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Wonder Girls 2010 Tour - Vogue Theatre Vancouver June 29, 2010
Hello All, it's your late nite radio host OpsMonkey here. I was recently in Vancouver for the first Canadian date of the Wonder Girls 2010 World Tour. It was their only stop in Western Canada and it was sans Jonas Brothers (praise Jebus!). Here's my very long report on the concert, hope you can keep up. 
The flight to Vancouver was uneventful; in fact it was really boring. I no longer being a morning person was really tired from getting up to make my 9:15 flight. Good thing is that there were a lot of other tired people with me on the plane and it was quiet.
I spent part of the flight sleeping and when I woke up I refreshed myself on the Wonder Girls catalog. You know, just so I sort of had a clue about what I was going to see later in the evening. I arrived in Vancouver just as I had finished listening to all of the Wonder Girls songs. Good timing I guess.
I decided to take the train from the airport to downtown Vancouver. I was trying to save money on this trip so that was my only real alternative as a taxi ride would have cost $30 or more. Vancouver transit has a strange zone system in place so it made buying a train ticket kind of complicated. One confused tourist asked me how to buy a ticket. I helped her as much as I could but I wasnât sure I was even doing it right.
Once that was sorted out a 30 minute ride to downtown Vancouver and the quest for my hotel began. I was given rough directions by the hotel staff on how to get to their building. I decided to input those directions into my phone and see if I could get to the hotel on foot. The result of that was me wandering around in circles for about an hour and a half. Eventually I found my hotel but a word to those who use Google maps for walking directions. Donât. It sucks. Find a more capable app like Mapquest or something like that.
Anyway, here are a few pics of my hotel room for those who are interested in that sort of thing.
After recovering from the long trek to my hotel I looked up where the nearest Japadog was and went on another quest. It wasnât too far from my hotel, but of course I ended up going in the opposite direction and had to go back to my hotel and start all over again. Yes, my sense of direction sucks. But the bonus was on the way back the right way I stopped for bubble tea.
Eventually I found the Japadog stand and got myself a spicy cheese terimayo dog and a bottle of Ramune. For those who followed my Anime Expo 2009 adventures you know that Ramune is like my crack so I was a very happy dude. Speaking of happy dude while I was hanging out by the Japadog stand I noticed a leggy Asian woman standing in line.
Becoming rather entranced I didnât notice I was sitting next to a sprinkler system and was getting sprayed. Some random dude nudged me and thatâs when I noticed I was getting wet. But from what I was looking at it was totally worth getting soaked a bit. Too bad I couldnât get any pics as I was holding a hot dog and a bottle of Ramune. It would have looked kind of creepy so itâs a good thing I didnât whip out the phone camera or anything.
Once my small lunch was done I headed to the Vogue Theatre which wasnât too far from the Japadog stand and proceeded to stand in line with the other Wonder Girls fans. At first it was a small line that got bigger and bigger as time passed. Eventually the VIP ticket holders were moved to the other side of the building leaving the commoners behind. There are a couple of things I noticed about the crowd outside. The fans there were mostly there to see either 2AM/PM (whoever was supposed to open) and not the Wonder Girls. So the majority of fans were girls/women. Screamers are what I believed they are called.
Second, those who were there to see the Wonder Girls were a mix of men and women. Most people were Asian (mostly Chinese, Filipino or Korean) and were of different age groups. Third, there were a lot of hot Korean girls around. It was like sensory overload. Of course I couldnât tell how old many of these hot girls were and I ballparked that majority were younger than me. Still, they were nice to look at.
At random times a JYP cameraman would come out and film the crowd. There was also an unofficial filming crew from some K-Pop site that was making a YouTube documentary or something. I was praying they never came my way as I really had nothing of value to say and would probably just try to pimp JPH!P or Selective Hearing instead of talking about the Wonder Girls.
They did catch some group of dudes who were convinced to do the Nobody dance in the middle of the street while they filmed and took pictures of it. I found that funny.
So there I stood somewhere on Granville Street with other Wonder Girls/K-Pop fans impatiently waiting for the staff to let us in to get our 5 second picture with the Wonder Girls. The front office was selling the 2 Different Tears CD and people were rushing to get a copy hoping to get one signed. I asked a Filipino girl who was standing next to me to get one for me while I hold her place in line. Even though I had already bought the album on iTunes I figured it would be nice to have a physical copy.
She came back with my copy and I struggled to remove the wrapping from the CD. Is the plastic wrapping around CDâs intentionally made to make one suffer? Eventually I got the wrapping off and I was impressed with the package. First thing I noticed is that the CD case is huge because thereâs a nice big book with the lyrics and liner notes and lots of pictures of the hotness that is the Wonder Girls.
Around 16:30 some dude from the venue came out and yelled out instructions to us VIP people. First off, no autographs (suckage!), and secondly only 1 picture per group of people. So if you were next to some random stranger or something there was the potential to like get grouped into their picture just because you look like you know them.
Once we got our pic we were to go back outside and line up again. Simple enough I guess. Well around 17:45 or so (15 minutes late) we VIP people were allowed to pass by the commoners and line up for our pictures. This is how it worked. A staff member asks if youâre alone or with a group. Then you get up to the room where the pictures are being taken. You turn on your camera, set it to the right setting and give it a staff member.
That staff member hands it to a photographer and then youâre allowed to step into the room with the group. Youâre allowed to say hello or whatever to the group and get into position. The photographer preps you (say cheese or whatever) and takes your picture with the group. You leave, go back outside and fangirl/fanboy with everyone else.
So how did my session go? Well I made sure that I said I was alone first off. Hey man, I flew a long way and I wasnât gonna have some random stranger in my pic. After that I set my camera to automatic mode. You know, the default dummies mode where the flash goes on or off and the focus is automatic. Simple and clean.
After that I walked in, said âHello ladiesâ and got into position between Sunye and Yubin. Then I whipped out my JPH!P sticker and held it out in front. The photographer and the other staff members laughed at my obvious shameless self promotion. But it was all good. After which it was like click and done.
I probably broke protocol but before I picked up my camera I turned and shook every members hand and thanked them. So I can say I touched every Wonder Girl (not anywhere fun you pervs), yay me! It went by very fast but I remember looking Yenny right in the eye as she told me to enjoy the show. After which I picked up my camera and headed back outside. As I walked out a staff member handed me a tour photo. It wasnât autographed but whatever.
So now you're wondering, dude where's your pic? Hahahah.. Just ask me for it via PM or via Twitter and I'll send you the link to it.
So back outside comparing pictures with the Filipino girl I chatted up earlier and then at 18:40 or so we were allowed back into the building to pick our seats. Again, passing the commoners as they angrily mean mugged us (just kidding, sort of) as we rushed into the building jockeying for position. I had already made up my mind that I was going to be as far away from the screamers as possible so I decided to sit further back on the lower level.
After 30 minutes or so they let the commoners in and a mad scramble for the remaining available seats started. During that time I put my bag on my seat and proceeded to merchandise booth where I picked up the black tour t-shirt and the track jacket. Expensive but totally worth it I believe.
Then about an hour of waiting as there was no opening act for this show. Yes, the screamers were disappointed but at least there would be no ear piercing shrieks for this outing. I think I would have ended up deaf because there were a lot of young girls around me who looked like they could scream pretty loudly.
While I was waiting I scanned the crowed again. There were lots of couples and families. Of the couples I noticed a trend. Beautiful girl and ugly dude. No offense to you ugly dudes who can score hot girlfriends, Iâm just making an observation here. And when I mean beautiful girl I mean like â damn, how the hell did you convince her to stay with you?â type hot. Again, no offense.
Next to me was some big (like muscular big) dude and his girlfriend. Probably closer to my age I think but the dude fell asleep and the girlfriend just held his hand and let him doze away. On my right was an excited couple who were making a video documentary about the concert. They were saying stuff in Korean so I have no idea what they were talking about. Further down the row were families with excited kids.
Just after 20:00 the house lights dimmed and the show started with a cool silhouette kind of intro where the group shadow danced as their names flashed across the curtain. Then the curtain dropped and everyone stood up and the place got loud. Now being the K-Pop and Wonder Girls noob that I am I canât recollect the entire set list perfectly. But if youâve seen the set lists from previous concerts in the U.S. then you pretty much know what theyâve done here.
They did start off with a song I know, I Wanna. This is a perfect display of the groupâs vocal capabilities and the fact that itâs a House track makes it one of my favorite Wonder Girls songs. It also set the pace for the show as a high energy affair. The other song I remember from the start of the show was their cover of the Pussycat Dolls Donât Cha. Their version had a slightly sparser, bass heavy beat and unlike the Pussycat Dolls all the members sang on the song. It was also hot.
The explanation for no opening act was during the first MC segment. The Vancouver stop was the first of their headlining shows. For me that was awesome, I donât mind 2 AM/PM but the more Wonder Girls the better.
Anyway, the majority of songs they performed were in English but there were also a few performed in Korean as well. The highlight of the Korean versions being Saying I Love You where the group was dressed in all white while one played the Piano. During apex of the song what looked like white glitter or fake snow descended on to the front row.
I had heard about the solo performances for this show with each member taking on popular American songs. The best soloâs for me were Yubinâs Black Eyed Peas cover. As much as I hate the current Peas songs Yubin rocked that shit and made it sound good.
The other one I liked was Yennyâs version of Mercy. Man that woman has like crazy diva like pipes. It was crazy. Lastly, Sunyeâs Lady Gaga cover also showed that the Wonder Girls are more than just pretty faces who sing and dance. Thereâs some real talent behind all the glam.
I believe this was a great choice for my first K-Pop concert. Probably because it was screamer free. =) But I left the show extremely impressed. You can see that all the investments that labels make in training groups like the Wonder Girls pays off big time.
The only complaints I have are that the sound crew needed to monitor Soheeâs mic more closely because her levels were kind of low during parts of the show. You couldnât hear her sometimes. The other beef I have is that the show was simply too short for a headliner. 1 hour is nice, but I was craving for more.
But if you have the chance to see the Wonder Girls I say take it. You wonât be disappointed.
5 comments | Write Comment
The flight to Vancouver was uneventful; in fact it was really boring. I no longer being a morning person was really tired from getting up to make my 9:15 flight. Good thing is that there were a lot of other tired people with me on the plane and it was quiet.
I spent part of the flight sleeping and when I woke up I refreshed myself on the Wonder Girls catalog. You know, just so I sort of had a clue about what I was going to see later in the evening. I arrived in Vancouver just as I had finished listening to all of the Wonder Girls songs. Good timing I guess.
I decided to take the train from the airport to downtown Vancouver. I was trying to save money on this trip so that was my only real alternative as a taxi ride would have cost $30 or more. Vancouver transit has a strange zone system in place so it made buying a train ticket kind of complicated. One confused tourist asked me how to buy a ticket. I helped her as much as I could but I wasnât sure I was even doing it right.
Once that was sorted out a 30 minute ride to downtown Vancouver and the quest for my hotel began. I was given rough directions by the hotel staff on how to get to their building. I decided to input those directions into my phone and see if I could get to the hotel on foot. The result of that was me wandering around in circles for about an hour and a half. Eventually I found my hotel but a word to those who use Google maps for walking directions. Donât. It sucks. Find a more capable app like Mapquest or something like that.
Anyway, here are a few pics of my hotel room for those who are interested in that sort of thing.
After recovering from the long trek to my hotel I looked up where the nearest Japadog was and went on another quest. It wasnât too far from my hotel, but of course I ended up going in the opposite direction and had to go back to my hotel and start all over again. Yes, my sense of direction sucks. But the bonus was on the way back the right way I stopped for bubble tea.
Eventually I found the Japadog stand and got myself a spicy cheese terimayo dog and a bottle of Ramune. For those who followed my Anime Expo 2009 adventures you know that Ramune is like my crack so I was a very happy dude. Speaking of happy dude while I was hanging out by the Japadog stand I noticed a leggy Asian woman standing in line.
Becoming rather entranced I didnât notice I was sitting next to a sprinkler system and was getting sprayed. Some random dude nudged me and thatâs when I noticed I was getting wet. But from what I was looking at it was totally worth getting soaked a bit. Too bad I couldnât get any pics as I was holding a hot dog and a bottle of Ramune. It would have looked kind of creepy so itâs a good thing I didnât whip out the phone camera or anything.
Once my small lunch was done I headed to the Vogue Theatre which wasnât too far from the Japadog stand and proceeded to stand in line with the other Wonder Girls fans. At first it was a small line that got bigger and bigger as time passed. Eventually the VIP ticket holders were moved to the other side of the building leaving the commoners behind. There are a couple of things I noticed about the crowd outside. The fans there were mostly there to see either 2AM/PM (whoever was supposed to open) and not the Wonder Girls. So the majority of fans were girls/women. Screamers are what I believed they are called.
Second, those who were there to see the Wonder Girls were a mix of men and women. Most people were Asian (mostly Chinese, Filipino or Korean) and were of different age groups. Third, there were a lot of hot Korean girls around. It was like sensory overload. Of course I couldnât tell how old many of these hot girls were and I ballparked that majority were younger than me. Still, they were nice to look at.
At random times a JYP cameraman would come out and film the crowd. There was also an unofficial filming crew from some K-Pop site that was making a YouTube documentary or something. I was praying they never came my way as I really had nothing of value to say and would probably just try to pimp JPH!P or Selective Hearing instead of talking about the Wonder Girls.
They did catch some group of dudes who were convinced to do the Nobody dance in the middle of the street while they filmed and took pictures of it. I found that funny.
So there I stood somewhere on Granville Street with other Wonder Girls/K-Pop fans impatiently waiting for the staff to let us in to get our 5 second picture with the Wonder Girls. The front office was selling the 2 Different Tears CD and people were rushing to get a copy hoping to get one signed. I asked a Filipino girl who was standing next to me to get one for me while I hold her place in line. Even though I had already bought the album on iTunes I figured it would be nice to have a physical copy.
She came back with my copy and I struggled to remove the wrapping from the CD. Is the plastic wrapping around CDâs intentionally made to make one suffer? Eventually I got the wrapping off and I was impressed with the package. First thing I noticed is that the CD case is huge because thereâs a nice big book with the lyrics and liner notes and lots of pictures of the hotness that is the Wonder Girls.
Around 16:30 some dude from the venue came out and yelled out instructions to us VIP people. First off, no autographs (suckage!), and secondly only 1 picture per group of people. So if you were next to some random stranger or something there was the potential to like get grouped into their picture just because you look like you know them.
Once we got our pic we were to go back outside and line up again. Simple enough I guess. Well around 17:45 or so (15 minutes late) we VIP people were allowed to pass by the commoners and line up for our pictures. This is how it worked. A staff member asks if youâre alone or with a group. Then you get up to the room where the pictures are being taken. You turn on your camera, set it to the right setting and give it a staff member.
That staff member hands it to a photographer and then youâre allowed to step into the room with the group. Youâre allowed to say hello or whatever to the group and get into position. The photographer preps you (say cheese or whatever) and takes your picture with the group. You leave, go back outside and fangirl/fanboy with everyone else.
So how did my session go? Well I made sure that I said I was alone first off. Hey man, I flew a long way and I wasnât gonna have some random stranger in my pic. After that I set my camera to automatic mode. You know, the default dummies mode where the flash goes on or off and the focus is automatic. Simple and clean.
After that I walked in, said âHello ladiesâ and got into position between Sunye and Yubin. Then I whipped out my JPH!P sticker and held it out in front. The photographer and the other staff members laughed at my obvious shameless self promotion. But it was all good. After which it was like click and done.
I probably broke protocol but before I picked up my camera I turned and shook every members hand and thanked them. So I can say I touched every Wonder Girl (not anywhere fun you pervs), yay me! It went by very fast but I remember looking Yenny right in the eye as she told me to enjoy the show. After which I picked up my camera and headed back outside. As I walked out a staff member handed me a tour photo. It wasnât autographed but whatever.
So now you're wondering, dude where's your pic? Hahahah.. Just ask me for it via PM or via Twitter and I'll send you the link to it.
So back outside comparing pictures with the Filipino girl I chatted up earlier and then at 18:40 or so we were allowed back into the building to pick our seats. Again, passing the commoners as they angrily mean mugged us (just kidding, sort of) as we rushed into the building jockeying for position. I had already made up my mind that I was going to be as far away from the screamers as possible so I decided to sit further back on the lower level.
After 30 minutes or so they let the commoners in and a mad scramble for the remaining available seats started. During that time I put my bag on my seat and proceeded to merchandise booth where I picked up the black tour t-shirt and the track jacket. Expensive but totally worth it I believe.
Then about an hour of waiting as there was no opening act for this show. Yes, the screamers were disappointed but at least there would be no ear piercing shrieks for this outing. I think I would have ended up deaf because there were a lot of young girls around me who looked like they could scream pretty loudly.
While I was waiting I scanned the crowed again. There were lots of couples and families. Of the couples I noticed a trend. Beautiful girl and ugly dude. No offense to you ugly dudes who can score hot girlfriends, Iâm just making an observation here. And when I mean beautiful girl I mean like â damn, how the hell did you convince her to stay with you?â type hot. Again, no offense.
Next to me was some big (like muscular big) dude and his girlfriend. Probably closer to my age I think but the dude fell asleep and the girlfriend just held his hand and let him doze away. On my right was an excited couple who were making a video documentary about the concert. They were saying stuff in Korean so I have no idea what they were talking about. Further down the row were families with excited kids.
Just after 20:00 the house lights dimmed and the show started with a cool silhouette kind of intro where the group shadow danced as their names flashed across the curtain. Then the curtain dropped and everyone stood up and the place got loud. Now being the K-Pop and Wonder Girls noob that I am I canât recollect the entire set list perfectly. But if youâve seen the set lists from previous concerts in the U.S. then you pretty much know what theyâve done here.
They did start off with a song I know, I Wanna. This is a perfect display of the groupâs vocal capabilities and the fact that itâs a House track makes it one of my favorite Wonder Girls songs. It also set the pace for the show as a high energy affair. The other song I remember from the start of the show was their cover of the Pussycat Dolls Donât Cha. Their version had a slightly sparser, bass heavy beat and unlike the Pussycat Dolls all the members sang on the song. It was also hot.
The explanation for no opening act was during the first MC segment. The Vancouver stop was the first of their headlining shows. For me that was awesome, I donât mind 2 AM/PM but the more Wonder Girls the better.
Anyway, the majority of songs they performed were in English but there were also a few performed in Korean as well. The highlight of the Korean versions being Saying I Love You where the group was dressed in all white while one played the Piano. During apex of the song what looked like white glitter or fake snow descended on to the front row.
I had heard about the solo performances for this show with each member taking on popular American songs. The best soloâs for me were Yubinâs Black Eyed Peas cover. As much as I hate the current Peas songs Yubin rocked that shit and made it sound good.
The other one I liked was Yennyâs version of Mercy. Man that woman has like crazy diva like pipes. It was crazy. Lastly, Sunyeâs Lady Gaga cover also showed that the Wonder Girls are more than just pretty faces who sing and dance. Thereâs some real talent behind all the glam.
I believe this was a great choice for my first K-Pop concert. Probably because it was screamer free. =) But I left the show extremely impressed. You can see that all the investments that labels make in training groups like the Wonder Girls pays off big time.
The only complaints I have are that the sound crew needed to monitor Soheeâs mic more closely because her levels were kind of low during parts of the show. You couldnât hear her sometimes. The other beef I have is that the show was simply too short for a headliner. 1 hour is nice, but I was craving for more.
But if you have the chance to see the Wonder Girls I say take it. You wonât be disappointed.
Chase Wang on MAX 2010: The JPHiP.com Interview
Chase Wang on MAX 2010: The JPHiP.com Interview
Recently daigong sat down with Chase Wang, publicist for MAX 2010 event on July 1, 2010 in Los Angeles (and frequent JPHiP.com benefactor lol) They discussed all you wanted to know about the upcoming MAX 2010 event including Mano Erina!
What is MAX 2010 and what makes it so unique? Are there plans to make it an annual event?
CW: Club 2 the MAX 2010 is unique because there is NO BADGE FEE! Most of the activities are free and attendees can pay for any event that they want to participate in at an affordable price. We hope to make this an annual event.
How did you get involved and what do you for for MAX 2010? How much time do you spend on MAX 2010 related tasks?
CW: I got involved with Club 2 the MAX when several Japanese companies came to me with the idea. Since we are so close to the launch of the event I spend every moment on all these items.
Tell us more about the Flash Mob and how was this idea brought up?
CW: The Dance Flash Mob idea with the maids and hosts of the AniMaid Café was an idea that I came up with to bring something different for attendees to get involved with and to win prizes and just have fun!
What is GOSHUJIN-SAMA! THE ANIMAID CAFE about and how do you choose the maids?
CW: The AniMaid CafĂ© is a group of hosts & maids that are self regulated. They are well known in the convention circuit and are extremely popular to those who are interested in getting a âtasteâ of what it is like to participate in a Maid CafĂ© in Akihabara, Japan.
How did Mano-chan get involved with MAX 2010?
CW: Mano-chan got involved when we brought the film to MAX. She is one of the prime reasons why MAX was started. Remember âMâ is for Mano-chan, âAâ is for AniMaid CafĂ© and âXâ is for ... Well we will announce that soon.
What makes the Power Rangers appearance at MAX 2010 so awesome?
CW: Having the Power Rangers at Club 2 the MAX 2010 is awesome because it shows that we recognize other fantastic franchises in the U.S. that incorporate popular culture from Japan whether it be television, film, j-rock, j-pop, etc.
Are there photo opportunities with the guests and are video allowed at this event?
CW: There will be several red carpet events and meet & greets. We will be releasing the schedule soon so stay tuned.
Any other additional surprises we can look forward to?
CW: Most definitely so stay tuned!
Thank you for your time, and we hope to talk more about MAX 2010 behind the scenes.
CW: Thank you for checking things out and I hope all your fans come check out Club 2 the MAX 2010...check it out at www.Club2theMAX.com.
- June 14, 2010
CHECK OUT THE THREAD!! Plan your MAX 2010 Experience now with Manoeri:
http://forum.jphip.com/index.php?topic=24589.0
GLAY U.S. Tour 2009 * The Great Vacation *
SUPER JAPANESE ROCK BAND GLAY ARRIVES IN THE U.S. WITH CONCERTS AT THE FILLMORE SAN FRANCISCO AND THE HOUSE OF BLUES HOLLYWOOD IN SEPTEMBER!!
Get your tickets NOW!!
http://www.glay.co.jp/en/
http://www.myspace.com/glayofficial
Scarlet, rev2hd + Friend, and Tris-chan are the
taz who will be there!Here's some GLAY PRE-HYPE!
No Glay, No Life.
-article by Scarlet
I can still remember the beat of the first song I heard by Glay, it was âRain.â What was an unkown Japanese band to me is now my favorite band in this whole wide world. From their memorizing melodies to their catchy lyrics, Glay is a band that cannot be denied by rock lovers, Japanese rock lovers or anyone willing to try something amazing. What started out as a band with a high school demographic in Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan; Teru (vocals),Takuro (guitar), Hisashi (guitar) and Jiro (bass) would turn out to form one of the greatest bands in Japanâs history to date. Glay started as a band that played in clubs in Tokyo, handed out demo tapes and flyers on the streets to promote their band. After being well known in the club scene, Yoshiki of X Japan, signed them on to Ecstasy Records. As a part of the Visual Kei movement in Japan in the late 90s, many artists were paving their own paths, some bands broke up, but Glayâs fate would be different. That was 15 years ago, and such a history they have had since, selling out 200,000 to 750,000 seat arenas, record sales ranging from about 37.8 million albums and singles sold in Japan alone, and even bringing down phone lines a couple of times that interfered with the Olympics. Glay is not white, is not black and is not grey; they choose to misspell their name to create something unique and original. A mixture of rock and pop and everything in between. From teaming up with legendary vocalist of BOĂWY, Kyosuke Himuro, to pop boy band, Exile. Their music is used for dramas, movies and even the x-box theme song, Glay creates wonderful and unforgettable music that makes them one of the most successful and well known bands in Japan.
Now celebrating their 15th Anniversary in the since their âRainâ single debut and returning to America for their second U.S. tour. The Great Vacation 2009 tour has dates set for legendary venues the band seems to be taken with, September 9th, at the Fillmore Theater in San Francisco and 11-12 at the House of Blues in Hollywood. Even though their tours in the states have few dates fans from all over the globe flock to see Glay perform. I remember going to the Verb tour last year, the first U.S. Tour, Friday August 15th at the House of Blues, getting there early was the easy part, the hard part is waiting in line for hours. I think I got there at around 10 or 9am, there were already close to about 30 people in line ahead of me. Around the hour more people came, amongst the people behind me I met a girl who came all the way from New Zealand, even more of them came from Japan. Even down in the front of the line girls there were people from Canada and New York that just a few days earlier were in San Francisco at the Fillmore. Glay fans are very dedicated, not to a scary point, but its serious business! When they finally let you in to the House of Blues it is chaotic; everyone is running and you are not supposed to be running, but the excitement of seeing Glay in the states when you thought you never would just drives you to ignore rules. Everyone flocks to their standing-only choices: upstairs, in the pit or in the back on the platform, which is a good choice if you do not want to squished in the crowd when the shows starts, but I prefer to live dangerously and get as close to the stage as I can. Dreams do come true, I got to stand one person behind the rail with a perfect view of my idol Takuro, yes; you can bet I had died and gone to heaven. However, no matter how squished up against someone you are, it is usually when Teru decides to get too close to the crowd, or when we are all very excited to be in the same room when they are performing Konojo No âModernâŠâ. The atmosphere in the audience is almost rehearsed but then you realize that you are in sync with people that come from far and wide to share in this experience. What would appear to be strangers in the outside world seem to be your best friends at that venue. When you are all connected by amazing music that transcends the language barrier, and can bring different people together it does not matter if you do not understand what they are saying, though it helps. Because you can feel the energy and the love in the room, listening to Teruâs voice fill the air, dancing to Jiroâs amazing bass lines while he jumps about the stage, banging your head to Hisashiâs guitar solos or screaming like crazy when Takuro kicks the air and strums his guitar. Even after the show ends you find yourself reminiscing still as you are walking out, or rushing to the merchandise booth, with everyone about how much fun you had, how you never thought they would come to states, and they say the same thing and suddenly you realize that other people can be as crazy about a band as you are. Glay is more than just a band, it truly is like a family, it is a beautiful thing that something as small as music can connect you to another world. As the fans would say âNo Glay, No Lifeâ, the band gives back as much as it can to its fans reaching through Myspace and promises to tour beyond the borders of Japan. Whether you decide to give Glay a try or not they will remain a band that is still going strong and there are no signs of them slowing down in the music industry only time will tell what Glay has in store.
Check the GLAY Thread in the J-Music Section for more discussion
http://forum.jphip.com/index.php?topic=13007.0
Vamps The JPHIP INTERVIEW!
Vamps has answered 2 of the questions we sent to them!!!! 
1) What motivated you to do a tour in the USA?
HYDE: Four lives in America were fabulous. Thatâs why we could come this time again. I consider America to be the biggest competitor [for Japanese Rock nâ Roll], so I want American audiences to listen to our music.
4) During performances, do you notice or expect any differences in the behavior of american audiences compared to the japanese audiences?
HYDE: Perhaps there is a difference in national characters: American audiences are good at expressing themselves, so itâs fun to perform in front of them. Japanese people are not good at expressing their emotions, even though they are moved.
K.A.Z.: American audiences are wider than Japanese audience, so I can feel their cheers and excitements much more directly. Their cheering voices are so loud! We get excited by that. I think American audiences are good at having fun.
It's SO exciting and amazing to know that some of our questions reached them. ^o^ JPH!P representing!!!
We'll keep you updated on further developments on this event. We would like to thank Mr. Chase Wang of BAM! Marketing, Publicity & Promotions, as well as Ms. Ai Aota of NEU BAUHAUS LLC for this great opportunity.
-edited by daigong with some visuals, for JPHiP News
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| VAMPS - VAMPS LIVE 2009 U.S.A. Announcement | |
1) What motivated you to do a tour in the USA?
HYDE: Four lives in America were fabulous. Thatâs why we could come this time again. I consider America to be the biggest competitor [for Japanese Rock nâ Roll], so I want American audiences to listen to our music.
4) During performances, do you notice or expect any differences in the behavior of american audiences compared to the japanese audiences?
HYDE: Perhaps there is a difference in national characters: American audiences are good at expressing themselves, so itâs fun to perform in front of them. Japanese people are not good at expressing their emotions, even though they are moved.
K.A.Z.: American audiences are wider than Japanese audience, so I can feel their cheers and excitements much more directly. Their cheering voices are so loud! We get excited by that. I think American audiences are good at having fun.
It's SO exciting and amazing to know that some of our questions reached them. ^o^ JPH!P representing!!!
We'll keep you updated on further developments on this event. We would like to thank Mr. Chase Wang of BAM! Marketing, Publicity & Promotions, as well as Ms. Ai Aota of NEU BAUHAUS LLC for this great opportunity.
-edited by daigong with some visuals, for JPHiP News
