Shibuya is famous for having a lot of music stores, and like all the other stores in Japan, they are multi-level and gorgeous, gleaming with white metal. They're pretty cool looking and make the stores here in the U.S. look like pigsties! I don't know how they keep everything so neat and clean. For some reason I couldn't find the HMV - it must have been somewhere far away from the railline. I did find the Shibuya Tower Records, but didn't find anything interesting, save the Japanese "version" of PULSE! for my co-princess Sara, the resident Radiohead fanatic. I figured she'd appreciate the magazine because of the picture of Thom Yorke (think that's his name) on the cover and the pictures of Radiohead inside. Other than that, they didn't have anything Duran Duran related that I wanted. When I asked where the John Taylor stuff was, I practically cracked up. They'd shelved it under the Js! LMAO!
I'd remembered a picture at TTP that had John's stuff next to John Travolta (*giggle*) but it hadn't occurred to me that it was going to be under the Js and not the Ts! (Rule of thumb: some stores in Japan don't even shelve John's stuff under J or T. Some shelve his stuff with Duran Duran's. How's that for non sequitur?) No new JT stuff for me to buy. We also went over to the Virgin Megastore in Shibuya, where I bought the Japan-only single of "Last Day on Earth" (for $8 American) and I found the enhanced, remastered "Rio" so I bought that too (for $18 American). Now that I'm back in the States, I begrudgingly announce that the remastered "Rio" can be purchased in such sundry stores like Best Buy for MUCH less that I bought it as. So much for saying there were only going to be 7500 limited edition copies, because I would guess that the Virgin Megastore I went to, they alone had quite a hefty number of that "supposed" 7500.
Around 5:30 PM, my dad and I went over to try and find the Shibuya-AX. I had chatted with some locals online a couple weeks previous, who gave me the good directions that the AX was near the Yoyogi sports complex, so it was relatively easy to find. I was underwhelmed at the venue. I figured there had to be some back entrance to the club, but looking at the large, long asphalt entrance, I wondered how cool it would be if Duran Duran pulled up in front of the venue right then and there...
It started to rain a bit and some of the concert goers hid under umbrellas and trees. People were still buying tickets up the minute that we were supposed to be let in. Okay, this is when I get kind of upset because since I can't understand Japanese, I had no clue I could enter the venue at exactly 6 PM. Tina and I had tickets 8 and 9 - supposedly #8 and #9 to enter the venue, yet the Japanese security there made no indication that I was supposed to line up. Finally, when I realized large numbers of Japanese fans were running into the venue, I went to go talk to the guards at the front, who let me in. By the time I got in there, there was already at least 100 people lined up in front of the stage!
Despite this problem, I managed to make it to "second" row. This actually was a good thing in the long run because I don't think I would have liked being pushed up against one of the barriers, and the people around me were effective in helping me to hide my camera. I decided to put myself on Nick's side, since the crowd at that early point was evenly distributed. Tina and our other friends showed up kind of late, because of a taxi mishap (apparently their driver didn't understand where they wanted to go) but thank goodness we found each other before the show. Amber and company were up above us, in reserved seats, we waved up to them.
Simon wore a dark top (and khakis? I don't remember) and Nick wore the "Jesus suit" of the last couple tours. I don't remember what Warren wore. I was expecting them to perform the same show but instead they started with "Planet Earth." I honestly couldn't tell from the first night that the show at the Forum was very, very subdued compared to what Duran Duran was used to in the U.S. Guess that's because I was enjoying my first DD concert and nothing really could have fazed me at that point. But by the time of the second concert at the Shibuya-AX, this crowd was nothing like the Forum's crowd on Sunday. They were jumping up and down, singing along, and having a great time. At this time, I would like to thank the Japanese for being, by and large, about my height. I know that if I had gone to any of the 2001 HOB concerts in the U.S., I probably wouldn't have been able to see anything, because I'm so short. (I despise being short!) So I think for my first Duran Duran concerts, I'm glad I was with a crowd that wasn't particularly intimidating.
Does Nick's suit glow in the dark? I'm not sure but it sure looked that way to me. I was loving this concert even more than the first, and it was obvious that the guys felt the same way. There was an amazing level of energy at this concert that was absent from the first. Heck, someone's grandfather was sitting in the front row at the Forum concert, and Simon was having a hell of a time trying to get that guy into the music. Then again, us foreigners were having a good time too. When "All She Wants Is" was announced, some of my new friends (Christy and Kim) yelled, "Nick!" really loudly, and Nick responded with a heart-palpitating grin. Another time, we yelled for Joe, who answered with an extended drum roll. I seem to remember some of the other girls yelling for Wes too. Mind you, I don't get to go to a lot of concerts, and this was definitely one for the books. I reinitiated my "winking at Nick" campaign that night and Mr. Rhodes rewarded me with a couple winks back. I considered blowing some kisses to him but realized he wouldn't be able to return them while he was playing.
They didn't do "Skin Trade" or "Union of the Snake" that night but they did do "The Reflex" which I loved. Also, "I Don't Want Your Love" and "Too Much Information" were played at this concert. The highlight for me was probably "Lava Lamp," which I didn't predict they were going to do. Simon messed up the beginning of that song royally. I realized that I knew the lyrics sometimes better than ol' Mr. LeBon! Man, what a Duranie I am becoming, I think to myself. Music is one of few things that allows me to let loose, and I think people who know me in "reality" would be surprised that I become the party animal when exposed to my favorite brand of music.
Now that I have fully (well, as fully as I can) recovered from these experiences, I wish I could have videotapes of the concerts I've been to. It'd be amazing to relive these experiences again and again. But you can't always have what you want, and my records of these concerts have to be confined to photos.
The band does encores, and this night was no exception. My attempt to take a photo of Nick and Simon when they were about to leave the stage for the first time (before the encore) was hampered by the fact that I got yelled at by one of the security guards and he took my camera. I was worried about losing the camera - I figured my dad would *kill* me if it was confiscated. Also, I was upset because I'd known I'd got some really ace shots of Nick during the concert and didn't want to lose those. I'd missed taking a nice picture of Nick taking a Japanese paper fan from a concert-goer and fanning himself, smiling. Darn, that would have been such a great picture! But that point I was worrying about my camera, although the guard was nice enough to give me a claim ticket to get my camera back after the concert. A lot of people in Japan have the same camera as I do, it seems, so luckily all the cameras were numbered when I went to the camera booth after the last chords of "Rio" ended. I grabbed my #28 marked camera and headed back to the stage. Some of my friends had scored backstage passes and although I didn't have one, I hoped Nick and Simon would recognize me from the two concerts, have pity on me, and let me in to the post-party.
I was pretty pessimistic about it all, figuring that with my kind of luck, they were probably checking the list of who was SUPPOSED to be there, and they would kick me out the second they knew that I did not have a pass.
click here for episode 5B
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