Taking "Small World" seriously

[calgrad]

Of the dozens of HLN concerts I've seen in recent years my favorite ones have been those involving a trip to someplace far away.  E.g., Mississippi, North Dakota, the UK...

So Japan this weekend should really be a blast

I flew in yesterday to see the two Tokyo concerts and the one in nearby Yokohama.  I got off the plane at 2:15, and by 5:05 HLN had taken the stage...  Sort of strange seeing HLN so early, but my jetlag was grateful.  I don't think I've ever been as temporally out-of-it as I was yesterday, although I suppose it was a product of already being exhausted and then finding myself somewhere so disorienting.  I've traveled a lot, but Japan is one of the places where I have the fewest skills.  Even in China I had a tiny vocabulary and in Russia I can read Cyrillic, but in Japan I'm basically mute and illiterate.  Clearly if I wanted going to a HLN concert to be an adventure, I came to the right place...

Fortunately a very good friend of mine is Japanese and he met me at the airport and took me to the venue.  But he wasn't staying for the show, so for the rest of the evening I was on my own to find my seat, not break any of the posted rules I couldn't read, and eventually somehow make my way back to his place afterwards...

But as he dropped me off in a way it felt very exciting, like I was about to undertake a jungle expedition.  Yes, I've seen HLN lots of times before, but never in Japan.  In fact I've seen very little in Japan ever before at all.  So my inner sociologist/anthropologist was thrilled to get to see how the concert here might be different from ones in other places.  They do vary by locality - even within the US there are regional differences - and I remember noticing how even in the different parts of the UK the concert-going dynamic seemed to vary.

[calgrad]

In Tokyo the crowd seemed to skew more male than I'm used to seeing in America, and more people seemed to come alone than I've noticed in the US.  As seems typical however there was a wide range of ages represented.  The crowd was also very well-behaved, I guess you could say.  When Huey was talking it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, which is much different than all the whistles and "I love you Hueys!" we're used to puncturing the same spots during HLN's US performances.  But at the same time I don't think the audience was unappreciative.  They just seemed to be hanging onto his every word, as one always should   (Of course, there may have also been a language-gap problem.  It sometimes seemed like the good English speakers in the crowd would get Huey's jokes, and then a titter would float through the audience as everyone else realized Huey must have said something funny.)

It was sort of ironic because on the flight over the United in-flight magazine did its monthly feature on "Three Perfect Days in..." as "Three Perfect Days in Tokyo."  What's more, one of the places it suggested people go see was the Tokyo International Forum, which happened to be the show venue.  It's a large convention complex (there seemed to be a suit convention going on somewhere else in the complex during the concert) that contains a huge concert hall.  I don't know what its capacity was, but I'd have to guess it was one of the band's larger indoor crowds in recent years.  I was so far up and away from the stage it reminded me of seeing them at Madison Square Garden twenty years ago, and the merchandise tables were so crowded (they had separate ones for CDs/DVDs and T-shirts) that there were cordons and people were ushered into them in groups to keep them from being overcrowded.  (My brain last night was too much swiss cheese to remember exactly what I saw them selling, but I think it was copies of Sports, Greatest Hits, another Best Of collection, and the Live at 25 DVD.  They also had some shirts listing Japan Tour 2008 dates, which I think I'll look really snazzy wearing when back in the US...)

[calgrad]

Unfortunately the downside to the venue was that the sound in the theater was absolutely terrible.  I hate to be a downer, but I'd have to say that last night was some of the worst sound I've ever heard at a HLN concert.  I think some of it is because the theater's natural acoustics are severe.  There's no echo, but it's so cavernous and has so little warmth to it , and the PA system is so poorly-suited for the space.  There weren't enough speakers, and the few there were weren't sufficiently spread out.  So they sounded like they were all being cranked up higher than their design intended in order to compensate, and as a result they sounded tinny and completely incapable of handling the warmth and subtlety of the vocals and the horns. 

At first I thought that maybe HLN was hampered by using Chicago's gear, since as we know from last time Chicago makes certain sound mixing choices that are different from those that HLN might otherwise choose.  But even when Chicago came out the sound was still crummy.  I could barely understand a word Bill Champlin was singing, but at the same time I could hear every bean in Bill's maracas* during "I'm a Man."  (* Not technically a maracas, but some sort of shaker like that.  Yet I'm really not exaggerating about that bean thing.  It was one of the clearest sounds I heard all night.)  I am a little concerned that when I bring my friend to tonight's show, the first he's ever seen, sitting up in the rafters as we will be he won't end up liking it because the sound will be so suspect.  I've already made him promise to come to another concert with me sometime if that turns out to be the case.

[calgrad]

On the other hand, HLN being the awesome band they are can and did often overcome the weak sound.  It's especially worth noting how they reached the crowd given that I think it was mostly full of Chicago fans.  It was a pretty typical HLN-Chicago show setlist, although it did include Jacob's Ladder (yay! But boo to the bad sound that killed some of my favorite parts) and a new song.  I'm guessing "You Hurt Me" might be the title, but in any case the words I could catch definitely didn't seem to be conveying a "Hurry Back, Baby" kind of sentiment...  I liked it, although the sound was too much of an obstacle to form too much of an opinion apart than discerning that there's clearly something really good happening in that song.  Can't wait to actually hear it

It was also nice to see how HLN and Chicago have learned from the previous summer how to best optimize their shared setlists.  The Chicago guitarist, Keith Iforgethislastname, came out for "Back in Time," and then Bill Champlin came out on (slide?) guitar and drummer Tristan Anotherforgottenlastname came out on harmonica for a "Bad is Bad" jam.  When it was Chicago's set, there was the aforementioned "I'm a Man," which features a now massive wall of musicians and Johnny! Singing! Lead! which is always a treat to see.  And this time, instead of singing a bit of "Color My World" from the opening Chicago medley, Huey sang the entire "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" and totally hit it out of the park.

So that's the news (News?) so far.  I woke up too early today (Sunday) but seeing how it's another 5pm concert tonight I should still be standing by then, and with any luck not the blithering idiot I was last night (never mind not speaking Japanese, last night even English was a challenge...)  Now that I know about the sound I'll be able to set expectations accordingly, and assuming I get my ticket there's always Yokohama Tuesday that hopefully will be better.  But all sound issues aside, it was still totally great to get on a plane and fly all that way to a HLN concert on the other end.  There's few things I enjoy doing more, and I'm already really glad I came.

[trainlady]

always an adventure - and being able to tell us about it in real-time (practically) is ALMOST like being there.  Thanks for the thread.  Enjoy Japan while you can & of course the rest of the HLN/Chicago shows....

[debP]

calgrad, I'm really happy for you, being able to experience all of that with our fave guys.  What some of us wouldn't give to be right there too.   Of course we'll have a million questions when you get back, but for now, please enjoy!  (and thanks so much for sharing.)

[calgrad]

So it's now Monday, so where were we?  Oh right, Japan...

First I need to take a moment and say I'm mortified to realize that I may have inadvertently caused offense to anyone connected with the band with my last comments.  I never dreamed the sound situation could have been construed to have been anyone's doing.  Indeed, it's because I've become so inured to the fine, warm sound HLN has had at all their other concerts that I was even in a position to notice that something was amiss.  Certainly, then, it seemed clear to me that when it sounded bad the problems must have been due to something beyond their control.

That said, I also want to apologize to anyone connected to the venue.  It's actually a pretty nice venue in terms of ease of access, friendliness and helpfulness of the staff (even to people unable to speak their language), and its having many fewer aggravating factors than US venues often have.  (They even thank you for coming as you are leaving!) Nonetheless I still think the sound system comes up way short.  The sound is just too inconsistent throughout the venue.
 
But onto more pleasant things: it was definitely more of a HLN crowd Sunday night, with lots more people on their feet lots more of the time.  More people shouted out and more people laughed at Huey's jokes, but they still were reverentially silent when Huey was speaking.  In fact this seemed to amuse Huey, and at one point he started chatting with the entire audience without the mic and his voice was able to carry all the way up to the rafters.

I also noticed that people seem to dress differently for concerts in Japan.  In the US (and the UK, too, I think) people often dress themselves up before heading out to an evening of music.  Whereas in Japan most people seemed to arrive in their normal street clothes.  Although these shows do mark the first time I've ever seen anyone attend a HLN concert in a kimono...

Once again I really liked Huey's "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is" and I liked the new song too.  All the usual raves apply to this perfectly fine show.

Yokohama is on Tuesday.  It's pretty close to Tokyo - in fact I've passed through it every day getting into the city - but I'm still not sure if I'm going yet.  The trip's turned out to be more expensive than I had expected, and in ways more than financial.

[debP]

calgrad, I HOPE you're taking pictures?!  (We at least need a "Mighty JAPANESE Salute.")  (pretty please?) 

[Joy]

Calgrad, thanks so much for sharing your travels and concerts with us..it truly is appreciated.  Here's hoping you can make the concert on Tuesday and, yes, a "Mighty Japanese Salute" picture would be nice  .  Safe and fun travels to you and hope you check in with more details soon.

[calgrad]

You know, the salute looks the same in Japanese as in English.  It's just pronounced differently :-p

(Kinda hurting for pictures though.  (A) They're not allowed (according to a sign I actually could read...), (B) I was practically a prefecture away from the stage... and (C) despite having a Japanese and US cell phone on me, I still lack for a decent camera... )

[hueyfan1]

Hey Cal,

Been reading your thread.  The comment about the camera rang true with me and I know how THAT is.  No matter, continue to have a wonderful time    We always enjoy reading about your travels.

Take care way over there  ...

L

[Burty]

expensive, more than financial?  Do tell.

Would love to fly up to Japan one day, I note that HLN have been there a few times, and did so during the small world tour.

Glad you had a good time, and yeah it's unusual seeing an artist that you admire and respect in another country.

Saw KT Tunstall in hollywood in November, when she thanked all of her LA fans for coming along.  Felt weird, and reminds oneself, that you're a long long way from home.

[debP]

You know, the salute looks the same in Japanese as in English.  It's just pronounced differently :-p

hmmm (Really?) 

Kinda hurting for pictures though... 

That's cool, completely understand!  The most important thing, enjoy! 

[Lea]

Calgrad, thank you so much for the report!  Love the details and descriptions.  Japan!  You are such an adventuress!:) 

Best,
Lea

[Joe]

expensive, more than financial?  Do tell.

She lost another pair of pants.  :)