A couple weekends ago I went to a hardcore metal concert in Tokyo. I have always wanted to see a metal concert in Tokyo because all my favorite rock bands record their live albums at their Tokyo concerts. However, due to the hard economic times, none of my favorite bands are able to travel to Japan for some concerts. So, instead, I went to see some local bands at a small venue.
An old friend from Jewish Summer camp, Andrew, is currently living in Tokyo working for a music company. His job is to pretty much to go to smaller concerts and listen to local bands, and try to find good artists for his record company; Pretty sweet, huh? So he found a concert for us to go to using his abundant resources.
The Japanese concert experience was like nothing I've ever experienced. First, the venue: The place was tiny. It was a single narrow room with a small elevated stage and a tiny bar in the back. Surprisingly, the sound was INCREDIBLE. I could hear every single guitar string being plucked. For a place that small, it was unbelievable. I've been to small venues before, like the Whiskey on Sunset (which is at least 3 times the size of this place), and the sound in this small place was 100X better.
Next, the dancing: This was a thrash metal or hardcore concert. So, you know that screaming music that makes you cringe whenever you rarely hear it? It was that kind of concert. Very heavy guitar melodies and super fast and loud vocals. There's a certain style of "dancing" to this type of music called "Hardcore Dancing." The best way to describe hardcore dancing is that a person enters the center of the opening in the "dance floor" and starts fighting as hard as he can against the air. He will kick, punch, swing his arms, and just go crazy, hitting nothing but air. They dance like this in states to this kind of music, But the Japanese kids put a little bit of a twist on it. Instead of just punches and elbows, the Japanese youth went flying through the crowd doing flying round-house kicks. It was insane. If you were on the edge of the mosh pit, you got beat up, all there is to it; I got a bruise or two. It was interesting to say the least
Finally, the audience: Japanese concerts are notorious for their audiences. In this type of music its very typical for people to just unleash all the energy that they have been bundling for the week. As I explained, the people mostly do this through hardcore dancing. But, in-between songs, the crowd goes COMPLETELY silent. Not a sound. Everyone listens intently and with the utmost respect to what the artist is saying.
After a few songs and a few flasks of Whiskey, we talk to some Japanese guys. Andrew, who has had a lot of experience being a white person at a Japanese show, told me "they will ask you if you like so-and-so band, and no matter what, say yes, and they will buy you drinks." So, after saying I like blah blah, They take us to the store next door and buy us beers.
After the show, we met another white girl (from australia) and her Japanese boyfriend. We end up going with them to some english pub down the street to greasy drunk food. Delicious....
I made it onto the last train, and almost slept through my stop. I slept the entire next day!
Thanks for sharing! Oh, we will certainly say yes... as long as they won´t ask if I like Queen... Can´t wait to hit Japan in May for the Ozzfest.
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