Let's go party!~

ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL 2019 - The GazettE Experience

1:15 PM

ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL 2019

Saturday, August 10, 2019

THE GAZETTE @ SOUND OF FOREST STAGE

For the summer of 2019, I was enrolled in my university’s study abroad program from August 4 to September 7^th 2019. The classes were for Religion and Spirituality in Japan, and the program took place in Kyoto. August in Japan had lots of music festivals and concerts happening, so I gladly took advantage of that during my stay in Japan!

Evening of August 9, I headed out to Tokyo after a day of hiking at Kiyomizu-dera and an exhausting walk around the Gion neighborhood. The August summer heat in Japan is brutal so for me, I just had to stand outside in the humid heat, and I’d be wet from sweat (so imagine hiking at noontime up to Kiyomizu-dera, jeeze…😰). There’s a reason why I’m mentioning this, I promise!

My hotel is super conveniently located right across the street from Kyoto station, and as a foreigner, I took advantage of the JR Pass available to purchase, so I was able to just walk on over and hop on the shinkansen without incident right after a full day excursion with my study abroad class.

I stayed at a hotel that was like a 15-minute walk to Tokyo station. On the next day, Saturday, festival day August 10, I checked out of my room. I only booked for one night, and I planned to leave the festival in the late afternoon to travel back to Tokyo, pick up my bag at the hotel, and ride the 9pm shinkansen back to Kyoto. I had it all planned out.

Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that the trains would be hella full of other Rock in Japan Fest goers, so I ended up having to stand up squished with other people for the entire 1-hour train ride from Tokyo to Ibaraki. There was a lady with large bags who got on like half way through the ride and bull-dozed right past me, knocking me over other standing passengers (I was already giving way for her and she still did that. Ugh so rude that lady!)

Check out my RIJF Vlog here!

I arrived at the Ibaraki station, bought some bread since I had nothing to eat all morning, and lined up to the festival shuttle ticket booth with thousands of other people. It took probably 20 minutes to buy roundtrip shuttle tickets, and another 20 minutes to line up to get in the shuttle. There were so many people, but it was well-thought out and organized, using the city’s local busses as festival shuttles.

Soon enough, I arrived Hitachi Seaside Park. Entrance was smooth and took only a minute or two when they took my ticket and gave me a wristband. I got the Sound of Forest Stage, where the GazettE would be performing later that day. It was still early, around 10:30AM and staff were setting up for the band Lynch’s performance. I was able to get a spot near the front, surrounded by a bunch of Lynch fans in their merch outfits. My spot was pretty much in the middle of the stage, but a little to the left. I sat on the carpeted floor and just waited under the sun, hiding under my cap and sunglass. I had big-ass almost-a-gallon water bottle in my backpack, and the bread that I bought from the station, and so I just drank and ate a bit to help me survive the heat a little.

I knew about Lynch, but haven’t really heard of their songs before, but DAMN! The singer HAZUKI is FIREEEE🔥. In my section, people constantly would scream for Yusuke, whom I guessed was the guitarist that was right in front of my section. Damn, he was hella FIREEE too~🔥. I didn’t know any of their songs, but it was easy enough to know when to head bang. The sun was too hot and blinding for me, so I just kept my cap on, but with my sunglasses off, and just headbanged like that (LOLZ). If you see a pink cap vibrating among the flailing hair in the crowd of people headbanging in Lynch’s RIJF Instagram videos, that was me!^^

Time passed by and two other bands went on to play. They were okay but didn’t really interest me much. I just stayed there, at my spot under the sun, waiting for hours until the GazettE would go on. A funny detail with those smaller, less popular pop bands, is that the actual artists would go on stage during sound check and test out their instruments and microphones. After that, they would go back and hide backstage and then they’d have their formal introduction on the screens at the top corners next to stage, and just go back on stage and proceed for their performances. I’m not naming them, but they were kinda (really) awkward (ahahaa), but I’d hear these middle schoolers swoon, “Kakkoii…”

You go little kids~ GET ITTT, yeet.

By the time the staff of the GazettE were on stage doing their prep, I had already finished my gallon of water, and was already a little dehydrated. I couldn’t help it, I was sweating all the water I drank, I’m not even kidding. By that time, it was already 2:30PM and I was dying of heat, and I had no water anymore. A huge crowd formed, and people started to squish together. The GazettE fans previously hiding from the heat under the shade, finally came out to squeeze in to the crowd to get the best possible spot they can.

I would see these women surrounding me wiping themselves with some type of wet-wipe and spraying themselves with a spray from a bottle which reminded me of just an Evian water spray bottle. Little did I know that those were specialized popular “tools” sold in Japan to survive the hot humid Japanese summer heat. The wipes were cooling wipes that literally made you feel cold wherever you wiped them on your body. The spray was also a cooling spray with the same function as the cooling wipes, that can be used anywhere on the skin.

Had I only known! I would have had filled my own backpack with those summer survival supplies😭. It was only gonna be my first week in Japan and I had yet to learn about those things about 2 weeks after the festival took place…

Back to the GazettE! As soon as the staff rolled out Kai’s drum set, you could hear the crowd swoon at how massive the thing was! It was literally hella intimidating like a fortress compared to the drum sets of the 3 other bands that went before them. Like DAMN, THAT A HUGE BITCH😮👏🏼💖.

I took off my hat and sunglasses and redid my makeup (it melted off from the humidity sweat lolz). I also managed to get a railing, so I had the perfect view of the center of the stage, and ideally all the band members. I say ideally because of what happens next:::

The same introduction song played from the World Tour started playing (99.999) and everyone became all hyped up, including myself; I forgot all about my dehydration and ignored the fact I was being squished by the crowd. The GazettE men finally came out at the left of the stage one by one I the typical fashion: first Kai, then Uruha, Reita, Aoi, and eventually Ruki.

As soon as the members started walking in, OMG THE CROWD!!!! LIKE OMGGGG. I’ve been to rock concerts in America before. Several GazettE concerts, and DIR EN GREY ones, but this… this was the first time I experienced something that scared me.

First of all, let me say, OH. MY. GOD. KAI!!!😍🔥💖 He had the same hairstyle and clothes as the World Tour 2019, but his hair had grown out a lot longer, and IT LOOKED SO GORGEOUS WITH THAT SWIRLY SPIKY HAIR STYLE! He was wearing this extremely flowy chiffon(?) kimono cardigan/scarf, so it looked like he was gliding across the stage as he walked to his drum set. DEAD. I DIED at how handsome KAI was 😍🔥💖 His face and makeup was so on point, and his SMILE!🤩 Like seriously so handsome, and I’m not saying this because he’s my bias, but that’s just really how he looked! So, I am actually genuinely baffled on why in the hell does he look like such a tired old man in all the press videos and photos they took of him that day…🤔? Like seriously, the photos and videos did not do him any justice whatsoever.

URUHA… Hehehe… I just kinda giggled at the fact that he still wore his blonde weave to the concert, when his real hair is so obviously black. Like I get why they always have to put it on his head, to keep the concept constant… but it’s just so awkward that his hair line constantly changes hahaha, and we all obviously know that’s not his real hair. Weave or extensions or whatever, he didn’t need it… He brought back the feels though, from the recent World Tour 2019 😍💖 so jumpy and all hyped, it makes everyone else hella hyped!

REITA came out looking like his usual NINTH self, all covered in black leather mask and jacket… First of all, WHY ARE YOU WEARING THAT IN THE HOTT HOTT SUMMER?!?!? I’m already dying from the heat in my dress and leggings, but seriously a leather mask and long sleeves? I don’t know anymore. I’m part of #TeamNoseband so I miss his old look when you can actually see his face and not just his tongue peeking out of his face once in a while. Yeah, I never liked his masked look cuz his face is always covered, I can’t see his face at all unless I was right in front of the stage In World Tour 2019 and he would come over and bend forward to make weird faces at us. And how come he doesn’t show off his arms in his iconic biker vests anymore now that he’s all buff and swol from the gym?

Needless to say, he created very large puddles of sweat on the floor that day, the staff had to come in once in a while to wipe it up.

AOI… This is when the chaos happens… AOI walks out in his fabulous and godly form… and hell breaks loose. So my section is pretty much in front of REITA and AOI, but since I managed to get the side railing that bisects the middle front of the crowd, I have an absolutely clear view of Ruki, Kai, and Uruha, if I turn my head a little to my right. Also, I only had like 2 other people in front of me before it got to the front railing. Very convenient, right?

However, as soon as AOI walks out, looking like he’s in the best mood ever with a bright and gleaming smile on his face… A stampede happened… We were already squished, but oh my god, I had to hang on to my side railing for my dear life because people started bulldozing their way to the front and pulling people to get out of their way. It was to the point that it looked like people were doggy piling themselves, one on top of the other in front of AOI… to the point I can no longer see him and REITA, whom were both just a few feet away from me on the stage… It crazy.

It was quite horrific, because it stayed that way the entire 20 minutes that the GazettE performed on stage, but I managed to lose myself in the music. It was horrific also because the heat became worse now that bodies were on top of each other, and so I had to constantly use my fan and face towel to keep me alive the entire time. My fan as in just a fan that I have to fan myself with, made out of cloth. If they post up a video of the performance and you see a purple fan being waved around near the front of the stage, that was me!

RUKI… As you can hear in my video vlog, he was loved by all, as usual~ The most surprising thing he did was wear a new velvet suit! His usual NINTH suits he wore previously were purple and dark blue. In the festival, he came out with RED VELVET💋 Chest exposed an all~ And I loved his hair! Like Kai, RUKI’s looked a bit longer and bigger than when I last saw him in the Dallas concert of WT19 earlier in May this year.

SETLIST:

1. Filth in the Beauty

2. INSIDE BEAST

3. Vortex

4. UGLY

5. ABHOR GOD

6. Tomorrow Never Dies

In this part, I will use bullet points. This is only because I am writing this a little more than a month after the festival took place, and so much things have happened in my life between now and then, I don’t exactly remember every single thing I want to mention 😔

· I was surprised that they started with a finale song like Filth in The Beauty, but it was epic anyway because that means the set started out with so much head banging! I have to admit, I got very dizzy because the unbearable heat made it difficult to stay composed.

· In the MC, Ruki introduced them formally and said something along the lines of “Hi new people watching us for the first time! Oh, don’t mind these people in the front banging their heads hella hard in a choreographed manner, they’re the veteran fans and they be crazy bitches so don’t let them scare you.” (I mean that in a casual way 😂)

· They also promoted their Yokohama Tour Final concert, which I remembered well because I silently questioned why they weren’t promoting their PHASE#05 Yokosuka Concert happening in 5 days… (More seats to fill in Yokohama Arena).

· For the entire set, I couldn’t see much of AOI and REITA, but I did have one opportunity for a minute or two. When I was able to see AOI clearly as he watched the crowd with his happy bright closed-mouth smile still on his face, I waved my purple fan at him. I think he looked a bit cuz he turned his head towards me, but I’m sure the sun was too bright for him to actually see my waving at him like HIIII!!!! ^O^ It was brief, and I tried.

· I barely saw REITA… because of the fans piled on top of each other, in addition to his face mask.

· I ended up watching RUKI for most of the set again, just like in the World Tour 2019 LA & Dallas concerts I went to 😂.

· In the beginning of the set, it looked like RUKI recognized me for a bit… like I kinda saw in his eyes when he turned to the crowd in my direction, it looked like he saw me and there was this like “Oh!” look on his face for a second… Then again, it might have just been my imagination lolz (but watch my LA and Dallas GazettE World Tour 2019 concert vlogs to see why there would be a small possibility ahaha).

· URUHA! Was being his usual awesome hyper self, headbanging, pointing at the crowd, flipping his blond weave left and right. I wanted to watch him more, but my angle was super awkward when watching him. Whenever I would watch URUHA, it looks like I’m watching the staff member that was right next to him, whose body was directly diagonal and facing mine. Haha. So as much as possible, I looked elsewhere. The staff member I’m talking about is that famous GazettE manager, Kusaka. He’s the guy in every documentary with the band, and always (at least in music festivals seen in videos) would be at the side of the stage with his arms folded looking like an intimidating bouncer. Senpai, please do not notice me melting under the sun.

· I had a moment with KAI sama! In one of the songs, I think it was in Vortex. I had turned my head to KAI and he was already facing towards my side of the audience. I cheered him on like WOOTTT YEAHHH KAIII SAMAAAA😆🤘🏼🔥 And I think he saw, because to me he responded back with WOOT YEAHHHHH😤😆🔥 (his face and mouthing out YEAHHHH and then hella smiling) while hitting his drums harder and banging his head towards my direction. AGAIN, it might be just be my imagination~ It looked like it happened, but who knows, I’m no one special and maybe I’m just crazy HAHA.

· I was really hoping and expecting them to play NINTH ODD SMELL… but they didn’t. It was still a fun set^^

· I got emotional during TOMORROW NEVER DIES, which was weird because even during the recent WT19 in LA and Dallas, I didn’t feel that way when they played it. I think it was because I was thinking to myself, “I am one crazy bitch to come to Japan, spend almost $200 on just the ticket, travel from Kyoto to Ibaraki to wait hours under the sun, just for to see this band just for 16-minutes; I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!” Yup, those were my thoughts. I know there are other fans who would do more, and more often than what I have done that day, but this was a new level for me lolz. New level of fandom haha.

· They disappeared from the stage too quickly :<

· BONUS! KAI sama was a little excited~ when he walked off stage ;) looks like it was a successful mini-concert!

It ended waaaay too soon. I waited under the sun for like 4-5 hours for a 20-minute set! Actually, I heard a fan time it, it was only 16 minutes. Lolz.

After that set, the large crowd dispersed and I walked away feeling the adrenaline running through my body. At the same time, I was thinking, "WTF is wrong with me, coming all the way up to Ibaraki from Kyoto and spending all this money just to see my favorite band perform for 20 minutes..." To be honest, I'd feel less guilty being there if I didn't procrastinate on my homework and projects due the next day. My bad! Lolz.

As I walked further on, the adrenaline went down, and I could feel the heat and pain from the squeezing in the crowd affect me (it also took a lot of energy to hold onto my spot and push back against the other people in the crowd).

Long story short, I started shaking and felt like seriously fainting so I bought myself two bottles of Pocari Sweat and a smoothie to recover. Before leaving the festival, I stopped by the stage close to the exit to watch the rest of Sayaka Yamamoto's performance (former NMB48, yes I also was a fan), and then hopped on the next shuttle to the station.

I only left early because I wanted to make it on time to ride the 8pm Shinkansen back to Kyoto, because I still had the homework and projects to work on. I really wanted to stay and watch all the other amazing bands and make the most out of my day pass ticket! I promised myself that next time, I'm going to stay the entire day and maybe the whole weekend. However, life happened and I left my Shinkansen pass in the Ibaraki station.... So after arriving Tokyo Station, I was told to take another hour trip back to Ibraraki... then I was back after almost 3 hours. When I arrived, that was when festival goers were on their way back to Tokyo again because the festival had already ended for the day, and once again, I found myself standing on the train back to Tokyo for one hour.

I spent about 4-5 hours in a train that day, and missed my Shinkansen ride back to Kyoto, so I had to stay overnight in Tokyo anyway! I COULD HAVE STAYED AT THE FESTIVAL THE WHOLE DAY😭 Well... lesson learned. NEXT TIMEEE!🔥

I hope you enjoyed reading about my experience! Let me know on here or on my youtube video if you guys are interested in reading more about detailed stuff like this, because I did A LOT happened over the Summer 2019^^

ONE OK ROCK San Francisco March 18, 2016 | Monster Energy Outbreak Tour The Regency Ballroom

3:34 PM

ONE OK ROCK #MonsterEnergyOutBreakTour2016 The Regency Ballroom San Francisco March 18, 2016

~Welcome to another one of my Detailed & Extensively Long Concert Live Experience Reports~

Me in my OOR #OOTD. In the VIP line in front of The Regency Ballroom, San Francisco. Photo by Bee~

ONE OK ROCK #MonsterEnergyOutBreakTour2016

The Regency Ballroom San Francisco

March 18, 2016

Scroll down to read on my Experience in Detail :3
[WARNING!]
I tend to write up SUPER LONG blog posts on my concert experiences (or everything). I don't know why but I can't help but be super detailed about what I write. Feel free just to skim my notes and skip around :)

Make sure to check out BEE's ONE OK ROCK #MonsterEnergyOutbreakTour2016 San Francisco blogpost! She actually has great shots of all the band members rocking out on stage! Also, more pictures of my group before, after, and during the concert :P

Check out BEE'S GREAT CONCERT VLOG !!!
It has a little more "BEHIND THE SCENES" Clips :P
Skip to the end of the video @16:30 for our post-concert impressions~

http://beekyoote.blogspot.com/2016/03/one-ok-rock-monster-energy-outbreak.html

I'd say this experience was a rollercoaster of emotions. I shall explain why:

Stress. I had a quiz in my least favorite engineering class (how I despise that subject) that day at 12pm. I got out at 1:30 to leave for San Francisco with Bee & Jimmy, which took us 3 hours with horrible HORRIBLE traffic. We were supposed to be at the venue before 4 PM. We arrived at 4:30 PM.
Sadness. Bee & I had the VIP package, but since we arrived half an hour late, we weren't able to reach the VIP Meet & Greet time slot with ONE OK ROCK. The band's manager came out, talked to me, apologized, and gave me the signed 35xxxv Deluxe CD and laminate that was included in the VIP package. I told him, but mostly myself that it was alright; it couldn't be helped that I had a quiz that day and we went through such horrible traffic to be there as soon as we can. As we stood in line, the longer we waited, I had more time to think to myself about what happened, the more depressed I became. There were only a handful of us ONE OK ROCK VIP holders, and I saw on Instagram the Meet & Greet photos of the people in the same VIP line. Bee & I were quiet in our disappointment the rest of the time. (I hate that class that gave me that quiz in the morning EVEN MORE after what happened here -__-)
Excitement. When the doors finally opened up, we were able to choose the spot at the very front to the right, in front of Toru! The excitement was enough to distract us from our disappointment earlier. The realization that we were actually gonna see ONE OK ROCK up close and LIVE was starting to hit us!
Amazement & Happiness! I think that's pretty obvious from the sounds we were making in my concert vlog (lolz). They were just there standing a few feet away from us, giving an amazing performance! I felt so lucky to be able to be that close in a smaller venue, compared to their ginormous stadium concert lives back in Japan.
Post-Concert Depression. Why do good things have to end? Tell me, WHY?! (T^T)

Bee & I waiting in the VIP line in front of The Regency Ballroom with our laminate.

Background of my OOR Fandom!

I've loved One Ok Rock since 2011, when I found their newly released PV for RE:MAKE on YouTube (I had a lot of time on hands back then lolz^^). Ultimately, Taka's way of singing English and Japanese sounding like English intrigued me! The music video was also really cool, and I remember they had a promotion on FaceBook that time for RE:MAKE which was an app when you played the MV, the screen of your computer looks like it was breaking down from the awesome drumming. Haha.

Speaking of awesome drumming, other than Taka, the first guy I became interested in from the band was the drummer, Tomoya! In RE:MAKE you can't really see anyone's face clearly anyway, so my fascination with the band wasn't shallow based on their appearance or anything. I think it's the way Tomoya threw his hair around while he smashes the drums during the chorus [Check out starting @2:35 of the PV ^_^]. Ryota was the other one that caught my attention from his posture in holding his glow-in-the-dark bass, and head banging.
When I find something awesome, I share it with everyone I know. Naturally, my sisters and my friends loved them and became fans too. Our favorite would remain to be RE:MAKE, because of that part of the song he says "Wakaruyo Baka janai" with a seemingly American accent! :"D (I say American, because I took Japanese class in high school and whenever we would talk in class, it would sound like that. Haha)
2014, I finally had the chance to see them when they announced a concert for Los Angeles at the Club Nokia venue. I bought my tickets as soon as possible, only to have to give them away to someone online a few weeks later, because I couldn't attend the concert from living too far from LA </3 The next opportunity I had was a few months later at the Mountain View stop for Warped Tour 2014. I was busy that day. Next was 2015 Back to the Future Hearts Tour in San Jose on a Wednesday, I had midterms that week. Darn school. To be honest, I had some ugly drama with people that went on about attending the Warped Tour to see them, and after that it was difficult to listen to any new song releases from ONE OK ROCK, because listening to their songs just reminded me of that annoying situation and event. It was around the JINSEIxBOKU era, I believe.
The reason why I went back to listening to them was, because of someone requested on my YouTube channel for me to make a reaction video to their latest PV for the song THE WAY BACK. I never stopped loving them, but at that point, I only knew their old songs. OMG I LOVED IT and I'm sucked back right in. We already knew we'd love it. ONE OK ROCK sort has this certain standard permanently placed in our minds that they will be hella awesome no matter what.
As soon as they announced a San Francisco Tour earlier this year in 2016, I didn't hold back. I bought VIP tickets for both my sister, Bee & I! I even made a cover of CRY OUT, because it became one my absolute favorites as soon as I heard it the first time, and I don't know how else to show my love for them other than singing their songs ^_^

My ONE OK ROCK San Francisco #MonsterEnergyOutBreakTour2016 Experience!

Tomoya setting up is drum set with the roadies on stage (this photo contained great amount of roadie BUTTS facing the audience, so had to crop and zoom into Tomoya so it won't be too distracting~ Haha :"D

Bee, Jimmy and I arrived at the venue (you already know what happened). Bee and I were at the VIP line, and Jimmy had to line up at the general admission line. My other sister met us up at the Venue since she lives somewhere else. When they started letting us in, the VIP line came first. Bee & I decided to buy our OOR merchandise first, but we still managed to get a pretty good spot in the front. We didn't end up at the very front, but thank goodness we found a spot behind other really short people, because I'm also very short in American standards. Yes, I'm a short Asian. That spot happened to be in from of Toru's microphone stand!

The concert was starting, and the first band, Night Verses took the stage. I'm guessing they are not so popular yet, since we initially thought they were roadies setting up for another band... until they started playing. The sound of the microphone was terrible! Terrible, as in you cannot hear a word the singer was saying. I wonder if they had a soundcheck before going on stage, and if the band noticed that we were having trouble understanding their songs by the expression of the audience. Even when they were jumping around the stage, the band all together looked shy. The guitarist who was right in front of me was looking down at his feet during the entire set. The most memorable thing about this band was the topless tall and toned drummer with long hair, that the girls beside me were taking videos and photos of then he was taking his equipment of the stage after their set. He was actually pretty hot, and the main source of charisma in the band.

ONE OK ROCK's turn!

What we've all been waiting for! Note, this is my first time ever seeing the band LIVE. As seen in my video, Tomoya comes out to set up his drum set, and the crowd goes crazy for him. It's so different from when he's actually performing with the band, so serious. He goes back to backstage after he's set up, the lights dim and their is starting. Tomoya reappears on stage, this time with Ryota!

Getting excited with the just the intro, this was really happening and we were there. It became surreal when freaking Toru came out and stood right in from of me. Toru, who became my crush recently after I was able to really see his face in their latest PV's, was right in front of me! *o* You heard all those fangirl squeals in the video, that wasn't just me. Haha!

It got real when Taka came out. Taka, the main man, the face of the band, out of the computer screen! (sad, I know). We knew it was gonna be a short set, so every song that they played was a relief and at the same time brought us fear that was ending soon. Thank God that they didn't have any microphone troubles like the last band.

I have to say if you think they're good in video, they are definitely EVEN BETTER LIVE! (*O*)

Set List

TAKE ME TO THE TOP - Taka looked like he was about to breakdance in the start of the song! Spent the entire time taking a video, but the kids in front of me were rocking out with the band.
CRYOUT - This song... Just hit straight at the heart! The song in the PV was great, but seeing them perform this song was AMAZING! Especially after the "Shout it out now!" part <3 I sang along with the entire song by heart, and by the end of it I was exhausted and out of breath as if I was the one on stage singing. Too much feels! Singing along with the others in the crowd in the chorus like a call-and-response with the band during the bridge and chorus.
STUCK IN THE MIDDLE - I had a moment with Tomoya here at the end when I stopped taking the video. He has going crazy on his drums and I sang along with ,"Now I'm left with nothing," throwing my hands pointing at him, and he saw me and flashed my way his intense rockin face "Yeah!!!" And I'm like, Yaaay!!! Haha ^.^
DECISIONS - Featuring Tyler Carter from ISSUES. Sounded great, and Taka's voice really resonated in the entire venue, vocalizing and showcasing his skills.
THE LAST DANCE - Beautiful! :"3 Toru had this really serene expression during this performance. For sure, he felt the FEELS. I was surprised that they chose to do this song, but not THE WAY BACK. It still set a good mood for the entire venue, and all the fans were singing along in the chorus.
MIGHTY LONG FALL - This was memorable one, a great choice of their last song. I loved this extended version that they usually perform in concerts. It gives Toru & Tomoya the chance to rock out real hard at the end. This was my song during my week long post-concert depression (T^T) buhuhu.

The lighting on the stage made it hard to see their faces, except for Tomoya. Most of the lighting came from above the stage, flashing the crowd, therefore what we mostly saw was their silhouette. The band seriously loves jumping around the stage, which makes everyone else want to jump around too! Their time working out at the gym and care for their fitness is apparent in the stage performance. ~ROCKSTAR STAMINA!!!~ ;D Haha.
I was surprised and little disappointed that they didn't perform THE WAY BACK. I was sure that they would since it's more recent than Cry Out, plus we absolutely love that song. They might have performed it in different cities though.... Oh well, we still had a great time.

The only really good photo of Toru I got from the entire concert that he was in front of me... at least Tomoya is in the background ^^;

The Band

Tomoya - He had crazy expressions the entire time! He knew how to control the crowd from the behind his drum set at the back of the stage. It was hard not to notice how crazy he got at the back. Even after the concert, Jimmy (not so familiar with the band) had to point out Tomoya and his expressions.
Ryota - I wish I saw more of him and his crazy head-banging with his bass, but I was definitely happy when he went to our side of the stage even just for a little while. I find it amusing the he goes out on stage with a big-ass oversized shirt on like the hip-hop breakdancer he is, but always takes it off in concerts anyway :D
Taka - Man, he was good. I can't say anything else, really. If you see in my video, whenever he approached my side of the stage, the video get really bad. That's because I was making sure that I got to see his face with properly without my phone in the way. I think I had eye contact a couple of times with Taka while I was just really focused on singing along with him.
Toru - This guy... I have lot's to say about him since he was in front of me pretty much most of their setlist. Haha. Wah, he looks just like the PV's and videos, so cute! However, his awesome hair was always covering his face when he wasn't banging his head around. His bangs made it hard to tell where he was looking. I remember he was mostly looking at his guitar... or was he looking at us, the crowd in from of him. Darn awesome hair on Toru which is not so awesome to the audience! It makes me wonder, you know since I've been right in front of him the entire time, if he ever saw me in the crowd. I think he did, I'm not sure, but I'm hoping he did even if he'll never remember. Haha. UPDATE EDIT: So apparently in Bee's concert vlog, I said that I had a moment with Toru (*o*) yasss!!!

There was a pretty good number of Japanese fans in the venue. We were right beside a group in the front. One of the girls pointed out to us that it was going to be ONE OK ROCK up next, because it's their staff thats setting up of stage. They were really nice, and we'd sing along together with the band. They were thrown off by the English versions of CRY OUT & Mighty Long Fall. I haven't listened to the English version of Mighty Long Fall either so we were in it together. Haha!

They left the stage without waving at us or saying goodbye! :( It kinda felt like you're being rejected by your crush. Yeah Toru, I'm talking about you! Hmmppff >.> Well, it wasn't only Toru, it was all the members, like they totally dropped their stage persona. Well after that, we were confused if they planned to come back on stage because they didn't say goodbye... Break our hearts even more why don't you </3

There were a lot of other Asians in the crowd, and obvious majority of us were there for ONE OK ROCK. The demographic of the crowd shifted after their performance, and the Asians were replaced by dominantly caucasian American fans for the bands Crown The Empire and ISSUES.

After ONE OK ROCK, our group migrated to the balcony to right of the stage. We had a pretty good view of the "backstage" (side of the stage) where you can see Tomoya, Ryota, and Taka occasionally pop up to watch the other bands. Tomoya's eyes in particular was plastered on the drummers of Crown The Empire & ISSUES. Taka would watch the stage and the crowd when it started to get crazy with a circular mosh pit. Glad to be at the balcony at this point of the concert! :3
Crown the Empire & ISSUES both had a great crowd. Crown the Empire, if I remember correctly, was mostly Emo Screamo, while ISSUES had more old school hip-hop influence in their rock music. Both bands had great singers with amazing voices! If they choose to, they probably would become very successful if the singers went mainstream American pop or RnB music.

The Venue

I've been to concerts at The Regency Ballroom several times already in the past, so I already knew what to expect. What I haven't experienced is going to a concert for particularly for a band that wasn't the main act. ONE OK ROCK was one of the 3 bands who opened for ISSUES, the main act. I'm not sure about the popularity of the other bands, but I knew that a large number of the audience members were there just for ONE OK ROCK.
The venue wasn't filled out like I've seen before. Maybe only half of the floor space was taken up, and some were on the balcony which wasn't filled up either. This can also be the result of poor promotion for the San Francisco stop of the Monster Energy Outbreak Tour. The only time that the ONE OK ROCK Official FaceBook page promoted the actual tour after they announced the ticket sales a month before, was just the day before or the morning of the actual concert! Strange, right? I know that when they posted up about the San Francisco stop, lots of people commented similarly on the FaceBook post, "Why didn't I know this?! I live so close, I could have went to see them!" Very questionable indeed.
Did they not care enough about this tour to be promoting it? Not even on the band's official and personal social media accounts like instagram?
It still turned out pretty nicely for us, since it was easy to get a great spot due to the fact that we were only a small amount of people in the crowd. No ugly shoving and pushing for the railing, and competition to get the best spot, unlike what I've experienced in the past rock concerts I've attended. The notion that they didn't have a large turnout is because they're not popular in America, is ridiculous. I'm pretty sure ONE OK ROCK is currently the most popular mainstream rock band in Japan (says the Japanese fans at the concert), and would have been able to rake up hundreds of more fans if they did promotions properly. I've been to less popular Japanese concerts, and I still get crushed in the crowds just for those.
Another possibility would probably be that some fans would rather wait for their actual SOLO concert for just them, than attend this mixed event. As a fan, I'd still go to both. Still, I'd blame it on careless tour promotion.

In a month from now, I'll be back in at The Regency Ballroom for yet another Japanese rock band~ One that is less popular & less mainstream in Japan than ONE OK ROCK. This one, however, is a solo concert and I already fear for my dear life, since I know that my body will be crushed in this event. Y'all know what concert that is?
I might be wrong (though I highly doubt it. foreign fandom too strong), but let's see what happens.

My goodies: ONE OK ROCK Merchandise Haul! $35 Hoodie, $20 shirts, $5 rubber wristband

We ended the night pretty early, but still had a two hour drive on the highway back home. We were wearing our ONE OK ROCK hoodies that we all bought, and stopped by the IN-n-OUT Burgers by the San Francisco Intl. Airport to grab a bite to eat before heading home. As usual, the fast-food joint is packed inside, so Bee & I waited on the outdoor tables while Roxxie & Jimmy went to order inside. While we waited there, a group of Asians passed by and looked at us in our OOR hoodies (lolz sorry but it's true). They said something like "Everyone is going to IN-n-OUT after the ONE OK ROCK concert..." Obviously they just went to the same concert. I'm not sure if the tone they used had a certain connotation to it, but hey, we got there before they did. Haha.

On the way back home, we blasted more ONE OK ROCK on the stereo, buzzed from the excitement from the concert... Then we remembered our missed Meet&Greet and the post-concert depression started kicking in... (TT^TT) rollercoaster of emotions, right?

I'm definitely waiting for the next chance to see ONE OK ROCK again in the future. Next time, I will MAKE SURE to be early so I can experience VIP benefits properly without regret and heartbreak :'(

And that's all for another one of my extensively long Concert Report!

Again, make sure to check out BEE's CONCERT REPORT here!

http://beekyoote.blogspot.com/2016/03/one-ok-rock-monster-energy-outbreak.html

I have the details, she has the pictures for them. Watch her CONCERT VLOG too!

Share with me your own ONE OK ROCK concert experiences too! I'd love to read about them^^

THANKS FOR READING! ^_^

[Vlog#1] Why I Love the The GazettE | World Tour16 Thoughts [1/16/16]

2:37 PM

MY FIRST TALKING VLOG!
I felt extremely awkward filming by myself in my own room... I'll get used to it if I make more talking vlogs like this I guess. Hehe ^^;
So here are my thoughts and my whole Jrock beginnings if anyone is interested ^_^

BEFORE YOU READ ON

If you were to interview The GazettE, what questions would you ask them? What would you want to know about them right now?

Share it with me on the comments section on this blog or on the youtube video. Thanks!^^

Points from my Vlog, and added information!

I got my VIP tickets to San Francisco!

Yes, I am genuinely and utterly happy about this, and I know I will just become a ball of nerves when time of the actual concert comes. I just know it! How lucky for me that they will actually be coming to San Francisco as one of their 4 tour stops in the USA?! Thank you God (and The GazettE) for giving me this opportunity to see them at least once in my life.
THE GAZETTE ANNOUNCEMENT| WORLD TOUR16 DOGMATIC TROIS
I'm a college student. The concert is going to take place during MIDTERMS with the Spring semester about to end, so extreme stress in addition to anticipation for the concert are expected. I WILL WORK HARD TO BE ON TOP OF ALL MY RESPONSIBILITIES SO I CAN ENJOY THE CONCERT WITHOUT RESTRAINT!

I wasn't able to The GazettE's 2013 World Tour stop in Mexico City.

I am an avid traveler. I have traveled across the Pacific Ocean several times in my life by myself ever since the age of 12. I already had pocket money saved up for traveling to Mexico and back. However, my family and friends insisted that it was a horrible idea to go to Mexico, because of the constant news reports of drug cartel violence and kidnappings in Mexico. After talking to her co-workers, my mom then totally forbade me to go, saying that it would be better if they went to USA or Korea or some other place, but not Mexico (the problem is that they were going to Mexico!). I was distraught, and very angry. I didn't talk to my mom for a month or two. It took a little more than a year for me to forget that.

How I started liking The GazettE:

After I found Cassis and Filth in the Beauty, I looked for any concerts The GazettE had. The first one I found was the Nameless Liberty Six Guns 2006 Tour DVD. Before watching the concert, I watched the long NLSG 2006 documentary that came with the concert. I already fell in love with their personalities from the documentary, even though it had already been several years since it was filmed. What I appreciated was the realization that they still played in such small "Live Houses" in the documentary, but they were able to lift themselves higher up in the ranks of Jrock bands to larger concert halls by persisting and working hard.
After watching the documentary, I watched the concert alone in my living room on a quiet afternoon. I just sat on the couch with a frown on my face. I didn't know any of the songs playing, I was not used to watching or listening to pretty hard sounding Japanese rock bands, and the concept of VISUAL KEI perplexed me, which at the same time made me very curious. As I said in the video, I only listened to K-POP for the past several years. I was breaking down my own barriers. I watched as the members of the band play such hard music and jumping around on stage song after song. I was amazed at how much stamina they had to keep going for 2 hours! Just sitting there watching them jump around on my TV made me feel exhausted for them!
During the encore of the concert, Ruki suddenly held a red guitar and a ballad started playing. "Ah! Finally, a song I actually know!" Cassis was the song on my iPod that caught my attention from The GazettE which pushed me to learn more about them. Along with this beautiful song, this amazing and such heartfelt performance made such a deep impression on me. Since then, Cassis has been my absolute favorite song from The GazettE ever since the beginning until now.
[BEFORE THEY WERE TAKEN DOWN FROM YOUTUBE] Watching many videos of interviews of the GazettE was what made me learn more about all the members and fall in love with all their personalities.

Why they are my favorite band!

The reason why I was so frustrated from being unable to attend the Mexico concert is because it was the only chance I had to see my favorite rock band ever. They weren't just some Japanese rock band; they meant the world to me. I know it sounds trite and cliche coming from a fangirl like me, but they really did affect my life greatly. A little more than a year before the World Tour 13, I was faced with one of the biggest challenges in my life. I was able to endure 5 months of suffering, discipline and hard work, and I was able to accomplish on of my life's biggest goals, because I had the GazettE to look up to. Watching them, I was able to persevere, and they reminded me that I can become the best I can ever be as long as I worked hard and kept on going. I would watch their videos and songs from their early days until the most recent ones, and what a huge difference there was.
Studying Ruki and his improvement in singing and performing from their debut in 2002 up until their 10th anniversary in 2012, inspired me greatly, "If Ruki can do it, I can do it too." His singing in his early days was far from attractive compared to how he sounds like singing today. In addition to the 5 months suffering, discipline and hard work, Ruki in particular inspired me to practice singing everyday. Watching his confidence and charisma, I was able to learn from his and perform on stage in large events and contests in California, like the San Francisco J-POP SUMMIT.
LONG STORY SHORT: Loving The GazettE made it possible for me to strive and become the best I could ever be; I was able to move mountains, become my most confident and beautiful, and most importantly, I was able to prove to myself and everyone else around me that I CAN DO IT. And I did it.

[That accomplishment, I will keep as a secret until I feel it would be appropriate]

As long as they keep working hard, they will continue to be my inspiration to become my very best to succeed in life, and in improving my talents.

My GOALS by the time of the GazettE's concert San Francisco concert in May is become STRONGER & to build up my STAMINA!

As I said in the video, I have experienced the painful and violent crowds of a DIR EN GREY concert from both their 2013 & 2015 San Francisco concert. It's probably not as bad some other rock concerts out there and I admit I had so much fun, but... the overcrowding, the muscle strains from constantly pushing each other in the crowd, the inability to move my hands away from being folded stuck on my body, the dehydration, the foot pain I endured from standing for many hours in line waiting and during the concert, the intense body heat of those bodies of strangers plastered entirely on my sides and back and front, the bodily pains that remained until several days after the concert... Those factors were enough to traumatize me in attending rock concerts... but not enough to keep me from seeing the GazettE.^^
In order to make the concert a little more bearable for myself, I want to become more fit to be able to endure the experience because I know I want to go crazy for my favorite rock band ever, and enjoy the entire evening without by body wearing down to quickly.
Oh! And of course! I also want to look good! I did buy the VIP pass for the concert, and I don't want to scare off The GazettE and making them never want to come back to San Francisco ever again by looking like an ugly potato! Haha :'D that would be sad...
FITNESS 2016! New Year, Improved Me! [This is a pretty good excuse for myself to work hard and to focus on getting healthy ^_^]
Seriously, MAY is my BIRTHDAY MONTH! I better look good by my BIRTHDAY MONTH! (Writing this down on here should bring me even more pressure to actually do something about it... Haha... Oh god... o_o)

What I look forward to in the concert!

SEEING ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE GAZETTE OF COURSE!
I'm kinda worried and at the same time I'm already expecting that KAI will be covered by his drum set (T_T) I pray that by the time of the concert, the stage and drum set will be set up in a way that we can see KAI and his magically beautiful face while he plays the drums~ If not, then, that would suck for very short people like me in the crowd. I also hope to see one or two glimpses of KAI's Notorious Angelic Smile. These past years, that sight has been a rare thing to see (in pictures and videos at least), so even if I am really hoping to see it, I won't put my hopes up. The once Angelic Smile is now, I believe, ultimately replaced with a Fierce Glare and Venomous Eyes... unless a miracle happens or something :(
AOI's sexy hip sway movements to the beat! :3 (crossing my fingers to see that in FITB or Hesitating Means Death). Also, I want to see AOI's signature sexy smirk in person! There is just something about that man that makes people unable to ignore him... Incredible talent and charisma no doubt. How exciting it would be to see that in person! :D
URUHA... Such a beautiful man... I'm terrified to see him in person. I probably will look like an ugly potato anyway during the "Meet & Greet/High Five" VIP event with him in the same room. Oh URUHA! Please bless me with your grace and beauty! I will work hard to be worthy to stand in front of you when I see you in MAY! Other than that, I am so excited to witness URUHA's epic guitar solos! Such a beautiful and graceful performer emitting such deep and heavy guitar riffs, I will make sure to engrave it into my memory!
REITA'S FACE! I know that Japanese fans think it's so normal now, but for fans abroad, SEEING REITA'S れいた (NOSE BAND) IN PERSON GIVES US LIFE!!! I also look forward to all the cool gestures he'll try to make throughout the concert. I want to see him chest-pump the way he did during the Ride of the Rockers at Tokyo Dome! (*_*) I wish they will play 'LINDA ~Pinky Heavens... so we can see him twirl with his base, and rock out beating with Ruki. Totally, I bet the れいた is full of magic and I wanna see it!
Oh RUKI~ Ruki, ruki, dearest RUKI~ There is no doubt that most of the attention would be on him the entire night. At this moment, I can't think of anything I really demand to see from him, but just his Amazing and Powerful voice. I really expect an AMAZING and POWERFUL performance from this great mastermind. TBH, Fan Service would be nice :3

I hope they don't mind foreign fans singing along with them the entire concert, because I am soooo wrecking my vocal chords in the concert from singing my heart out. That's just how I show my love, and I will not hold anything in!

The World Tour16 is titled DOGMATIC TROIS, so we know that most of the songs in the shows will be mostly from the album, DOGMA. Although songs from DOGMA are new and nice and dark, it wasn't exactly my favorite album that the GazettE has released so far. To be honest, most of their long time fans from the USA are anticipating their all time favorites from their albums all through their career! The setlist from their World Tour 2013 was great! It had all their up-beat and hit songs. Never have they ever held a concert in the USA before, so we haven't had the luxury to experience those songs yet.

However, I am really hoping that they would consider playing some of their All Time Badass Sexy Songs! Here I have a list made of songs that I hope they would play that is not in DOGMA.)

MY IDEAL FUN SONGS (I wish that they would play in the USA!)

~Headache Man (Go crazy let go song!)

~Cockroach (this is where I anticipate Aoi's lovely dance and hip movements~ *-*)

~Linda (Party song!)

~Filth in the Beauty (THEY BETTER DO THIS ONE!)

~My Devil On The Bed (Yaaaass, sexy song ;3)

~Inside Beast (Another sexy song ;3 Plus, I love Kai's drumming like a marching band :D)

~Required Malfunction & Attitude (Dubstep! It's like a rave in a rock concert ;P )

~Hesitating Means Death (More head banging!)

~Gabriel in the Gallows (I wanna hear Ruki say my name... XD)

~Agony (Ruki raps! *o*)

~Mr. Vermin (My ultimate hype up work out song! My morning run song ^_^)

SONG PICKS OF MY DREAMS~ (Songs I want to hear before I die.)

~Cassis (My ultimate favorite~)

~Anti-Pop (The sing along with the crowd is adorable :3)

~Mad Murder's TV (I just really like this song for some reason. It's fun)

~Nausea & Shudder (Epic start, epic solos, love)

~The Invisible Wall (I'm pretty sure this is the first GazettE song ever for many people like me)

~Wakaremichi (The Feels! Yes this is a rare pokemon I bet (T_T) buhuhu)

~Nakigahara (The Soul! Such a grim song, but it made me so happy listening to it at one point)

~etc... there are a lot...

Basically most of the songs from their albums DISORDER, NIL, and STACKED RUBBISH. I know I have a better chance of hearing these songs if I go to their 20th anniversary. Hehe...

I also wonder if I should give them gifts at the Meet & Greet, or would that be a bother for them? Hmmnnn... Anyway, to anyone who reads this post, who else is going to see The GazettE in your country?

Thank's for reading! ^_^

ADVENTURE - HOLIDAY 2015 | 4-Day Cruise Adventure: Catalina Island

3:57 PM

THE GAZETTE ANNOUNCEMENT| WORLD TOUR16 DOGMATIC TROIS

1:50 PM

HELLO BITCHES, THE BADDEST BITCH IS BACK

10:54 AM

THE UNNI IS CLAIMING RIGHTFUL PLACE AS THE BADDEST BITCH

MV Released November 21, 2015

After speculation of a possible 2NE1 Comeback after much teasing, YG gives us one-fourth of 2NE1, surprising us with a new MV by CL for latest comeback for HELLO BITCHES. Directed and choreographed by the one and only Parris Goebel! The amazing and talented dancer and choreographer famous in the Kpop world for dance choreography of TAEYANG's RINGA LINGA, and BIGBANG's BANG BANG BANG MV's.

Naturally, I've already been such a huge fan of Parris Goebel and her work with ROYAL FAMILY in the past. (>>>Check out MY FAVORITE Royal Family dance Crew Performance!<<<)
I've been a part of a competing hip-hop dance crew and Royal Family is one of that dance crews that we really looked up to. Long story short, amazing. Just amazing. You can witness Parris' genius creativity in CL's HELLO BITCHES MV!

WATCH OUR REACTION VIDEO:

Additional thoughts:

ReQuest dancers: Stank face, dem' sexy asses, violet-blue dark lips on point, attitude hella fierce. Hella swank.
Great song! Half Korean and half English, totally getting ready for world domination... or just dominating the American market (She already has the rest of the world on her side).
CL is owning the whole fierceness of the song proving that, she is the Baddest Female. I've been a 2NE1 fan ever since the beginning, and was able to watch CL grow from a spunky 18 year-old to the woman she is today. I can honestly say that she has finally pulled off being the BADDEST BITCH in HELLO BITCHES. I say finally, because more than ever before, she exudes her most confident and sparkly aura in this new song; Super Star Bad Bitch Swag.
She is seriously an inspiration: Bad strong bitches are the best! Not something to take literally. CL in HELLO BITCHES is the epitome of Confidence & Women's Empowerment. GIRLS HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE SEXY AND FIERCE AND CONFIDENT ABOUT HERSELF AND NOT FOR ANYONE ELSE!

Just a little over a week after the release of HELLO BITCHES Dance PV, CL has the stage at the MAMA: MNET ASIAN MUSIC AWARDS 2015!

QUEEN!!! Like we haven't said it enough already. DAT HEAD PIECE! Looking like a charismatic warrior ready to lead a battle. Her outfit is probably sponsored by Jeremy Scott (just a guess~).
ReQuest Crew & Parris! Werkin that sexy silver, shape enhancing, butt exposing body suit! Love it! I wish I could wear one too! Haha. Props to Parris; although she's not the conventional beauty that society expects (you know what I'm talking about), she knows her place as the most wanted dance choreographer of the year, oozing fierce confidence owning the dance. Partnership with CL is just PERFECT!!! <3
Shocking viewers from all over the world after CL disappears from the stage at the end of HELLO BITCHES, aaaannd 2NE1 APPEARS!!!
OH MY FREAKIN GOD PARK BOM!!! Okay so first, the gorgeous Dara rises with Come Back Home playing in the back. Her face looking hella angry and fierce like the whole world should be bowing down before her. Minzy then comes out looking like the stage is her home and she's back claim her place. THEN... a pause. Everyone as expecting and anticipating, but still in shock and awe, PARK BOM RISES!!! No music in the background. Hell, she didn't need any! The screams of all her fans in MAMA and the screams of fans watching MAMA online were loud enough to be her background music. Her expression as if saying, "I'M BACK, BITCHES. You thought you could get rid of me? Guess again~"
I screamed so loud and started tearing up. This was the first time Park Bom has been on stage ever since her stupid scandal a year and a half ago. Stupid netizens. She has been my idol since BIBANG released their debut MV, WE BELONG TOGETHER featuring Park Bom.
CL then follows Park Bom and rose up on the stage looking like an extremely proud and happy 2NE1 leader mama.

SET LIST!

FIRE: Eh eh eh eh eh eh ehh~ WE 2NE1! Proudly telling the whole world who they are and that they are here to stay!
I AM THE BEST: You heard them! Who owns the night, y'all?

I found it extremely amusing that they chose those two particular songs to perform at MAMA, but I believe it was the most appropriate ones to perform. Complete with the angry and fierce facial expressions; they rarely smiled in the entire performance, but we all felt like they were It's like declaring a war to the world! More like declaring a war to K-netizens. Those people are just cruel.

It was amazing and they are the best! You could witness it in the video and and the reactions of the fans. No matter how hard the K-netizes try to take down anyone from 2NE1 and especially Park Bom, this performance just proves that the rest of the world has got their back.

Did I mention that 2NE1 is my absolute K-POP Girl Group?!