Sadie instore at Like an Edison Nagoya
I think the main reason I got to Likea pretty late today (way after everybody was supposed to be let inside for the instore event) was because it was so cold and windy today and I didn't want to stand outside as usual. But maybe there was also a part of me that didn't want to be too close up front. I got a ticket with a very good number and somehow it made me nervous. I like this kind of events, seeing the bands answer questions etc., but I do not like being seen and prefer to lurk in the shadows. In the end since I was one of the last people to get in, I stood in the back... towering over the girls around me *sigh* Anyway.
Every time I have been to a talk instore before (both Despa and Sadie) the same guy hosted it and I saw him outside the store talking on the phone today, but for some reason one of the Likea staff women did it. I think she hasn't been doing it for a long time, a good host/interviewer can make the event a lot more fun, but unfortunately she wasn't good and the conversation seemed to flow a little too slow at times. Mizuki pretty much had to lead the conversation and engage the other four guys and make them answer questions. Not that he minded of course. Aki was surprisingly talkative, but Mao, Tsurugi and Kei were rather tense. Poor Kei even choked on the water he was drinking pretty badly once.
The guys wore casual clothes mostly black, Mao wore a red T-shirt and very nerdy looking glasses (what is it with j-rockers and glasses lately? Trying to look smart?). Aki was the only one hiding behind the sunglasses.
For some reason I had troubles following the conversation, maybe I am not used to the way they speak, and background music (Gain) playing throughout the whole instore didn't make it any easier ;(
They started with the question about Gain and what kind of an album it was and the songs. Mao said they wrote the kind of songs that would be fun to play live.
They were asked about if there is anything or anyone weird in Nagoya. Mizuki said how Nagoya fans are always act reserved at the instores even if they are wild during the lives (Nagoyans are pretty passive and/or passive-aggressive actually). Then Aki and Mao turned it into a food talk xD
One of the questions was from girl who said she was about to graduate from the university and if they could recommend a good place to go on a graduation trip. Mizuki suggested Sendai though his only reason was to eat gyutan (beef tongue), a local delicacy, and the others suggested Okinawa and Hokkaido.
They were asked how many porn DVDs they owned and everybody started to make fun of Mao saying he had a huge DVD rack full of them xD Kei claimed he had none and when nobody believed him, he said he downloads xD
Then there were questions about the first dream they had this year (but no one could really remember it) and the new year resolutions. Aki said that he wants to move to Tokyo from Osaka. Mao said that he wants to loose weight and he and Mizuki got into a discussion about them getting fat and wanting to loose weight, but when it came to Tsurugi they said that he needs to gain some and I totally agree on that.
There was one pretty funny question (at least from my point of view, but maybe that's just me being mean and cynical) about where they look during the live and if they see the faces of the fans in the crowd. They said they do and mostly agreed that they usually look ahead of them and therefore see more people in the middle and back of the hall than up front. Aki said how he always looks at an emergency exit sign because it is so bright. Kei said that what he sees depends on the hall since he is a drummer and sits in the back so sometimes all he sees is Mao's back xD
The questions part lasted for about an hour and after that it was a handshake. The fans moved from Mizuki to Aki, then Mao, Tsurugi and Kei last. It was pretty amusing to see a huge line in front of Tsurugi and lonely Mao having no one to talk to because everyone around was talking to either Tsurugi or Aki. I wonder if it reflects the fact that Tsurugi is the most popular in the band or that he takes more time to talk to the fans. The latter is definitely true. Funny how he said he recognized me and was like "Hey! Long time no see!" and I wonder if he was just being nice.
The handshake is always awkward because one has to say something. I decided to keep it short and cliche saying "thank you for the instore" and that I was looking forward to the live tomorrow (honestly I am not yet sure if I will be able to leave work early). An example of a weird topic of the conversation was a girls behind me who asked Mao how he styled his hair and he briefly explained it to her xD And it was one thing to see all those shaky and love-sick girls, but it was so much more amusing when the guy next to me in the line was nearly bouncing and grinning so much. I bet he was squealing inside: "Aki-sama!!!" xD
I had a ticket to their live in September but I didn't go, hopefully I won't be busy until late tomorrow so I will get there on time. I also got a ticket to a Counter culture live next month and that's gotta be interesting too ;D
Every time I have been to a talk instore before (both Despa and Sadie) the same guy hosted it and I saw him outside the store talking on the phone today, but for some reason one of the Likea staff women did it. I think she hasn't been doing it for a long time, a good host/interviewer can make the event a lot more fun, but unfortunately she wasn't good and the conversation seemed to flow a little too slow at times. Mizuki pretty much had to lead the conversation and engage the other four guys and make them answer questions. Not that he minded of course. Aki was surprisingly talkative, but Mao, Tsurugi and Kei were rather tense. Poor Kei even choked on the water he was drinking pretty badly once.
The guys wore casual clothes mostly black, Mao wore a red T-shirt and very nerdy looking glasses (what is it with j-rockers and glasses lately? Trying to look smart?). Aki was the only one hiding behind the sunglasses.
For some reason I had troubles following the conversation, maybe I am not used to the way they speak, and background music (Gain) playing throughout the whole instore didn't make it any easier ;(
They started with the question about Gain and what kind of an album it was and the songs. Mao said they wrote the kind of songs that would be fun to play live.
They were asked about if there is anything or anyone weird in Nagoya. Mizuki said how Nagoya fans are always act reserved at the instores even if they are wild during the lives (Nagoyans are pretty passive and/or passive-aggressive actually). Then Aki and Mao turned it into a food talk xD
One of the questions was from girl who said she was about to graduate from the university and if they could recommend a good place to go on a graduation trip. Mizuki suggested Sendai though his only reason was to eat gyutan (beef tongue), a local delicacy, and the others suggested Okinawa and Hokkaido.
They were asked how many porn DVDs they owned and everybody started to make fun of Mao saying he had a huge DVD rack full of them xD Kei claimed he had none and when nobody believed him, he said he downloads xD
Then there were questions about the first dream they had this year (but no one could really remember it) and the new year resolutions. Aki said that he wants to move to Tokyo from Osaka. Mao said that he wants to loose weight and he and Mizuki got into a discussion about them getting fat and wanting to loose weight, but when it came to Tsurugi they said that he needs to gain some and I totally agree on that.
There was one pretty funny question (at least from my point of view, but maybe that's just me being mean and cynical) about where they look during the live and if they see the faces of the fans in the crowd. They said they do and mostly agreed that they usually look ahead of them and therefore see more people in the middle and back of the hall than up front. Aki said how he always looks at an emergency exit sign because it is so bright. Kei said that what he sees depends on the hall since he is a drummer and sits in the back so sometimes all he sees is Mao's back xD
The questions part lasted for about an hour and after that it was a handshake. The fans moved from Mizuki to Aki, then Mao, Tsurugi and Kei last. It was pretty amusing to see a huge line in front of Tsurugi and lonely Mao having no one to talk to because everyone around was talking to either Tsurugi or Aki. I wonder if it reflects the fact that Tsurugi is the most popular in the band or that he takes more time to talk to the fans. The latter is definitely true. Funny how he said he recognized me and was like "Hey! Long time no see!" and I wonder if he was just being nice.
The handshake is always awkward because one has to say something. I decided to keep it short and cliche saying "thank you for the instore" and that I was looking forward to the live tomorrow (honestly I am not yet sure if I will be able to leave work early). An example of a weird topic of the conversation was a girls behind me who asked Mao how he styled his hair and he briefly explained it to her xD And it was one thing to see all those shaky and love-sick girls, but it was so much more amusing when the guy next to me in the line was nearly bouncing and grinning so much. I bet he was squealing inside: "Aki-sama!!!" xD
I had a ticket to their live in September but I didn't go, hopefully I won't be busy until late tomorrow so I will get there on time. I also got a ticket to a Counter culture live next month and that's gotta be interesting too ;D