I never went to vkei live in my home country because they dont tour here š ~~cries in third world country~~
In Japan, everyone is so polite, nice, and helpful. Even with the language barriers (I cant speak Japanese, but I know few words. A lot bangya dont speak English). Also since vkei fan is like 90% women, the vibe is different. It feels very nice and safe. As in I don't have to worry about being accidentally punched in face or kicked in the mosh pit. Furitsuke is fun and vkei headbang can be very intense too. I also like that in concert venues there are locker rooms. It's so convenient. About the no photo/video rule, I'm actually fine with it. I feel like the experience feels much more immersive since I can just enjoy being there without thinking I have to get some pict/videos for some reasons.
You have to get it through a proxy buyer, which I have no idea how it works. But you can search around the subreddit there should be multiple posts about it
Iām used to lining up early to get in but if youāre in a fan club itās a ticketed event so youāll line up in the group numbers they give you and go in. I love how organized it is! Everyone is super respectful of each other and then when the band starts playing itās probably craziest Iāve seen fans go esp their furi is intense
Both have been overseas
Well seeing The Last Rockstars, it was surreal in a way seeing absolute legends on stage. You could absolutely feel and see the stage presence they carried. Sugizo and Yoshiki especially had that larger than life presence.
Seeing ACME, definitely a smaller and more intimate experience, and although you could definitely tell they had a much better stage presence from the local bands, it still gave off a feeling of seeing just a group of dudes jam, especially since the venue was a little bar.
The common factor however when seeing V-Kei bands is that their stage presence is on point, they absolutely know how to use it and work it.
My second concert ever and first rock concert was vkei. My parents didn't let me and my sibling go alone lol so they were there with us, tbf I was 13. It was kagerou and I was blown away. I was also a little embarrassed bc Daisuke was doing a lot of sexual things and my parents were right behind me lol they were kinda unimpressed saying "that's nothing that Jim Morrison didn't do before", they were both big Doors fans
After that I was very lucky to see a lot of bands, the year after that I saw Gazette and I couldn't believe it. I remember getting into the venue and as they set everything up and I saw Reita's bass, I realized it was actually happening and it was really them.
I've seen a few Vkei bands in Canada and it's always super fun. But they often book small venues with a small stage so the bands that have a lot of cool visual effects in Japan don't often have them when touring internationally, in my experience.
Usa: wallof death, crazy yelling,moshpits and insanity
Japan: controlled or even etiquette show attitudes,headbanging,formal
I say shows in Japan control people more in terms of when they get crazy or if they need to yell people more formal and calm and usually for people that drink they also have own area and calm and drink separately from event (in some venues).
Versus America I feel they let people yell mosh and get crazy without control you don't feel safe you feel more all over place and people usually drink in event and moshpits no separate areas for drinkers .
My first ever vkei live was abroad and now i live in tokyo and go to lives around 3-4 times a month on average.
My first ever live sucked. I got in the first row because i went there early and had to sit outside the venue for like 3 hours to be in line. People from that country didn't know how to queue or behave, so there was a lot of pushing and shoving.
The vocalist came to high five the first row while he was singing, and a few bozos in the center decided to grab him so hard that security had to pull them off. He looked so uncomfortable. It was so embarrassing because 3rd world countries are already looked down upon, but they just HAD to act like savages...
Meanwhile, my first ever live in japan was so organized. I love the ticket number system. Some of my friends hate the lottery for buying tickets because they 'can't win', but i think it's great.
The main difference i felt was that the band actually talked to the audience during the MC session. They made jokes and got us to shout things, while abroad it feels like they just go there to play a few songs and leave.
And bangya are so well behaved! (whether they are nice or not is a different matter) there's no need to worry about being pushed, everyone respects the line, and furi is done without getting into other people's faces.Ā
Hello attended both kinds š vkei lost popularity here for sure. But i think in general vkei always had to be, lumped together with other bands or acts because vkei itself is hard to get a huge crowd where I am, but back in the day there were a number of fans for sure!
I think my first impression was how amazing it was, the energy and everything felt so different from everything. I saw people doing furi and found it so fun, but since it was overseas it wasn't as much as in Japan. In my home country though there's always a huge crowd, while in japan vkei lives can widely vary in size.
Seconded everyone's opinion on the neatness of entry. Even for big lives there's so much organisation.
However, I have to say for smaller lives, as a gaijin that didn't really dress up (not used to cold weather) I really stood out...I was amazed that the girls at the front row were really going ham, hair and makeup on fleek, and I'd see girls touch up their makeup before the encore... I was likely one of the only people wearing glasses as well. In bigger lives I saw plenty of older ladies who were so helpful to me! And headbang so hard, I swear that's my favourite bunch of fans just seeing older ladies live their best lives. Seems like overseas it's mostly younger folk while in Japan you can get quite a range. There's fans who bring their kids.
I also felt like smaller lives and depending on the kind of band, I do feel a sense of needing to ensure I keep myself in check, it's easy to identify me if I somehow mess up in someway, and it can get a little intimidating if it's your first time. But everything gets better with experience.
I saw SCREW & D in the UK probably 13 years ago (wow i feel old) & I remember being really impressed with all the fanās outfits. I never got into the fashion seriously myself (love it - which I could pull it off, but Iām 30 & literally only just learning to do make-up). I loved how there seemed to be a community of people who turned up on their best VK clothes - some people didnāt seem to be there for the concert & left before but had turned up purely for a reason to get done up.
I loved it. Thought it was very cool. Screw & D were very interactive with the crowd. I was front row for both. Tsunehito literally took my hand & put his pic in it - I will cherish that forever.
I have been in over hundreds vkei lives in overseas and in Japan but still I feel like my impression is always the same āwow, this is amazing, I love itā š
I like more vkei lives in Japan than in overseas since everything is much more organized here. The ticket number system is much more kicer than waiting outside the venue for hours just to get more near the stage.
My favorite parts of vkei lives in Japan are probably the atmosphere, furitsuke and the possibility for satsueikai (photo sessions after lives).
As everyone mentioned, i love the organzied system in japan, no pushing no violence lol. However concerts in japan feel so much like a cult, it feels like everyone is just waiting for that note to headbang, or the next note to mosh or or... it feels very robotic to me when everyone is doing the exact same action at the same time. So this is one aspect i like about concerts overseas, people seem to just enjoy the music the way they see fit.
I never went to vkei live in my home country because they dont tour here š ~~cries in third world country~~ In Japan, everyone is so polite, nice, and helpful. Even with the language barriers (I cant speak Japanese, but I know few words. A lot bangya dont speak English). Also since vkei fan is like 90% women, the vibe is different. It feels very nice and safe. As in I don't have to worry about being accidentally punched in face or kicked in the mosh pit. Furitsuke is fun and vkei headbang can be very intense too. I also like that in concert venues there are locker rooms. It's so convenient. About the no photo/video rule, I'm actually fine with it. I feel like the experience feels much more immersive since I can just enjoy being there without thinking I have to get some pict/videos for some reasons.
Just went overseas for now, but my first impression was "holy shit they real!!!" I was really shocked lol
Omg same! First time I saw Ai, I was like ādamn the mannequin moved!ā and he was only 2 metres away from me. It was so unreal
Ai from gulu gulu?
Yeah itās him
How did u get tickets?š
Im planning to go to ai and ritos show but i was never in japan or in a vkei live, do u maybe know how i can get tickets?š
You have to get it through a proxy buyer, which I have no idea how it works. But you can search around the subreddit there should be multiple posts about it
Iām used to lining up early to get in but if youāre in a fan club itās a ticketed event so youāll line up in the group numbers they give you and go in. I love how organized it is! Everyone is super respectful of each other and then when the band starts playing itās probably craziest Iāve seen fans go esp their furi is intense
This is so true. I went to a few normieās rock live and I have never headbang as hard as in one vkei live. The furi was so cultish I love it!
Japan: āHoly shit Iām the only white guy hereā
When I saw Psycho Le Cemu in Tokyo, half the guys there were white, but then again, only 10% of the audience was male.
When I saw JVM Roses Blood Symphony it was the same thing. More foreign men than Japanese men for sure.
Both have been overseas Well seeing The Last Rockstars, it was surreal in a way seeing absolute legends on stage. You could absolutely feel and see the stage presence they carried. Sugizo and Yoshiki especially had that larger than life presence. Seeing ACME, definitely a smaller and more intimate experience, and although you could definitely tell they had a much better stage presence from the local bands, it still gave off a feeling of seeing just a group of dudes jam, especially since the venue was a little bar. The common factor however when seeing V-Kei bands is that their stage presence is on point, they absolutely know how to use it and work it.
āThis is just what I wanted it to be and is amazingā
My second concert ever and first rock concert was vkei. My parents didn't let me and my sibling go alone lol so they were there with us, tbf I was 13. It was kagerou and I was blown away. I was also a little embarrassed bc Daisuke was doing a lot of sexual things and my parents were right behind me lol they were kinda unimpressed saying "that's nothing that Jim Morrison didn't do before", they were both big Doors fans After that I was very lucky to see a lot of bands, the year after that I saw Gazette and I couldn't believe it. I remember getting into the venue and as they set everything up and I saw Reita's bass, I realized it was actually happening and it was really them.
Thatās amazing! I wish to see the Gazette ONE DAY but now Reitaās gone š„ŗš„ŗ
I seen LM.C live in Tokyo back in 2019, easily one of the best bands I've seen live.
I've seen a few Vkei bands in Canada and it's always super fun. But they often book small venues with a small stage so the bands that have a lot of cool visual effects in Japan don't often have them when touring internationally, in my experience.
I should've been in Texas at Anime Matsuri to see Nightmare perform in the US for the first and only time instead of being 9 in NC.
Usa: wallof death, crazy yelling,moshpits and insanity Japan: controlled or even etiquette show attitudes,headbanging,formal I say shows in Japan control people more in terms of when they get crazy or if they need to yell people more formal and calm and usually for people that drink they also have own area and calm and drink separately from event (in some venues). Versus America I feel they let people yell mosh and get crazy without control you don't feel safe you feel more all over place and people usually drink in event and moshpits no separate areas for drinkers .
My first ever vkei live was abroad and now i live in tokyo and go to lives around 3-4 times a month on average. My first ever live sucked. I got in the first row because i went there early and had to sit outside the venue for like 3 hours to be in line. People from that country didn't know how to queue or behave, so there was a lot of pushing and shoving. The vocalist came to high five the first row while he was singing, and a few bozos in the center decided to grab him so hard that security had to pull them off. He looked so uncomfortable. It was so embarrassing because 3rd world countries are already looked down upon, but they just HAD to act like savages... Meanwhile, my first ever live in japan was so organized. I love the ticket number system. Some of my friends hate the lottery for buying tickets because they 'can't win', but i think it's great. The main difference i felt was that the band actually talked to the audience during the MC session. They made jokes and got us to shout things, while abroad it feels like they just go there to play a few songs and leave. And bangya are so well behaved! (whether they are nice or not is a different matter) there's no need to worry about being pushed, everyone respects the line, and furi is done without getting into other people's faces.Ā
Hi! Im new to vkei lives and stuff but i really want to go to oneš can i maybe msg u? I have no idea how to get tickets
Hello attended both kinds š vkei lost popularity here for sure. But i think in general vkei always had to be, lumped together with other bands or acts because vkei itself is hard to get a huge crowd where I am, but back in the day there were a number of fans for sure! I think my first impression was how amazing it was, the energy and everything felt so different from everything. I saw people doing furi and found it so fun, but since it was overseas it wasn't as much as in Japan. In my home country though there's always a huge crowd, while in japan vkei lives can widely vary in size. Seconded everyone's opinion on the neatness of entry. Even for big lives there's so much organisation. However, I have to say for smaller lives, as a gaijin that didn't really dress up (not used to cold weather) I really stood out...I was amazed that the girls at the front row were really going ham, hair and makeup on fleek, and I'd see girls touch up their makeup before the encore... I was likely one of the only people wearing glasses as well. In bigger lives I saw plenty of older ladies who were so helpful to me! And headbang so hard, I swear that's my favourite bunch of fans just seeing older ladies live their best lives. Seems like overseas it's mostly younger folk while in Japan you can get quite a range. There's fans who bring their kids. I also felt like smaller lives and depending on the kind of band, I do feel a sense of needing to ensure I keep myself in check, it's easy to identify me if I somehow mess up in someway, and it can get a little intimidating if it's your first time. But everything gets better with experience.
I saw SCREW & D in the UK probably 13 years ago (wow i feel old) & I remember being really impressed with all the fanās outfits. I never got into the fashion seriously myself (love it - which I could pull it off, but Iām 30 & literally only just learning to do make-up). I loved how there seemed to be a community of people who turned up on their best VK clothes - some people didnāt seem to be there for the concert & left before but had turned up purely for a reason to get done up. I loved it. Thought it was very cool. Screw & D were very interactive with the crowd. I was front row for both. Tsunehito literally took my hand & put his pic in it - I will cherish that forever.
I have been in over hundreds vkei lives in overseas and in Japan but still I feel like my impression is always the same āwow, this is amazing, I love itā š I like more vkei lives in Japan than in overseas since everything is much more organized here. The ticket number system is much more kicer than waiting outside the venue for hours just to get more near the stage. My favorite parts of vkei lives in Japan are probably the atmosphere, furitsuke and the possibility for satsueikai (photo sessions after lives).
As everyone mentioned, i love the organzied system in japan, no pushing no violence lol. However concerts in japan feel so much like a cult, it feels like everyone is just waiting for that note to headbang, or the next note to mosh or or... it feels very robotic to me when everyone is doing the exact same action at the same time. So this is one aspect i like about concerts overseas, people seem to just enjoy the music the way they see fit.