random arashi blast notes, Friday edition
The line organization was terrible.There were no barricades save for the first section of the crowd, which made it easy to leave to go to the bathroom, but I saw a lot of people cutting (not joining a group that was already waiting, but cutting) once they started to let people in.
Speaking of leaving to go to the restroom, there was a severe lack of facilities. The one closest to the line? Only two stalls. I also saw a long line outside a single portapotty by the parking lot. This other lady I talked to said she expected that portable bathroom trailer, which was what we were expecting as well.
It took forever to get out of the parking lot.
The staff at the restroom said they were closing it at four. While in line, I heard something like an announcement that they were letting people in at four, which worried me. I ended up going to the next closet one, which was....pretty damn far away. At least a quarter mile, I'd say. No line, though.
I have this theory on how one should navigate those steel barricades they herd people through and I get kind of pissy when (not that there were enough of those for the outside, but maybe they'll learn for tomorrow? I wish I could see the entire line.)
The seats they gave us were pretty awesome, though we didn't use them much. They're really comfortable, so they came in handy.
I now understand why they always have those towels on the goods list. I was thankful I had mine. My cousin and her friend bought one each on the way in. The people behind me in line went to go buy one. (IT IS FOR THE SAME REASON THAT I ALWAYS ADVISE PEOPLE WHO WILL BE TRAVELLING TO JAPAN TO BRING ONE OF THOSE HANDKERCHIEF-TYPE WASHCLOTHS. WE WERE SWEATING BUCKETS.) note that this is also why bringing an uchiwa is an excellent idea. I might bring my normal-sized (as opposed to jumbo) one that I made as a backup, because the cardboard I used to make the large one negates the....flappiness of a good uchiwa. They also gave away free koolina fans once you got inside, but that does you no good in the line.
That said, my favorite kind of uchiwa is a free uchiwa and there is a reason they give them away in the summer in Japan. There is also the time one of my classmates found one in the restroom during a summer trip, which was duly dubbed the toilet uchiwa and a source of great hilarity. And utility. And grossness, but it was pretty funny.
Setlist was pretty much a retrospective of singles, as expected. No member solos, which surprised me.
They use the entire place- every section is a good section, though ours made it hard to see the main stage. They did a lot of planning to take advantage of the sunset. Also, a ton of fireworks, which started earlier than I expected.
They had a Hawaiian-style songs segment right next to us. People rushed the stage. Mom watched our bags, so we went too. (This is when I got close enough to Nino as he was leaving the stage that I was fairly certain that he saw that I had made an uchiwa with his name on it. Must have been within 20 feet? That was cool. Speaking of which, I envy the...laser cutter? They have at Tokyu Hands and the like? So cool. Some of the other fans I saw were also impressive. The girl next to me had one with the design made out of rhinestones.) (finding the way back from there took some doing, but some guy had his kid on his shoulders in front of us pretty much the whole time, which was obnoxious, but also the only way I found my seat.)
Some of the edits the Japanese fans made to the concert merchandise were really cool. Highlights include a peasant style blouse+skirt made out of the aloha shirt, a lot of changes to sleeves, and edits to the tote bag. Also this kid dressed as Kaibutsu-kun, so cute. There was someone as Taka from Ohmiya SK near me.
oh god, I found the tumblr of these girls near us in line.
The little carts that they push them around on? Never ceases to amuse me. But we were by the moving stage tracks, so they didn't come down our aisle.
I forget which song they had the high-pressure water guns on, but Jun was nearest to us and he looked like he was enjoying himself, but we weren't close enough to get sprayed. Which would have been nice, as it was really, really hot. (And yet not as insufferably hot as last week.)
Member color flames during Monster! Also, I'm not a great fan of most of the choreography when they bring in professional backup dancers, but the only ones here were fire dancers, which brought about a really cool infinity mirror-type shot with the main screen.
notes: Sho came by first! (With Ohno on the other side.)
Matsumoto also came by on his own. We were able to get really close to Nino when he and Ohno left the the Hawaii segment.
When Ohno came by later, we were close enough to see sweat dripping.
Sadly, aside from the brief bit after the Hawaiian-style songs segment, we didn't see much of Nino (or Aiba for that matter) at all, though he came by with the rest of the Kaze Trio on the moving platforms at the end. (We saw a lot of Sho and he is now Mom's favorite.
MC notes: They went to see the cruiser and were surprised about it. They talked a bit about the song that turned into the novel for Aiba's movie. They were really happy to be back.
Aiba told his story about how he found out 3 days beforehand and tried to make Sho be Johnny as he recreated the dialogue.
Ohno talked about how he was asked to record about a week beforehand.
Jun wanted to hunt for the pineapple field. Something about taking private pictures. Sho took some, Jun asked if we wanted to see it. (obviously yes.)
Ohno will be choreographing for the next concert. Sounds like only one song. On Jun's orders. (Jun: What?) Jun wants to know if Ohno would choreograph all the songs if he were so ordered. Ohno thinks that it would be like his own concert, and would people really be interested in that? Jun disagrees and asked the audience for confirmation. (We confirmed.)
Apparently they all went out to yakiniku together right before the debut and Nino went back alone right before they came to Hawaii. The Obaa-chan that ran the restaurant was really excited.
I don't really recall all of the mc, but I was 1) pretty much able to get what was going on- so was mom- so the vocab wasn't that difficult, 2) completely convinced that they really need to include it in the dvd, and 3) really curious to see if there are changes in tomorrow night's commentary. Obviously, if it is different, they need to include both mc's, it is not like we don't know that they were filming.
The sunset (and ocean) behind various bits looked spectacular on the screen, but was hard to see from my angle. It was a very nice sunset, though, and I was thankful to not be looking directly at the sun.
The audience really sucks at chanting "Arashi" in unison while asking for an encore. (Chants kept getting started, but they weren't in time with each other. it took a really long time.) (We did manage to mostly sing Arashi during the encore.)
I noticed a lot of watery eyes during the thankyou's, but Ohno actually cried. This threw off Aiba, who followed him (he admitted that he forgot his speech,) to the point where it sounded like he kind of messed up when he was saying his own name.
Mom thought Nino wasn't really making as much of an effort, but I suck at body language. Mostly this made me worry if he was doing okay. She thought Sho was much more handsome in person. I'm in a different section next time, so I'll see different things. Oh, and also Nino's butt was definitely pointing in our direction for that one bit of paradox. short jackets this time, excellent.
On a related note, the weather was really fucking hot. And humid. Also, when you strike up random conversations with people in Japanese, 99% of the time it will be about the weather. I don't know why, but it is so. (The people near us in line were pretty cool. They praised my Japanese, which is the cue for me to go "noooooooooooooooo" and Mom to comment on how they sent me on study abroad, so really, isn't my current proficiency a disappointment? Well, she didn't actually say the last bit, but it's usually heavily implied. Let's not get started on my accent, which sucks. Mom went to Japanese school, so she can hold simple conversations, and she caught that they actually found the field they were looking for earlier.)
Ohno did his Carnival night backflip, but what surprised me is that I saw cartwheels when they did ARASHI.
I walked right by the tower things on my way out. They're pretty cool. I hope to see more of the moving bits of the stage in my next section- those boxy things that raise up? They shot fireworks out of it this time, and also had some segments off to the side which move independantly. I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO A BETTER LOOK AT THAT.
Using the helicopter is actually kind of genius- it conceals where Arashi came from and where they are headed, which is important as this venue doesn't really have much of a backstage area. Also, it's cool.
TLDR: I am easily impressed by moving bits of the stage, the members all came really close and it was awesome, and if Jun manages to finagle Ohno into choreographing entire concert, it would be the best thing ever.
Speaking of leaving to go to the restroom, there was a severe lack of facilities. The one closest to the line? Only two stalls. I also saw a long line outside a single portapotty by the parking lot. This other lady I talked to said she expected that portable bathroom trailer, which was what we were expecting as well.
It took forever to get out of the parking lot.
The staff at the restroom said they were closing it at four. While in line, I heard something like an announcement that they were letting people in at four, which worried me. I ended up going to the next closet one, which was....pretty damn far away. At least a quarter mile, I'd say. No line, though.
I have this theory on how one should navigate those steel barricades they herd people through and I get kind of pissy when (not that there were enough of those for the outside, but maybe they'll learn for tomorrow? I wish I could see the entire line.)
The seats they gave us were pretty awesome, though we didn't use them much. They're really comfortable, so they came in handy.
I now understand why they always have those towels on the goods list. I was thankful I had mine. My cousin and her friend bought one each on the way in. The people behind me in line went to go buy one. (IT IS FOR THE SAME REASON THAT I ALWAYS ADVISE PEOPLE WHO WILL BE TRAVELLING TO JAPAN TO BRING ONE OF THOSE HANDKERCHIEF-TYPE WASHCLOTHS. WE WERE SWEATING BUCKETS.) note that this is also why bringing an uchiwa is an excellent idea. I might bring my normal-sized (as opposed to jumbo) one that I made as a backup, because the cardboard I used to make the large one negates the....flappiness of a good uchiwa. They also gave away free koolina fans once you got inside, but that does you no good in the line.
That said, my favorite kind of uchiwa is a free uchiwa and there is a reason they give them away in the summer in Japan. There is also the time one of my classmates found one in the restroom during a summer trip, which was duly dubbed the toilet uchiwa and a source of great hilarity. And utility. And grossness, but it was pretty funny.
Setlist was pretty much a retrospective of singles, as expected. No member solos, which surprised me.
They use the entire place- every section is a good section, though ours made it hard to see the main stage. They did a lot of planning to take advantage of the sunset. Also, a ton of fireworks, which started earlier than I expected.
They had a Hawaiian-style songs segment right next to us. People rushed the stage. Mom watched our bags, so we went too. (This is when I got close enough to Nino as he was leaving the stage that I was fairly certain that he saw that I had made an uchiwa with his name on it. Must have been within 20 feet? That was cool. Speaking of which, I envy the...laser cutter? They have at Tokyu Hands and the like? So cool. Some of the other fans I saw were also impressive. The girl next to me had one with the design made out of rhinestones.) (finding the way back from there took some doing, but some guy had his kid on his shoulders in front of us pretty much the whole time, which was obnoxious, but also the only way I found my seat.)
Some of the edits the Japanese fans made to the concert merchandise were really cool. Highlights include a peasant style blouse+skirt made out of the aloha shirt, a lot of changes to sleeves, and edits to the tote bag. Also this kid dressed as Kaibutsu-kun, so cute. There was someone as Taka from Ohmiya SK near me.
oh god, I found the tumblr of these girls near us in line.
The little carts that they push them around on? Never ceases to amuse me. But we were by the moving stage tracks, so they didn't come down our aisle.
I forget which song they had the high-pressure water guns on, but Jun was nearest to us and he looked like he was enjoying himself, but we weren't close enough to get sprayed. Which would have been nice, as it was really, really hot. (And yet not as insufferably hot as last week.)
Member color flames during Monster! Also, I'm not a great fan of most of the choreography when they bring in professional backup dancers, but the only ones here were fire dancers, which brought about a really cool infinity mirror-type shot with the main screen.
notes: Sho came by first! (With Ohno on the other side.)
Matsumoto also came by on his own. We were able to get really close to Nino when he and Ohno left the the Hawaii segment.
When Ohno came by later, we were close enough to see sweat dripping.
Sadly, aside from the brief bit after the Hawaiian-style songs segment, we didn't see much of Nino (or Aiba for that matter) at all, though he came by with the rest of the Kaze Trio on the moving platforms at the end. (We saw a lot of Sho and he is now Mom's favorite.
MC notes: They went to see the cruiser and were surprised about it. They talked a bit about the song that turned into the novel for Aiba's movie. They were really happy to be back.
Aiba told his story about how he found out 3 days beforehand and tried to make Sho be Johnny as he recreated the dialogue.
Ohno talked about how he was asked to record about a week beforehand.
Jun wanted to hunt for the pineapple field. Something about taking private pictures. Sho took some, Jun asked if we wanted to see it. (obviously yes.)
Ohno will be choreographing for the next concert. Sounds like only one song. On Jun's orders. (Jun: What?) Jun wants to know if Ohno would choreograph all the songs if he were so ordered. Ohno thinks that it would be like his own concert, and would people really be interested in that? Jun disagrees and asked the audience for confirmation. (We confirmed.)
Apparently they all went out to yakiniku together right before the debut and Nino went back alone right before they came to Hawaii. The Obaa-chan that ran the restaurant was really excited.
I don't really recall all of the mc, but I was 1) pretty much able to get what was going on- so was mom- so the vocab wasn't that difficult, 2) completely convinced that they really need to include it in the dvd, and 3) really curious to see if there are changes in tomorrow night's commentary. Obviously, if it is different, they need to include both mc's, it is not like we don't know that they were filming.
The sunset (and ocean) behind various bits looked spectacular on the screen, but was hard to see from my angle. It was a very nice sunset, though, and I was thankful to not be looking directly at the sun.
The audience really sucks at chanting "Arashi" in unison while asking for an encore. (Chants kept getting started, but they weren't in time with each other. it took a really long time.) (We did manage to mostly sing Arashi during the encore.)
I noticed a lot of watery eyes during the thankyou's, but Ohno actually cried. This threw off Aiba, who followed him (he admitted that he forgot his speech,) to the point where it sounded like he kind of messed up when he was saying his own name.
Mom thought Nino wasn't really making as much of an effort, but I suck at body language. Mostly this made me worry if he was doing okay. She thought Sho was much more handsome in person. I'm in a different section next time, so I'll see different things. Oh, and also Nino's butt was definitely pointing in our direction for that one bit of paradox. short jackets this time, excellent.
On a related note, the weather was really fucking hot. And humid. Also, when you strike up random conversations with people in Japanese, 99% of the time it will be about the weather. I don't know why, but it is so. (The people near us in line were pretty cool. They praised my Japanese, which is the cue for me to go "noooooooooooooooo" and Mom to comment on how they sent me on study abroad, so really, isn't my current proficiency a disappointment? Well, she didn't actually say the last bit, but it's usually heavily implied. Let's not get started on my accent, which sucks. Mom went to Japanese school, so she can hold simple conversations, and she caught that they actually found the field they were looking for earlier.)
Ohno did his Carnival night backflip, but what surprised me is that I saw cartwheels when they did ARASHI.
I walked right by the tower things on my way out. They're pretty cool. I hope to see more of the moving bits of the stage in my next section- those boxy things that raise up? They shot fireworks out of it this time, and also had some segments off to the side which move independantly. I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO A BETTER LOOK AT THAT.
Using the helicopter is actually kind of genius- it conceals where Arashi came from and where they are headed, which is important as this venue doesn't really have much of a backstage area. Also, it's cool.
TLDR: I am easily impressed by moving bits of the stage, the members all came really close and it was awesome, and if Jun manages to finagle Ohno into choreographing entire concert, it would be the best thing ever.