. And when the vocalist got us to sing the next line (which you would know if you knew the nursery rhyme), everyone around us was silent (the line was "My fair lady". He was singing "London Bridge is Falling Down").
OTHER STUFF
- Bumped into JIM from THE BAWDIES in between the andymori and THE STROKES sets. Recognised him INSTANTLY, no doubt at all.
- My heart stopped for a split second. Thank goodness I don't have a history of heart attacks, because this would really have triggered it.
- He wasn't allowed to have a photo taken with us, but I managed to get a signature! We were very fail because we DID NOT HAVE A PEN. Was saved by fellow THE BAWDIES fans who had a marker on them.
- JIM has been to Singapore with his family before! During high school.
- Before he left, JIM reached out (with both hands!) to shake our hands. He is such a dear.
- Continued standing at the side anguishing over our fail for 15 minutes after JIM left.
DAY 2
SCHEDULE
NEON TREES
the telephones
TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB
ONE OK ROCK
TOTALFAT
マキシマム ザ ホルモン
X JAPAN
RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS
NEON TREES
- Loved their songs, despite only being familiar with "Animals".
- We were fail, and wasted a lot of time and energy because we had wanted to conserve energy for the day by sitting in the stands, but eventually decided to head into the arena halfway through the show.
the telephones
- Nobu's silver mirror ball shirt is now pink.
- He is also no longer being the magic stripper we know him to be :(
TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB
- Awesome set, despite me knowing almost none of their songs beforehand.
- So awesome that I decided to forgo ONE OK ROCK for them. Well, until their show ended, and I'd just catch whatever's left of the OOR set. Had initially intended to leave TDCC halfway for OOR, and I'm so glad I didn't.
ONE OK ROCK
- Was very surprised that the area was almost full. However, probably 2/3 to 1/2 of the people were standing there motionless. Probably just heard of them and wanted to check them out, not really "fans".
- Manage to catch the last 3(?) songs.
- Explosive energy as usual.
TOTALFAT
- I'm going to say "standard setlist" here, but this isn't to say that they were bad, I didn't enjoy myself, or anything. It's because I watch them too much to know what songs they usually play and in what order.
- Shun asked the audience during the MC to raise their hands if they were in and trying to make it as a band. I don't know why, but I raised my hand after a split-second of hesitation.
- Kuboty was wearing an X JAPAN shirt.
マキシマム ザ ホルモン
- Watched them outside the stage, from the screens.
- Was totally amazed at the fully packed stadium. By this, I mean that BOTH the arena AND the stands were FULL.
- They really love to talk and stay on stage hahaha.
- I want Nawo to be my friend :( She is teh awesumz.
- The bassist somehow reminds me of RHCP's Flea.
X JAPAN
- They are a very good stadium band, and their music was made for arenas like these.
- Every concert special effect there is, they had it: green lasers, billowing white smoke, fire balls, fireworks, shooting silver streamers.
- Yoshiki and Sugizo's violin and piano duet.
- They did not play "Forever Love" :/
- Although I cried during "Endless Rain".
- Three words: Heath. Is. Hot.
- One minute of silence for all the deaths (hide, Taiji, earthquake and tsunami victims).
- Yoshiki must have thrown about 10 waterbottles into the crowd -_-
- It seems... that Yoshiki's really putting on A LOT of makeup. He looked kinda Takarazuka.
- Although they don't look their age, it really showed when they did a close up of Yoshiki's hands when he was playing the piano.
- X.
- You can really feel it very strongly that there's no other band that can compare to them in the hearts of everyone there today. And I agree. They are legends.
RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS
- Anthony and Flea went on and on in English. Too bad almost no one got what they were saying, because they were funny.
- To give you an idea on what they were going on about, there was a part where Flea talked about a competition in which the winner would get to carry his sweaty balls. Anthony proceeded to back out of the competition after hearing the winner's prize.
- There were pockets of laughter in the audience, which were probably where all the foreigners like us were standing. We were the only two nuts clapping and laughing in our area.
- One boy in front tried to take the laughter cue from us once. Lol.
- They played some songs off their still unreleased new album. But I liked the selection of old songs they played as well.
- Chad's bass drum died during "Californication".
- They came out for an encore, played a song which seemed to go on forever, and then ended off with "Give It Away".
- Fireworks at the end (though a little delayed).
OTHER STUFF
- Bumped into Tomoya and Toru from ONE OK ROCK when we were going to queue up at the R block entrance for X JAPAN.
- I saw them, but was REALLY unsure because they looked a little different from what I remembered. But it would be very coincidental for two people who looked like them to be walking together, and I also saw the tattoo on Tomoya's left calf. Decided that there was nothing to lose by going up to them and asking. At most if it were a random stranger, I would just have embarrassed myself and make them feel complimented.
- So I did, and it turned out to be them alright. Managed to get a photo and a signature.
- Wasn't impressed by the attitude at all, though. This is probably the first time I've gotten a photo taken and a signature and not be overjoyed by it. Sigh. Somewhat disappointed.
- But my day was made LOADS better by meeting the [Champagne] boys on the way home to the train station. Actually, only Satoyasu, Yoohei and Maa-kun. Hiro went home :(
- Realised that it really was Satoyasu I saw during MUTEMATH on Day 1, because he was carrying the same red hat.
- This chance encounter has taught me that good things can come out of bad things. The only reason I returned to Makuhari Messe, and was in the far end was because I had a stomachache and was looking for a washroom. I was dying from the pain (both stomach and feet) during RHCP.
- Anyway, recognised Yoohei and Satoyasu (sorry, Maa-kun >_<) and ran all the way back. Pretty much a "now or never" moment.
- Asked if I could have a photo, and got immediately asked by Yoohei in English "Where are you from?" Apparently, we give off an aura of non-Japanese-ness. I don't know in what exact sense though. I hope it's a good one.
- Yoohei has an awesome accent. Really. Well, at least I think so (looks at Tako, who probably begs to differ).
- Really friendly and nice bunch of guys :)
- #lolzforever (for details, PM me)
And randomly, SUMMER SONIC has taught us that sometimes you need to give up on some things to be happier and less stressed. A pretty good life lesson, I must say. It's been an unforgettable summer fest with awesome company, bands, and chance encounters :)