Utada 'In The Flesh' Feb 12, 2010
Since I haven't seen many people post about this publicly, I thought it was about time for me to.
Does that even make any sense, lol I'm not sure, but here it is anyway~
My little sister and I got there at about 7am, and since nobody else was there yet we decided to get breakfast.
My sister had actually camped out with a friend before the Friday concert but had come home on the Thursday night to shower and eat etc.
We were up at 5am and managed to catch one of the earliest trains.
So breakfast was at McDonalds... which is really what we seemed to live off of.
I think Sausage and Egg McMuffins will always be my favourite savoury food at McDonalds, with a hashbrown and a Hot Chocolate you really can't go wrong.
This is making me hungry now... I got a little off track too.
The first people started arriving around 10am and we met some really cool people.
I know my sister feels like she's made some friends for life so I'm sure we'll keep in touch~
I'd like to thank Rob for watching our bags for us on so many occasions as we tried to warm up, or check the line and to Mr Doughnuts~ :P
The two Japanese girls who bought tickets from the German people seemed really nice too. I hope they got a good view, Nana was saying they looked like they were having fun.
The doors opened at about 6.30 and a little chaos began. They had to body search us and the woman could only do the girls and vice versa.
This left me waiting for my other half and if it wasn't for everyone we met budging up a little I'd have never made it into the front row.
Thank you guys so much for moving just a little, it really made my night being front row and seeing her like that and being able to be next to my little sister. I'm sorry to the guy from Brunei (Chia-ren?) who was standing next to me if I knocked you a little during the show. I was just having such a good time. I think you were too though~
I'm not really sure what to say about the opening act. We didn't have DJ Mike Rizzo here in London, but a DJ Hikki met in a Greek bar.
Her name was DJ Marlene and as Hikki said she did play some interesting and different music.
The problem was that she didn't connect with the crowd. She seemed preoccupied with chewing her gum and to me never seemed to really get into the music she was playing. And her changeovers.... I'm no expert but even to me they sounded awful. It kept stopping and starting.
If she worked on that and connecting with the crowd she could be really good, I think.
Once DJ Marlene left the croud was psyched, cheering for the smallest thing.
When her band came on we went mad and as the opening started you could just feel the energy.
On & On followed by Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence and Poppin' were sooo much fun, I was smiling and dancing a little awkwardly (lol no space) from the beginning. Some people thought the "girls, you know we have it better than the boys" pasrt was cheesy so maybe I'm a cheesy sort of girl coz I loved it <3. Especially when she replaced girls with onna no ko.
Now it was time for Hikki to talk to the crowd. Just as she was about to say something she spotted my little sisters sign about having been there 3 days. She said she was crazy, which if you know her she is, but that she was glad that she'd got a good spot^^. I don't really remember a lot of what she said after that, I remember her talking about the rain before Come back to me and introducing her band in the encore but it was such a blur.
So after speaking a little she moved on to This One. I knew it was coming but I couldn't help it, and for the next few songs I was crying almost uncontrollably.
I cried through Passion/Sanctuary, Sakura Drops and Stay Gold. She forgot that she had to sing Passion, so started moving her micstand away after This One, then remembered. It was so cute.
The mix between Passion and Sanctuary was amazing, I love both versions and always will so hearing them together in my tired and emotional state, no wonder I was crying.
There was so much energy as well, the crowd obviously loved it.
Sakura Drops and Stay Gold were played on a keyboard. It was nice to see her playing and the way the songs were arranged made them more emotional than the recording.
Stay Gold was my BFs favourite. I'd dragged him to the concert because I knew I wouldn't be able to stand through the whole thing without him. He had fun and is a little converted now^^; I'm so thankful to him for coming though.
Moving on from the ballads we got to have a bit more of a rock moment. Devil Inside, Kremlin Dusk, YMMWTBAM, and a cover of Placebo's At The Bitter End.
Seeing Kremlin Dusk and YMMWTBAM live was a dream come true, well all the songs were, but Kremlin Dusk is up there in my favourites and the way she performed it... I'm still lost for words.
At the Bitter End was the only song I didn't really sing along to. In my BFs words, it was a brave attempt but she didn't have enough Angst for Placebo... I lold x,x
The mix of Apple and Cinnamon was pretty good but for me it lost the emotion of the original a little. It was still an amazing performance though.
The main thing I noticed was how much energy she put into everything... I don't know if she did this every night or if she put in more for the last night but it was completely worth it.
After Apple and Cinnamon we had the rain talk and then next up was Come Back To Me, First Love, Can You Keep a Secret and Automatic.
It was so nice to hear one of my first Hikki songs live. I'm a Distance era fan and hearing Can You Keep a Secret brought back so many memories.
The fact that its also been so long since Automatic first topped the charts is also astonishing.
She looks so young, but I guess she was young when she started.
Automatic was sooo much fun, everyone was singing along, which seemed to make her happy. I think it was my favourite performance of the night, even though it wasn't my favourite performed.
She spoke a little about how its been 11 years now since it was released and asked the audience how long we'd been fans. There were a few who had been fans since then, but I think that 8 years is pretty respectable, lol.
I also thought it was cute how she broke into Japanese at certain parts of the concert.
I wish I could do that, switch into another language with ease like that.
I speak Korean, German and English but I can't switch as easily as that, made me kind of jealous.
She finished the main part of the concert with Dirty Desire, as she said the song on the radio's in America right now~ which was such a ffun song to end it with.
The guitars at the end were also pretty increadible....
Also was I the only person who thought that the guitarist wanted to be Santana, just his playing style lol.
The basist was my favourite bandmember, he was so smiley and when the concert finished he through the drumsticks into the crowd.
By the time we were calling for an encore, the adrenaline that was keeping me standing was running out.
I was in pain and getting dizzy but seeing Simple and Clean followed by Me Muero was still wow.
Me Muero is my favourite song on her last album so of course I was dancing.
Given the lyrics you wouldn't fit it should be able to make you smile so much, but the music just feels like yeah you're doing this but its ok. I really wish she'd release this and make a video ._.
And then came the baseballs.
We figured that because we were at the front we wouldn't get one, but one sort of landed just behind is.
It hit my sisters friend and sort of rolled down him so my BF got it.
I was a little in a daze so couldn't even try to get one, but when he showed me it my chest got all tight and I had to stop myself from screaming.
Kumachan in a Bearskin hat.... still can't get over that... who thinks of drawing a bear in a hat that was traditionally made from bear fur... *loldies*
The night really was an emotional rollercoaster.
My little sister decided to stay a little longer and sent me home. I was so worn out I only just about got there.
Anyone who saw me walking in any of the train stations must have thought I was drunk, my legs were giving way and I felt really dehydrated but seeing her live it was completely worth it.
My biggest issue was the ban on liquids, every concert I've been to there has a tub of water at the front, it isn't amazing but its necessary.
I heard people fainted on the Thursday but haven't heard about any on the Friday, but I wouldn't be surprised if people did.
Supposedly the ban was because of equipment, but compromising peoples safety for that >.>
I thought our health and safety rules were better than that ._.
Does that even make any sense, lol I'm not sure, but here it is anyway~
My little sister and I got there at about 7am, and since nobody else was there yet we decided to get breakfast.
My sister had actually camped out with a friend before the Friday concert but had come home on the Thursday night to shower and eat etc.
We were up at 5am and managed to catch one of the earliest trains.
So breakfast was at McDonalds... which is really what we seemed to live off of.
I think Sausage and Egg McMuffins will always be my favourite savoury food at McDonalds, with a hashbrown and a Hot Chocolate you really can't go wrong.
This is making me hungry now... I got a little off track too.
The first people started arriving around 10am and we met some really cool people.
I know my sister feels like she's made some friends for life so I'm sure we'll keep in touch~
I'd like to thank Rob for watching our bags for us on so many occasions as we tried to warm up, or check the line and to Mr Doughnuts~ :P
The two Japanese girls who bought tickets from the German people seemed really nice too. I hope they got a good view, Nana was saying they looked like they were having fun.
The doors opened at about 6.30 and a little chaos began. They had to body search us and the woman could only do the girls and vice versa.
This left me waiting for my other half and if it wasn't for everyone we met budging up a little I'd have never made it into the front row.
Thank you guys so much for moving just a little, it really made my night being front row and seeing her like that and being able to be next to my little sister. I'm sorry to the guy from Brunei (Chia-ren?) who was standing next to me if I knocked you a little during the show. I was just having such a good time. I think you were too though~
I'm not really sure what to say about the opening act. We didn't have DJ Mike Rizzo here in London, but a DJ Hikki met in a Greek bar.
Her name was DJ Marlene and as Hikki said she did play some interesting and different music.
The problem was that she didn't connect with the crowd. She seemed preoccupied with chewing her gum and to me never seemed to really get into the music she was playing. And her changeovers.... I'm no expert but even to me they sounded awful. It kept stopping and starting.
If she worked on that and connecting with the crowd she could be really good, I think.
Once DJ Marlene left the croud was psyched, cheering for the smallest thing.
When her band came on we went mad and as the opening started you could just feel the energy.
On & On followed by Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence and Poppin' were sooo much fun, I was smiling and dancing a little awkwardly (lol no space) from the beginning. Some people thought the "girls, you know we have it better than the boys" pasrt was cheesy so maybe I'm a cheesy sort of girl coz I loved it <3. Especially when she replaced girls with onna no ko.
Now it was time for Hikki to talk to the crowd. Just as she was about to say something she spotted my little sisters sign about having been there 3 days. She said she was crazy, which if you know her she is, but that she was glad that she'd got a good spot^^. I don't really remember a lot of what she said after that, I remember her talking about the rain before Come back to me and introducing her band in the encore but it was such a blur.
So after speaking a little she moved on to This One. I knew it was coming but I couldn't help it, and for the next few songs I was crying almost uncontrollably.
I cried through Passion/Sanctuary, Sakura Drops and Stay Gold. She forgot that she had to sing Passion, so started moving her micstand away after This One, then remembered. It was so cute.
The mix between Passion and Sanctuary was amazing, I love both versions and always will so hearing them together in my tired and emotional state, no wonder I was crying.
There was so much energy as well, the crowd obviously loved it.
Sakura Drops and Stay Gold were played on a keyboard. It was nice to see her playing and the way the songs were arranged made them more emotional than the recording.
Stay Gold was my BFs favourite. I'd dragged him to the concert because I knew I wouldn't be able to stand through the whole thing without him. He had fun and is a little converted now^^; I'm so thankful to him for coming though.
Moving on from the ballads we got to have a bit more of a rock moment. Devil Inside, Kremlin Dusk, YMMWTBAM, and a cover of Placebo's At The Bitter End.
Seeing Kremlin Dusk and YMMWTBAM live was a dream come true, well all the songs were, but Kremlin Dusk is up there in my favourites and the way she performed it... I'm still lost for words.
At the Bitter End was the only song I didn't really sing along to. In my BFs words, it was a brave attempt but she didn't have enough Angst for Placebo... I lold x,x
The mix of Apple and Cinnamon was pretty good but for me it lost the emotion of the original a little. It was still an amazing performance though.
The main thing I noticed was how much energy she put into everything... I don't know if she did this every night or if she put in more for the last night but it was completely worth it.
After Apple and Cinnamon we had the rain talk and then next up was Come Back To Me, First Love, Can You Keep a Secret and Automatic.
It was so nice to hear one of my first Hikki songs live. I'm a Distance era fan and hearing Can You Keep a Secret brought back so many memories.
The fact that its also been so long since Automatic first topped the charts is also astonishing.
She looks so young, but I guess she was young when she started.
Automatic was sooo much fun, everyone was singing along, which seemed to make her happy. I think it was my favourite performance of the night, even though it wasn't my favourite performed.
She spoke a little about how its been 11 years now since it was released and asked the audience how long we'd been fans. There were a few who had been fans since then, but I think that 8 years is pretty respectable, lol.
I also thought it was cute how she broke into Japanese at certain parts of the concert.
I wish I could do that, switch into another language with ease like that.
I speak Korean, German and English but I can't switch as easily as that, made me kind of jealous.
She finished the main part of the concert with Dirty Desire, as she said the song on the radio's in America right now~ which was such a ffun song to end it with.
The guitars at the end were also pretty increadible....
Also was I the only person who thought that the guitarist wanted to be Santana, just his playing style lol.
The basist was my favourite bandmember, he was so smiley and when the concert finished he through the drumsticks into the crowd.
By the time we were calling for an encore, the adrenaline that was keeping me standing was running out.
I was in pain and getting dizzy but seeing Simple and Clean followed by Me Muero was still wow.
Me Muero is my favourite song on her last album so of course I was dancing.
Given the lyrics you wouldn't fit it should be able to make you smile so much, but the music just feels like yeah you're doing this but its ok. I really wish she'd release this and make a video ._.
And then came the baseballs.
We figured that because we were at the front we wouldn't get one, but one sort of landed just behind is.
It hit my sisters friend and sort of rolled down him so my BF got it.
I was a little in a daze so couldn't even try to get one, but when he showed me it my chest got all tight and I had to stop myself from screaming.
Kumachan in a Bearskin hat.... still can't get over that... who thinks of drawing a bear in a hat that was traditionally made from bear fur... *loldies*
The night really was an emotional rollercoaster.
My little sister decided to stay a little longer and sent me home. I was so worn out I only just about got there.
Anyone who saw me walking in any of the train stations must have thought I was drunk, my legs were giving way and I felt really dehydrated but seeing her live it was completely worth it.
My biggest issue was the ban on liquids, every concert I've been to there has a tub of water at the front, it isn't amazing but its necessary.
I heard people fainted on the Thursday but haven't heard about any on the Friday, but I wouldn't be surprised if people did.
Supposedly the ban was because of equipment, but compromising peoples safety for that >.>
I thought our health and safety rules were better than that ._.