Red Bull Live on the Road (Tokyo; 18 May)
fade @ Daikanyama UNIT
2013/05/18
Note: All blue parts written by Ka-chan (k_no_uta)
Well I have to say that this was the start of the craziest weekends I’ve had since moving to Korea 7 months ago but it was also by far the most fulfilling. Getting started for me isn’t too exciting. I was up around 5 that morning, after really only 3-4 hours sleep and after running like mad and double and triple checking everything I was off to the airport. Note to self, Busan airport is not that big OR that busy so it was really easy to navigate and then it was a matter of literally sitting around for several hours. I took a few pics of my sleepy face drinking a latte but really it was just a matter of wasting time until it was time to board.
While Hannah was on her flight I woke up around 7 o'clock to get my bodypainting ready before heading to the venue. I had sent Hannah these drafts before since I'd design a body painting for her, too, this time. The left is hers, the right mine.
I had stencils prepared to be faster, since we'd not have much time. Hannah's stencil needed two layers to speed things up even more.
Here are the sources for the drafts that I made my stencil from. Source 1 | Source 2
And here is the result of 1.5 hours work in the early morning.
My personal topic for this time: "Fade is the time of my life" from the fade watch (= my fade time) which is black, earth like, grows life. Many plants reaching up high. At their peak, a blooming flower with a young lady burning in the colour of joy. If you know me a bit, then you know that the black and white wing are a symbol of mine. As for the whip in the lady's....my hands *lol* it's the time of my life, so it's OK to misbehave a bit :P
After taking pictures I rushed out to pick Hannah up at the airport and FINALLY meet her in person!
Boarding and flight time all together we actually landed like 5 minutes ahead of schedule(which would be a blessing). Anyway got through customs/immigration with no problems and as soon as I was out I think it took me maybe 5 seconds to spot Ka-chan~ Gonna take a moment to say, omg darling you are just the sweetest cutest little thing ever *hugs* [(°////° ) Thank you] ANYWAY… what did we do? Trains! That’s right we were on the train for… I don’t know a hour and half maybe? We had to take like 3 trains I think(if I remember correctly, it was a bit of a blur to be honest)… it was super easy cause Ka had an extra train pass(from previous roommate?) and so there was no need to do the annoying ticket thing. I know its annoying cause yea Korea is annoying for that too.
Ok focus Hannah. We finished making our way by train and then we had to walk about 10? minutes to get to the venue, give or take a little. Anyway we arrived there at like I think 3:15ish… too early, so we went around a corner and sat so Miss Ka could do body paint. Seriously I have never had so much fun people watching while she painted me. A few times people passed by twice and their reactions were priceless LOL. Actually the foreigners in the area(seems like there was a tour going on) were the ones who stared most. The Japanese just kind of passed by with just barest curiosity(well the young ones anyway) the best reaction I saw from an older Japanese woman was glance over, look forward, then double take with a look of like “What the heck??” I think I legitimately giggled at that one. Any~way… Ka finished the paint at like… ummm 4:15 maybe… we took some pictures of the finished results and then we both had to change shoes. I had my back turned when I suddenly heard Ka laugh and I looked up. Apparently Miyagawa-san had seen us and bowed before about to cross the street… So side note: The man is really good looking, like pictures are one thing, but in person I can see why Ka flails over him so much ;) [NO I DON'T (>///////<) *combusts*]
As Hannah said we went to the venue first. There's entrance pics We had hoped to pass on the second undergroundfloor to drop our stuff in the lockers, since the venue itself is at the 3rd underground floor, unfortunately the controls were at the top floor, so we couldn't go.
Painting Hannah was so interesting. I mean it's the first time I could properly see what I'm doing *loooool* but surprisingly it was just as hard as painting myself *lol* We's sit on tiny stairs so I was sitting in funny positions to fix the bodypaint. I was way too concentrated to look at the people, but when Hannah laughed then sometimes I would. I remember her giving a sound of a supressed squee once, so i look up thinking I'll see a band member, instead I see a guy walking by with a cute little dog. X'D Hannah is adorble. And throughout the night very enduring company. To the outside she also wasn't even half as anxious in excitement as she had predicted, I could see it "boil" in the depth of her eyes though *lol* The first time is simply that way. Though if you ask me, then for me before the show starts I'm almost as nervous as first time, too. X'D
The topic of Hannah's painting was.... but no, she'll tell you herself at some later point ;)
This picture came out so well \(^o^)/ Hannah and me shining in the joy of what is to come.
Hehehe so we headed over to the venue after that and stood in line, we were towards the front cause our tickets were 25-26, so very cool. A few of the Japanese fans passed by and greeted Ka (I’ll give my impressions of everyone later). Anyway I like to listen to conversations because I tend to get a better feel if I listen. And I just thought it was cute, cause I remember hearing a few Japanese(I think the one directly behind us) talking about us being Fade fans… which I guess was pretty obvious considering our look XD anyway we got in… quick observation again: Japan is very organized about things, which I really have to say is a nice difference from Korea, so we were let in very orderly like, no rush, no one pushing or causing problems, it was all very proper and relaxed (not that I was relaxed by this point). Anyway first thing we did was go down to the venue (b2 floor) and set our spot. Once that was taken care of we got lockers on the floor above (where the merch table was as well). What to do with the locker key might have been a predicament if Ka hadn’t had a brilliant idea… Ankle!
It was this kind of spring wristband keychain thing, to give an impression about our problem. *lol* this is like...freaking huge X'D
XD yes so as we walked we rattled… at one point, we were going down the stairs and Ka and I talked a bit, well she talked and I whispered cause I had no voice..
K: It feels like I am in chains (cause of the keys lol)
Me: a little yea
K: Chained by Fade~
Me: those are chains I don’t mind
It was cute, this conversation, and to me if you haven’t met the lovely Miss Ka then it’s a good look at her ;) she’s wonderful by the way. I will be saying that a lot. [(^///^)v I try!] So down to the venue, we left the presents and my bag by our spots and wandered the floor a bit. There was a DJ playing so we did dance a little, but I get so embarrassed easily so it was like short spurts of energy then back to being shy lol~ So at this point Ka started to introduce me to any fade fans that we ran into. And I just have to say I’ve never met such warm and inviting people. Like really I already felt like part of Fade Family, but this night definitely solidified this feeling even more. Everyone was so terribly kind, and despite the fact I was ridiculously nervous, I did feel a strange sense of ease. Also got to meet Shannon once she was in the venue… seriously so much energy and spirit in a cute smiling little girl :D She’s awesome if you haven’t met her yet. [Shannon IS awesome, and she's great company ^o^]
So the show, Ka knows more about this than I do probably because let’s face it I was too busy in my thoughts most of the time. But it was a contest of sorts, like you voted between I think three groups. All in all it was really very interesting, and the MC had really great energy though sometimes things were a bit too quiet in the venue for his liking I think.
Anyway a total of 5 bands were on for the night and Fade was 4th, so there were three bands before them (yes Hannah that’s usually what 4th means…) Anyway I was nervous as everything began and at one point Ka even kind of poked me and was like “you keep biting your cheek *demonstrates* and looking so nervous!” and so I answered honestly and told her I was nervous. LOL. Crowds tend to make me nervous just cause in my previous experience people tend to get stupid in crowds(happy to announce that was not the case at all) Anyway I’ll give my view quickly on the other bands but the majority of my part will be Fade, cause let’s face it, once it got to them I couldn’t see anything else.
Opening act was Crack Banquet, and if I remember this correctly they were winners of last year(?) Red Bull live on the road… Anyway they were really fun to listen to and very high energy. They had a really cool female Sax player who could play darn well. Their music was really interesting too. Kind of Jazzy rock. And they knew how to like interact with everyone, got us to shout a lot. It was really a cool show.
There is a vid of them for the last year and I really liked them. They have an interesting style and their singer is a charismatic person. His singing also improved a bit compared to the vid.
Click to viewAfter them was a kind of Spanish-influenced group, Borsalista(I hope that’s correct). [Yep BORSALISTA | ボルサリスタ] I hadn’t been paying much attention to the DJ side till later but they had this screen and it showed pics of the band coming next. Ka called them “a couple of Casanovas” which is pretty accurate really. I mean they were a good looking group of guys and they had SUCH cute fans. The girls were so funny and cute, even having a sort of rehearsed cheer for them. It was really nice. Their music was more mellow I think, and kind of brought everyone down a notch before raising them back up. The Spanish guitar in their music was really cool to me. Anyway after they finished wooing the female audience there was one more group before Fade.
Musically I guess they immediately reminded me of Santana! And it was fun how their fans all ghad green glowlights and it happened, that my glowing lights were green and blue, due to the body paint colours I had chosen *lol* Look at the short PV you'll IMMEDIATELY get what we mean :P it's a perfect PV showing what they are about.
This group was 2nd wall(if I am remembering correctly again.... which i'm not apparently but I'll fix it). [Pssst, "SECONDWALL" ;D] They had a female vocalist, and maybe I would have paid more attention to them, but just as they had come out and started I saw a very familiar face peek out from the side of the stage. At first I wasn’t too sure if I did see it, but later I was definitely sure…. Who? Haha I’ll tell later. Anyway SECONDWALL(sorry for the earlier mistake ^^;;;). They put on a great performance really but by this point I’m afraid my mind was way too filled by the fact that “omg Fade is next” Yea so nerves shot up as I thought this. Towards the end of their set Ka kindly started to herd me towards the front so that we would have no problem taking our stand at the front for Fade.
In my mind they were doing a type of music I would categorize as "Highschool Rock" for myself. And they were good *lol* but I simply don't enjoy it much.
Fade… what can I say besides the fact I was insanely nervous. The other band left stage and after a little bit of waiting we were both standing in the spots where we set the towels earlier. Ka spoke to some of the Japanese fans around us, telling them it was my first live and that I was a *HUGE* Nori fan… >.< thanks miss… haha anyway we were there and Shannon was at the other end, down by Kansei’s side. Also Ka pretty much apologized to everyone around us because she would be loud XD Anyway we had to wait for their equipment to be set up. I’ll mention now we saw Miyagawa-san like 3-4 times before the live ever started. Anyway he was onstage with staff, setting up the boys sound boards and so I kind of looked at Ka and told her she was definitely right about him looking like an artist and not a manager. HEHEHE this is the best part. Honestly never have I seen someone fangirl over a manager like Ka can XD she even gave him a new nickname. He was setting up Godo’s soundboard and just after I had agreed to him being attractive, Miss Ka pipes up “Mr. Handsome… that will [should, not will X#D] be his new nickname, that way I can say Yes I saw Mr. Handsome 5 times today” Seriously I giggled when she said that.
OMG omg omg you can't aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh (x///////////////X) *dies*. If he'd ever get to know this he'd SOOOOOOOO get the wrong idea X#D WHAT have I done *lol* Well, no, seriously, I just like him. He's really some very handsome and sympathetic guy and he always bares with me, my foolish questions and requests, so I really admire him for that. It's because I'm an evil person. He always pulls that calm face and I can't help it, I simply feel like teasing him *lol* I think I recently realized that this part of his strongly resembles my stepbrother. That triggers my fangirling :'P. I feel like apologizing for it, but I fear if I did, he'd just get confused and not know why (and that's better for his own sake *lol*).
Anyway the boys came out to check their equipment(and yea I spazzed a little bit when they did) but the view of the whole stage… just can I say wow… awesome, seriously it was amazing. Anyway I was happy to see all of them, and btw It was Kansei I had seen peek out in the beginning of the third act lol~ But that’s not the point… my point I totally spazzed most when Mr. Holy smokin’ bassist walked out cause just um… wow perfect spot to be XD Also he used his fender which has an awesome fucking sound btw, though I was too shy to tell him that later *sighs*
Um so no surprise but Godo’s body paint was seriously superb, but I thought it was really freaking cool that his paint had a lot of silver (cause so did Ka and I’s~) Anway that was just something I thought was really neat… silly little details. So back to the live. The boys finished checking and then left again. At this point Ka kind of asked me if I had ever heard their intro before(which I haven’t) and then she just smirked… excuse me Miss why smirk? Anyway I remember Miyagawa-san putting a bottle on the speakers behind Kansei’s equipment but that will come later.
So lights down, intro start and hello welcome to completely mind blown. I am pretty sure my mouth was hanging open at one point, especially when Ka told me Rui composed it… Like its really hard to describe the energy in the intro, just the adrenaline it gives you. It’s simply amazing. Oh and another interesting Hannah note: the intro started and suddenly, I wasn’t nervous, I was just there. Later that night Ka and I were talking and I said “I don’t even know how to describe these five guys, who are really just incredible and amazing..” Fade… that was our answer.
I love this intro. I wish they'd let us have it as bonus on their new album or sth. ....oh *runs to shoot a tweet*
Anyway when the guys came out, it was really just an awesome moment. Seriously my breath caught for a moment and heart kind of skipped and it dawned on me “yes I am really, truly here”
Not much details, you all will probably have to rely on Ka for those cause I’m sure if you ask her my eyes were pretty well glued to the stage for the entire time. I couldn’t notice much, sorry. Anyway I said I had no voice before right? Well I definitely managed to find a voice for fade. Cause yea these guys are just that amazing. What was the setlist… I don’t really know the order so again… UH KAAA??
X'D Don't look at me! In such case, fade's very own team has kindly recognized our interests and ever since a while post their setlists on their Facebook ;D There we go!
01. Born Ready
02. One Reason
03. From the inside out
04. Break Away
05. Cosmicalism
Anyway just the WHOLE experience was amazing. The guys(I keep wanna call them boys.. sorry) were just like WOW. And Jon, can I take a moment to say STAGE PRESENCE!! Well I mean it’s true for all of them but like WOW… also the man smiles a lot… actually they all do.. the only person I didn’t notice smiling was Rui, but holy hell not only did he look damn good he kicked ASS on the drums. The energy of the show was simply awesome, like even though it was crowded I have never felt so darn calm as I did with them on stage. Now then what else can I say. Godo lost his hat after maybe the first song… and his hair is just so cute and fluffy!! Also he smiles a lot(found out later this is common interaction between him and Ka ) Nori was just………. Sorry I had to reboot my brain for a minute there. Let’s look at the others first. Kansei. Wow just like holy crap. I have always thought of him as SUPER adorable, but you put the man on stage and its like a Switch goes off. He went from being adorable to being really super cool. Jon, also a side note, stood on the speakers in front of us a few times, and it was almost like he recognized me… but that’s not possible right? So back to Nori. Seriously never have I seen a bassist with so much passion and energy. The man just smirks so often though, its enough to stop your heart =_=;;
Anyway at one point, I don’t recall the song but maybe Ka does, the guys all came and lined the front of the stage to rock. And just umm as if you guys aren’t perfect enough, you are just gonna come and shove your perfection in everyone’s face (not that I minded such an… amazing view ;) ) Anyway I have no complaints, how can I, but I will never be able to listen to their music again without those experiences going through my head. Yep I am truly spoiled against recorded music now. But it was an experience I hope to repeat sooner rather than later.
I can't tell the moment, it's just all like a thousand things squeezed within a single breath, so when you try look at it later, just the weirdest or most impressing moments remain. i also have the problem that I can barely tell apart which live is which. The after-live situations are clear, but all on-stage moments just flow together into a single huge overwhelming memory. I don't know if it's just me, but when fade play, then it's like with the first tune of the intro the gates open and they drag the whole livehouse into another dimension *lol* It's amazingly surreal to me. While I see less than ever, whatever I hear, smell and feel is appearing to me in incredible intensity, even as I remember it. A slow-motion movie of literally "impressions", like engraved (I'll NOT repeat Jon's joke here *lol* but I remembered it).
So after wards… there was still one band left, but I should mention I have never felt such a euphoria. I know I was smiling like an utter fool but how else can you feel. AH I almost forgot… Snake pit. No Jack daniels this time… no since the sponsor was red bull Kansei made a concoction of Red Bull and Gin… excuse me as I shudder cause ew gin… Now then I legitiamately chuckled at the face he pulled when he started drinking (oh yea he handed the can to a Japanese fan… funny story later) and then he started chugging… oh god the face he pulled. It was quite funny really. I’m pretty sure he finished most, but not necessarily ALL of the stuff cause he sort of dropped the bottle behind him, but not before seriously sloshing a ton of it on his chest LOL. This was towards the beginning of their set too.
Jon and Kansei bromance was perfect, Jon leaning on him as he sang. [We had Nori and Jon stick together, too] ((I was TRYING not to stop my heart by thinking of that part Ka lol)) Really their interaction with everyone was very good. It’s hard to find a band who is good at everything but I think Fade gets that prize. Anyway is that everything for fade finally… probably not but I should stop… But I have just a few more rambles to add. Sorry guys. But really if you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing these guys live there are just something I need to point out (from my perspective anyway). First, never in all my years as a musician, seeing concerts and performances of some very talented people, Have I seen the utter joy and love of what they do, like I saw in the guys faces. Even though they were focused so intently the sheer passion and energy of being there really showed you that they just love doing this. Also Jon, the man knows how to literally pull the latent energy from a room without a second thought. It was incredible to be in a room with so much energy and yet to still feel that sense of belonging. Even bouncing about the stage like they did, not really ever in the same spot for long, I have never been so damn impressed with one show.
I think I have nothing to add here. ;) Because the impressions of a first-timer are as expected, very strong and compete! ;D
"My First Story" was the last band. I don’t have much to say, because not only was I like still slightly euphoric from Fade but they also weren’t quite my style. I watched them from the back, and they did put on a good show… but Mosh pit… nope definitely not my thing. I’d be crushed. Lol. But they really did put on a great show.
At the beginning of the evening Shannon had mentioned towards me where the heck all the guys came from. Because the kind of bands fade play with don't always pull in many male customers. Well this time the room was flooded with many many many guys. And at that point it would get clear why *lol* They were the fans of "My first Story". Now the video above is a rather softer song of theirs. The guys at the front would really go wild and constantly pick up each other to perform stage diving. Really interesting, but I was somewhat tired while standing next to Hannah, Shannon and my friend Noriko at the very back of the venue. Shannon went to the front towards the end (just right outside the mosh pit X'D) We also saw some guy at the back of the crowd fiercely dacing.
I stood right at the entrance which lead behind the DJ booth. I was also leaning against the barricade which had the miing pult and whatever else set up. So staff would constantly pass by me to to get to either of the two places *lol* I didn't mind. I got a glimpse on Kansei who was watching the last band. ^_^
Oh yea you pointed him out to me!! it was cute to see him enjoying himself off stage :)
Now for after… I went up to the Merch table with Ka a bit early and we simply stood there waiting. I bought my cd (all by myself LOL) and then it was a waiting game. I don’t really know how long we waited but as time went on I was getting nervous again. Cause the room was small and there were a lot of people. Miyagawa-san came and went…
Guess what, I heard a Keychain.
Me(K.): Oh Miyagawa-san is coming (^o^)
Shannon: Calm down, there are many people with keychains, Ka!
Me(K.): Hmm, maybe you're right *says to feeling a bit disappointed then smile widely as Miyagawa-san comes around the corner* *mumbles to herself* I knew it! :'D
...then finally up came Nori and Kansei, but no Jon?
Now here is a problem… Who was nervous as heck and had no voice *points at self* and who is a slightly evil mama Kat *points to Ka* [......nya nya? >X'P ]
*ka practically pushing me forward as I try not to hide behind my cd… yea pretty sure I was bright red by now*
K: Nori!
N: hm yea?
K: This is Hannah. She came all the way from Korea to see you guys!
N: Hi! That really cool (btw omg ACCENT…sorry)
Me :…… .. hi
K: She is a HUGE fan of yours
N: *smirks (seriously I thought I would just die a bit)* Thanks
K: *whispers* can she have a hug?
N: Yea, sure. No problem.
Ka literally pushes me forward to a corner of the table. [more correctly: the corner where two table corners met, so that there was barely table in between :P] I must have been bright red but I leaned in anyway and got a hug from him. Hell I even managed to whisper Thank you. But the little monster he is… he smirked again and was like “No… thank you~” so yup the pair of them managed to kill me many times in that short little moment. Anyway after that Ka asked where Jon was… hehehe here is the funny part… they didn’t know.
K: Nori is Jon coming?
N: uh… well [that's the problem, ] we couldn’t find him actually
All: WHAT? *lol*
K: You LOST your frontman?
N: well we look for like 5 minutes…
K: ah but I have presents and I wanted him to be here too.
Seriously the next moment was like the saying “speak of the devil” cause sure enough Jon came up the stairs shortly after. Ka and I retreated from the table a bit to let other talk to Nori… oh yea he signed my cd… seriously he was really kind. Like I think he say how obviously nervous I was cause when he spoke he was really nice…so thank you dear <3 …anyway Jon’s appearance. Ka kind of pulled me over to meet him to. But here is probably the biggest shock of the night. Like really. You have like 8000 followers on twitter. How can you remember one single person? Anyway I mentioned before that he had looked at me and grinned during the live… well the moment we got close things got interesting. Because before either of us could even say much Jon was all over it.
J: Oh hey you are Hannah right!? It’s awesome that you came all the way from Korea!!
Me: ,…eh?? [Daaaaaahahaha can you imagine Hannah's face? X'D] ((Yes yes let's laugh at Hannah who was like shocked XD ))
Because yea I was just like in total shock and all I could do was nod my head. It was like wheels turning in my head, wow he smiled from stage cause he did know me… whut?? Like I always kind of laughed at the SNS stalking rumors… but yea I legitimately believe it now. A few words about Jon though. Never in my life have I met someone who is so damn easy to talk to. Usually I am really shy talking to someone I've met the first time face to face. But with Jon, I don’t know it was just easy. Also the man practically jumped across the merch table to hug me, which was both a shock but also really heartwarming. [Excuse me for a moment, I'm in my corner cracking up over this image once more *lol*] ((I'm cracking up as I remember it too LOL)) I was seriously charmed by him, and even with the crowd of people I felt so at ease when talking to him. Also talked to Kansei just a bit when asking him to sign my cd… not too much because I couldn’t speak much and I felt so bad cause Im pretty sure he didn’t hear/understand me TT__TT sorry dear. Funny moment, watching Jon seriously fanboy with Shannon was the absolute cutest thing ever. Like seriously could you be anymore boyish and charming.
Um so after Jon was there Ka did the presents, I really was no help I’m sorry Ma’am~ but their reactions I just can’t even. I know of want to leave this part for Ka so I’ll add my words after her.
Note* So Kansei handed the red bull can to a Japanese fan during the live, and she brought it up to be signed... but I think he may have been a bit out of it cause when he signed it first he wrote the wrong name and she got super angry ^^;; poor dear... it was cute to watch him like poke Jon and like beg him to tell the girls' name though...
I eh...handed them their presents. or rather, I wanted, but Jon was ...in Germany we say "Like a bag of flea" *lol* meaning, that somone is so bouncy and energetic that they barely can concentrate or stand still. Kansei didn't seem to know where to look. And Nori was his perfectly calm self. If you ask me, I think he's quite the modern gentleman. He might not seem that way, but he's super caring when it comes to fans. So I told him we'd have to wait until the other two guys were finished talking. And he helped me get their attention. Moreover: when they couldn't seem to concentrate *lol* He simply said: "Hey guys! Attention" while nodding over to me. He'd keep the attention with me as if he'd know exactly how important it was to me to simply get this done. :)
But maybe, first insert the pics before I talk on.
Since dear Hannah simply had her hand full and seemed distressed enough *lol* I handed them over myself. I really felt like she was not in the state. If I was mistaken, then I'm terribly sorry, but I checked on you like 3 times and each time I thought, that you looked too overwhelmed to be approached with requests. I handed the guys their little black bags with golden labels and said they'd need them later. Kansei immediately asked if it was OK TO OPEN THE LABEL AND READ IT: *lol* Of course, I said. So they read and went "This is so cute" while I fetched the heart box from the bag. Nori would not read, he'd still keep attention with me. I was somewhat moved by it, to tell the truth. :'3
((no no I was pretty much a total mess of nerves cause being in crowds really bothers my head XD so yes I would have loved to help but I’m afraid my head was spinning in about a million different directions at that point… next time :p But yea Nori was super attentive even with me glancing around like a nervous.... kitten at your side XD he was a little less smirky at this point which helped calm my nerves.... and watching Kansei and Jon both act like little boys... it was so adorable ))
I opened the box and this is what they saw first. Then I'd pick up Kansei's Jon's and Nori's Fuzzy and handed it to them *lol* Kansei and Jon were staring at them with kid-like eyes. Jon's first comment, as expected "WOW LOOK, it has a little Teru Teru Bozu attached to it!!" X'D Noriyuki was holding the little bag open and had me put his Fuzzy into it. He was still holding attention with this calm attitude of his and a very sweet smile.
Btw. here's an example of Jon's set. Go >>HERE<< for more pictures and all the details on the little project.
I had talked to the young staff lady they had brought along before. So I knew their staff was there. So since Jon and Kansei were fully distracted *lol* I'd ask Noriyuki if he could get me their staff member. It was extremely narrow, but Noriyuki poked Jon, if I remember right, to get her to the front X'D So I gave her the box, opened it for her and had her take a card while explaining, that I han't known how many staff memberst there were, so I had 100 cards in there. Her reaction was really cute. She asked if it was really OK to take one and then called a fellow staff lady over to also take one of the cards. ^o^ I then looked around if I could spot Miyagawa-san, but he wasn't there, so I gave her the whole bag with the rest of the stuff for the two managers as well as Rui and 5°.
After talking a while with fans, while we were watching, it was time to go. Kansei headed out past us and because I ended up in front of him, I simply asked if it was fine to hug him, since I never asked him before *lol* And he'd hug me.
((Really they all had the most fabulous reactions you could have hoped for... As Ka already pointed out Jon and Kansei... were LESS than focused while Nori remained very attentive. But I did notice his smile perk a little when you handed him the fuzzy *squees cause cute* ehem... But I can't decide who was cutest... Kansei who was like pulling on "older brother" Jon's arm the entire time or Jon who was just a bundle of energy... Bah~ they were all equally adorable in their own right))
After all that the staff was chasing out. So you know, grab out bags, head to the stairs. We did stop for a moment to ask Jon if we could see them off (a big yes) [And where, to confirm there was no back-entrance] and I got to talk to him a last time before he went down the stairs. He thanked me again for coming, and just I felt so relaxed I was calm and honest. And so I told him exactly how much coming had meant to me. How incredible the show was. How it exceeded all my expectations and how I would be back as soon as possible. And the smile on his face. It was almost like those words were the best he had heard in ages. Oh and the fact he like gripped my hand like a lifeline as he was smiling that smile... He really is an amazing guy, just have to add that little note
Outside, we were chased a bit by staff but once we were clear of the vans, we kind of stood our grounds and they stopped trying to shoo us away. We waited for a bit, watching the staff load their equipment into the van. I don’t know how long we waited really, but it wasn’t too long. It was nice to watch the other bands interact with their fans from a distance. Anyway… waiting and lots of talking between the three of us (me, Ka, Shannon) and then they came. As they approached Ka was the leader and asked Rui if we could steal a minute. [Because there was a bit of distance, so we had to call out and my voice is..eh...trained, so to say X'D] So we got to talk to him. Again I was surprised by how easy he is to talk to. In pictures he seems a little intimidating but in person he is super easy to talk to. He also said he knew me from talking on twitter (umm if you count five tweets? As talking ) but really it was nice to talk to him. And he totally whined like a kid when both Shannon and I were saying we DON’T wanna go back to the states yet. Really a sweet guy, like I am happy to have gotten to talk to him.
Rui said he wants to go back to the states cause in Japan he's always so busy, but when at home, he can do just NOTHING *lol* And he told us how happy he was cause he'd get to go back (for 13 days?) by the end of June. It happened, that Shannon asked if they'd have shows in June, since she'd be leaving. And it turned out that they had no shows in Tokyo, hence, this had been her last show. It's not surprising that this got to her quite a bit. I think it was out of the shock that she said, she hadn't said bye to all of them. So Rui did an amazingly kind thing I'm very grateful for: he called over the other guys. And when they came, he said: "It's Shannon's last live, so she wanted to say bye." :'3 Shannon said bye one by one and talked to Jon who'd hug her over the barricade between van and walkway. Meanwhile we'd talk to the others.
Kansei was in the van I’m pretty sure and didn’t talk ~ But also Ka pulled me over to talk to Godo and we showed him our body paint. And let’s me say this he is nothing like I expected. He is really sweet natured it seems and the shock on his face when we showed him the paint was so cute. He and Ka talked for a bit but I just sort of hung back a little.
At this point, Shannon was talking to Rui(and Jon maybe I don’t recall) and Ka was talking to Godo… when all the sudden someone was beside me. Yup Nori. Happy to say it was much easier to talk to him outside of the club without crowds of people around. Also he is super sweet(I know I’ve said this about all of them how many times now?) but really. Easy to talk to and very kind person. We talked about when I would leave. How I came for just the day. And then I talked a little about the body paint.
See when Ka was deciding what to do for my paint she asked me to describe what Fade is for me. And after a little thought I realized it was Strength. Now this is a little vague(which she said to me) but I did have a bit more to clarify. To me, Fade is strength, but not so much physical strength. You see fade is like the silver lining of a dark cloudy day. The little ray of hope and sunshine that shows you, it’s ok. That is really what fade means to me. And I told Nori this. I think it was have shocked him a bit or maybe not. But he argued with me a bit saying it was for us, the fans, and our support that they could keep going. Now I am not normally a confrontational person but I did have to poke him back a little. See even though I know they all think that way, to me, as a fan, it’s kind of the same thing. I want to do anything and everything I can to keep supporting them because they make me just so immensely happy. I was so happy to be there that evening, so happy to see this amazing show and meet these five simply incredible men. But most of all I was happy. I remember Nori smiling when I kind of finished rambling at him, not a smirk but a real genuine smile and he said thank you. And what can I say. I couldn’t help but smile back.
I suddenly realized that they'd vanish in the studio to finally finish their album and I wouldn't know if I'd meet them again. I'd especially not know if I'd get to talk to 5° and Rui once more, so I asked before I could really think. *lol* I asked 5° if he'd mind a hug. I felt terrible about it. I don't know, but compared to the times I had met him before he seemed more distant to me, so I wasn't sure if it was fine. I had to ask twice because he didn't understand the first time. x_X He said yes, but I was so not sure if he was really FINE with it, so I'd ask him, if it was REALLY OK and he's say yes and hug me. *lol* Not a close kind of hug. His and Kansei's hugs are the fleeting kinds of hugs. If I had to name it, I'd say: very Japanese. One may forgive me, but if you have experience with it, then maybe you can relate to it. And 5° of course complimented my Japanese that night. Somehow I wasn't surprised *lol* This, too, is a very Japanese kind of politeness I experience often XD. Turning around I saw Miyagawa-san waiting and felt terrible to bother him, since he obviously was a bit in a hurry to depart. Turning around further, I directly faced Rui, who had just said bye to Shannon once more, if I recall right. So I just couldn't help him and asked if I could hug him.
Me: Just in case \(>_<)/
And suddenly I heard this snort to my right, that I know so well by now.
"Just in case *chuckles*".......Nori. I had kind of half realized he had walked around me while I had been busy with 5°, but I was still somewhat surprised to find him next to Hannah *lol* surprised but glad. :D Rui laughed. He'd give me a strong, enthusiastic hug and then apologized for as they had to leave. And we were perfectly ready to leave, really.
After that, sad to say it really was time to see them off. Shannon, Ka and I kind of retreated and they were all getting prepared to leave. And just… love is really the best way to describe these guys. They have such a love of life, music, fans and everything. That you just can’t help but feel that and give it in return.
I was so glad we could walk out of this as fadefamily. I was so glad we were together, walked to the station. Because somehow with all these feelings, I thought having Shannon and Hannah around was soothing. Really calming. I come to love the two of them, as well as Bernie and all the others, a little more every day. And maybe you heard any of us say this elsewhere already, but after a short while, you stop going to the concerts "just" because of the music and the guys. You go there to come home and see fadefamily, up to the point when you suddenly decide to go to two shows in towns 8 hours away. Not because you'd go all the way for the band you can see in your own town, too, but because you can see the friends that come flying in from Korea (or even Germany) or drive in from cities close by. At this rate, to me, to meet my fadefamily is JUST as important as to meet the guys. And my gratitude for this gift of theirs shall live on even past them. ;)
Yes FadeFamily is definitely just as important. Yes, I may have to travel a bit to see these shows, but in the long run I have realized that it is well and completely worth the travels. Because not only can I meet with these amazingly kind individuals, but I also get to be together with people I can truly call my lifelong friends and family <3
With this, I hope our report helps YOU to get connected with it all a tiny bit more.
And helps you to see the light that Fade provides ~
Did you think it was over? Sorry but there were a few little after adventures that Ka and I both forgot about until... after this was posted XD I will try my best to be brief. So after we left the boys, Shannon, Ka and I all walked together back to the train station. Shannon had plans to go meet friends, while Ka and I were more intent on dropping in at the hostel and grabbing food. We walked for a little bit then maybe half way we stopped so that Ka could change out of her heels. I took this opportunity to sneak in a picture with the lovely miss Shannon.
She really is a lovely and fun miss to be around ^~^
Anywho we made our way to the train station and started on the same direction. We had to part ways after a few stops but it was still nice to sit and relax with one another even though it was short lived.
After Shannon left it was just Ka and I and the train got really full all the sudden. Now I failed to mention before but I'm a tattoo enthusiast. I can't even describe how twitchy Jon made me with all his darn flailing around, because each time I would catch a glimpse of his arms I wanted to look immediately (yea I'm odd) anyway... so enter Hannah being REALLY foreign. I was talking to Ka on the train and a man came and stood right in front of me. And after living in Korea I've become desensitized to the fact that it is considered rude to stare. So when he stood in front of me I immediately noticed his tattoo and couldn't help but mention it to Ka... *coughs* she made a valid point that I completely didn't think about because I didn't think anything about the different meanings of designs ^^;;; But that's not the actual point... so I talk a lot with my hands and the train was very full but I didn't think anything of it as we were not moving. So I was gesturing and talking when Ka suddenly told me to stop and be careful of my hands... talk about sudden awareness... yes the amount of room we had was very little.. and ehem... if I was not careful I would have hit the man in front of me >_<
So yes... that was just incident number one of the evening after fade.
We got to Ikebukuro fairly early, and so we decided to check in to the hostel first and then go to eat. Well as we were about to cross the road Ka pointed out a group of men to me.
K: Those are hosts but don't worry I've been here many times and they have never spoken to me. We don't look like we have enough money.
H: *lol* oh ok~ (I hadn't even noticed them until she pointed them out)
So we crossed the road, and we literally had this conversation AS we were approaching the corner where the hosts stood... and I kid you NOT we stepped foot onto that sidewalk and one of them walked immediately up to Ka and tried to speak to her. Now at this point I had almost died from laughing because the look of utter shock on her face as she kind of sputtered a polite refusal to the man was truly priceless. I seriously lost count of how many times she assured me 'that has never happened before' or 'I swear that never happens'.
But yes we spent practically the entire walk to the hostel giggling about that instance. So we arrived and a little note, really it's a fabulous place to stay, and the staff was very kind. Anyway we had seperate rooms but we were just around the corner from each other so we both went to drop our things off. My roommates for the evening were not around but had already made their beds and had arrived earlier. Anyway made the bed and then Ka came to get me and we left again to go grab dinner. And I don't know how it happened, but yes we stayed in a mixed dormitory which mean male and female. Well Ka apparently was the sole female in a room with I think 5 guys *lol* she mentioned that they all kind of stared when she came in.
So we went around the corner to a restaurant called "jonathan's" for dinner (and YES we did make joke about Jon the entire night) Dinner was calm and peaceful. We ate a very good pizza, discussed notes of the concert and I tried to not completely die on the poor miss ka. One of our favorite jokes that night (and the next morning) was to tell Jon next time we saw him "Your pizza is delicious" just to see his reaction.
one last little note before I go~ Ka and I left the restaurant and were about to go back to the hostel when suddenly she asked me if I had my key. We were both frantically searching our pockets when suddenly she laughed and shook her head. We had not both lost our key, but had turned them into the desk before we had left that evening... So yes I think we were both quite tired at this point and well ready to go sleep for a little bit.
So yea... now I think that's all of it... I apologize for the length of all this ^^