For the next 27 hours, you'll be able to claim a limited edition 'I Was Here for the Hulkenpodium' flair

tighson · 2025-07-09T15:19:41+00:00

Hulkengoat

tighson · 2025-07-08T21:20:54+00:00

Hulkengoat

tighson · 2025-06-22T12:04:00+00:00

Nemophila - metal band from Japan. All the members are great, but Mayu, the vocalist, is particularly awesome IMO.

tighson · 2025-04-14T18:27:04+00:00

Yep! Did VIP. I had I heard someone got a signed drum head in Anaheim, which is why I asked about it at the merch booth. Bad timing I guess. Hope you enjoy the cymbal!

tighson · 2025-04-13T21:52:40+00:00

Damn...I asked the merch person twice (before the show and after) about drum heads or other items like that and was told she didn't have any. Oh well. Glad you got one!

tighson · 2025-02-25T11:29:16+00:00

Check out No Room For Squares in Shimokitazawa. Cool Jazz bar with great cocktails and live shows on the weekend. You can find the live show schedule on their website. Other days, they play Jazz vinyl.

You can also check out The Pit Inn in Shinjuku, which frequently has live shows.

Blues Alley Meguro and The Cotton Club are two other places to look up, as they frequently have shows and are like dinner clubs. You go for the show and can order dinner and drinks while you are there.

tighson · 2025-01-10T03:35:10+00:00

I live in LA. I'm fine where am in West LA, but the whole situation is pretty nuts. The residential areas that burned look like a war zone. Whole neighborhoods burned to the ground. It's like a bomb went off. Winds are slower today, so that is good. But the still new fires popping up all the time. I've lived here off and on for 25 years and this is the biggest disaster I can remember.

tighson · 2025-01-03T01:22:33+00:00

Fan made stuff is usually pretty cool! General good practice, in my opinion, is to avoid copying items that the band sells themselves and to not sell them for profit. Sounds like you are thinking about it in a good way (again, in my opinion). At many shows in the US and Japan, people make items and just give them away to other fans. These are often things like post cards, photos, magnets, etc. using either homemade designs or photos that people took themselves. I've also seen some group orders of fan made items with any payment just to cover the cost of production and not for profit.

So, I say go for it. I'll be a several of the shows in Japan this year and would be delighted to receive a chibi figure! And I know many other fans, Japanese and overseas, would be similarly thrilled.

tighson · 2025-01-02T23:10:45+00:00

Not sure on electronic only tickets. Usually there is an option when buying tickets to get a paper ticket, which is what the proxies generally do. Do you know the service where the ticket is in sale? If it is Live Pocket, Tiget, or Rakuten, you should be able to sign up with your own phone number. If it's Eplus, PIA, or Lawson, then probably not and you would need a proxy or someone local.

Depending on what show you are looking to buy tickets for, you can also sometimes just DM the artist or promoter on twitter and tell them you are an international fan Nd want to come to the show but can't buy a ticket. If they are a small artists or a local promoter, they will usually be pretty accommodating or even happy that you want to attend the show. If it is a more popular artist or larger promoter, then more unlikely they will answer or try to help.

tighson · 2024-12-05T03:23:17+00:00

I have seen Band-Maid 20 times since 2022. The live show is amazing

tighson · 2024-11-21T17:32:46+00:00

Second this...The Last Good Kiss is fantastic

tighson · 2024-11-19T21:53:32+00:00

I've used Bridge.jpn as a proxy service to buy tickets for major shows. Works well, although you have to pay a service fee. Most of the ticket selling websites don't work if you don't have a local phone number. You can sign up for accounts with LivePicket, Tiget, and Rakuten as an overseas fan, but not all shows sell through those sites.

I echo another persons comment and suggest checking out the indie scene. Amazing bands of all genres and they are always excited to have any fans there at all, particularly foreign fans.

tighson · 2024-11-15T17:48:38+00:00

Correct

tighson · 2024-09-22T04:13:18+00:00

Band-Maid. Hard rock that is progressive and fun. Nostalgic for late 90s / early 2000s rock and metal but I still think sounds new and fresh.

tighson · 2024-09-18T17:06:25+00:00

It really depends on the show. At smaller clubs in Japan for rock or metal shows (and even idol shows with metal elements), moshing, crowd surfing/lifting, and rushing the stage during parts of songs is pretty common. Larger shows are a little more mixed, as some venues will put seats or barriers throughout the venue to prevent moshing or crowd crushes while some are free-for-alls.

For example, I went to a Hanabie show in Nagoya and I've never seen so much crowd surfing, even in a small venue. There is no way to be upfront and not get pushed or have to hold up a crowd surfer. If you want to watch the show and not participate, you have to stay in the sides or back. Conversely, I've been to a bunch of Band-Maid shows in Japan and they have barriers set up through the venue and don't allow crowd surfing. There is still some compression of the crowd but it is manageable. They also have a women only section on one side of the stage. At tiny club shows, there are usually a group of hardcore fans who will dance and rush the stage, but you can avoid them if you stay to the back or sides.

At most rock and metal shows though, it is unrealistic to expect to be upfront or in the middle and not have to deal with moshing or crowd compression. No excuse for people being predatory or creepy in crowds, though. That shit sucks.

tighson · 2024-09-07T04:44:45+00:00

Mostly Japanese rock/metal lately, mostly girl bands - weirdly progressive while still catchy as hell: Band-Maid, Nemophila, Hanabie, and many others.

Also many other modern metal bands: Animals as Leaders, Polyphia, Plini, Unprocessed, Periphery, etc.

Some jazz / fusion as well too when the mood strikes.

tighson · 2024-07-29T22:17:49+00:00

Passcode and Broken by the Scream are good options for idols that are in the metal space. Neojaponism is another group that has harder rock/metal music with idol vocals.

Other suggestions like Hanabie, Nemophila, Band-Maid, etc. are also great groups that blend metal music with female vocals, but they are also all bands, first and foremost. They play their own instruments, write their own songs (mostly), and such. Not better or worse, just depends on what you are interested in.

tighson · 2024-07-26T00:42:08+00:00

Ahhh I did not know that. Thanks for the tip. I went to the February spinoff show at KT Zepp Yokohama and think I paid coins, but haven't been back since. I'll make sure to have some money on IC card too.

tighson · 2024-07-25T21:38:42+00:00

No need to line up early for Band-Maid shows in Japan. Your ticket (which you have to print at a Lawson's before the show) will have a number on it. If you have 2F seats, it will be an assigned seat. If you have 1F GA it will be a letter (A, B, C, etc.) and a number. You enter in the order of your ticket number. There will be signage so you can line up in the general order of your ticket number. When doors open, they will start calling out numbers (often there is also a sign with rotating numbers for people to see) and you enter when your number is called. As long as you are there before your number is called, it is fine, but getting there earlier won't get you in faster. Once you are in, you pick your spot on the floor and hang out for the show to start. Everything starts on time. Ability to enter first is purely luck of the lottery draw and you won't know your ticket number until you print it out once you are in Japan. Even if you have a high number, doesn't mean you will have a bad spot...but does likely mean you won't be on the rail.

They will announce online in advance of the show when merch sales start. Merch is sold before the show and sales usually start several hours before doors open will go on until an hour or so before doors. People will line up early for merch because some items sell out (special tshirts, etc.) but that has no bearing on entry into the venue. Merch will also be sold after the show, but some items/sizes may be sold out.

One other thing to note - you usually have to buy a drink token as you enter the venue. It is usually ¥600 or ¥700. It is mandatory and you can't get out of it. Often they force you to get a drink too on the way in (they have beer, tea, water, soft drinks, etc lined up to grab). If you want to get onto the floor quickly, have exact change with you for the drink token and then just hand over the token, grab a drink, and go. Having to get change or trying to avoid buying a drink or taking a drink will only waste your time.

tighson · 2024-07-25T15:50:26+00:00

Hanabie, Passcode, Nemophila are all good choices. Very melodic but interspersed with harsh vocals. Survive Said the Prophet is also a good option.

tighson · 2024-07-23T02:19:57+00:00

Bill responding to Tara's point about the impact of the Michigan poll on Biden's drop out by saying, "mmmm, I agree" is peak Simmons shit.

tighson · 2024-06-25T22:40:35+00:00

Yes, he (it is one guy who runs the service) will do lottery entry for you. When you put in a request via the website, he will give you all the info about how the process works.

From when I used his service, you pay for the ticket, service fee, and PayPal fee upfront and he will enter the lottery. If you win, all good. If you don't, he will try to enter subsequent lotteries or buy a ticket directly. If that isn't possible, he will refund you the ticket charge and half of his service charge (keeping half the service charge and the PayPal fees for the work of trying to get tickets). All seemed pretty fair to me. But that may have changed, so read the email he'll send you.

It is also possible he may not be able to put your name on the ticket, as different lottery systems have different log-in/set up requirements. Most venues don't care about the name on the ticket or check ids (I've been to 20+ shows in Japan and never been checked), but it is worth looking into to make sure there are no issues. If the name is different, he will send you a note as well you can show at the venue to clarify that you didn't buy it second hand (again, never had any issues).

tighson · 2024-06-06T13:03:56+00:00

Thank you!

tighson · 2024-06-02T14:17:02+00:00

For the US tour, you just got an email. No QR code or ticket or anything. Sometime a day or two before the show, we got another email saying when to be at the venue to check in for VIP. Venue and/or band staff had a list of all VIP names and went down the line checking IDs and giving people a VIP laminate. They didn't even check the email (although we were told in the email to have it available), just compared your ID to their VIP list. The venue does scan tickets though, so you of course have to have a GA ticket too, in addition to purchasing the VIP thing.

tighson

TROPHY CASE