So, I am back, after spending 2 great days in Hokkaido, eating yummy seafood, soaking in the hot springs and watching 5 cute guys romping around the stage.
People who have not been initiated into the world of Johnny madness might disagree, but this is my idea of a of a great holiday.
The Sapporo concerts started cold enough, after we spent 3 hours in the freezing rain queuing for goods on Day 1, the 14th. The goods line looked shorter than it looked, but looks were deceiving. It might seem like pure coincidence, but it seems that it has been raining alot during Arashi concerts this year. First, it was Kokuritsu, then it was the Arashi challenge week live and then now Sapporo. It rained the whole day and as a result, people were still streaming in even after 6pm, the stipulated start time. The thing about Sapporo Dome is that the Arena does not have an exit, like Tokyo and Osaka Domes, which means that to get out of the arena, one would have to tromp thru the stands. That made the time taken to get in and out of the dome even longer than normal.
There is really nothing much to report of the concert setlist and what they did, really, because I think the only thing that they changed in the setlist was the final song, from 'Seasons' to 'My Girl'. Everything was the same as Osaka.
I think they changed the set slightly, the alignment of side hanamichis - as they released more tickets at the last minute. There were extra seats added were really at the side - corners which were really you couldnt totally really see everything. So they changed the angle of the Hanamichis to cater to the people who were really at the sides. And they would spend more time at the corners, waving at the fans there, who, from their angle, probably couldn't see alot of things.
The areas right at the top of the Dome, areas which i didnt even know there were seats, every seat in the Dome was filled.
This was dramatic difference from just a year ago, where despite the fact that it was the last venue of the Dream-A live tour, all the seats at the back of the dome were empty. There were even 当日券 - you could just roll up and get a ticket for the day, they weren't sold out and fans were selling tickets at below cost price and fans giving up tickets in pairs and fours were a common sight on the ticket exchange boards. Fast forward a year, and even the most awkard corners of the dome, the seats that were almost touching the ceiling of the dome (天井席) were filled up, and the tickets generally didn't go below cost and fans letting go of tickets at cost price to another fan were not really a common sight on the boards.
Back in 2005, when SMAP was very much THE idol group in Japan, I still managed to get a stand ticket at Sapporo Dome, 12 rows from the front, at cost price from the auctions. The same seat this year, for the Arashi concert, would have gone for at least three times the cost price. Its really a testimony that they have come a long way to where they are today, but they are still pretty much the same bunch of silly guys that debuted in the transparent costumes 10 years ago. I liked what Ohchan said at the final greeting during the concert on the 14th. He said about their rise in popularity - 'If we ever look like we are getting too big for our heads due to the fame, please bring us back to the ground.'
I saw more guys and foreign fans at this concert, Korean, Chinese, English and dads with kids and even a guy cosplaying Yattaman (in full attire). They guys also noticed the pattern of the crowd and made all the guys yell out 'arashi daisuki!' during the MC. Jun, in his closing speech, thanked all the fans in Japan as well as all of their supporters in the world, for their support all these 10 years.
I bring you the MC on the 15th:
S: YAY!!! YAY!!!
Fans: 'YAY!!
S: We are Arashi!
O,N, A: (bowing) Yoroshiku!
J: You guys enjoying yourself!
Fan: YAY!!!!
S: Well you guys are very enthusiastic today. We are glad that you are enjoying yourselves. Could you please sit down for a while because we would like to chat with you.
J: Yeah, there is still a long way to the end of the concert.
Jun goes to the side of the stage to change his shirt. Capt stares at him.
Fans: 'KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA~~'
S: Thank you for coming to our concert today. You know, I noticed it yesterday too, don't you think that there are alot of males in the audience?
N: Ohhh.
J: Let's listen to the voices of the guys.
S: Ok all the men out there, including the boys in the audience, could you raise your voice?
J: What do u want them to say?
N: 'Arashi Dai-suki!!!'
Fans: 'HAHAHAHA'
S: There are quite alot of them in the audience, so please yell in unison!
J: Let's hear the manly voices.
S: Ok, let's go!
Men in audience: 'ARASHI DAI-SUKI!!!!!'
(Female fans and Arashi were very surprised!! It was pretty loud! I was really surprised too!)
Arashi: 'WOW!! wee!! Sugoi!!!'
S: iiya iiya,iiya!!
A: This is great! We are happy!
S: I want to hear it one more time!
J: OK this time just 'DAI SUKI ' will do.
S: Sorry, but ladies in the audience, could you please keep quiet.
Se~no~
Males: 'DAI-SUKI!!!!!!'
Everyone: 'HAHAHAHAHAHA'
N: This was louder than last time!
S: Sugoi
A: Suge~ I wonder how many are out there.
S: the guys who have come to see us in Sapporo, your voice really stands out. And they really try to catch our attention. During 'Hadashi no mirai', there was this guy that did this: 'sticks two fingers out and winks. trying to look cool'. How should I react?!!
N: aren't u happy?
Fans: HAHAHAH
A: And there were some people with short sleeves.
S: OK shall we listen to the female voices too!!?
Fans: YAY!!!!
S: So what shall we say? Sugoi, we heard the guys say 'DAI SUKI' to us.
'Aishite ru?!'
Fans: KYAAAAAA~~
A: It's not something u yell out. (yells out AISHITE~~RUUU~~'
N: OK in that case, don't say it too enthusiatically. I'm not one who says it often though.
N,J: OK let's go with 'Aishite ru'
S: People who don't love us, please also say it. se-no!!!!
Fans: AISHITE RU!!!!!!!!
J: I love you guys too!!!!!
Fans: 'KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA~~~'
O: What happens if you say it in a low voice?
A: you want the guys to yell it out?
N: what kind of segment is this!?
S, J, A, N: we are very happy. thank you very much.
J: Today, it seems we have the most number of people ever, in the Sapporo Dome. Even more than the Japan series baseball matches.
Fans: HAHAHAHA
N: Sugoi, we appreciate your coming.
S: Yesterday we all went for a meal.
J: That was really delicious. We went to a shop recommended to us by Ooizumi You-san, whom I am acting with. Since he is from Hokkaido, I asked him introduce a place to us.
fans: Eh.....
J, A,N: it was very delicious.
S: we felt that we had become adults.
N: yes, I agree.
S: We went to eat sushi. It was a small place, and we sat around the counter. The shop was so small, only 5 of us could go in
A: Yes not those sushi places with the conveyor belt.
S: yes if it were the conveyor belt , then the converyor belt would just be rotating around us!
S,N: We felt that we had become adults.
A: Yes, the sushi was in small bite sized pieces.
S: Yes, it looked like someone shrunk it.
N: that is very adult, don't you think?
S: and then when the maguro (tuna) came out, for a moment, I though that Ohno Satoshi, who was sitting next to me, had become a foreigner. When he was eating the Tuna, he went 'OH MY GOD!!' (Sho screws up his face, closes his eyes and goes OH MY GOD!' XDX D)
Fans: HAHAHAHAHHAHA
O: that maguro was delicious!
S: When I was wondering what he said, I realised he said 'Ooma- no - Maguro' (ie, The maguro that was from Ooma, in Aomori prefecture, which is supposed to be premium stuff) XD
N: (to capt) you couldnt remember, could you?! (I wonder how drunk capt must have been) XD
S: When you got back what did you guys do?
A: When I got back, I turned on the TV to watch a soccer match. It was Jpn vs South Africa. The I opened the script for 'My Girl' and tried to memorize it for my shooting the following day.
N: Hang on, you mean that u have shooting today?
A: No its tomorrow.
J: Well, it was past midnight, so technically is the next day.
N: Ohhh
A: And when I opened the book at looked at the script, I fell asleep and when I woke up the next morning, the book was over my face. Like in the manga.
N: Aiba-san, i think you didnt even read a word of the script and fell asleep.
A: hehehehe. Shochan how about u?
S: I didnt do anything and went to sleep immediately.
A: well we ate a ton and drunk alot. we were very full and satisfied.
J: Well, its been some time since we had a concert, hasn't it? And the oldest of us, is now 29.
S: Your birthday is next week right?
Fans: YAY!!!
N: What do u want?
A: From the 4 of us.
O: U guys giving me something? no, no, its fine, really.
J: Look, he is looking very happy!!
O: But I am not asking you guys to give me anything.
N: But we are asking you what you want! What do you want most now?!
A: If its expensive, we'll share the cost.
N: Don't worry about the price.
O: OK, I want a BOAT!!
Fans: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
J, S, A, N: HEY...........well.... that...hmmmm.....(looking very doubtful that they can buy him a boat)
O: But you guys just said not to worry about the price!!!!!
N,A: Sorry, but we can't buy you a boat!
J: hey, how about a boat made of salt bricks!!!
S: As boat captain, I can give u a boat made of blocks.
O: Hey that is embarrassing!
S: Embarrassing!!? We really put all our effort into building that boat!!
N: what shall we buy you?
A: we always cant decide what to buy for another members birthday
N: What does a 29-year old want?
O: Well I want to buy the fishing rod myself.
N: Well, that is personal, I understand.
S: Didn't you say you wanted one of those industrial freezers?
J: what do u want to do with an industrial sized freezer in your home? are you going to use it?
O: Well, I need it to put all the fish I caught....
N: can one of those industrial sized freezers fit through your door?
J:My image of those freezers is that it is made of concrete. Can the floor take it?
O: Well I did some checking. There are various types......
S: Hahaha you really checked!!!
O: There are small ones.
A: you want that?
O: yes I want that?
N: You want a freezer, right?
N: Ok we can think about that.
O: Thank you.
J: Its 11 more days to go right?
S: Next Sunday?
O: hmm I think...so
END OF MAIN MC.
After that, they each introduce their individual projects, as well as the dorama where the 5 of them are acting. Jun makes a mistake and introduces his dorama as 'Boku no Rekishi' instead of 'wagaya no rekishi'
As usual, the MC nvr fails to entertain. : )
PS. Jun's 'HYAKU~NEN~~♪' was perfect on the last day, after he had a disastrous attempt at croaking the day before. I was so amazed that he sang in tune, I inadvertently clapped when he didn't go out. :P
In fact everyone in the dome clapped, it was like everyone was dreading hearing the croaky 'Hyaa-ku nen!!' again for the 2nd time. (I believe Nakai fans have the same reaction when he sings in tune. XD)