The Gaijin Report: Midori

Went to a concert in Tokyo at the Liquidroom in Ebisu. A smaller place, maybe the same size as the Marquee in Tempe for those that are familiar. Not a dingy place, but dark and unimpressive. Fits a few hundred people - bar in front - $30 to get in - then once you're in you have to buy a $5 drink, served in a tiny plastic cup - smaller than the ones used in beer-pong, for those that are familiar - and filled up 3/4 of the way. They didn't search my backpack at the door - so it could've been byob, but I'm an idiot. Now I know, and knowing is half the battle.

Three bands played: The Zoot16, Midori and Radio Caroline. Japanese bands. It wasn't packed - maybe 200. Strange scene. When you first get there, there's a big set of stairs partitioned off so that you have to walk all the way up to this empty lounge area, where a couple staffers direct you down the other side of the same stairs you just hiked up - to the entrance. This is the only way in. No side doors or fences to help you save $30.

This was the young adult 18 - 30 something cross section of Tokyo - a sample of it at least and something I've only experienced in small bights. They dress like they're complete dorks in cool-costumes for Halloween. Weird 80's - early 90's hair styles, bleach streaks, spikes, leopard cowboy boots and black leather jackets with lots of silver buttons and straps, terrible teeth, lots of smoke.

The crowd was loud I guess - far from hostile. They cheered and jumped around - but it wasn't passionate or reckless - it was like they were doing it because it was the time in the song to do it - complying. At most concerts there's that sense of approachable chaos - like if the crowd goes crazy enough in the same direction, it could get dangerous - Unstoppable. Lawless. Not at this show. (side note: I also went to the Rage Against the Machine concert, to try and sneak in - impossible again - but felt that same void in the scene and crowd before the show - like yeah let's get all geared up to go crazy but only after we've bought our tickets in advance, filed in through the arrows and signage and halls, waited 45 minutes in line to pay $40 for a shirt after paying $90 for a general admission ticket, checking our things in for safe keeping at the "goods check" area, waiting in line for the doors to open to our huge gray square hall container where we can rage all we want.)

The Zoot16 and Radio Caroline went along with the underlying feeling of "only cool because I'm in Japan". The meat of the show was Midori. 4 person band: drums, keyboard, upright bass and lead singer/guitar. The lead singer was a girl dressed in a school girl uniform. Tiny thing (the girl) and crazy as hell. Hitting herself in the head with the microphone, slamming around all over the stage, diving off and crowd surfing mid-verse. Her guitar and pretty much every instrument up there was more percussion than anything. The guy on the keyboard spent most of his time running around the stage clapping and pumping up the crowd. The bassist would jump into the crowd with his bass -I think there's a Will Ferrel SNL skit about bassist solos - this was the exaggerated version of that, only taken very seriously by most. The whole thing was more spectacle, less music. Her lyrics were 3 parts screaming, 1 part melodic inaudible (to me at least) speaking and humming. A loud, disorienting sound, kept above water by the antics on stage. It was awesome.

The show was over by 10pm and then everybody went home.