Utada - "In The Flesh" Tour 2010 Discussion [WARNING] CONTAINS SPOILERS

[pommy48]

Lol no XD I live in Texas, my brother just so happens to live in Chicago >_>

I'm just jealous that he gets to go....but oh I'm stalking his facebook and looks like he uploaded some pics~

Spoiler:

[Polyrhythm]

Wow! Thanks for the pics! Whatever she's wearing looks a bit wide on her...wow...when did it start? This might be like the first show that started on time since the tour began. . I hope your brother can get one of those Kuma baseballs and maybe one for you too

EDIT: forgot to say this earlier. SF show pictures are now on utada.com

[pommy48]

Lol hopefully if she throws far enough XD

It looks like she's wearing some kind of wrap/poncho....

[amorphose]

Wait... didn't that person from Brazil READ THE INFO before he ordered his ticket? O__O; I mean I feel bad for him but it clearly said 17+...

If he came all the way from Brazil he could've gone to NYC instead with a 16+ age limit. Also the west coast shows were all all ages... So I don't understand. He couldn't expect them to just let him in since he was from faraway. The age restrictions were clearly stated. :S

[Polyrhythm]

Maybe the other shows were sold out? Vegas and Chicago were the only ones that didn't sell out...I dunno...

[ohsixthirty]

No Chicago was sold out.

I just returned from the concert, it was AMAZING! It easily exceeded all of my expectations and she looked stunning. I was in the 2nd row and couldn't believe how stunning she was.

She was really cute and funny. She gave virtual hugs and a virtual kiss to audience members and talked about going to the art intitute yesterday. She suggested we go there too for a cheap date because it's Free February.

Also she was wearing black boots with chains, black leggings, a black skirt, a white tank top thing with a see thru thing over it. She definitely did not look "wide" in person.

Now I have to rest and let my ears stop ringing!

Edit: I almost forgot to mention that apparently cell phone signals were scrambled inside the house of blues.

[Polyrhythm]

One crushed fan's experience with the HOB Chicago staff.

Spoiler:

I was overjoyed with the opportunity of watching Utada live. My hopes were cracked for the first time when I found out I wasn’t going to the Los Angeles concert, but then they were patched up when I found out I was going to see her in Chicago. Today, my hopes were completely crashed, not only because of my own experience with the tragedy that was the House of Blues, but also because of other people’s experiences.

By the time I got there, the fast-line was forming, meaning that people who bought over 15 dollars on merchandise were treated like VIP, and were able to line up inside and go in before the rest. I sat on a bench right in front of the fast-line to observe the club/restaurant some more and make sure I was in the right place. Some Utada fans were obviously gossiping about me, but that’s pretty normal, so I wasn’t too uncomfortable about it. I was the eighth one to arrive on the fast-line, and was beyond excited. Some people were arriving from Kentucky and we struck a quick friendship, talking a lot about Hikki and laughing at random comments. Besides, I loved their accents (and personalities) to death, and they were so sympathetic about the fact I came from Brazil to watch Hikki live ~ We listened to the rehearsal completely extatic, occasionally hearing Hikki’s vocal warm-ups and the live instrumentals that were getting us through the roof with energy, in song intervals we talked random and planned future trips together even though I’m just a 16-year old baby. That’s exactly what got me into trouble.

I got in line at around 1:00 PM and waited the entire 4 hours until the House of Blues staff began checking IDs. I was concerned about this step every step of the way since I came from Brazil. The concert was PG-17, and I’m one year short, but considering my situation, I was sure they’d understand. Once the man was checking my passport, he started shaking his head, that’s when I knew I was in trouble. I explained my situation to him, but he continued to shake his head, so I begged him to go in, and he told me he’d come back to me.

He did, and told me that he talked to his boss and there’s nothing he can do about it, so I asked him to talk to his boss. Here’s when I finally felt that I was in for a rough ride. His boss was a typical heartless I-could-care-less security guard-type. Bald, slightly overweight and had that attitude that provoked a fiery exchange of words in anyone. Unlike his staff, he was curt and rude, laughing at me and telling me that it’s my fault I came from Brazil, because the tickets explicity stated how it was a PG-17 concert and that I was told the same thing once I got the tickets (I guess he missed the part where I’m from Brazil and unless they ship me a person along with the tickets to warn me about this stuff, there’s no way he can use it against me). After some begging and more explaining of the technical LA-to-IL stuff, he decided not to let me in as to not put the House of Blues’ liquor license in jeopardy.

Now here’s the part I don’t understand. The House of Blues is a popular chain of show houses/restaurants, and nearly every concert for Utada’s In The Flesh tour had no age restrictions, so I don’t see why Chicago should be so strict about any form of age restriction. 17-year olds can’t drink anyway and they’re allowed to enter the concert, 16-year olds are no different! Nobody really wanted them to include liquor in the concert, and now the fans have to pay for their senseless decisions! I was told a 15-year old tried getting in with her 18-year old sister and her 50-year old father, now there’s a devil child who’d get drunk all night right there!

That’s not the end. I was shocked by not being able to attend the concert, so I just sat on the bench and waited for hours, just watching and thinking, trying to filter all the information and rely on the mercy of the staff. Here are several of the things that got me absolutely in shock with the situation:

Members of the staff were telling tickets-less fans that I had tickets available because I wasn’t going in to watch the concert anyway, making fans ask us about our tickets that I wasn’t going to give up, even though this young Asian man really wanted them and I felt so bad that I nearly gave them for free to him! But I was on a silent protest.
The indifference of the staff to the fans. People from Japan showed up with their suitcases in their hands and not knowing much English just to have the staff show them the door because of the lack of tickets.
How the staff members celebrated the expulsion of fans that were injusticed and revolted. The staff repeatedly told each other stories of fans, laughing and making fun of them, and gave each other high-fives, as if their rude, insensitive accomplishments were something to be proud of.
A group of Asians did not receive instructions (nobody did, actually) about how bags weren’t allowed during the show, and were telling the staff how ridiculous the security was, which is true, luckily, the ever-so-lovely staff didn’t turn around to mock them like they did with everyone else who complained.
But the thing that made me stand up and leave was how the staff judged a 21-year old girl’s ID as invalid, and when the girl’s mother tried to solve the problem, the staff messed with her temper, and she went into a fervent argument with security, just to have the bald boss threaten her to leave, by intimidating her with his own body and saying “Good night!” to her, as to make her leave, bringing her to the door with his threatening stride, just to come back to his workmates laughing at the act and high-fiving each other. That, to me, was beyond disrespectful.
I guess it’s funny how Utada fans were anticipating this moment ever since 2004’s EXODUS and the security takes advantage of us for their entertainment. If that doesn’t get a laugh, I don’t know what does. Honestly, today brought me one of the worst experiences of my life. Thank you, House of Blues, for being the worst venue possible for a concert by an international popstar loved by so many sensitive, lovely people. The only positive thing I took from this experience is the experience itself and the wonderful friends I made ♥ ~

For those of you who made it inside, I hope you had a wonderful time, you deserved every second of it! ♥ ~

http://4lvy.wordpress.com/2010/02/03...-of-blue-fans/

Call it irresponsible of the person to not have checked the age limit if you want....but there's no denying that the way the staff acted was inappropriate and quite disgusting honestly. Especially when you're a manager. You don't treat people like that.

[stepho_chan]

i just got home from the Chicago one. SOOOOO GOOD!!!!!!

[stepho_chan]

Haha that was so cute XD she is so cute in person i loved when she went on about the art institute and the picasso painting XDD

Originally Posted by touchedstar

No Chicago was sold out.

I just returned from the concert, it was AMAZING! It easily exceeded all of my expectations and she looked stunning. I was in the 2nd row and couldn't believe how stunning she was.

She was really cute and funny. She gave virtual hugs and a virtual kiss to audience members and talked about going to the art intitute yesterday. She suggested we go there too for a cheap date because it's Free February.

Also she was wearing black boots with chains, black leggings, a black skirt, a white tank top thing with a see thru thing over it. She definitely did not look "wide" in person.

Now I have to rest and let my ears stop ringing!

Edit: I almost forgot to mention that apparently cell phone signals were scrambled inside the house of blues.

[Sundae]

Originally Posted by touchedstar

No Chicago was sold out.

I just returned from the concert, it was AMAZING! It easily exceeded all of my expectations and she looked stunning. I was in the 2nd row and couldn't believe how stunning she was.

She was really cute and funny. She gave virtual hugs and a virtual kiss to audience members and talked about going to the art intitute yesterday. She suggested we go there too for a cheap date because it's Free February.

Also she was wearing black boots with chains, black leggings, a black skirt, a white tank top thing with a see thru thing over it. She definitely did not look "wide" in person.

Now I have to rest and let my ears stop ringing!

Edit: I almost forgot to mention that apparently cell phone signals were scrambled inside the house of blues.

I was there too! Right up front to her left though. Next to those really loud speakers. IA. She was so cute. I thought she looked great. Nothing at all like that TITO album cover that was posted behind her. I loved her response when someone called her hot and a sexy witch! Or when she realized she was being recorded. She was adorable and engaging throughout the performance and interactions with the audience. I just wish they would release it on dvd because the songs all sounded great! She was amazing with the vocals.

There was one song that was played that I didn't recognize. Listening to it now it was the Placebo song.

[stepho_chan]

Originally Posted by Sundae

I was there too! Right up front to her left though. Next to those really loud speakers. IA. She was so cute. I thought she looked great. Nothing at all like that TITO album cover that was posted behind her. I loved her response when someone called her hot and a sexy witch! Or when she realized she was being recorded. She was adorable and engaging throughout the performance and interactions with the audience. I just wish they would release it on dvd because the songs all sounded great! She was amazing with the vocals.

There was one song that was played that I didn't recognize. Listening to it now it was the Placebo song.

Also, there was a song she did that i didnt recognize. It was very rock, had an old album cover behind her, green and white lights? Very rock, like, she was head banging for part of it. It was the most rock sounding one of the show

[pommy48]

Did she sing Kremlin Dusk?

[Sundae]

Yes she did sing Kremlin Dusk.

Originally Posted by stepho_chan

Also, there was a song she did that i didnt recognize. It was very rock, had an old album cover behind her, green and white lights? Very rock, like, she was head banging for part of it. It was the most rock sounding one of the show

That was a cover of the Placebo song.

[stepho_chan]

Originally Posted by Sundae

Yes she did sing Kremlin Dusk.



That was a cover of the Placebo song.

Ok cool thanks!

[SheFliesHigher]

I am going to the Boston show on Friday, 2/5. I am so excited I think I might puke. I'm really wondering what it's going to be like. My ticket has a seat number, so I wonder how early I should get there? The doors open at 7pm. I haven't heard anything about VIP treatment for certain guests. Maybe I should call the venue.

I'm going with my friend, another die-hard Hikki fan, and my boyfriend, who likes some of her songs but will probably be rolling his eyes at the two of us the whole time xD I'm pretty annoyed that there's no merch, though! What's up with that? I would definitely drop cash on an overpriced T-shirt or something, heh.

[ohsixthirty]

^In Chicago people were lining up lime 4 hours ahead. I did pass the line and ended up in the second row with an amazing view.

You should definitely call your venue and check. Otherwise I suggest getting there early.

And I understand feelig like you might puke. The anticipation was horrible. I felt so anxious. Then thru the first half of the concert I kept tearing up, which surprised me.

[haikudasai]

I showed up around 6, got a sandwich and then went to the pass-the-line area and ended up in third row center stage :]

If you do show up really early for the pass-the-line stuff. SIT DOWN ON THE STAIRS. After the concert my legs were killing me and I had to walk 4 blocks to the train.

As much as I did love the concert the DJ was really disconnected from the entire set, to me. I was also laughing that he was a DJ with CDs lol. He was drinking so much water though... He had more than Utada who was using her voice to perform o.O

Other than that when she came out she was instantly awkward because she walked a little past her mark for the mic and jolted back lol.

She had NO bum notes or recovery notes. She did use a lower tone on a few bits (2 that I can remember... she stayed lower for the first chorus of Sakura Drops). Other songs she raised the octave and had a lot of power with control.

** regarding that fan turned away

I can't help but agree with the House of Blues, even though I don't agree with their supposed behavior.

The person who traveled from Brazil should have looked at any and all possibilities of them not being allowed in the venue if they were traveling overseas. The initial reasoning was valid and is strict, the liquor license they require to run successfully would be put in jeopardy if they were to let someone of 'minor' status enter.

Had they let this person in under-the-table, who is to say that someone else in the same situation didn't see this and ask about getting in as well? One favor can equal a ton more.

The whole "I'm only one year away from the allowed age!" or "that person is with other adults that will prevent...." yada yada is still not accepted because of the laws.

All in all I had a great night. I saw touchedstar while I was getting frisked and that was amusing to me lol.

[ohsixthirty]

Originally Posted by haikudasai

I showed up around 6, got a sandwich and then went to the pass-the-line area and ended up in third row center stage :]

If you do show up really early for the pass-the-line stuff. SIT DOWN ON THE STAIRS. After the concert my legs were killing me and I had to walk 4 blocks to the train.

As much as I did love the concert the DJ was really disconnected from the entire set, to me. I was also laughing that he was a DJ with CDs lol.

Other than that when she came out she was instantly awkward because she walked a little past her mark for the mic and jolted back lol.

the hour long dj set was just painful!!!

[haikudasai]

Originally Posted by touchedstar

the hour long dj set was just painful!!!

I liked his generic, unintentionally funny, lingo about "no one parties like Chicago" when people in front were just standing there talking LOL.

[Sundae]

HEY A NEW DATE HAS BEEN ADDED to London!! Thursday Feb 11th.

http://www.o2academyislington.co.uk/...ickets/Details