Visual Kei Concert Etiquette... Wait, ETIQUETTE?
Ok, I'm putting this on my LJ because I was VERY close to commenting directly on the article, but decided I don't really want to piss JaME off via Twitter. (Plus I doubt the author would respond.)
Anyone who has ever been to a visual kei concert or has any desire to go to one, just take a glance at this article here. The offending parts are really the beginning and the jouren/saizen system explanation. There are sprinkles of offensiveness here and there, but let me just generally bitch.
Disclaimer: I have been to dozens of VK shows as press. I keep a list, but I'm too lazy to count right now. The only shows I go to as a fan are BUCK-TICK and Kiyoharu once in awhile, but I highly doubt this Meg person is including them here. Most of what I've seen of VK shows has been from up above or the back. And yeah, a good portion of this article is somewhat true to life, albeit over detailed and serious.
My prob 1: Vast generalizations?
- Westerners (should always be a capital W, FYI) exhibit "erratic behavior" at shows - I love playing spot the non-Asians at shows, especially when I have a bird's eye view. Most of the time, they are the most subdued. But wait! Stereotype dictates that they should be loud and obnoxious, right? Wrong. I think 90% of people are generally a bit more introverted in public to begin with, let alone when they're always standing out in a crowd. The ones that are used to being the elephant in the room tend to be too snobby to show any form of joy at shows, so they're usually dolled up as much as the next gyaru doing the same lame hand motions. The most obnoxious foreigner I've seen at a show is... me. Cat-calling U-ta. But he's asking for it.
And don't forget that all Western fans want to cut to the front so they can grab at the band. Again, another thing I have never witnessed. I may have seen a couple people grace the finger tips of a band member or two, but those were always Japanese fans. The assumption that foreigners are the ones doing inappropriate touching and claiming a band member was "asking for it" is frankly unsettling. She basically accused the lot of Western fans of being sexual deviants. The most invasive no-no touch I saw was when some fan slapped U-ta's ass. But again, U-ta's suggestive clothing meant he was asking for it.
- Japanese think one foreigner reflects the behavior of all foreigners - Give the Japanese some credit. I have my issues with the blatant racism in this country, but this isn't Planet of the Apes here ("It can talk!"). Not all Westerners look alike to them, and not all Westerners are ambassadors of their respective homelands. (The U.S. does not want me to represent them. Wonder why.) Japanese fans tend to not give a shit. I've gotten death glares at VK shows, but I mostly think that's because I was going in the press entrance and/or I'm a registered hottie (latter unlikely). At shows I've gone to as a fan (B-T, Kiyoharu, first night of LUNA SEA), I was generally ignored. Everyone is really just a body or a head blocking their view of the stage, so why should they treat you any differently?
My prob 2: Only Westerners or Japanese people go to shows. - She talks about Americans and Europeans (and particularly how Americans love to sing along with songs... god forgive us!), but doesn't say anything about any other group. Visual kei has a moderately healthy following in Hong Kong and Singapore, but in this author's eyes, these fans are either no significant enough to mention or perfect angels. Our HK and Singapore brethren are just like most of the other fans: they'll stand there, enjoy the concert, if they're regulars partake in the hand waving, and get on with their lives.
My prob 3: Everyone needs to know every tiny detail of every piece of etiquette - Admittedly, the part about the ticketing system is fairly useful, though she doesn't go into the logistics of it, like how to get tickets at the convenience store (Japanese address required). But most of these little nit-picky details are completely new to me. Granted, I never go to these types of shows as a fan. Looking down at the audience, I never noticed any jouren/saizen system. It seemed like whoever got to the barricade first got the railing. I'm sure something like this exists, but really, who cares? You pay between 3000 and 6500 yen for these shows. If you get to the barricade first, stay there. No one's going to push you out of the way on purpose, and if they do, that's what securities for. Get their ass out of there. You're not going to be making friends while a thousands decibels of overdriven guitar is pounding your eardrums. The internet is where you should go to meet like-minded fans.
My prob 4: Oshare kei is the ONLY KEI, k? - None of this applies to any other genre EXCEPT oshare kei, a fandom dominated by 15-19 year old girls. Of course there's going to be Mean Girls-esque hierarchy, but this isn't high school. You're only there for 2-3 hours and you may or may not see those bitches ever again. Considering most of the non-Japanese who travel to Japan for concert pilgrimages are in their early 20's and older, who would want to be accepted in their cliques anyway when you can DRINK BOOZE?
My prob 5: What do you think about western civilization? I think it should be capitalized. - I normally don't go all grammar/capitalization/punctuation police, but if your article is going to focus on how flawed us poor WWWWesterners are, maybe you should CAPITALIZE the word as it is a geographical location, not a direct. Like West Virginia or West Nile or West Buttcheek.
Ok, I ended up commenting on the article anyway. It's like screaming in an empty hallway, but I don't care.
Anyone who has ever been to a visual kei concert or has any desire to go to one, just take a glance at this article here. The offending parts are really the beginning and the jouren/saizen system explanation. There are sprinkles of offensiveness here and there, but let me just generally bitch.
Disclaimer: I have been to dozens of VK shows as press. I keep a list, but I'm too lazy to count right now. The only shows I go to as a fan are BUCK-TICK and Kiyoharu once in awhile, but I highly doubt this Meg person is including them here. Most of what I've seen of VK shows has been from up above or the back. And yeah, a good portion of this article is somewhat true to life, albeit over detailed and serious.
My prob 1: Vast generalizations?
- Westerners (should always be a capital W, FYI) exhibit "erratic behavior" at shows - I love playing spot the non-Asians at shows, especially when I have a bird's eye view. Most of the time, they are the most subdued. But wait! Stereotype dictates that they should be loud and obnoxious, right? Wrong. I think 90% of people are generally a bit more introverted in public to begin with, let alone when they're always standing out in a crowd. The ones that are used to being the elephant in the room tend to be too snobby to show any form of joy at shows, so they're usually dolled up as much as the next gyaru doing the same lame hand motions. The most obnoxious foreigner I've seen at a show is... me. Cat-calling U-ta. But he's asking for it.
And don't forget that all Western fans want to cut to the front so they can grab at the band. Again, another thing I have never witnessed. I may have seen a couple people grace the finger tips of a band member or two, but those were always Japanese fans. The assumption that foreigners are the ones doing inappropriate touching and claiming a band member was "asking for it" is frankly unsettling. She basically accused the lot of Western fans of being sexual deviants. The most invasive no-no touch I saw was when some fan slapped U-ta's ass. But again, U-ta's suggestive clothing meant he was asking for it.
- Japanese think one foreigner reflects the behavior of all foreigners - Give the Japanese some credit. I have my issues with the blatant racism in this country, but this isn't Planet of the Apes here ("It can talk!"). Not all Westerners look alike to them, and not all Westerners are ambassadors of their respective homelands. (The U.S. does not want me to represent them. Wonder why.) Japanese fans tend to not give a shit. I've gotten death glares at VK shows, but I mostly think that's because I was going in the press entrance and/or I'm a registered hottie (latter unlikely). At shows I've gone to as a fan (B-T, Kiyoharu, first night of LUNA SEA), I was generally ignored. Everyone is really just a body or a head blocking their view of the stage, so why should they treat you any differently?
My prob 2: Only Westerners or Japanese people go to shows. - She talks about Americans and Europeans (and particularly how Americans love to sing along with songs... god forgive us!), but doesn't say anything about any other group. Visual kei has a moderately healthy following in Hong Kong and Singapore, but in this author's eyes, these fans are either no significant enough to mention or perfect angels. Our HK and Singapore brethren are just like most of the other fans: they'll stand there, enjoy the concert, if they're regulars partake in the hand waving, and get on with their lives.
My prob 3: Everyone needs to know every tiny detail of every piece of etiquette - Admittedly, the part about the ticketing system is fairly useful, though she doesn't go into the logistics of it, like how to get tickets at the convenience store (Japanese address required). But most of these little nit-picky details are completely new to me. Granted, I never go to these types of shows as a fan. Looking down at the audience, I never noticed any jouren/saizen system. It seemed like whoever got to the barricade first got the railing. I'm sure something like this exists, but really, who cares? You pay between 3000 and 6500 yen for these shows. If you get to the barricade first, stay there. No one's going to push you out of the way on purpose, and if they do, that's what securities for. Get their ass out of there. You're not going to be making friends while a thousands decibels of overdriven guitar is pounding your eardrums. The internet is where you should go to meet like-minded fans.
My prob 4: Oshare kei is the ONLY KEI, k? - None of this applies to any other genre EXCEPT oshare kei, a fandom dominated by 15-19 year old girls. Of course there's going to be Mean Girls-esque hierarchy, but this isn't high school. You're only there for 2-3 hours and you may or may not see those bitches ever again. Considering most of the non-Japanese who travel to Japan for concert pilgrimages are in their early 20's and older, who would want to be accepted in their cliques anyway when you can DRINK BOOZE?
My prob 5: What do you think about western civilization? I think it should be capitalized. - I normally don't go all grammar/capitalization/punctuation police, but if your article is going to focus on how flawed us poor WWWWesterners are, maybe you should CAPITALIZE the word as it is a geographical location, not a direct. Like West Virginia or West Nile or West Buttcheek.
Ok, I ended up commenting on the article anyway. It's like screaming in an empty hallway, but I don't care.