４月28日-仙台 Sendai
So. Irimachi.
Being polite I went with a mask on, since I've started coughing and really, just breathing on people with this cold is probably not very nice. Silly of me, forgetting how much Miyavi worries about us. It was cold and rainy, ever since Ame Otoko(Rain Man) landed at the airport yesterday. When he finally showed up late to the venue he gave me one worried look (one can assume anyway, since he was wearing his sunglasses as always), and almost immediately twittered. "Plz take care not 2 catch a cold my ppl who r waitin 4 me outside of the venue in the drizzle." Whoops. When we got back to the hotel I sent him a message telling him I was fine...I'm not really, but I will be.
I was going to get Doc Martins after the show, but wonder of wonders the shop was closed on Wednesdays. WTF. Random. So no Docs for me, instead I decided to bleach the shit out of my hair...which is now...som weird combination of blond and orange and grey and it actually doesn't look bad...I have no idea why. Gonna get some more bleach and grey dye later and try again...should work that time.
The venue ended up being just a few blocks from the Hotel, conveniently located under one of the covered streets here in Sendai. We ran through the rain to get there, leaving our umbrellas behind for convenience, something we'd probably regret a little bit later. Left my mask behind, because for the show I had to be totally genki(full of spirit) since Miyavi is already worried about his gaijin getting sick. It's not hard when Miyavi's on stage.
For the show we ended up second row on the right side (as usual), and when Miyavi actually looked at us about a minute into Survive, he gave me a really long glance like "WTF who are you-oh I get it". New hair color and all. Once again he did not play Revenge; instead it was Ah-hah, Where R U, and Spit it Out.
He did lie to the audience again, saying something about playing a new song just for them that was only just for Sendai. He didn't play anything new, but since it's only the second time he's played Spit it Out live, and only the seventh time he's ever played it including rehearsals, we'll forgive him. It's already starting to sound a lot more polished, and this time his pronunciation was clear enough that we could actually tell the lyrics for the chorus were "Life's a bitch. Isn't life a bitch." He also played Gravity again. That song is so intense, it's hard to imagine being able to do anything but stand and stare.
Kimi ni Negai wo was a pretty emotional song for everyone; it's starting to sink in that we're not going to see each other every day starting really soon. Maura, Nia and I held on to each other throughout the song, and there were some tears shed.
After that was Superhero. When I first got out here two weeks ago, Superhero was a song that made me cry; a combination of wanting to hear it live for so long and so many feelings from when it came out. It still makes me misty eyed in the beginning but I don't cry anymore...the bad feelings have been stomped over, a new sense of belonging laid down over top of it. It's a sad song, heart-breaking, but it's also a song that reminds me that no matter what happens, no matter where I go or what I do, we're still here for each other. We're still Superheroes to the people we love, even if they don't love us anymore and the only thing we can do is leave them alone and hope for their happiness. It's still one of my favorites.
When Miyavi does 21st Century Tokyo Blues he doesn't just point at our side; he points at US. When he looks at us he sees US. Not faceless fans. He sees Maura and his new gaijin. I'm okay with being a face in a crowd. I'm not special, but I've done tour now. I've done tour from very close to the stage. He knows my face. That makes me responsible for initiating the shoutbacks and remembering the gestures.
Boba and Coba84 are counting on us too; when they come out for the encore and Coba goes into his "MYV" mix, the two of us are the first voices in the audience who call it back. Sometimes it is ONLY our voices. I'm not one of the old kids; a lot of them don't come out anymore. But it's not bad being one of the new kids, and it's not bad being the gaijin. Yeah, I still want to move to Tokyo and become part of the Japanese Ko-miyavi, but it's okay being an ambassador over here. I'm glad that I get to go back home and do the shows right. Even if I'm the only one who knows all the actions.
It's okay being the gaijin there, too.
Because no matter what; I'm not alone. I have the kids back here backing me up, and I have Miyavi too.
You're not alone ever; I'm here forever.
(Gaijin means 'outsider' but is often used in place of "gaikokujin", which means "outside-country person' or 'foreigner'.)
Being polite I went with a mask on, since I've started coughing and really, just breathing on people with this cold is probably not very nice. Silly of me, forgetting how much Miyavi worries about us. It was cold and rainy, ever since Ame Otoko(Rain Man) landed at the airport yesterday. When he finally showed up late to the venue he gave me one worried look (one can assume anyway, since he was wearing his sunglasses as always), and almost immediately twittered. "Plz take care not 2 catch a cold my ppl who r waitin 4 me outside of the venue in the drizzle." Whoops. When we got back to the hotel I sent him a message telling him I was fine...I'm not really, but I will be.
I was going to get Doc Martins after the show, but wonder of wonders the shop was closed on Wednesdays. WTF. Random. So no Docs for me, instead I decided to bleach the shit out of my hair...which is now...som weird combination of blond and orange and grey and it actually doesn't look bad...I have no idea why. Gonna get some more bleach and grey dye later and try again...should work that time.
The venue ended up being just a few blocks from the Hotel, conveniently located under one of the covered streets here in Sendai. We ran through the rain to get there, leaving our umbrellas behind for convenience, something we'd probably regret a little bit later. Left my mask behind, because for the show I had to be totally genki(full of spirit) since Miyavi is already worried about his gaijin getting sick. It's not hard when Miyavi's on stage.
For the show we ended up second row on the right side (as usual), and when Miyavi actually looked at us about a minute into Survive, he gave me a really long glance like "WTF who are you-oh I get it". New hair color and all. Once again he did not play Revenge; instead it was Ah-hah, Where R U, and Spit it Out.
He did lie to the audience again, saying something about playing a new song just for them that was only just for Sendai. He didn't play anything new, but since it's only the second time he's played Spit it Out live, and only the seventh time he's ever played it including rehearsals, we'll forgive him. It's already starting to sound a lot more polished, and this time his pronunciation was clear enough that we could actually tell the lyrics for the chorus were "Life's a bitch. Isn't life a bitch." He also played Gravity again. That song is so intense, it's hard to imagine being able to do anything but stand and stare.
Kimi ni Negai wo was a pretty emotional song for everyone; it's starting to sink in that we're not going to see each other every day starting really soon. Maura, Nia and I held on to each other throughout the song, and there were some tears shed.
After that was Superhero. When I first got out here two weeks ago, Superhero was a song that made me cry; a combination of wanting to hear it live for so long and so many feelings from when it came out. It still makes me misty eyed in the beginning but I don't cry anymore...the bad feelings have been stomped over, a new sense of belonging laid down over top of it. It's a sad song, heart-breaking, but it's also a song that reminds me that no matter what happens, no matter where I go or what I do, we're still here for each other. We're still Superheroes to the people we love, even if they don't love us anymore and the only thing we can do is leave them alone and hope for their happiness. It's still one of my favorites.
When Miyavi does 21st Century Tokyo Blues he doesn't just point at our side; he points at US. When he looks at us he sees US. Not faceless fans. He sees Maura and his new gaijin. I'm okay with being a face in a crowd. I'm not special, but I've done tour now. I've done tour from very close to the stage. He knows my face. That makes me responsible for initiating the shoutbacks and remembering the gestures.
Boba and Coba84 are counting on us too; when they come out for the encore and Coba goes into his "MYV" mix, the two of us are the first voices in the audience who call it back. Sometimes it is ONLY our voices. I'm not one of the old kids; a lot of them don't come out anymore. But it's not bad being one of the new kids, and it's not bad being the gaijin. Yeah, I still want to move to Tokyo and become part of the Japanese Ko-miyavi, but it's okay being an ambassador over here. I'm glad that I get to go back home and do the shows right. Even if I'm the only one who knows all the actions.
It's okay being the gaijin there, too.
Because no matter what; I'm not alone. I have the kids back here backing me up, and I have Miyavi too.
You're not alone ever; I'm here forever.
(Gaijin means 'outsider' but is often used in place of "gaikokujin", which means "outside-country person' or 'foreigner'.)