i had a crazy adventure today, my dear brethren...
I arrived at the venue with my student at around 2:00pm... 3 and a half hours before opening time.
The venue, CLUB QUATTRO is on the 8th floor of a building also housing a mall, 8 floors down. This made my fear of standing outside in the cold all in vain.
My companion thought it would be better for us to check out the mall first to pass the time as i was the first of the audience to arrive. Our wota competitors were yet to come.
We went down a floor, to the musical instruments section. Of course, i had a field day, looking at the ube cool musical instruments
but after a few minutes, my student had to leave. she had to go to work and could not tag along. We said our goodbyes. and as we waited for the elevator to arrive i told her "I'll be back up there in less than ten minutes after you leave, i bet." She just laughed it off but she still looked worried about me.
I told her to go on to work. I can't bother her any further for this afternoon. And down went the elevator
Just as I prophesized, I was back at the gates in 7 minutes.
I sat on the small steps to the door when a logistics crew suddenly came out. He talked with some other uninvolved guy then talked with me in japanese. He said something about "raibu" so i was quick to answer "hai. hanguri anguri, ne?"
he took a look at my ticket and started talking in japanese. so i told him "eigo kudasai"
then he fethed another guy from inside to talk to me...
then, he kinda explained to me, in broken english, that the ticket numbers matter and that i will be the 532nd person to enter.... pretty much the last, i guess...
so the line didn't matter... so didn't coming in early..
or so i thought...
i stayed on the steps, not having anywhere else to go...
i heard hangry and angry rehearsing from the inside
so... i decided to record... but... some log crew woman told me to wait downstairs...
i left...
kinda disappointed and pissed at the laws that govern that venue
i went back to the 7th floor to look for gifts for my bandmates... while strolling around... i felt nature calling...
actually, nature has been calling for quite a while so i turned my total attention to finding that vessel..
i followed the signs... to the fire escape stairwell...
where i heard the sweetest thing again... louder rehearsals!
i grinned like that cat in alice in wonderland as i did my business...
and so... i tried to record the rehearsal...
so i stood/sat like a crazy headbanging rockshow audience on the stairs, recording stuff...
i stopped every now and then of fear of getting caught...
but at one point, the sound became clearer... the fire escape door upstairs opened for a few seconds!!
so...
...
i managed to draw up the courage to ignore some things blocking the way... and looked away from a sign that i couldn't read anyway... and pushed aside some rubber curtain-like barricade... to the 8th floor...
i could definitely hear better... but the risk was greater... and so was my fear of getting caught... it was hard to run away and impossible to deny any suspicious activity
i stuck a jph!p sticker to the door as i recorded in parts
After a short while, the first moment of alarm: I heard jingling keys from above!
so i ran down, not bothering to look back...
when i was on safe ground, i turned to see that it was a security guard going to the toilet...
anyway...
after so, i went back up... i couldn't remember what song it was when the music stopped and i had this urge to pull the door open... given a peek, i saw some staff/crew men... so i didn't do shit... just went back to where i sat/stood...
i wanted to see them, talke to them somehow... but i couldn't... i was scared... i could be feeding myself to the lions... i know how security and management people love power tripping...
but...
the door opened
and she came out
i caught a glimpse of her partner
she looked so surprised at seeing me.. or anyone for that matter...
I was like 'YOSSY!! GOMEN!'
then she proceeded to the adjacent restroom as i collapsed in a heap of fangasming_tru
but she came out quickly, and went back to the venue place thing... and then came out the big bald man...
who practically scared the life out of me...
I got so scared... man...
but yeah... i was prolly 2 feet away from Yossy... gawd
she looks so awesome...
but yeah... bottomline, as early as 3 something in the afteroon, i got yelled at, escorted and kinda surveilled for a few minutes...
despite all that... I SAW YOSSY BACKSTAGE IN PERSON, RAW AND DAMN SURPRISED TO SEE ME...
setback of all this, i wasn't able to give her the card i made for them and security is bound to be tighter in the next show...