4月21日 - 新潟 Niigata
Wow.
I have no idea what day it is.
We left the apartment around one, and got into Niigata at four pm. The silly thing we did was not check the weather in Niigata before we left Tokyo. It was toasty warm in Tokyo....
It was not toasty warm in Niigata.
We're in the mountains, and while there isn't any snow in Niigata itself, we did pass a few towns with patches of the stuff even now in April. Sapporo is going to be freaking FREEZING. Still, after the show it seemed like it wasn't much colder so demachi didn't feel too cold.
Since we got into the city at four and the doors weren't till six, we grabbed some station food, and headed to the hotel. We have a traditional style tatami room, so as I write this I am sitting at a 'desk' that is about a foot and a half high on a pillow. It's actually pretty comfortable. I like tatami rooms a lot. I am sleeping in the bed, and Maura is sleeping on the futon on the floor, since she was so excited about it. I don't mind either way; as long as I can sleep somewhere warm it's fine. Around five thirty we headed off the venue in a cab.
Maura has the most bizarre ability to pick a hotel at random and have it be close to not only the station but also the venue. So far cabs have only cost us about twenty bucks in this city; which is pretty good for Japan.
Niigata Junk Box Mini...
In North America a small, intimate venue holds somewhere between three hundred and five hundred people.
Junk Box Mini holds 150.
Knowing that, I still have to admit to not expecting to be standing in a room that is probably no bigger than someone's living room. In fact, our living room back home is probably bigger. Perspective. We weren't a capacity crowd; at most there were eighty of us in the room including miyavi and the band. Our ticket numbers were 16 and 17, which put us right on the rail; but once again we were way off to the right. It's become like our spot; if we ever go to a show and stand on the left Miyavi will be like 'WTF WHERE ARE MY- WHY ARE THEY OVER THERE!?' This time, I was directly in front of the speaker stack which meant I could see half the stage; and only half of Miyavi. Still I didn't really mind; I've already seen him three times this tour and it would suck to be someone who only gets to see him once and be stuck behind the speakers. So, I spent most of the show leaning on the rail towards the girls standing next to me so I could see him. It worked out okay, actually. I also spent more time headbanging than usual.
When he came out on stage to play for us, it didn't take him long to notice that there were a few of us who were stuck behind the speakers; I noticed him leaning forward to peek at me on the right, and saw him check the kids on the left side too. What was really awesome was that I was the only one on the right that couldn't see because of the speakers and when he came over to our side to sing he actually adjusted the mic so that he and I could see each other perfectly; and then met my eyes to make sure. I just grinned back at him and I think it was a singback part or something so...was singing back lol. It was about the first half of the show that he kept checking up on me; but after a few times I didn't notice because I was rocking the hell out he stopped checking up. I was having a good time, and that's what he was most concerned about. Throughout the show he was getting up on his monitors; making sure the kids at the back who couldn't see got the chance to see him too. And he made sure the kids on the left got their share as well.
Miyavi really does love these little venues, and it shows. These are the ones where he can see everyone and everyone can participate. I really do feel, seeing the lives here that he wants to be a part of US as much as he wants us to enjoy HIM. Miyavi would happily ditch the stage and come sing WITH US. Leave his mic behind and join his voice to ours as it is. Sometimes he pulls himself from the mic just so he can hear us singing, and sing with us without any amplification. Since the crowd is so well behaved out here you can hear him just fine. I'm really starting to see his vision, and just recognize how amazing it is.
Maybe it's silly but I really am seeing how much he loves it when we perform together with him. Not when it's us just watching him, but when we're doing our hand gestures and singing back at the right times. It makes us a PART of the show; not just spectators. We're family hanging out and sharing a really great time. He wants to do these shows TOGETHER.
THat's something the kids here understand. THat's why we can make fun of him for not being able to say Hamamatsu properly. That's why we can make goofy faces at him at demachi or during the show. That's why we can laugh when he makes fun of us for talking too much. He's not above us. He's not separate from us. He's just this really cool kid rocking out with us. Tonight the venue was so small; the stage was about a foot high, and he was easily within reach when he came to the front. We could have pulled him off so easily...but no one really even touched him. Reached out, brushed his lapel, brushed his arm. Touched a hand he held out to us. Most of the kids didn't even try to touch him beyond putting their hands out.
The more I see him, the more I feel like he's just a friend I'm seeing perform. The acne scars on his cheeks, the moles on the side of his nose, his makeup running. Forgetting the lyrics to Neo Visualizm.
Maura says I'm in the CoMiyavi Dojo; training over here to bring Miyavi's vision to the outside world. When you're at a show here, you really see how pumped he gets when the fans are doing the actions. You see the way he gets kind of apathetic when we don't do it. He's someone who gets excited because we're excited; if we're not into it then he's not into it. Matsusaka was a short show; Tonight he cut a song from the Encore because they have to get down to Kanazawa tonight...but other than that it's a full set. I"ll do the actions for every song at every show I go to. His big happy grins are worth it. If he's having fun, I'm having fun. If I'm having fun he's having fun. He is energized not only by our energy, but the feeling that we are ONE.
Miyavi almost started the gaijin game, where he picks out the foreigners from the crowd; Maura stopped him with a look. I'm the only foreigner here. As far as the CoMiyavi are concerned, she's one of them. I'm not, and that's okay right now.
Set list wise, tonight he switched out kimi ni funky monkey vibration for Please, Please, Please and Kimi ni Negai wo was swapped for Ku Ku Ru. Ku Ku Ru always makes me think of sitting in the hallway in Texas after the show, tears streaming down our faces realizing that Miyavi finally knows he's NOT the ugly duckling.
He also played the new song from Hamamatsu; we think it's called "Ah Hah", but he hasn't actually TOLD us the name so...it might not be. Its pretty catchy whatever it's called, and I am liking it a lot.
Demachi after the show ended up being really small; there were only nine of us hanging out and it was really quick. Said otsukare really quick and made faces at him as the van pulled away. Not sure who was laughing harder, us or him, but it was fun, regardless.
Grabbed some combini food (combini = convenience store), and are now back int he hotel. WEll, Maura is probably asleep already, I'm just writing this for all you people out there in internet land who aren't here. It's two thirty in the morning...I will sleep soonish. So far it's been a really great trip. Can't wait to do it again next year ^_^
We're off to Kanazawa in the morning and I'm looking forward to warmer weather!
mata ne!
Steffu
I have no idea what day it is.
We left the apartment around one, and got into Niigata at four pm. The silly thing we did was not check the weather in Niigata before we left Tokyo. It was toasty warm in Tokyo....
It was not toasty warm in Niigata.
We're in the mountains, and while there isn't any snow in Niigata itself, we did pass a few towns with patches of the stuff even now in April. Sapporo is going to be freaking FREEZING. Still, after the show it seemed like it wasn't much colder so demachi didn't feel too cold.
Since we got into the city at four and the doors weren't till six, we grabbed some station food, and headed to the hotel. We have a traditional style tatami room, so as I write this I am sitting at a 'desk' that is about a foot and a half high on a pillow. It's actually pretty comfortable. I like tatami rooms a lot. I am sleeping in the bed, and Maura is sleeping on the futon on the floor, since she was so excited about it. I don't mind either way; as long as I can sleep somewhere warm it's fine. Around five thirty we headed off the venue in a cab.
Maura has the most bizarre ability to pick a hotel at random and have it be close to not only the station but also the venue. So far cabs have only cost us about twenty bucks in this city; which is pretty good for Japan.
Niigata Junk Box Mini...
In North America a small, intimate venue holds somewhere between three hundred and five hundred people.
Junk Box Mini holds 150.
Knowing that, I still have to admit to not expecting to be standing in a room that is probably no bigger than someone's living room. In fact, our living room back home is probably bigger. Perspective. We weren't a capacity crowd; at most there were eighty of us in the room including miyavi and the band. Our ticket numbers were 16 and 17, which put us right on the rail; but once again we were way off to the right. It's become like our spot; if we ever go to a show and stand on the left Miyavi will be like 'WTF WHERE ARE MY- WHY ARE THEY OVER THERE!?' This time, I was directly in front of the speaker stack which meant I could see half the stage; and only half of Miyavi. Still I didn't really mind; I've already seen him three times this tour and it would suck to be someone who only gets to see him once and be stuck behind the speakers. So, I spent most of the show leaning on the rail towards the girls standing next to me so I could see him. It worked out okay, actually. I also spent more time headbanging than usual.
When he came out on stage to play for us, it didn't take him long to notice that there were a few of us who were stuck behind the speakers; I noticed him leaning forward to peek at me on the right, and saw him check the kids on the left side too. What was really awesome was that I was the only one on the right that couldn't see because of the speakers and when he came over to our side to sing he actually adjusted the mic so that he and I could see each other perfectly; and then met my eyes to make sure. I just grinned back at him and I think it was a singback part or something so...was singing back lol. It was about the first half of the show that he kept checking up on me; but after a few times I didn't notice because I was rocking the hell out he stopped checking up. I was having a good time, and that's what he was most concerned about. Throughout the show he was getting up on his monitors; making sure the kids at the back who couldn't see got the chance to see him too. And he made sure the kids on the left got their share as well.
Miyavi really does love these little venues, and it shows. These are the ones where he can see everyone and everyone can participate. I really do feel, seeing the lives here that he wants to be a part of US as much as he wants us to enjoy HIM. Miyavi would happily ditch the stage and come sing WITH US. Leave his mic behind and join his voice to ours as it is. Sometimes he pulls himself from the mic just so he can hear us singing, and sing with us without any amplification. Since the crowd is so well behaved out here you can hear him just fine. I'm really starting to see his vision, and just recognize how amazing it is.
Maybe it's silly but I really am seeing how much he loves it when we perform together with him. Not when it's us just watching him, but when we're doing our hand gestures and singing back at the right times. It makes us a PART of the show; not just spectators. We're family hanging out and sharing a really great time. He wants to do these shows TOGETHER.
THat's something the kids here understand. THat's why we can make fun of him for not being able to say Hamamatsu properly. That's why we can make goofy faces at him at demachi or during the show. That's why we can laugh when he makes fun of us for talking too much. He's not above us. He's not separate from us. He's just this really cool kid rocking out with us. Tonight the venue was so small; the stage was about a foot high, and he was easily within reach when he came to the front. We could have pulled him off so easily...but no one really even touched him. Reached out, brushed his lapel, brushed his arm. Touched a hand he held out to us. Most of the kids didn't even try to touch him beyond putting their hands out.
The more I see him, the more I feel like he's just a friend I'm seeing perform. The acne scars on his cheeks, the moles on the side of his nose, his makeup running. Forgetting the lyrics to Neo Visualizm.
Maura says I'm in the CoMiyavi Dojo; training over here to bring Miyavi's vision to the outside world. When you're at a show here, you really see how pumped he gets when the fans are doing the actions. You see the way he gets kind of apathetic when we don't do it. He's someone who gets excited because we're excited; if we're not into it then he's not into it. Matsusaka was a short show; Tonight he cut a song from the Encore because they have to get down to Kanazawa tonight...but other than that it's a full set. I"ll do the actions for every song at every show I go to. His big happy grins are worth it. If he's having fun, I'm having fun. If I'm having fun he's having fun. He is energized not only by our energy, but the feeling that we are ONE.
Miyavi almost started the gaijin game, where he picks out the foreigners from the crowd; Maura stopped him with a look. I'm the only foreigner here. As far as the CoMiyavi are concerned, she's one of them. I'm not, and that's okay right now.
Set list wise, tonight he switched out kimi ni funky monkey vibration for Please, Please, Please and Kimi ni Negai wo was swapped for Ku Ku Ru. Ku Ku Ru always makes me think of sitting in the hallway in Texas after the show, tears streaming down our faces realizing that Miyavi finally knows he's NOT the ugly duckling.
He also played the new song from Hamamatsu; we think it's called "Ah Hah", but he hasn't actually TOLD us the name so...it might not be. Its pretty catchy whatever it's called, and I am liking it a lot.
Demachi after the show ended up being really small; there were only nine of us hanging out and it was really quick. Said otsukare really quick and made faces at him as the van pulled away. Not sure who was laughing harder, us or him, but it was fun, regardless.
Grabbed some combini food (combini = convenience store), and are now back int he hotel. WEll, Maura is probably asleep already, I'm just writing this for all you people out there in internet land who aren't here. It's two thirty in the morning...I will sleep soonish. So far it's been a really great trip. Can't wait to do it again next year ^_^
We're off to Kanazawa in the morning and I'm looking forward to warmer weather!
mata ne!
Steffu