Golden Bomber Live

So many things that I need to blog about that have happened in the past month! My computer has been acting up again so I was using the laptop for awhile and it's even slower than my computer. *sigh* 

Let's start with Golden Bomber! Last month, a bunch of us went back to Tokyo, Japan again and it was once again a really fun trip. Lots of shopping, fashion, and food adventures! One of the concerts that our friend Becca managed to get tickets for while we were there was Golden Bomber. I've heard of the group in passing because Becca and Bosu have mentioned how crazy their short live performance was at the V-Kei fest back in October. Becca couldn't come with us because she had to work, so it was up to Bosu and I to experience Golden Bomber live!

Golden Bomber

I'll admit I don't know too much about Golden Bomber except for their most popular song, Memeshikute. So I had to brush up some of their music before went. They're a bit of a gag band because the singer sings live and the rest of the group doesn't play their instruments. With an 'air band' concept at first, all of the music is pre-recorded by other musicians, but the group has moved on from that and correct me if I'm wrong, I believe they have started to learn to play their instruments. :3

They have become really popular right now in Japan and getting tickets to their live proved to be difficult for Becca. Bosu and I had to raise our limit of how much we wanted to spend on tickets for Becca to find us some good tickets! 

Row 17, seats 46 and 47

The row and seat got cut off in my picture, but Becca managed to get us seats in row 17! The venue was Chibaken Bunka Kaikan which was about a 15 minute walk from Honchiba station. Becca gave us a visual map to follow so we wouldn't get lost. It isn't super easy to find, but thankfully we didn't have problems thanks to the directions!

Bosu and I set out to Chiba early so we could avoid getting lost and have plenty of time to check out the area and venue. There's not too much around Honchiba station and a lot of the shops were closed or not open yet for dinner. We ended up getting an early dinner from the convenience store! Not ideal food...but good enough! I ended up getting an omurice and Bosu got some gyoza and crab meat sticks. Hilarious! I bought some random kitkat bars to keep my sugar and energy level up for the concert too.

Romantic dinner? LOL

When we arrived at the venue after we finished eating and checked out the inside and got some swag, I really noticed that we were getting stared at a lot. I think it was partially because everyone there was surprised to see a Caucasian person at the concert and a lot of the girls there would point and glance at Bosu and whisper to their friends. Another reason was because we were dressed really similarly and had leopard hoodies on, so we matched. I borrowed the hoodie from Bosu to complete my outfit (and he actually gave it to me after because he admitted it was a bit too small for him! XD ). So, I suppose we just stuck out a bit from the rest of the concert goers. So we wouldn't get stared at for the entire hour before we could enter the theater we decided to find a place to sit, and the venue has a nice park next to it with some benches that is very secluded.

Golden Bomber time!

 They started to let concert goers at 6pm, and they had everyone line up in 2 pairs to make it easier for the staff to check the tickets as you were going in. So organized and civilized! I forgot to take a picture of the venue layout, but the theater was most likely intended for traditional plays because there were side areas that the band members could walk to that ended around row 12. So, sometimes we could see the members quite close!

View of the stage from our seats.

It's common courtesy to not take pictures or videos at the concerts in Japan, so before the hall filled with all the people, I snuck a shot on my camera of the stage. We were off towards the right hand side, but it was still close enough to have an enjoyable experience!

The concert was a blend between a gag act, theater play and concert. The beginning and end had lot of energy from the band and the audience, and in the middle they introduced some skits that tied into their music. Unfortunately, it was a bit lost for Bosu and I since our Japanese isn't that great so we didn't understand much. They also had some pre-recorded videos at the beginning and end to set the overall mood and tone of the concert. A usual concert is about 1.5 hours, this one was 3 hours long! 

We were a bit concerned with the time because we had to get back to our hotel before the last train for the lines we were taking! The next day we were leaving Japan, so we were a bit nervous about that. (However, we made it back with time to spare!)

Golden Bomber has some really intense furi moves to some of their songs! The band will teach you some on the spot during the concert, but otherwise, if you're a true fan, you should know all the moves that coordinate with the songs. Since Bosu and I have had experience with GazettE furi, it wasn't too hard to predict or pick up. I had to watch the audience at points to know what to do though. ^__^"

The best gag was towards the end when they rolled out a 1:1 scale R2D2 replica, and had brought out a mini inflatable pool. The guitarist then proceeded to pour and coat himself with gold paint and turned himself into C3P0! Then they pulled out a podium and became an Oscar. It was really amusing!

Swag from Golden Bomber

We bought the face towel at the concert and I got a t-shirt that I immediately put on for the concert. They had lots of swag to purchase but I opted to get a shirt..it was a bit expensive, but I really like it! Towards the end during the encore, the members of the band decided to come out promote/sell their swag items. It was a bit ridiculous since it went on for 15-20 minutes...

I would go back to see Golden Bomber live again if I had the chance! They're extremely funny live and use lots of fun props, water and paint on themselves to create their comedy. I shall end this post with Memeshikute, check it out and try to learn some of those furi moves! Enjoy!
(and yes, we definitely did those dance moves at the concert!)

♥