MIYAVI ORLANDO 2011 KHFKSJDFHSKDJFNvc
Holy crap holy crap holy crap. I love Miyavi. This is why my mother, Erica and I drove up to Orlando on friday night and stayed in a very sketchy motel so we could rise at 5 the next day and get in line. And that is exactly what we did. We got there at six, confirmed that no one was there yet, made a quick run for breakfast, and then sat in the locked car by the venue until it was light enough outside for my mom to feel okay with letting Erica and I sit there alone.
That defensive measure was not enough. A strange man who had been walking down the opposite sidewalk and yelling something crossed the street and started talking to me and Erica. We ignored him and he didn't come TOO close but my heart was racing faster than it ever has and I was wishing that Emma or Erica's friend Rae had come with us because they're both trained in tae kwon do. The guy eventually left, came back, and left again for good.
I don't remember what time it was when the next person in line showed up, but after she did another guy came around and told us that Jesus loved us and that God wanted to touch us. Oh, downtown areas. What a mix of people.
For most of the day, Erica and I were freaking out about our tickets because both of us had will call and it wasn't going to open until 8, according to Firestone's answering service. The box office was around the corner from the venue so every hour or so we walked to check on it.
Miyavi's tour bus eventually arrived, and of course Erica and I weren't there when Miyavi got out to enter the venue. Oh well, I got to meet him and give him a hug later. =w=
One of the roadies walked by and said "Hey ladies," to me, Erica, and the other girls standing with us. It was funny. Erica kept telling him she liked his florescent yellow shoes. We saw Bobo squatting outside the bus at some point and were shocked that he was wearing pants.
An occupy protest walked by at some point. It was really cool, and people kept asking us to join. We didn't but we chanted with them while they were passing and "honked" at the signs we agreed with. It was quite organized and civil, a nice surprise. (Beofre they came by, there was dog poop on the sidewalk but it was gone after they passed. Hehehe.)
There were lots of nice people towards the front of the line, which I am grateful for because we spent about 12 hours with them.
Around 5:30, Sarah finally arrived (she had to take the SAT in the morning) and we were all getting quite giddy. Around 6 they had the VIPs line up separately from the non VIPS and there was some drama about the fanclub people getting in early and whatever but I don't care because Erica and Sarah and I got an awesome spot slightly right of center on the barrier.
While waiting for the opening band to go on, they played music, of course. It just so happened that one of the songs played was "Dick in a Box." Everyone got a kick out of that.
The opening band, Velaceras, was actually really good. They had a tribal sort of sound, really long songs with lots of tempo changes, and the vocalist/leadguitat danced kind of like a chicken. He also looked like if you were to take this kid at my school named Brett Warner and stretch him out vertically. They played 4 or 5 songs and the crowd was good to them, which made me happy because I can't imagine how scary it is to open for Miyavi.
The show started at 9, almost on the dot. It was kind of awesome because I've never seen a show start on time before.
Miyavi and Bobo, man, what a duo. Bobo wasn't wearing pants, just like last year, but there was really no excuse this time: as Miyavi put it, "Florida is fuckin' chilly."
I can't give you a setlist because I don't remember the order but I do remember that he played What's My Name first, and everyone went crazy, of course. udfhgdfjghdf so good. He also played Ossan Ossan Ore Nanbo, YESSSS. That one is the best live because everyone gets to shout OSSAN OSSAN ORE NANBO back at him and it's just fun. When he got his acoustic guitar and played Jibun Kakumei I turned to Sarah and went, "am I dying? is this real?" and then I felt like I was going to cry. BEST SONG. Screw it, they're all the best songs. And then he asked us to sing along to Selfish Love...and the girl behind me did NOT know the lyrics, haha. I don't care.
Whenever he jumped on the speaker in front of me, I was able to touch his guitar. Yes. I touched the guitar. I touched it all over. I touched the body, I touched the strings. I also touched his legs, which are ridiculously smooth. Ridiculous. I feel weird about just reaching out and touching his legs and guitar, but he was THERE and I mean it's a CONCERT so it's expected, right?
He did this thing towards the beginning where he bent over backwards and went ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE FLOOR and then CRAWLED ACROSS THE STAGE ON HIS BACK WTF HOW.
Also when he first came out there was a general consensus of "does his shirt say FUCK lololol" and "THOSE PANTS o___o"
Before he played We Love You, he was trying to tell us to hold hands. He prefaced this with "I'm not good at English, but..." and the whole crowd goes "pshhh yeah right" and he wwas like "What?"
Also, I REALLY LOVE how if someone shouts something loud enough to be heard individually, he'll honor it. Someone yelled "I LOVE YOUR PANTS" and he responded to that and it was just really nice. Towards the end someone had a gift for him: a headband with a fiber-optic mohawk. It was passed forward and he took it.
Okay, DAT CLUB SOUND THAT HE DOES. That is amazing. He had this board with a bunch of knobs on it and he just improvised an awesome dance song right there on stage using samples from his guitar, Bobo's drums, his voice, and the crowd screaming. It was live creation and it was a sick dance beat and just really amazing.
At t the very end, during the encore, Miyavi stood on the speakers between the barrier and stage again. The crowd rushed forward so hard that we pushed the barriers right up against the speakers o_o Terrifying crowd is enthusiastic and destructive.
Hilights from Miyavi's speaking bits: "Before the show, Bobo is always naked. You can't imagine how i feel backstage, with you guys all chanting "MI-YA-VI," and I'm just like oh god, and then there's Bobo, naked. He just wants to show off his legs...that's g-r-o-s-s, GROSS."
Right after the show the venue played "Fuck You," which I thought was ironically fitting due to Miyavi's shirt.
I gathered with some of my buddies from the line and we went to wait for the meet-and-greet. We sat in this big circular room with couches along the walls for a bit. There was a staircase in the corner and I thought Miyavi might just come sliding down the banister at some point. Nope. Eventually, we were told to line up and went up the stairs to a barlike place. The official who told us to line up said that Miyavi's sister would be taking pictures for us. Man, what an interesting life she must have, touring with him and just doing random stuff for the crew and her brother and the fans. She went into the barrier-stage space during the show to take pictures and videos///dangerous! Labors of love, I guess.
One of the girls I met in line let me use her camera to get my picture, yesss. so nice.
When it was my turn, I walked up to Miyavi, said hi, and handed him the hats I had knit, saying, "I made some gifts for you and your family." he said thanks, gave me a hug (he smelled pretty good for just having given a concert!) and put his arm around my shoulder for a picture. His movements are very gentle and elegant. I could tell he was really tired. I can't imagine his schedule when he's on tour.
The whole meet-and-greet experience was surprisingly calm. I said I felt very serene while I was in line, and someone said, "You're in shock. You're going to go out that door and start freaking out."
Yeah, basically. As soon as I got out of the venue, I met up with Erica and Sarah, sank to my butt and said "Oh my god. Miyavi" Didn't get much worse than that, however. Erica managed to grab me a shirt while I was meeting and greeting. I decided that Erica, Sarah and I will each get a pick from the VIP pack and we'll make necklaces out of them. CONCERT BUDDIES. <3
I have some sick bruises on my knees from standing against the metal of the barrier and jumping. Whenever Miyavi told us to jump I just went "oh god" and braced for pain. Worth it!
I hope he comes back next year. He said he'd be coming back, but I almost feel bad because I want him to be home and be with his kids. It's none of my business, but I just want Miyavi to be happy. He does so much that makes other people happier than they can say.
Next year, this time, I'll hopefully make another entry like this. It's worth my time and money to see this man (these men? love for Bobo too) perform as much as I can. They're amazing musicians.
That defensive measure was not enough. A strange man who had been walking down the opposite sidewalk and yelling something crossed the street and started talking to me and Erica. We ignored him and he didn't come TOO close but my heart was racing faster than it ever has and I was wishing that Emma or Erica's friend Rae had come with us because they're both trained in tae kwon do. The guy eventually left, came back, and left again for good.
I don't remember what time it was when the next person in line showed up, but after she did another guy came around and told us that Jesus loved us and that God wanted to touch us. Oh, downtown areas. What a mix of people.
For most of the day, Erica and I were freaking out about our tickets because both of us had will call and it wasn't going to open until 8, according to Firestone's answering service. The box office was around the corner from the venue so every hour or so we walked to check on it.
Miyavi's tour bus eventually arrived, and of course Erica and I weren't there when Miyavi got out to enter the venue. Oh well, I got to meet him and give him a hug later. =w=
One of the roadies walked by and said "Hey ladies," to me, Erica, and the other girls standing with us. It was funny. Erica kept telling him she liked his florescent yellow shoes. We saw Bobo squatting outside the bus at some point and were shocked that he was wearing pants.
An occupy protest walked by at some point. It was really cool, and people kept asking us to join. We didn't but we chanted with them while they were passing and "honked" at the signs we agreed with. It was quite organized and civil, a nice surprise. (Beofre they came by, there was dog poop on the sidewalk but it was gone after they passed. Hehehe.)
There were lots of nice people towards the front of the line, which I am grateful for because we spent about 12 hours with them.
Around 5:30, Sarah finally arrived (she had to take the SAT in the morning) and we were all getting quite giddy. Around 6 they had the VIPs line up separately from the non VIPS and there was some drama about the fanclub people getting in early and whatever but I don't care because Erica and Sarah and I got an awesome spot slightly right of center on the barrier.
While waiting for the opening band to go on, they played music, of course. It just so happened that one of the songs played was "Dick in a Box." Everyone got a kick out of that.
The opening band, Velaceras, was actually really good. They had a tribal sort of sound, really long songs with lots of tempo changes, and the vocalist/leadguitat danced kind of like a chicken. He also looked like if you were to take this kid at my school named Brett Warner and stretch him out vertically. They played 4 or 5 songs and the crowd was good to them, which made me happy because I can't imagine how scary it is to open for Miyavi.
The show started at 9, almost on the dot. It was kind of awesome because I've never seen a show start on time before.
Miyavi and Bobo, man, what a duo. Bobo wasn't wearing pants, just like last year, but there was really no excuse this time: as Miyavi put it, "Florida is fuckin' chilly."
I can't give you a setlist because I don't remember the order but I do remember that he played What's My Name first, and everyone went crazy, of course. udfhgdfjghdf so good. He also played Ossan Ossan Ore Nanbo, YESSSS. That one is the best live because everyone gets to shout OSSAN OSSAN ORE NANBO back at him and it's just fun. When he got his acoustic guitar and played Jibun Kakumei I turned to Sarah and went, "am I dying? is this real?" and then I felt like I was going to cry. BEST SONG. Screw it, they're all the best songs. And then he asked us to sing along to Selfish Love...and the girl behind me did NOT know the lyrics, haha. I don't care.
Whenever he jumped on the speaker in front of me, I was able to touch his guitar. Yes. I touched the guitar. I touched it all over. I touched the body, I touched the strings. I also touched his legs, which are ridiculously smooth. Ridiculous. I feel weird about just reaching out and touching his legs and guitar, but he was THERE and I mean it's a CONCERT so it's expected, right?
He did this thing towards the beginning where he bent over backwards and went ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE FLOOR and then CRAWLED ACROSS THE STAGE ON HIS BACK WTF HOW.
Also when he first came out there was a general consensus of "does his shirt say FUCK lololol" and "THOSE PANTS o___o"
Before he played We Love You, he was trying to tell us to hold hands. He prefaced this with "I'm not good at English, but..." and the whole crowd goes "pshhh yeah right" and he wwas like "What?"
Also, I REALLY LOVE how if someone shouts something loud enough to be heard individually, he'll honor it. Someone yelled "I LOVE YOUR PANTS" and he responded to that and it was just really nice. Towards the end someone had a gift for him: a headband with a fiber-optic mohawk. It was passed forward and he took it.
Okay, DAT CLUB SOUND THAT HE DOES. That is amazing. He had this board with a bunch of knobs on it and he just improvised an awesome dance song right there on stage using samples from his guitar, Bobo's drums, his voice, and the crowd screaming. It was live creation and it was a sick dance beat and just really amazing.
At t the very end, during the encore, Miyavi stood on the speakers between the barrier and stage again. The crowd rushed forward so hard that we pushed the barriers right up against the speakers o_o Terrifying crowd is enthusiastic and destructive.
Hilights from Miyavi's speaking bits: "Before the show, Bobo is always naked. You can't imagine how i feel backstage, with you guys all chanting "MI-YA-VI," and I'm just like oh god, and then there's Bobo, naked. He just wants to show off his legs...that's g-r-o-s-s, GROSS."
Right after the show the venue played "Fuck You," which I thought was ironically fitting due to Miyavi's shirt.
I gathered with some of my buddies from the line and we went to wait for the meet-and-greet. We sat in this big circular room with couches along the walls for a bit. There was a staircase in the corner and I thought Miyavi might just come sliding down the banister at some point. Nope. Eventually, we were told to line up and went up the stairs to a barlike place. The official who told us to line up said that Miyavi's sister would be taking pictures for us. Man, what an interesting life she must have, touring with him and just doing random stuff for the crew and her brother and the fans. She went into the barrier-stage space during the show to take pictures and videos///dangerous! Labors of love, I guess.
One of the girls I met in line let me use her camera to get my picture, yesss. so nice.
When it was my turn, I walked up to Miyavi, said hi, and handed him the hats I had knit, saying, "I made some gifts for you and your family." he said thanks, gave me a hug (he smelled pretty good for just having given a concert!) and put his arm around my shoulder for a picture. His movements are very gentle and elegant. I could tell he was really tired. I can't imagine his schedule when he's on tour.
The whole meet-and-greet experience was surprisingly calm. I said I felt very serene while I was in line, and someone said, "You're in shock. You're going to go out that door and start freaking out."
Yeah, basically. As soon as I got out of the venue, I met up with Erica and Sarah, sank to my butt and said "Oh my god. Miyavi" Didn't get much worse than that, however. Erica managed to grab me a shirt while I was meeting and greeting. I decided that Erica, Sarah and I will each get a pick from the VIP pack and we'll make necklaces out of them. CONCERT BUDDIES. <3
I have some sick bruises on my knees from standing against the metal of the barrier and jumping. Whenever Miyavi told us to jump I just went "oh god" and braced for pain. Worth it!
I hope he comes back next year. He said he'd be coming back, but I almost feel bad because I want him to be home and be with his kids. It's none of my business, but I just want Miyavi to be happy. He does so much that makes other people happier than they can say.
Next year, this time, I'll hopefully make another entry like this. It's worth my time and money to see this man (these men? love for Bobo too) perform as much as I can. They're amazing musicians.