僕と君の生きる道
wow... just... wow. GOZ VII is just one of those bands that is the BEST while live. nothing compares.
i got three copies of the dvd, no worries. they come with one of 4 different 'comment card' thingies (i only got two different versions) and a signed 'backstage pass' from the live on the dvd. i also got a sticker and a shashin set...
they so did *not* do 活動休止 cuz of any problems among the band members or because any of them don't love this music or being on stage. believe me on that. if anything, they were even better than two years ago and that's after a few months of not playing together at all!
my god, somebody needs to sign them and show them to the world cuz they are *amazing*.
btw, hidetora remembers and still loves his gaijin fans ^_^ i just could *not* do furi fast enough for him. i was trying my haaaardest.
boo to falling down stairs and banging up my legs.
yay for loooong dips in the sento to ease my aching everything.
double yay for goz vii lives!!!
tomorrow is meeting the host family! i can't wear my nice skirt anymore cuz of the state of my legs so i hope my nice pants will have aired out by then.
full live report... laterz. addxxored
i had made plans to meet our GOZ VII-loving friend, komako, before the live cuz i really didn't know how to get to shibuya o-west (which is a larger live house that i've never been to). i've been to shibuya o-east once before (which turned out to be right across the street), but that was waaay back at the beginning of my year abroad and candice and my great plan at the time was to follow ppl who looked like they knew where they were going to get there. i had suggested we meet at hachiko (a dog statue near shibuya station that everyone uses as a meeting place) but it turned out that she wasn't going to sleep at all the night before the live (cuz of work) so she was gonna be sleeping in an internet cafe near the live house. she had asked me to meet her outside a department store nearby.
i feared i either wouldn't be able to find the depaato or that komako would sleep through our meeting, so i looked up online a map to o-west (which also turned out to have the depaato i was to meet komako at on it) and planned on going to shibuya earlier in the day to scout out the spot. i brought all my make up and junk with me so i could change into live gear later.
i found the store no problem and even found the live house (i had to use a combo of the japanese map and komako's written directions to get around). on the way to the live house i passed a little ramen shop, so on my way back to the station i stopped there for lunch. this was one of those itty-bitty shops with just a counter, only room for about 10 ppl. i sat on a stool and grabbed a menu and stared at it for a while, realizing i couldn't read the kanji anymore! the waitress/cook tried to offer me an english menu but i refused and just pointed to what i wanted (it was miso ramen >_< right after they said it i was like "oh, duh, that kanji is for miso!!). ignoring my embarassment i happily waited for my ramen as other customers came in and out. then the bowl caaame and it was the most delicious thing ever. i hadn't had to really slurp boiling hot noodles in a while so it took a little getting used to (you have to slurp, inhale, and swallow all at once in order to not horribly burn your insides, which leaves little time for chewing or thinking; i was pretty successful over all).
i took a reeeeally long time eating cuz the soup was super hot and the bowl was sooo large. in the middle of my meal a nice-old-japanese-man (henceforth referred to as my 'ramen companion') sat one stool away from me, and complemented my mad slurping skillz in bad-old-man-engrish, which i answered in japanese. he asked me one or two more questions that i don't really remember now but then someone else came and sat between us. he finished eating before i did and left, saying goodbye to me. i couldn't bring myself to finish my whooole bowl of ramen, tho i tried my hardest.
i still had several hours before i was supposed to meet komako, so i had planned on popping over to ebisu (just one stop from shibuya) to attempt to find the aranzi/aronzo store (the company that makes warumono stuff). of course, i was entrusting myself to a japanese map again for that, so i wasn't entirely sure anything would come of it, but i had time so i figured i'd give it a try. i headed back to the station.
who should i meet not two stop lights before the eki?? my ramen companion, of course! how exactly we ended up there at the exact same time i will never know. it *was* a complete coincidence. what would have happened if i'd taken a different street in search of soft cream like i had thought about? what would have happened if i'd just taken a little longer eating my ramen? these things, we shall never know, but i wouldn't be surprised if the kami were laughing just a bit (that's what you get for not wanting to talk in japanese on the telephone to reserve your tickets!!).
this was when he finally realized that i truly *do* speak japanese, and for an old japanese guy, a young person who is willing to listen to him blather on about life in his mother tongue is just about the best thing ever. we chatted about various things while we waited for the light to turn green and i told him that i had studied in japan before but was just on vacation now and was waiting to meet a friend later. he's a photographer who's been to turkey but never to america. the light turned green and he realized we were both going to the eki so we walked together. after hearing that i was going to grad school for 'japanese studies' he told me about a huge japanese history museum in ryogoku that covers 500 years of japanese history or some such. he offered to take me there some time and gave me his meishi card, asking me to give him at least a week's notice so he could set aside a day to take me (now, this sounds kinda creepy, but in actuality, he was just being a nice japanese person trying to share his culture with a foreigner). finally, we were inside the station and (luckily) were going in opposite directions so we parted ways.
don't worry, i'm not planning on actually contacting him, tho i do want to find this museum now. despite the oddness, it was actually a pleasant encounter.
i went to ebisu and wandered for a good hour with no luck at finding the warumono shop. i did finally acquire some soft cream, tho. it was from a mini stop and they didn't have matcha but it was just about the best sofuto i've ever eaten (prolly cuz it's been so long since i had the real thing and i was hot and tired and just wanted some sofuto dammit!). i headed back to shibuya then since i didn't know where anything was in ebisu.
still having time, i popped over to the animate there for a quick look. they've gotten rid of almost all their 'goods' section and now it's mostly manga and drawing/garage kit supplies. but i found out that fruits basket has ended!!!! 23 volumes in all. i have up to 21 and was planning on buying any new ones while here, but i didn't get the last two yet. i was a little sad but mostly bewildered at how the author was planning on wrapping up the story in the only 2 volumes i hadn't read yet. apparently kyo and tohru end up together however, which i was expecting by then (there's some promotional artwork of them snuggling). i wonder what happens with yuki then?
i left the animate with enough time still to stop in the bathroom in the depaato at the eki to put on make up and fix myself up before the live. of course, while i was crossing the people-bridge on my way back i FELL on the staircase. i'm still not sure what happened, cuz i didn't have probs with my new boots all day. actually, it was thanks to my new boots that i didn't hurt myself more than i did. basically, i kinda flipped over my toes and would have fallen face first down the stairs if i hadn't caught myself on the railing (and if i didn't have dance training to do that kind of thing and if my boots hadn't been hard enough to protect my feet). so i came away with heavily bruised and slightly cut up shins, limping slightly. someone laughed at me. i wasn't amused, but i went on, rather impressed that i had managed to prevent an even worse fall.
i got to our meeting place early, but then komako showed up and was super excited to see me, of course. she had told me a whole bunch of times that we wouldn't really be able to hang out *during* the live but that i could stay inside and enjoy all the bands. i gave her her omiyage and we headed over to the live house with a half hour to go before the live. and she's a jigolo fan now! ::snickers::
quick note about the band: for those who don't know, GOZ VII is a band of 7 people. yes, 7-- that's a lot for a band. two vocalists (asuto and hidetora), 3 guitarists (reichell, hiroro and reito), 1 bassist (tomokatsu) and 1 drummer (yuuichi). we fell in love with them cuz they are simply amazing and ended up getting tickets to their one man way back when. it was originally reichell (the 'leader' of the band) who made us promise to come see them again. the only time we ever *really* got to talk to the band was the last time we saw them, and that was cuz komako helped us to get pictures and such. but then last year, when farron came back, it seemed like hidetora was the only one to really remember the random gaijin fans. after we left, they quickly climbed to the top of the indies circuit but seemed stuck, unable to break into majors. finally, a few months ago, they decided to go on a 活動休止 (cessation of activities) which is kinda like taking a looong break (tho bands usually don't end up getting back together after one). so it was a huuuge coincidence that they were playing a live while i was here, and this was gonna be their one and only live for quite some time! -end explanation-
we got there before most everybody and bummed around outside the conbini below the live house. i asked komako about tickets (i was gonna be let in last cuz i had gotten a lawson's ticket >_< it didn't turn out to be such a big deal, tho) and how big the live house would be (it was only about as big as area inside, perhaps sliiightly larger), etc. she remembered that she had some omiyage from back home too and gave me a japanese-fortune cookie as well as a piece of bread with chocolate in it that i saved for after the live. ppl started showing up and komako knew, like, EVERYBODY.
after standing around awkwardly for awhile while ppl were showing up, komako finally started introducing me to ppl as 'yon-chan', and everyone was finally like "omg, it'sa gaijin!!!" everyone thought my name was just sooo 日本人っぽい and i had to explain that it's not my *real* name and i could tell everyone relaxed when they realized i could speak japanese. one of the girls was actually like "omg, i've never spoken to a real gaijin before! this is crazy!" and wanted to try to speak in english but had no idea what to say. she gave me a satsumaimo-snack dealy which i also saved for later (i ate it the next day and it was really good! i love how japanese snacks *actually* taste like what they're meant to taste like!). another girl was like "wow, your eyes are so big!" (that was due to my make up, tho) i have never actually gotten such stereotypical comments from japanese ppl before.
finally we were let in, but of course i was one of the last to enter (cuz i was in the 'c' section), but it didn't actually matter cuz not that many ppl showed up that early and the live house was standing room/not that large. so i made my way over to komako, who was putting some scarves on the bar on the side of the stage she would want to stand on later. they weren't gonna stay in the front, tho, since GOZ VII was going on last. *everyone* was buying the GOZ VII DVD right then, so i went over to pick up my copies too. turns out, me buying 3 copies wasn't all that strange, since everyone else had kinda made one girl go over and get them for everybody, so she had gotten like 10 all at once. they also had new GOZ VII wristbands, which i *would* have gotten except... they were bright pink and bright yellow >_< it's silly, but they wouldn't match anything that i own! truly. i did get a sticker, tho. (later on i also bought a photo set cuz... i couldn't help myself)
everyone was opening their dvds to see which 'cards' they got, and each one also comes with a signed 'back stage pass' from the night of the live on the dvd. i got two reito sigs (at least, we think they're both reito) and a hidetora sig and only two versions of the 'card'. i haven't decided which ones i wanna keep yet ^_^ (i totally get to choose first, it's my 'tax' for picking up the dvds!)
everyone moved their bags to the back of the live house so i kinda followed (komako was busy with ppl and had planned on sitting outside and 'sleeping' during the live so we couldn't really talk anymore). i was having some maaajor issues with my legs at that point and i couldn't 'squat' without major pain ("squatting" properly is actually a pretty important act in japan. there are hardly any public benches or places to sit, therefore, it is perfectly acceptable to sit about on the ground, but the ground is often dirty or otherwise unacceptable, so you learn to squat. also, y'know, there's the prevalence of squat-toilets. it's *very* difficult to get through a live without squatting at some point).
the bands before GOZ VII weren't bad or anything, but they weren't memorable much either. the whole time i just wanted GOZ VII to come on! i actually vaguely enjoyed the first band but then they announced their kaisan during the live and that bugged me (why ruin such a happy night with your stupid kaisan announcement??). the only thing of interest was that the bunny-band played! y'know, the one with the rabbit symbol on their chirashi. i already forget their name, but they had a big bunny symbol on the stage with them! they were actually halfway decent and komako came inside and stood up front for them so i figure she's a fan.
i sat or otherwise hid in the back during the whole ordeal, attempting to stretch out my legs which were suddenly faaar too long and kept getting in the way of everyone. did i mention i was the only gaijin? oh yes, i was. i have never felt so tall in my life, but really, it was just cuz my new boots have such high platforms. as soon as i took them off i was on the same level as most ppl there.
then, fiiiinally, it was time for GOZ VII. komako didn't seem to be inviting me to stand at the bar (she had already mentioned that i was sooo tall so shouldn't have any problem seeing, unlike her and farron) and i wasn't sure where it was ok for me *to* be standing, but i decided to be selfish and stole second row right behind komako (on reichell's side that means ^_^). in my head i was thinking "this is my only GOZ VII live, perhaps the only time i'll ever see them again, so i'm taking front while i can!" i prolly pissed off a couple ppl, actually. after a little while of feeling overly tall i noticed that most everyone had taken off their shoes so i did the same, that's when i came back to a more acceptable height. right after i did that the girls on my left did it too-- they didn't actually seem like GOZ fans cuz they didn't really do the furi, i think they might have been standing in front cuz this band seemed popular. the girl on my right, on the other hand, was tooootally into it and nervous about the random gaijin until i jumped into the mosh pit with her ^_^
we could hear the band members messing about on stage and when they did their cheer-before-the-show together. when they started playing it was just... wow (as i said before). it's like they never took a break! they were all just so *on*. there were a lot of unfamiliar songs and unfamiliar furi to me but i managed to do my best and totally got into it. GOZ VII lives are just the best work out. the third song they did was the one i got the video of two years ago (i think it's babylon)!
i didn't think i'd gotten noticed at all, which didn't really matter cuz i didn't expect them to remember me and i was having too much fun to care anyway. but then, during one of the songs i didn't know so well, i got off beat with the jumping and paused in my movements. just then i looked up at the stage and there's hidetora staring straight at me and when i catch his eye he points and i get the "jump, my little lemming, jump!" look. when a tall and kakoi japanese vocalist tells you to jump... you'd better jump! (basically, at this point, if a japanese vocalist of any stature asked me to do something, i think i'd do it) he proceeded to point and stare at me any time i so much as *thought* about taking a break with the furi. he is a very demanding vocalist!
they were all just so happy to be on stage, to be together, to be making this music as a whole. i really, really want to murder whoever told hidetora his lyrics weren't up to par or whoever told the band to go on a break. hidetora especially was just so *thankful* to his fans during the whole show. they have a slow song called 'gift' and i got a little choked up during it, cuz in the middle the music pauses and hidetora just whispers 'ありがとう' before the music starts again. those boys put sooo much emotion into their music. i was even inspired to do the whole screaming everyone's names in a high pitched voice thing ^_^
in between one of the songs, hiroro and reito came to the front of the stage and vied for the audience's attention. hiroro would play a riff on his guitar and everyone would scream 'hiroro!' then reito would play a riff and everyone would yell 'reito!' this went on for a good 5 minutes until finally hidetora came back to his mic and was like "dudes, let's do another song!" asuto didn't talk very much, mostly stood around and acted disgustingly cute (for a man with bleached hair and a tiara). at one point hidetora was trying to get him to talk to the audience and he tried to hide behind tomokatsu. but tomokatsu hadn't been paying attention, so once he realized asuto was, like, spooning him, he was horribly confused and made the cutest "ほえ？" face.
they only did a few songs but came out almost immediately for an encore. it was during the encore that they did 僕と君の生きる道, which is my absolute favorite song of their's. we tried to get a second encore going but a staff finally came out and told us to get moving.
we all collected our bags and shoes from in front of the bar. komako told me goodbye and that she would see me on the 14th (there's a 'session event' where several members of GOZ VII will be playing, along with members of danger gang and other bands). she and the other GOZ fans left and i bummed a bit getting my stuff together. i handed in my enquette to the bunny-band (and upset the singer by refusing to buy a cd) as well as my enquette for GOZ. i doubt they'll read it, but i wrote a whole message about how i'd been so sad in america when i heard they were on a break but was super happy to get the chance to see them again and begged them to keep going as a band. i even put down my *real* email address so that i would immediately get any mailmaga they might send out.
the staff kept enclosing the space around the goods tables with the bars more and more so i finally left the live house. a lot of ppl were bumming around outside the conbini again and i figured they were all waiting for GOZ VII to come out. i saw komako across the street and went to say goodbye one more time. i had half a mind to play innocent and ask "oh my, what is everyone waiting around for?", but i got a "ok ok, see you on the 14th! bye now!" before i could say much of anything. i was also getting uncomfortable stares from some japanese fangirls.
i was happy with what had happened that night and my legs were killing me so i decided to cut my losses and head home. i was seeing my host family the next day as well, and even if i left right then i knew i wouldn't get to sleep till late. so it was either wait around for several hours, feeling terribly awkward and outcast, to get in perhaps a single word with hidetora (if anybody) before having to catch the last train. i figured it was better to just go.
i went to the sento for a good, hot bath and, for once, was not accosted by any little old ladies. i think the owner lady has started warning ppl about me.
i *promise* i'm gonna do demachi at the session event. i *will* talk to the members of danger gang and GOZ VII, i will! i even told komako over email that i planned on hanging out after the live, so now i definitely have to =^^=
i got three copies of the dvd, no worries. they come with one of 4 different 'comment card' thingies (i only got two different versions) and a signed 'backstage pass' from the live on the dvd. i also got a sticker and a shashin set...
they so did *not* do 活動休止 cuz of any problems among the band members or because any of them don't love this music or being on stage. believe me on that. if anything, they were even better than two years ago and that's after a few months of not playing together at all!
my god, somebody needs to sign them and show them to the world cuz they are *amazing*.
btw, hidetora remembers and still loves his gaijin fans ^_^ i just could *not* do furi fast enough for him. i was trying my haaaardest.
boo to falling down stairs and banging up my legs.
yay for loooong dips in the sento to ease my aching everything.
double yay for goz vii lives!!!
tomorrow is meeting the host family! i can't wear my nice skirt anymore cuz of the state of my legs so i hope my nice pants will have aired out by then.
full live report... laterz. addxxored
i had made plans to meet our GOZ VII-loving friend, komako, before the live cuz i really didn't know how to get to shibuya o-west (which is a larger live house that i've never been to). i've been to shibuya o-east once before (which turned out to be right across the street), but that was waaay back at the beginning of my year abroad and candice and my great plan at the time was to follow ppl who looked like they knew where they were going to get there. i had suggested we meet at hachiko (a dog statue near shibuya station that everyone uses as a meeting place) but it turned out that she wasn't going to sleep at all the night before the live (cuz of work) so she was gonna be sleeping in an internet cafe near the live house. she had asked me to meet her outside a department store nearby.
i feared i either wouldn't be able to find the depaato or that komako would sleep through our meeting, so i looked up online a map to o-west (which also turned out to have the depaato i was to meet komako at on it) and planned on going to shibuya earlier in the day to scout out the spot. i brought all my make up and junk with me so i could change into live gear later.
i found the store no problem and even found the live house (i had to use a combo of the japanese map and komako's written directions to get around). on the way to the live house i passed a little ramen shop, so on my way back to the station i stopped there for lunch. this was one of those itty-bitty shops with just a counter, only room for about 10 ppl. i sat on a stool and grabbed a menu and stared at it for a while, realizing i couldn't read the kanji anymore! the waitress/cook tried to offer me an english menu but i refused and just pointed to what i wanted (it was miso ramen >_< right after they said it i was like "oh, duh, that kanji is for miso!!). ignoring my embarassment i happily waited for my ramen as other customers came in and out. then the bowl caaame and it was the most delicious thing ever. i hadn't had to really slurp boiling hot noodles in a while so it took a little getting used to (you have to slurp, inhale, and swallow all at once in order to not horribly burn your insides, which leaves little time for chewing or thinking; i was pretty successful over all).
i took a reeeeally long time eating cuz the soup was super hot and the bowl was sooo large. in the middle of my meal a nice-old-japanese-man (henceforth referred to as my 'ramen companion') sat one stool away from me, and complemented my mad slurping skillz in bad-old-man-engrish, which i answered in japanese. he asked me one or two more questions that i don't really remember now but then someone else came and sat between us. he finished eating before i did and left, saying goodbye to me. i couldn't bring myself to finish my whooole bowl of ramen, tho i tried my hardest.
i still had several hours before i was supposed to meet komako, so i had planned on popping over to ebisu (just one stop from shibuya) to attempt to find the aranzi/aronzo store (the company that makes warumono stuff). of course, i was entrusting myself to a japanese map again for that, so i wasn't entirely sure anything would come of it, but i had time so i figured i'd give it a try. i headed back to the station.
who should i meet not two stop lights before the eki?? my ramen companion, of course! how exactly we ended up there at the exact same time i will never know. it *was* a complete coincidence. what would have happened if i'd taken a different street in search of soft cream like i had thought about? what would have happened if i'd just taken a little longer eating my ramen? these things, we shall never know, but i wouldn't be surprised if the kami were laughing just a bit (that's what you get for not wanting to talk in japanese on the telephone to reserve your tickets!!).
this was when he finally realized that i truly *do* speak japanese, and for an old japanese guy, a young person who is willing to listen to him blather on about life in his mother tongue is just about the best thing ever. we chatted about various things while we waited for the light to turn green and i told him that i had studied in japan before but was just on vacation now and was waiting to meet a friend later. he's a photographer who's been to turkey but never to america. the light turned green and he realized we were both going to the eki so we walked together. after hearing that i was going to grad school for 'japanese studies' he told me about a huge japanese history museum in ryogoku that covers 500 years of japanese history or some such. he offered to take me there some time and gave me his meishi card, asking me to give him at least a week's notice so he could set aside a day to take me (now, this sounds kinda creepy, but in actuality, he was just being a nice japanese person trying to share his culture with a foreigner). finally, we were inside the station and (luckily) were going in opposite directions so we parted ways.
don't worry, i'm not planning on actually contacting him, tho i do want to find this museum now. despite the oddness, it was actually a pleasant encounter.
i went to ebisu and wandered for a good hour with no luck at finding the warumono shop. i did finally acquire some soft cream, tho. it was from a mini stop and they didn't have matcha but it was just about the best sofuto i've ever eaten (prolly cuz it's been so long since i had the real thing and i was hot and tired and just wanted some sofuto dammit!). i headed back to shibuya then since i didn't know where anything was in ebisu.
still having time, i popped over to the animate there for a quick look. they've gotten rid of almost all their 'goods' section and now it's mostly manga and drawing/garage kit supplies. but i found out that fruits basket has ended!!!! 23 volumes in all. i have up to 21 and was planning on buying any new ones while here, but i didn't get the last two yet. i was a little sad but mostly bewildered at how the author was planning on wrapping up the story in the only 2 volumes i hadn't read yet. apparently kyo and tohru end up together however, which i was expecting by then (there's some promotional artwork of them snuggling). i wonder what happens with yuki then?
i left the animate with enough time still to stop in the bathroom in the depaato at the eki to put on make up and fix myself up before the live. of course, while i was crossing the people-bridge on my way back i FELL on the staircase. i'm still not sure what happened, cuz i didn't have probs with my new boots all day. actually, it was thanks to my new boots that i didn't hurt myself more than i did. basically, i kinda flipped over my toes and would have fallen face first down the stairs if i hadn't caught myself on the railing (and if i didn't have dance training to do that kind of thing and if my boots hadn't been hard enough to protect my feet). so i came away with heavily bruised and slightly cut up shins, limping slightly. someone laughed at me. i wasn't amused, but i went on, rather impressed that i had managed to prevent an even worse fall.
i got to our meeting place early, but then komako showed up and was super excited to see me, of course. she had told me a whole bunch of times that we wouldn't really be able to hang out *during* the live but that i could stay inside and enjoy all the bands. i gave her her omiyage and we headed over to the live house with a half hour to go before the live. and she's a jigolo fan now! ::snickers::
quick note about the band: for those who don't know, GOZ VII is a band of 7 people. yes, 7-- that's a lot for a band. two vocalists (asuto and hidetora), 3 guitarists (reichell, hiroro and reito), 1 bassist (tomokatsu) and 1 drummer (yuuichi). we fell in love with them cuz they are simply amazing and ended up getting tickets to their one man way back when. it was originally reichell (the 'leader' of the band) who made us promise to come see them again. the only time we ever *really* got to talk to the band was the last time we saw them, and that was cuz komako helped us to get pictures and such. but then last year, when farron came back, it seemed like hidetora was the only one to really remember the random gaijin fans. after we left, they quickly climbed to the top of the indies circuit but seemed stuck, unable to break into majors. finally, a few months ago, they decided to go on a 活動休止 (cessation of activities) which is kinda like taking a looong break (tho bands usually don't end up getting back together after one). so it was a huuuge coincidence that they were playing a live while i was here, and this was gonna be their one and only live for quite some time! -end explanation-
we got there before most everybody and bummed around outside the conbini below the live house. i asked komako about tickets (i was gonna be let in last cuz i had gotten a lawson's ticket >_< it didn't turn out to be such a big deal, tho) and how big the live house would be (it was only about as big as area inside, perhaps sliiightly larger), etc. she remembered that she had some omiyage from back home too and gave me a japanese-fortune cookie as well as a piece of bread with chocolate in it that i saved for after the live. ppl started showing up and komako knew, like, EVERYBODY.
after standing around awkwardly for awhile while ppl were showing up, komako finally started introducing me to ppl as 'yon-chan', and everyone was finally like "omg, it'sa gaijin!!!" everyone thought my name was just sooo 日本人っぽい and i had to explain that it's not my *real* name and i could tell everyone relaxed when they realized i could speak japanese. one of the girls was actually like "omg, i've never spoken to a real gaijin before! this is crazy!" and wanted to try to speak in english but had no idea what to say. she gave me a satsumaimo-snack dealy which i also saved for later (i ate it the next day and it was really good! i love how japanese snacks *actually* taste like what they're meant to taste like!). another girl was like "wow, your eyes are so big!" (that was due to my make up, tho) i have never actually gotten such stereotypical comments from japanese ppl before.
finally we were let in, but of course i was one of the last to enter (cuz i was in the 'c' section), but it didn't actually matter cuz not that many ppl showed up that early and the live house was standing room/not that large. so i made my way over to komako, who was putting some scarves on the bar on the side of the stage she would want to stand on later. they weren't gonna stay in the front, tho, since GOZ VII was going on last. *everyone* was buying the GOZ VII DVD right then, so i went over to pick up my copies too. turns out, me buying 3 copies wasn't all that strange, since everyone else had kinda made one girl go over and get them for everybody, so she had gotten like 10 all at once. they also had new GOZ VII wristbands, which i *would* have gotten except... they were bright pink and bright yellow >_< it's silly, but they wouldn't match anything that i own! truly. i did get a sticker, tho. (later on i also bought a photo set cuz... i couldn't help myself)
everyone was opening their dvds to see which 'cards' they got, and each one also comes with a signed 'back stage pass' from the night of the live on the dvd. i got two reito sigs (at least, we think they're both reito) and a hidetora sig and only two versions of the 'card'. i haven't decided which ones i wanna keep yet ^_^ (i totally get to choose first, it's my 'tax' for picking up the dvds!)
everyone moved their bags to the back of the live house so i kinda followed (komako was busy with ppl and had planned on sitting outside and 'sleeping' during the live so we couldn't really talk anymore). i was having some maaajor issues with my legs at that point and i couldn't 'squat' without major pain ("squatting" properly is actually a pretty important act in japan. there are hardly any public benches or places to sit, therefore, it is perfectly acceptable to sit about on the ground, but the ground is often dirty or otherwise unacceptable, so you learn to squat. also, y'know, there's the prevalence of squat-toilets. it's *very* difficult to get through a live without squatting at some point).
the bands before GOZ VII weren't bad or anything, but they weren't memorable much either. the whole time i just wanted GOZ VII to come on! i actually vaguely enjoyed the first band but then they announced their kaisan during the live and that bugged me (why ruin such a happy night with your stupid kaisan announcement??). the only thing of interest was that the bunny-band played! y'know, the one with the rabbit symbol on their chirashi. i already forget their name, but they had a big bunny symbol on the stage with them! they were actually halfway decent and komako came inside and stood up front for them so i figure she's a fan.
i sat or otherwise hid in the back during the whole ordeal, attempting to stretch out my legs which were suddenly faaar too long and kept getting in the way of everyone. did i mention i was the only gaijin? oh yes, i was. i have never felt so tall in my life, but really, it was just cuz my new boots have such high platforms. as soon as i took them off i was on the same level as most ppl there.
then, fiiiinally, it was time for GOZ VII. komako didn't seem to be inviting me to stand at the bar (she had already mentioned that i was sooo tall so shouldn't have any problem seeing, unlike her and farron) and i wasn't sure where it was ok for me *to* be standing, but i decided to be selfish and stole second row right behind komako (on reichell's side that means ^_^). in my head i was thinking "this is my only GOZ VII live, perhaps the only time i'll ever see them again, so i'm taking front while i can!" i prolly pissed off a couple ppl, actually. after a little while of feeling overly tall i noticed that most everyone had taken off their shoes so i did the same, that's when i came back to a more acceptable height. right after i did that the girls on my left did it too-- they didn't actually seem like GOZ fans cuz they didn't really do the furi, i think they might have been standing in front cuz this band seemed popular. the girl on my right, on the other hand, was tooootally into it and nervous about the random gaijin until i jumped into the mosh pit with her ^_^
we could hear the band members messing about on stage and when they did their cheer-before-the-show together. when they started playing it was just... wow (as i said before). it's like they never took a break! they were all just so *on*. there were a lot of unfamiliar songs and unfamiliar furi to me but i managed to do my best and totally got into it. GOZ VII lives are just the best work out. the third song they did was the one i got the video of two years ago (i think it's babylon)!
i didn't think i'd gotten noticed at all, which didn't really matter cuz i didn't expect them to remember me and i was having too much fun to care anyway. but then, during one of the songs i didn't know so well, i got off beat with the jumping and paused in my movements. just then i looked up at the stage and there's hidetora staring straight at me and when i catch his eye he points and i get the "jump, my little lemming, jump!" look. when a tall and kakoi japanese vocalist tells you to jump... you'd better jump! (basically, at this point, if a japanese vocalist of any stature asked me to do something, i think i'd do it) he proceeded to point and stare at me any time i so much as *thought* about taking a break with the furi. he is a very demanding vocalist!
they were all just so happy to be on stage, to be together, to be making this music as a whole. i really, really want to murder whoever told hidetora his lyrics weren't up to par or whoever told the band to go on a break. hidetora especially was just so *thankful* to his fans during the whole show. they have a slow song called 'gift' and i got a little choked up during it, cuz in the middle the music pauses and hidetora just whispers 'ありがとう' before the music starts again. those boys put sooo much emotion into their music. i was even inspired to do the whole screaming everyone's names in a high pitched voice thing ^_^
in between one of the songs, hiroro and reito came to the front of the stage and vied for the audience's attention. hiroro would play a riff on his guitar and everyone would scream 'hiroro!' then reito would play a riff and everyone would yell 'reito!' this went on for a good 5 minutes until finally hidetora came back to his mic and was like "dudes, let's do another song!" asuto didn't talk very much, mostly stood around and acted disgustingly cute (for a man with bleached hair and a tiara). at one point hidetora was trying to get him to talk to the audience and he tried to hide behind tomokatsu. but tomokatsu hadn't been paying attention, so once he realized asuto was, like, spooning him, he was horribly confused and made the cutest "ほえ？" face.
they only did a few songs but came out almost immediately for an encore. it was during the encore that they did 僕と君の生きる道, which is my absolute favorite song of their's. we tried to get a second encore going but a staff finally came out and told us to get moving.
we all collected our bags and shoes from in front of the bar. komako told me goodbye and that she would see me on the 14th (there's a 'session event' where several members of GOZ VII will be playing, along with members of danger gang and other bands). she and the other GOZ fans left and i bummed a bit getting my stuff together. i handed in my enquette to the bunny-band (and upset the singer by refusing to buy a cd) as well as my enquette for GOZ. i doubt they'll read it, but i wrote a whole message about how i'd been so sad in america when i heard they were on a break but was super happy to get the chance to see them again and begged them to keep going as a band. i even put down my *real* email address so that i would immediately get any mailmaga they might send out.
the staff kept enclosing the space around the goods tables with the bars more and more so i finally left the live house. a lot of ppl were bumming around outside the conbini again and i figured they were all waiting for GOZ VII to come out. i saw komako across the street and went to say goodbye one more time. i had half a mind to play innocent and ask "oh my, what is everyone waiting around for?", but i got a "ok ok, see you on the 14th! bye now!" before i could say much of anything. i was also getting uncomfortable stares from some japanese fangirls.
i was happy with what had happened that night and my legs were killing me so i decided to cut my losses and head home. i was seeing my host family the next day as well, and even if i left right then i knew i wouldn't get to sleep till late. so it was either wait around for several hours, feeling terribly awkward and outcast, to get in perhaps a single word with hidetora (if anybody) before having to catch the last train. i figured it was better to just go.
i went to the sento for a good, hot bath and, for once, was not accosted by any little old ladies. i think the owner lady has started warning ppl about me.
i *promise* i'm gonna do demachi at the session event. i *will* talk to the members of danger gang and GOZ VII, i will! i even told komako over email that i planned on hanging out after the live, so now i definitely have to =^^=