Morning Musume to Hold Concert on 10/5 in NEW YORK CITY!

[MejraThea]

Shared by lovemusic on H!O, this is Hello!Party 4 being livestreamed.

[AquaChan]

Leaving tomorrow morning at 6am to be on time for the concert, but have a nice time at the show! I'll see if i'll be able to found some wifi in NYC (with my canadian phone XD)

[al kusanagi]

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Thea" data-cid="180459" data-time="1412474572">
Shared by lovemusic on H!O, this is Hello!Party 4 being <a class="bbc_url" href="http://www.ustream.tv/channel/hello-par ... blockquote>


It was definitely a blast. I gotta say, we are a pretty awesome fan base. I met lots of cool people tonight that were nice even to mean old mm-bbs members like us.

[Shoujo Q]

I believe Madara has extra tickets. XD that I'm sure he'll be willing to give away free if you ask him nicely.


Ugh I'm soooo tired but I can't sleep. I was on my feet all day yesterday and it appears I will be again today. Monday I'll rest, maybe. Haha.


To those I saw at HelloParty, it wasn't long enough! Hopefully I can get some pictures today. And really enjoy myself as a fan.

[sayu1991]

Sadly, what hindered me from going wasn't the price of the ticket. I live in NC and couldn't afford the cost of traveling there and renting a hotel room

[Madara]

It was old home week last night. Pretty much my entire New York karaoke crew was there, plus practically everyone I've met at past events (MM at AX 2009, Berryz in NJ 2012, etc.), including several MM-BBS'ers, some for the first time, some from past events. There was one contingent missing from the party because they were at karaoke: Yuzu, TnB and Shinukyo. I hope I get to see them at the concert. I hung out with Jocelyn (Kitaoji) and her group earlier in the day before arriving at the party.
 
The event was held at the TimesCenter, the public venue in the New York Times building where they hold weekly events hosting visiting celebrities and such. My TV station shoots all those events, yet I'd never been inside the Center myself before. I wound up doing something my co-workers never did there: I was on stage. I represented Team Riho in the "Telephone Drawing Contest."
 
They had a table of free stuff, so I picked up a VHS tape of the Hello! Project Summer 2001 concert, one of the very few H!P concerts I don't have! And I was probably the only one at the party who still has a working VHS player.
 
I'll post pics after I transfer them to my Flickr account.

[kira]

I'm on my way to New York now. I'm kind of nervous my bag is going to be taken at the venue; I haven't been able to figure out if they're allowed or not but I brought all of my schoolwork with me. Or maybe they won't even let me into the show. >.>


Sounds like Hello Party was awesome! I wish I could have come.

[kira]

Holy cow I just got to the theatre and the line wraps all the way around the block and then some o.o

[Pi Mako]

Lol I just got in line and am shoved near Les Miz and Pippin XD

[Kalle]

So bummed I couldn't go because of my job hunt :( ( also a multitude of health and money problems cropped up JUST this past week. Only I'd have that kind of luck. )
 
If pictures are allowed, I hope you guys share lots!!

[kira]

I left the venue about 30 minutes ago to catch my bus, but it was a great experience overall, even if I couldn't watch all of the concert. I accomplished a 5 year dream of mine. T.T I actually started tearing up around the third song. Ugh I wish I could have stayed for all of it. I was sitting in the back so I could leave easily, so I didn't get to be in the crowd in front. The fans were awesome during the MC where they all spoke English. Kanon was really shocked at the amount of people that cheered for her; she forgot was she was going to say. I liked Eripon's cute move she did. Also Haruka introduced herself as the one with the bowlcut. I was really impressed at how quickly people were able to change colours on their lights.


They apparently either ran out of merchandise really quickly or just decided to stop selling it before the show started (with the exception of CDs) because there were staff walking up to people in line and telling them they could only buy CDs around 4pm. So I didn't get to get anything unfortunately, but I'm ok with just having the concert experience.

[TicTacAnyone]

[quote="kira"]
I left the venue about 30 minutes ago to catch my bus, but it was a great experience overall, even if I couldn't watch all of the concert. I accomplished a 5 year dream of mine. T.T I actually started tearing up around the third song. Ugh I wish I could have stayed for all of it. I was sitting in the back so I could leave easily, so I didn't get to be in the crowd in front. The fans were awesome during the MC where they all spoke English. Kanon was really shocked at the amount of people that cheered for her; she forgot was she was going to say. I liked Eripon's cute move she did. Also Haruka introduced herself as the one with the bowlcut. I was really impressed at how quickly people were able to change colours on their lights.


They apparently either ran out of merchandise really quickly or just decided to stop selling it before the show started (with the exception of CDs) because there were staff walking up to people in line and telling them they could only buy CDs around 4pm. So I didn't get to get anything unfortunately, but I'm ok with just having the concert experience.
[/quote]
 
Hahaha, she probably meant to say "boy cut" XD


Just like I!S predicted, they might've ran out verrry quickly.

[Pi Mako]

What a great concert ;-; was on the floor... Benefits of being tall I could see everyone. Great set list, great vocals, great energy and great crowd. The girls were so cute when they introduced themselves in English and Kanon's reactions to the crowd cheering for her were adorable. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would see this group live. Fan for almost 12 years, and so excited to see them perform with a lineup I really, really like. Shame I couldn't do the handshake event but oh well :)

[kira]

@TicTacAnyone


You might be right, she might have been referring to boy cut instead. I was kind of starstruck at the time so I wasn't too focused on what they were saying.

[al kusanagi]

Just got back to the hotel after going to an after party the Japanese fans put on for everyone.
 
Man, what an awesome experience. It's been a while since an Al-style concert report, so let's get to it!
 
As people mentioned, the line was crazy. I figured, "Ah, I'll show up like 4 hours early. No one will be there." WRONG! Either way, my dumb luck when it relates to HP kicked in slightly since I left the subway station up the street from the theater, and as soon as I started walking I hear screaming fans. I double timed it up the block in time to see MM getting out of their shuttle buses and entering the theater. Yay! They pretty much just rushed right in though, but it was still a treat for everyone outside. Then I headed to the end of the line. Not bad, just to the edge of the block. Nope, it continues about 20 feet away around the corner. Okay, sure I'll go over there. No, the line's broken up here because of construction, it continues down there. Go around the back of the block and find the end of the line. No, we're breaking it here so traffic can pass through. It continues over there... FINALLY reached the end of the line halfway around the block, then began the long wait in the cold and wind. 4 hours early definitely wasn't early enough, and as the day went on the line ended up at least 3/4 of the way around the block. All 2000 tickets were sold out, so that was definitely a plus for fan support.
 
After a while, about 2 hours before the doors opened, they separated out all the people with VIP tickets and brought us to a sectioned off area be the doors. Also, I would safely bet that at least 5 people probably walked into the Lion King accidentally since there was a crowd entering that theater right as we were walking past. Over the next couple hours, they slowly prepped us to get in. We all got wristbands, copies of the special CD for the concert, tickets to the handshake event, and a really nice treat, a lanyard with a VIP pass photo signed by all the girls. We spent a while comparing them, guessing at which point each girl got tired of signing the 200 autographs. I'll try and upload a picture of mine when I get home tomorrow evening.
 
At 3 they let us in the venue. They told us to line up inside, when one staff member told us there was a second line entrance around the back, so around 30 of us headed over there. On the down side, we missed the goods table, so nothing was left at the end other than the photo set. On the up side, they opened the doors for us first, so we all got right up front. I got lucky and got right up front in the center, with only a, thankfully shorter, Japanese fan in front of me. Then the waiting begain again. Japanese staff took all sorts of pictures and videos, and interviewed a couple of people before it kicked off.
 
Then the show began! I won't get super specific with the set list since I'm sure someone will have a detailed one out there. Also, they really didn't care if people took pictures or videos! Their only rule was "no professional grade cameras." I thought it was a miscommunication, but the Japanese staff didn't do anything to discourage it. A girl next to looked to have recorded just about every single routine, so perhaps they'll pop up online. I got a dozen or so good shots, trying to at least get pics of all the costumes. Again, I'll try to get them up when I get home.
 
They did most of the current songs, including Tiki-Bun, but no Bijin or Shaba (although theydid show the PVs after the show). They also did songs off their updated hits album, as well as a couple of other treats. I just about wept like a schoolgirl when they sang I Wish, then they went into Shabondama and gave me all the pesky human emotions! They all introduced themselves in cute English, with Sakura knocking it out of the park, and then breaking into s bit of Let It Go. Eripon said she loved Spider-Man, then tossed out paper webs at the audience. Later on, Sayu read a really touching letter she wrote to the fans, in Japanese and then English. She talked about her graduation, thanked all the fans for their support, and how it made things like the New York concert possible. She said how it would be a precious memory, and then told us to keep cheering for the group so thy could come back.
 
There were a few "happenings" to liven up the show. They had breakaway tops that transformed into USA themed dresses, but a few of the girls had trouble changing into them. Sayu ran off stage for hers, but Sakura sorted out Maa-chan's (awww), and the others managed theirs. At some point, Riho cut open her knee while performing, but she didn't let it phase her at all. She probably didn't even notice herself bleeding until one of te later outfit changes. Riho: Blood, sweat, not so many tears. I also thought Sakura was about to tumble off the stage at one point, since they started the show wearing really long New York themed scarves, and at one point when she knelt down, she nearly stepped on it. Thankfully she got it out the way.
 
After the concert, the VIPs and people that picked up the CD at the merch table sat down while they set up some tables for the handshake event. I'll go over each member with my impressions of them during the show, and any handshake hijinks.
 
Sakura: Before today, I could take her or leave her, but I absolutely adore her now. Her live singing voice is AMAZING! She may well be the best singer the group has ever had. Plus she's an adorable little wierdo. In the brief moments when she wasn't shaking hands, she would be dancing around singing to herself. Too damn cute! I told her that her singing was amazing, and she gave such a huge smile and thanked my in English and Japanese.
 
Duu: I know she pushes the boyish image but, my god, up close her features are perfect. In a few years, she may just be the prettiest member the group has seen. She gave her performance her all, and was all smiles. I told her she was super cool today, and she was like "Oh really? Thank you!" I was speaking Japanese to them, but most of them would at least give a bit of a comment in English.
 
Maa-chan: Oh Masaki, you're the best. When she performs, she totally gets into it. There were points in some of the slower songs where I was like "I she sad? Is she about to cry?" but when I paid attention, she was totally acting out the emotions of the lyrics of the song. I know people hate to hear it, but she totally is a genius, just in her bizarre way. She was in Maa-chan form during the handshake event, and was full of energy and goofing off with the fans. I told her I was cheering for her, and she was all "Okay good!" *thumbs up*
 
Ayumi: Oh Ayumi... She was, of course, amazing during the performance. Despite being so tiny, she's giant on the stage. She was hilarous during the handshake events, because she just wouldn't let anyone go, even when the staff was trying to move people along! I told her, of course, that her dancing was amazing. Then, since she didn't let go, I told her I really enjoyed the show. I know she thanked me, but it was honestly hard to listen to her since those eyes of hers are freaking hypnotizing.
 
Haruna: Honestly, I barely noticed her during the performances. She was super cute during the MCs, and an absolute sweetheart during the handshakes, but she just didn't stand out a lot on stage. I told her I liked manga too, and she was really happy to tell me she loved manga and anime and she was a geek. She also has those giant eyes which are amazing. I really hope they make her leader, because her talent is defintely speaking over performing.
 
Riho: Man, Riho... I know she gets a lot of hate for her "line-hogging," and stealing center stage, but she is a force of nature on stage! She is amazing and it's almost impossible to take your eyes off her when she is center stage. She sang great today, and of course her dancing was amazing. She also super cute with the smile and grin she had on her face while performing. I told her her performances are always amazing, and I relly enjoyed the show, and she thanked me.
 
Eripon: Erina is another one that really shines on stage. Sure, she's not the best at everything, but she gives it her all. She looked amazing, and there's no need to worry about her losing her muscle tone, because she was definitely rocking those guns. In fact, they were all looking quite fit, with at least half of them showing off some abs. I decided to troll her a little during the handshake event since I had a Captain America sheild on my jacket, and I told her "Spider-Man is alright, but Captain America is a lot cooler." She put a look of disgust on her face and said, "No, no! Spider-Man!" Too cute!
 
Zukki: When she stepped up to give her intro in English, and the crowd totally exploded, it floored her. She was so happy and she just covered her mouth and kept staring at the others like "What should I do?" She was all smiles the whole concert. During the handshake, I told her that her smile was the best, then said "America loves Zukki!" She got a huge smile and said "I love you too!"
 
Mizuki: I feel bad for not noticing her more during the show, especially as a straight male she's definitely worth looking at, but she didn't stand out quite as much as some of the others. Her eyes were amazing though, even from the stage. During the handshake event, I learned that the infamous Mizuki Death Grip wota talk about is the real deal. That girl has a solid hand shake! I just told her "Keep doing your best, sub-leader!" and how much I enjoyed the show, and she thanked me with a big smile. A really sweet girl, but she still needs to stand out more.
 
Sayu: Sayu!!!!!! She's just the most amazing thing ever. Whenever she was in front of me, there was no way I could take my eyes off her. Seeing how that quiet girl with the huge mirror in her bag has turned into what will most likely be considered one of the top 3 idols in idol history, was amazing. She gave the whole show her all from beginning to end. After the show, durig the handshake event though, you could definitely see the wear and tear. She was all smiles, but she looked dead tired, and had a blanket over her shoulders. She deserves to sleep for the next 6 months after she graduates. I told her I've been cheering for her forever, but I was sad she was leaving. She thanked me and said don't be sad! Then she said bye-bye and waved with both hands as I left.
 
Oh Sayu... I'm going to miss her so much, but she's earned her break. But here's another thing: All the other girls proved that, as a whole, they've got everything they need. Even without her,they're going to be just fine
 
The whole thing was definitely one of the highlights of my fandom, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I feel I should write more, but it's 2am!!!
 
Now, who the hell do we have to bribe to get C-ute to finally come to the US?!?

[Madara]

The concert was great.  I was in the seating section in the back which meant no closeups of the girls, but a good angle to appreciate the group choreography, and a seat when I got tired of standing. I took some pix, but decided to focus on the concert and just enjoy it. Esp. loved the classic medley and the other classics they sang.
 
It was also great seeing and meeting so many MM-BBS'ers. I believe there were more members at this event than at any other event I've  been to. I'm sorry Kira and Pi Miki didn't stick around to meet us.
 
Let's see there were: me, Al, Shoujo, Kitaoji, Usako, Plum, Petit Melon, Yuzu, TnB, Pucchi Mo, Sadude, ShinUkyo, Afternoon Mimolette, Miss Moonlight, and Andrew, who used to be Sugoi on this board. I must have forgotten someone. I'm sorry.
 
One member recognized me from pictures I've posted and she asked, "Are you Madara?" and she turned out to be...I'm not sure how to spell it. Psycho Ink is what it sounds like but I seem to remember it being spelled, "Psaicoink." I asked if she knew any other members and she said no. Within seconds a group consisting of Sadude, ShinUkyo, Plum, Petit Melon and Miss Moonlight came over, soon joined by Pucchi Mo, so I introduced all of them to her and she was so excited.
 
I'm taking the day off to recuperate. I'll post some pix after I go through them and get them transferred to Flickr.
 

[pandapanda]

Bummed I didn't meet any BBsers, but I made some concert buddies in line which was awesome:)
 
Literally one of the best experiences of my life, and a total dream come true.

[sadude]

I never thought a concert I went to would get an Al-style report, haha.

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Al Kusanagi" data-cid="180497" data-time="1412575548">The whole thing was definitely one of the highlights of my fandom, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.</blockquote>
Really? Even considering all the concerts you went to in Japan?


The concert was pretty awesome. It felt really short, probably because time flies when you're having fun.

Though if it had been somewhere else I probably wouldn't have gone. I'm not as much of a fan anymore, but I did (surprisingly) know most of the songs they did, and the group (and their recent songs I don't know as well) grew on me from attending/watching the concert. This is a stark contrast to the Anime Expo show 5 years ago, which had a lot to live up to and had a sense of finality for me. "I've finally seen them live after all these years. I can finally move on and stop caring as much."


It was great to see and meet everyone (from the boards)! That was a big part of the experience. I wonder how things would be different if we got to do things like this more often.

[aine]

Nice writeup Al! It sounds like the organizers went out of their way to do it right and please the fans. I've seen and met MM live a couple of times already but I'm still jealous - it seems like you guys got a much better deal than eg. we did a few years back in Paris.

And apparently you had a good company in the audience - including Tsunku, Mai Satoda, and Masahiro Tanaka. At least according to the person who posted this photo:

Spoiler: [+]

1412570848806.jpg

Tanaka tweeted about it so I guess it's legit.
 
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Al Kusanagi" data-cid="180497" data-time="1412575548">Ayumi: She was hilarous during the handshake events, because she just wouldn't let anyone go, even when the staff was trying to move people along!

Zukki: When she stepped up to give her intro in English, and the crowd totally exploded, it floored her. She was so happy and she just covered her mouth and kept staring at the others like "What should I do?"
 
Mizuki: During the handshake event, I learned that the infamous Mizuki Death Grip wota talk about is the real deal. That girl has a solid hand shake!</blockquote> 
I'm confused by the Western fans' love for Zukki, but Ayumi and Mizuki are exactly how I remembered them from the Paris handshake. I'm glad they didn't drop (or were made to drop) their hand shaking habits.
 
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Madara" data-cid="180500" data-time="1412596649">One member recognized me from pictures I've posted and she asked, "Are you Madara?" and she turned out to be...I'm not sure how to spell it. Psycho Ink is what it sounds like but I seem to remember it being spelled, "Psaicoink."</blockquote>
It's saicoink. And now you know more than me because I never knew how to pronounce it and always thought it was a guy. And if I ever go to NY and see you I'll ask you (or your lookalikes) too.

[al kusanagi]

[quote="sadude"]
I never thought a concert I went to would get an Al-style report, haha.

 
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Al Kusanagi" data-cid="180497" data-time="1412575548">
The whole thing was definitely one of the highlights of my fandom, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
</blockquote>
Really? Even considering all the concerts you went to in Japan?

 [/quote]
 

For MM, definitely. At least back in my day, the closest you could get at a concert would still be several meters away, and things like handshake events involving them were really rare. I imagine it's why lots of Japanese fans still come to the overseas events, because you get a lot more access to the group than you do in Japan.

[Banana]

The reports from the show make all the girls sound so awesome in the own unique way. I keep seeing people saying that Sakura sounded fantastic live, Riho's stage presence was amazing and her dancing was incredible, Haruka was beautiful, performed great, and was very interactive with the audience, Masaki was ridiculously adorable... I didn't have that much interest in seeing them live before, but after seeing everybody's comments, I'm dying to see it all for myself. 

[Madara]

 
MM-BBS in the house!
Back row: Pucchi Mo, Afternoon Mimolette, ShinUkyo, Sadude, Shoujo Q
Front row: Woman with baby [I didn't catch her name], Petit Melon, Plum, Saicoink, Miss Moonlight
 
Same bunch with me added:

 
Kitaoji and me:

 
Sugoi (remember him?), Sadude and me:

 
Pucchi Mo, ShinUkyo, and me:

 
Saicoink and me:

 
More to come...

[al kusanagi]

Here are some of the pictures I took that turned out fairly decent:
 










 
Bonus Tsunku creeper-cam:
 

[Madara]

Great pix, Al.
 
And here's the only one I managed to get of you. This is from the Hello! Party on Saturday night:

(That's Al in the blue t-shirt.)
 
BTW, what happened to Tsunku? Why did he not appear at the concert?
 
 

[al kusanagi]

He was there. He was in the back with Mai Satoda and her husband, and a couple of other Yankees players apparently.

[AquaChan]

Finally home after these 2 epic days. But yeah.
(And I'm sorry for all the grammar mistakes)

 

Left home early Sunday morning. I run late because I had a few trouble getting to my hotel because of the crappy google maps directions, so it was pretty close to 3PM when I arrived at the Best Buy theater. And yes, the lines were long, all of them. After waiting for 20 minutes in the merch line, I decided to just leave and find my others Quebec friends in the rooms, which I did (so I finally got my Ayumi Tshirt for the concert XD). I was on the ground floor quite near the stage. Concert was amazing! But the best part was yet to come! Right after the concert, I went to eat with some friends, because we were all so tired. After, I went back to the theater because one of my friends got a handshake ticket, so I wanted to meet her before the afterparty. When I got there, the lasts people were getting out of the handshakes, so I decided to wait for the girls with the others fans (because, why not!). Security guards pushed us away, so I crossed the street and talked to others fans while waiting. And the moment came. Girls got out the theater to take pictures in costumes. So I was... 5ft away from them, waiving my glowstick. Mizuki waived back at me and smile :3 They quickly got back inside, they looked so cold! So we keep waiting until they left the theater again. The guards removed the fence as soon they got in the vans, but there was a lot of trafic so fans keep walking along side the vans waiving at them. Maa-chan and Sakura were soooo cute, they keep waiving at us the whole time :3

 

And...

 

Spoiler: [+]

Thank you to Kitaoji for sharing her pictures with me and 2 korean fans, so nice of you :3
Afterparty was nice, with plenty of dance. Now I need to go finish my paper for tomorrow XD

[Madara]

[quote="Al Kusanagi"]
He was there. He was in the back with Mai Satoda and her husband, and a couple of other Yankees players apparently.
[/quote]
 
You mean backstage, right? Damn, I would like to have seen Mai. Why didn't they bring her out as a special guest? After all, she IS a New Yorker now!
 
Anyway, here are some of my pix from the concert:
 






 
This shot best approximates my angle of viewing:

So I got to see all the choreography in all its glory.
 
Plus, I've got eight videos up on one of my YouTube channels:
 
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPMmRL-4sVC-2EEFQ5U568g
 
Two of them are song clips, five of them are the girls' greetings in English, and one of them is their farewell at the end.
 

[yuzuriha]

I'm not going to go into a whole detailed report since I am at work.  But guys. I was in the front row off to the right, and when the girls first came out Sakura was legit standing directly in front of me.  I think she saw my glow stick and she made eye contact with me and I felt super awkward OMG.  EVERYONE went up on my list from this concert except Masaki.  I got the opposite impression from her Al did...she was the only one there that I kind of felt was just going through the motions.
 
And OMG the handshake event.  OH MY GOD GUYS.  I half was able to say exactly what I wanted and half word vomited.  
 
Sakura - I told her I was so happy to be able to meet her, and then I said "Let's go get soup dumplings sometime" and she gave me a big smile and thumbs up and said OK.  gaaaaaaah I was able to articulate to her.
 
Haruka...wtf brain.  I froze up in front of her.  I wanted to tell her I loved her in Lilium and instead I just started spewing out ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU and TANSHIKATTA DESU and who knows what else and she looked so confused.
 
Masaki - I got stuck in front of her. So I panicked and told her she was cute.  
 
Ayumi - EE I am happy I actually got to say what I planned to her.  Even though she has been my second favorite for a while, I can admit she has not been the best singer.  But after Lilium and then Sunday's show seeing her LIVE her singing has definitely improved SO MUCH.  So I told her that, and she got this HUGE smile on her face and said she was so happy.
 
Haruna - This is where staff started pushing you through really fast.  So basically I just blurted out I LIKE ZELDA TOO! and then got pushed along.
 
Kanon - I wanted to tell her she is cute and to never stop smiling but I got shoved so fast I barely got to say "Kawaii"!
 
Riho - I have also been impressed with her singing lately, she doesn't sound like she is straining her voice as much.  So I basically said the same thing I said to Ayumi and she also looked like she got really happy and was like "Yatta"!
 
Erina - Also got pushed really fast so I just told her she was an ikemen.
 
Mizuki - OK this is where the MAJOR word vomit started.  TnB was in front of me talking to Sayu and I had all these things I wanted to say to Mizuki like that I am ALSO bad at saran wrap etc, but I ended up just telling her I had a good time and I was nervous and who knows what else.  She was super sweet and had a really sweet smile and was like helping me calm down and telling me to breathe.
 
Sayu - Jesus christ.  OK so she looked SO exhausted and I could tell she was cold and stuff and so basically I said congratulations on her graduation and thank you for today and then I just word vomited in Japanese and I don't even know what I said but she just looked so...blank...because she was tired that I walked away and as soon as I exited the theater I burst into hysterics.  
 
If you had told me 11 years ago that I was going to cry my eyes out after talking to Sayu I would have laughed in your face.
 
 
This weekend was just so much fun over all and I actually cried when I got home and it sunk in it was all over.  I wish I got to see more of you guys but those of you that I did I had an amazing time!
 
 

[tomelord]

I had a great time at the concert.  My favorite part is when Suzuki Kanon told the audience,  "I had a big breakfast this morning!"  They all did a great job with the performance.  Now that Sayumi is leaving, it is probably time for me to say good-bye to Morning Musume as well, although I did like the new "Tiki Bun" song, the first song I really liked in about four years.  I have some questions about the concert.  When we got there, there was an massive line wrapping around the inside of the theater.  Was that for merchandise or glow sticks or what?  We almost waited on that line but then saw the theater was opened so we went in.    I didn't even bother to ask anyone.  I'm shy.  Only the VIP tickets got to attend the handshake event right?  There was no opportunity to buy the commemorative CD without the VIP ticket, was there?  We didn't want wait on the after-concert line to find out.   Even without the handshake event, it was a lot of fun.  I am really glad that I went.

[al kusanagi]

That line was for the merchandise. They were selling the CD there, and that came with the handshake ticket. VIPs got the CD as part of the package, so were automatically included in the handshake event.