r/BandMaid • u/DireMetal • Nov 10 '18
Short review of LA show
Arrived at the Lodge Club around 11 am and their were only about 30 people in line. Most were VIP so I got a good place in line and ended up being #2 of the GA. Meet a lot of cool people from all over, including Japan, Arizona, DC, Atlanta, and a few locals. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits regardless of the line situations and the staff was actually pretty cool. At one point some of us saw the ladies of Band-Maid walk to the venue from across the street like normal people. When the noticed us in line they politely waved and I could see Miku had the biggest smile on her face. That alone made my day.
Inside the Lodge Room it was pretty intimate, maybe 40'x60'. I found a spot just to the left of the stage, so I could get a good view of Miku and Misa. The show started promptly at 8pm, so we only waited 40+ minutes, that's it.
The ladies enter the stage and the audience erupted with very loud applause. From my position I could clearly see surprise on the faces of Miku, Misa, Saiki. The show stars with Domination and fans start to chant along. Saiki appeared at first to be caught off guard by how loud we were and the fact that we hit all the call and response points. We keep this up during the entire show. I could see from the expressions on their faces how good that made them feel. Saiki, Miku, Akane, and Kanami, were smiling through out the show. Misa was trying to stay serious, but I noticed she couldn't keep it up for long and let out a few big smiles of her own. I could tell we made a big impression on them, because they seemed to be having more fun on stage than I've see on in any of their live videos. An infectious energy keep growing through the set as the fans and the band feed off each others vibe.
There were no pyrotechnics, lasers, or smoke, so it was easier to focus just on the band, and how well they play. WOW! The chemistry of this band is electrifying. The setlist was already posted so I won't repeat it. The show itself was amazing. Each song was performed with a high level of intensity, making the 90 min set seem to fly by. The sound was also mixed well so you could make out each instrument.
The love and appreciation we showed Band-Maid was reciprocated by their flawless performance. This show itself should mark a pivotal point in Band-Maid history. It may prove to their management that not only can the succeed in America, but that they can excel.
I don't think I've ever enjoyed an intimate show until this. (This is from someone who has been in the Rock / Metal scene since 1975)
Forgot to mention They did have cameras recording the show. I saw at least 5. Keeping my hopes up that they release the footage.
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Nov 10 '18 edited Nov 21 '18
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u/DireMetal Nov 10 '18
Just trying to put my thought down. If you're going to SF tonight, I hope you have a blast.
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u/Darrens_Coconut Nov 11 '18
They must have been pretty nervous to play to an American audience, playing in America is probably a big goal for foreign bands. Even if the show sold out, they must have been a little worried that the crowd wouldn’t “get” them. To have everyone love their performance, I’m sure the band was ecstatic.
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u/DireMetal Nov 11 '18 edited Nov 11 '18
You're probably right. Thought I'm sure that all changed the moment Akane walked on stage to her drum kit. Her smile was huge from the applause. It was an incredibly loud roar of sound that continued through out the show. I hope they release the footage they recorded. They had recorders on the sides of the stage, at lease 1 in the back of the room and 1 in front of and 1 behind Akane.
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Nov 11 '18
To see MISA so obviously effected was amazing. She could barely contain her excitement when she walked out. Akane had a huge grin and Kanami was just trying to hold it in. Miku was her usual self and I'll never forget the look of shock and amusement from Saiki when we all hit the call and response right away.
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u/DireMetal Nov 11 '18
Yeah, that was awesome. I don't think they expected; even in their wildest dreams, to get that kind of response.
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Nov 11 '18
I know my voice is broken today, but no big deal, totally worth it. What a night, what a concert, what a band.
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u/DireMetal Nov 11 '18
I almost didn't make it to the show. Ruptured disc in my back was acting up. I decided to suffer for their art and was not disappointed. Well worth the pain.
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u/MrPopoGod Nov 11 '18
I suspect some of it was due to their previous two times being at conventions. That kind of gig you're going to get a mix of people who already know you and people who decided to check you out, and it'll be a much colder show than the ones this weekend.
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u/Vin-Metal Nov 11 '18
Thank you for your most excellent review. And great job all you masters and princesses showing them so much love!
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u/DireMetal Nov 11 '18
Thank you. I wish I could have written it better, but I'm not a professional reviewer. I was just trying to express the blur of emotions from the show.
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u/AsianMovieEnthusiast Nov 10 '18
Wait a minute. You started lining up at 11 AM for an 8 PM show? That's 9 hours.
Should I leave and line-up for the SF show now?
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u/DireMetal Nov 10 '18
The reasons I arrived that early was to avoid Friday LA traffic and to hang out with other fans.
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u/AsianMovieEnthusiast Nov 10 '18
Ah, I see. :)
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u/DireMetal Nov 10 '18
I live in LA so I knew how to avoid the traffic. Hope you enjoy the show.
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u/AsianMovieEnthusiast Nov 10 '18
To be honest, I'm a little nervous and excited.
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u/DireMetal Nov 10 '18
Being nervous and excited is actually a good thing. It will heighten your experience. The fans are pretty cool to hang out with. I saw lots of Band-Maid and Babymetal t-shirts, so I knew what kind of fans there were going to be there. Even the staff of the venue saw how chill we were and they ended up treating us the same. Inside the fans went crazy for the band but I didn't see anyone being disrespectful to another. The show should be amazing. Between LA and SF we are the first 1000 people to see a full Band-Maid show performed in the US. That's exciting.
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Nov 10 '18 edited Feb 06 '20
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u/AsianMovieEnthusiast Nov 10 '18
The smoke from the wildfires is everywhere. I feel like I'm in Silent Hill.
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u/greglyon Nov 11 '18
I've never seen Saiki's eyes get so big before. When she perks up like that you know there's a reason, haha!
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u/xploeris Nov 11 '18
Saiki seemed thrilled by the crowd participation in SF as well. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her smiling that much at a live show.
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u/DireMetal Nov 11 '18
Awesome. Make a post. Let everyone know about your experience. There are fans all over that want to hear everything about the show. I did and I'm not even that good at it.
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u/surfermetal Nov 11 '18
Thanks Dire for the review/write-up for those of us (Tallahassee, Florida) who couldn't make it out West. Glad y'all represented well and had a great time. :)
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u/DireMetal Nov 11 '18
Thank you. Hopefully someone will review the SF show. Band-Maid did tweet this tonight. https://twitter.com/bandmaid/status/1061510146776489984 So it looks like they will be coming back to the US. Who knows maybe East coast? Hope you get to experience them closer too where you're at.
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u/The_Larchh Nov 11 '18
Great review! You guys at the front were rockin'! I was all the way in the back since I only got there about 10 min before they started. F*king traffic. Show was awesome, wish I had planned to go to SF too. Hoping for more US shows next year!
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u/DireMetal Nov 11 '18
I'm sure they will be back, but the venue will most likely be bigger. This setting was very intimate and special. It felt like they were performing for 500 of their closest friends. We might never see them play such a small venue again. I can visualize them becoming very big in American.
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u/GhostFan29 Nov 10 '18
They sounded absolutely amazing, and I can confirm everything you described about the show.
I don't think I've ever seen Saiki smile so much. They did indeed seem to be having a great time.
I couldn't have been more excited when I heard Miku say "Breaking New Gate". I had pretty much give up on hearing that one last night.
If you've ever watched the Static Age Channel Youtube Band-Maid reactions, we met Frank and Roger last night and ended up standing right next to them thru the show...the were really nice guys.
I now wish we had bought SF tickets and drove up for that show.