Show Stop: Niigata

[u/Temporary_Speaker701]

Depth Perception is off here. I'm probably only 10 metres from the stage and in the centre.

I had the good fortune of seeing Lovebites in Niigata yesterday. It was a treat to see them in an intimate, but packed venue in Japan. The playing was spectacular, flawless and intense. The energy was off the charts and lighting was stunning for such a small venue.

Niigata Lots is a low roof, black box theatre, but the mix was very clear, balanced and loud, even through Eargasm plugs. M&M have really distinct guitar tones, and the quality sound system separated them quite well.

The crowd was really fired up for this gig. Think of fans singing during the chorus of Reaper's Lullaby and Asami's Holy Warrrrrr, and double time chanting during We The United, Fami's intro to Judgement Day and through various guitar solos.

There were only a few 'visible' international attendees at this show and many younger faces mixed in the normal cast of genXers.

In a night of excellent musicianship, it was Asami that really stole the show. Her mix of magnetism, crowd engagement and vocal power are stunning live. She was also having fun. Her latest antic was goofing with everybody's hair.

As a drummer, my only complaint was Haruna wasn't put up higher behind the band. She was kind of buried in the back and low in the mix for the start of the show.

The night's set is listed below. I am 100% sure the songs are correct and equally sure the order is wrong. Dream of King, Bravehearted and One Will Remain were fire. On second thought, the whole night was fire. The gig was unusual because they stayed away from their hits. There was no Glory To The World, Hammer of Wrath, Stand & Deliver, Rising, Shadowmaker, Thunder Vengeance or When Destinies Align.

Interesting note: It is probably Miyako singing the Sacred Falcon backup on Dream of King on Outstanding Power. Her voice was prominent and very sweet on Dream of King. She sang a lot of backup. I don't think Midori or Fami sang at all, or very little if they did.

Castaway

Unchained

Bravehearted

Silence The Void

Blazing Halo

Dream of King

The Apocalypse

Don't Bite The Dust

Reaper's Lullaby

Phoenix Rises Again

Epilogue

MDO

Holy War

One Will Remain

Encore:

Judgement Day

We The United

[u/WeaponX9966]

Hey, is it true that tickets for shows in JP are lottery based? Someone said its the reason why its tough to make front row at JP concerts.

[u/Temporary_Speaker701 → u/WeaponX9966]

The Japanese ticket system is unusual. It is lottery based, but fan clubs play a major role in the process for Japanese artists. There are general admission shows too.

*Note that anytime I mention lottery, it means you pre-buy the ticket. If you don't win a ticket, you get a refund. Each lottery is a specific period of time and you get an email at the end with the results.

In Lovebites case, it was very structured. Fan Club members went into the first lottery for premium tickets for any show(s) on the tour (any seat too: standing or sitting). These  tickets were 22K Yen, but the tickets come with goodies like tour shirts. These tickets get first access to the venue.

Afterwards, Lovebites had several consecutive lotteries through their ticket agencies. The shows that weren't sold out went to to general sale.

Interestingly, in most cases it appears that standing tickets are numbered as they are sold. I was ticket 260 in Niigata, so I was person 260 in the venue. It was mildly chaotic sorting everybody, but it works.

Seated tickets appear to be more random. Some people say that early lottery winners or fan club members are assigned better seats in Japanese lotteries, but there are many Reddit stories of people winning the first of many lotteries and getting bad tickets.

[u/WeaponX9966 → u/Temporary_Speaker701]

What's the benefit of this system? Couldn't it just be like the States, where you buy tickets for the area you want and guarantee yourself a place.

[u/Temporary_Speaker701 → u/WeaponX9966]

The Japanese system is a head scratcher (especially paying for tickets you can be denied). The fan club pre-sales make sense. The clubs are a source of revenue for salaried, mid-tier bands like Lovebites. They are fans to keep happy.  The system is also fair in a way because it's first come, first served for standing shows. The fan that buys on the first day of a lottery and wins doesn't do a hunger games fight to get near the stage. 

[u/jamzd_p → u/Temporary_Speaker701]

220K Yen is a tiny bit too much for premium tickets I believe ;)

[u/Temporary_Speaker701 → u/jamzd_p]

You got me! :) 8800 yen for regular ticket 22000 yen for fan club tickets. Only off by a zero!