Arashi Live Tour 2014: THE DIGITALIAN… in Nagoya

I’m back home from a two-week trip to the Land of the Rising Sun. I’ve seen lots of things, had lots of experiences, met quite a number of people, and been to a considerable number of places, but the first post I am making is that of the concert to top all concerts that I’ve seen live: Arashi Live Tour 2014 – The Digitalian.(Disclaimer: this is not a con report. Others have written up better con reports than I could ever do. So… yeah.this is just a personal account of my experience.)

Arashi fans will know how difficult it is to score tickets to Arashi concerts. Even some Fan Club (FC) members and residents of Japan also have to go through some hoops to get some; foreign fans have to deal with not just hoops, but also twists and turns.

Yes, getting the concert ticket was stressful, and could only be described as a roller coaster of emotions. I admit that the hard work was all done by my friend Peach. We looked for possible sources, went to the usual suspects, until she just took her chances with Google Translate and worked her way through ticket.co.jp.

It worked.

And so we were able to watch the matsuri (festival) concert on December 5, 2014 (after watching CNBLUE in concert on December 3 and 4, but that’s for another blog post, haha!) at the Nagoya Dome in Nagoya, Japan.

It was exhilarating. It’s the boys’ 15th anniversary, so I was already expecting them to go all-out. I’m so glad I was right.

I had the pleasure of seeing them perform around 6 years ago at the Taipei Arena in Taipei, Taiwan during the Arashi Around Asia 2008 Tour. They had a two-night gig, which my friend Sheryll and I went to (yes, both nights). Getting tickets that time was easier since it was really catered to fans outside Japan.

Before the Concert

If there is no such thing as ‘concert coma’ before, let me make one up now. It is that state of being when you just wanna stay in bed and think about the concert that happened the day before. Screw food, screw everything else. You’re simply on a high.

But we thought it’d be a waste not to check out some sights in Nagoya while we were there, so the plan was to go off to Nagoya Castle and spend the hours there, then proceed to the Nagoya Dome at around 3:30 in time for the gates opening at 4pm. This was already half-past one in the afternoon.

So we got out stuff, mostly my Digitalian tote bag, scarf, passport, and wallet. Then we were off.

During our stay in Osaka and in Nagoya, it was already a common sight to see people – male and female alike – toting Arashi bags filled with uchiwas (those fans with the groups’ or the member’s faces). While at the castle, I was marveling at how one girl had, like, seven uchiwas in her bag. “Wow,” I thought. “It’s either she’s holding them for friends, or she plans on using all of them at the con”.

And then it hit me.

I left our fanlights back at the hotel.

Now let’s get one thing straight. I have never bought fanlights before. For any concert. Ever. But for this one, I made an exception, since it is an uchiwa AND a fanlight, all rolled into one, and it’s supposedly going to be used in a special way at the concert. So I had our two other friends (who watched Arashi in Osaka) to buy them for us when they lined up for goods.

So we had to practically speed through Nagoya Castle, then walk back to the station, then make several stops at the subway, then back to the hotel. By this time, it was already past 3. By the time we got to the Dome, it was already past 4. Haha! Stress~!

We went in, found our seats, sat down… then realized we failed to have our fanlights activated! Apparently, it has to be activated, so that throughout the concert, the “powers-that-be” (production staff, maybe) can control the light that it will emit at certain points of the concert.

So we had to rush out again. I had to look for a staff who knows how to speak English, and it was a good thing we didn’t have to go out of the Dome again to have it activated.

We went back to our seats, and waited until the clock hit 6pm. The show has started.

During the Concert

WHOOSH. That was what I felt when the lights dimmed, the audience got to its feet, the stage sprang to life, and the boys appeared for their opening number.

I was reminded clearly why I just adore these 5. They know how to put on a great show.

The first half was mostly songs off the Digitalian album which, I admit, did not initially grab at me when I first heard the album. Then I saw the songs performed live, and I changed my mind.

I could not pinpoint a single favorite from the show.

Aiba’s solo made me laugh; he’s such a dear. Ohno’s solo – OF COURSE – he’s the no-fail guy when it comes to solos. And that’s not just my bias talking. I also liked how Jun’s solo was low-key. No stripping or drama this time around – just him performing.

And let me just say, I LOVE ALL THEIR HAIR.

The MC part was, as always, fun AND funny. I only managed to understand less than half of it, though, since they were all speaking so quickly and using words too deep and slangy for my basic-er than basic Nihonggo to grasp. I only know they spoke about their junior days, and how they used to be so nervous dancing behind their sempai groups (seniors), then how Aiba is Mr. Disco Star, then there was another dig at Sho’s sloping shoulders (nadegata) when his towel kept on slipping down his, well, sloping, shoulders.

The stage also had this area where there are 5 number indicators with the respective colors of the members. At the beginning of the MC, they said that it indicates their actual, real-time heartbeat. I couldn’t remember the exact figures, since it changes every second, but…

Jun – between 125 to 130

Aiba – between 120 t0 125

Ohno – between 110-115

Nino – between 100-110

Sho – between 86 to 92

The four members pointed out how Sho’s is so low, and Nino snarkily pointed out that Sho is already a “pro” at things such as these, he does not get nervous any longer. Still, they have to find a way to bring Sho’s heart rate up. So they made him run down the length of the right stage, then back. Then down the length of the left stage, then back again.

It worked. His heart rate reached 140+. A few minutes later of heavy panting and breathing, and it clocked in at 150+. Keio Boy is so proud. 🙂

Throughout the concert, the heart rate of the boys was displayed, and it was noticeable how Jun’s is the highest, even reaching 180. Aiba’s is close behind him, while Ohno is just in the middle. It’s Nino and Sho who are probably the least nervous among them, if the heart rate monitor is any indicator.

We were warned beforehand how Jun was very particular about how the fanlights are to be used, so we just had to fight our way through the throng to have it activated. During the concert, Jun launched into a long spiel on how it would be used, and Sho was like, ‘listen to the teacher’. “Sensei wa kibishii”. (the teacher is strict.) All in all, I think Jun was happy with the Nagoya audience in that regard.

My Thoughts

Our seats (on the stands) aren’t the best, but I was still very happy with it. It was at an angle from the stage, between 3 and 4 o’clock. But we can see pretty much everything.

It’s not a fluke, folks. If you thought those concert DVDs were edited to make the whole thing look like a festival, you’re wrong. The atmosphere is really jumpin’ crazy festival-like. It’s like there’s a burst of rainbows that just. won’t. quit.

I can’t tell which part of the con was my favorite, because I was riveted from beginning to end. The laser and light show, the fanlights filling the entire space, the numbers…. I was particularly in awe of their perf of “Hope in the Darkness”. I swear I could hear my heart beat along with it. (And let me just give a shout-out to Ohno’s hand. Haha!)

What amazed me even more is the turnout of people. The Dome has a capacity of around 40,000, and the place was filled to the rafters. Young girls, little girls (I think some are even 6-year-olds!) came with their moms, middle-aged women who looked like they came directly from work, hardcore fangirls wearing makeup and all dressed up, cosplayers, students who are still in their school uniforms…

…and that’s not all.

Elderly women walking together – some of them even using canes and walking sticks! Young and middle-aged men still in their suits (just came from the office) and work bags. Boys in their badass jeans and snapbacks. And I was even sitting next to a guy who is well into his 50s, and he’s with his wife! He was holding the fanlight, and I overheard him speaking to his wife, pointing out parts of the stage where the boys are likely to come out.

Cool, eh? I, for one, am impressed. With this much support and adulation that Arashi (and other Japanese acts) are getting in their homeland, it’s easy to understand why they are not too keen on going global and holding concerts abroad.

One other thing I appreciated was the obvious thought and effort put into the show. The idea of the fanlights is ingenious. Oh, there are a few who were unable to have their fanlights activated, so you can spot them when the Dome is flooded with blue or red lights, and they’re different, but they are only a few – at least from what I could see from my vantage point.

The orderly way with which the whole thing was conducted also amazed me. First, they made the ones at the 4th level go out of the Dome first, followed by the 3rd, the 2nd, then the ones on the arena seats. There were staff “manning” the exits, clearly showing the people where to go to. Even at the subway, the number of people going in is regulated, so there won’t be a mad crush at the cars.

Taking photographs was a no-no. There were staff members walking around, pacing through the aisles with large signs saying NO PHOTOGRAPHY, NO TAKING OF PICTURES, NO USING OF MOBILE PHONES. That broke my heart. I left my compact digicam at the hotel coz it was bulky, but whenever I think of its 50x zoom capability, my heart broke all over again. I did slip in my pocket-sized point-and-shoot, though, and it takes crappy pictures. haha! I manage to sneak in a few snaps because the staff did not go to our area. Much.

I suppose this is one of those rules I broke throughout this trip and, for that, I deeply apologize. Keeping some of the photos at very LQ for obvious reasons, and posting only a few of them.

On the first day, prior to entering the Dome, we saw some people lining up for the official con goods.

We went back to the Dome the next day to check out some stuff at the nearby Aeon Mall, and get a couple of last-minute goods, and the crowd was thicker.

In the nearby Aeon Mall was a convenience store with an Arashi corner. 🙂 I tried the Mets cola, and it’s… well, just cola. Nothing special. ‘Cept for the fact that it is endorsed by Arashi, I suppose.

I’m glad to have seen them perform onstage live again. I hope to be able to do so sometime in the future.

Wrapping up this post with a pic of Cathy’s (from Oz) Arashi nails. 🙂