Japan day 6: Scandal vs Budokan

Yes!!!!! Yes!!!! Yes!!!!! They played Sakura Goodbye!!!!!

I will get back to days 3-5 after this. Just came back from Scandal vs Budokan and I want to write about it. I arrived around 2.30 (concert starts at 6.30) and there was already a huge queue for merchandise.

Just outside the park which Budokan is located. If only the Sakura trees were blooming...

 Kitonomaru National Garden.

Entrance to garden.

Yup, the queue for merchandise stretched to the 2nd floor.

Waiting in line for merchandise at 2nd floor.

Picture of people taking pictures of the Scandal sign. This is like 3pm, 1 1/2 hours before doors open.

It was a long wait. Should have gone to Yasukuni shrine which was just nearby.

Pic of the park. Need blooming sakuras.

More park pics.

This was a line for club members who got a special single (I think). Should have gotten Bframe`s membership card and put my photo on it.

Let us in!!!!!

The lines to get in got completely jumbled up like a maze. Luckily it was fixed seating or else it would have been mayhem.

View from my seat. Great view but obviously not as close as I was in Zepp Nagoya last year.

People starting to fill in.

They don`t allow photos during the concert so I didn`t want to get kicked out.

Scandal live event calender. Ikitai na......

Lots of photos, interviews from Scandal`s debut to now. By the kami-samas, I miss black hair Mami.

Back of book. I`ll do some pictures of the contents next time.

Front of t-shirt. They ran out of L sized black hoodie. Aaarrrgggghh. Should have went earlier.

2 person Zone concert in June??!!!!!! Aarrrrrrggghhhh. Zone has better collection of songs than Scandal IMHO. I would fucking die if I could hear Miyu sing Secret Base. Too bad no more Mizuho. She`s much cuter than Rina. (hears the sound of Scandal fanboys ready to kill me)

Random thoughts on concert

- They`ve got huge shooting flames on the set. Awesome.

- There are three big combined screens above the stage and two big screens on each side. Something that live houses don`t have. However, you can actually see the girl`s faces at live houses.

- Rina does a pretty awesome 10 minute drum solo. By the jpop gods, how can a drummer chick be so kawaii, kakoii and manic at the same time. She`s like the Michishige Sayumi of Scandal. She knows she`s the cutest now that Mami looks like a slut. (More Scandal fanboys and girls are going to after my head now.)

- Then the 3 other girls come out for Rina to change and they do some stupid dancing song from the 3rd album while miming their instruments. WTF??????!!!!! Its like before Zone could play their instruments well. Did I mention Scandal`s 3rd album is boring. They peaked with their 1st album IMO.

- A lot of boring songs from 3rd album but they`ve been remixed with more rock so they sound slightly better.

- Stupid 20 minute skit. Felt like 30 minutes. Stop wasting my time!

- Haruna says they are going to play the songs from the best album!!! Yes!!!!!

- They`ve saved all the best songs for the end! The 2nd half of the concert rocked!Sakura Goodbye! Taiyo to Kimi Egaku Story! And fittingly the last song was Doll, which is the ultimate twirl the muffler song. Three of the best Scandal songs. The new song Harukaze is pretty good as well so there`s still hope.

- Don`t think they played Namida no Regret.

- Huge thanks to Bframe for getting me the tickets. Too bad he couldn`t make it because of work.

- I think house show is still better. More personal. I don`t want to go to a 60k seat stadium and look at the huge screens.

- The Scandal crowd is pretty young. You even have milfs and their daughters attending. Ojisans really stand out.

- If I kidnapped Mami, the first thing I would do is undye her hair.