JPHiP Forum

The PIEHOLE => H!P News and Releases => Topic started by: oaxiac on July 04, 2013, 09:55:41 AM

Title: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: oaxiac on July 04, 2013, 09:55:41 AM: OMG
Quote from: Amped from JPLOP
Lovendor will be going to J-POP SUMMIT FESTIVAL in San Francisco Japantown, USA on July 27th and 28th
http://www.j-pop.com/2013/lovendor/ (http://www.j-pop.com/2013/lovendor/)

admission is free.

7/27 (Sat) 5:15pm @ Pagoda Stage, Japantown
7/28 (Sun) 2-4pm @ Union Square

Don’t miss the very first U.S. concert of brand new 4-piece girls rock band ‘LoVendoЯ’ led by Reina Tanaka, a former star of “Morning Musume。,” and three more members who were chosen from among 4,000 candidates at the nationwide audition!

◉ LIVE PERFORMANCES:
▶ 7/27 (Sat) 5:15pm @ Pagoda Stage, Japantown
▶ 7/28 (Sun) 2:00pm-4:00pm @ Union Square, downtown SF
LoVendoЯ will be performing their very first concert in the US at the Pagoda Stage in Japantown on 7/27 (Sat) at 5:15pm! On the following day, Sunday 7/28, they will appear on the Union Square Live stage, downtown San Francisco to join other superstars from Japan! Free admission. For more information about Union Square Live, please see HERE!

◉ “TOYOTA x STUDIO4℃ meets ANA” TENT:
▶ 7/27 (Sat) & 7/28 (Sun) 11:00am-6:00pm Free admission
Come to “TOYOTA x STUDIO4℃ meets ANA” Tent to see LoVendoЯ and other guests from Japan! For the two days at the festival, various events including autograph sessions, talk events, merchandise sales and mini-lives will be held inside the tent!
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: rndmnwierd on July 04, 2013, 10:41:45 AM: Already started looking at hotels XD It's only a $400 trip if I drive cross country and stay at the Get Raped Inn :P
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: shirenuファクトリー on July 04, 2013, 12:31:08 PM: Thought it deserved its own topic 8) Hope you don't mind

AYEH REINA
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: J-Triumf on July 04, 2013, 01:14:06 PM: :panic: :panic: :panic: YAY AREEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAA :w00t: :w00t: :w00t:
M. Bison "Yes Yes!" Widescreen HD reupload (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3ALwKeSEYs#ws)

WHERE THE FUCK ARE MY FELLOW BAY AREA H!P FANS AT??? That's right, all 3 of you. :P

Seriously, though...I've been wondering for a long time when Up Front was finally gonna send someone my way! I never thought J-Pop Summit would be the place considering Kylee has been their biggest act so far...but I guess with Kyary Pamyu Pamyu coming this year I should've raised my expectations. Sure, it isn't technically H!P, but OMG IT'S REINA!

TANASATAAAAAAAN!

OTSUKAREEEEIIIINAAAAAA!

It's kinda funny...to be honest I was secretly hoping nobody H!P-related would come to America this year simply because I wouldn't be able to afford to travel to their location. But as it turns out all I'll have to do is struggle with parking!

Time to catch up on some LovendoЯ material!
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: shirenuファクトリー on July 04, 2013, 03:57:14 PM: HEY anyone who wants to write for jphip, PM daigong!

...He's sitting at 47999 posts and can't post this himself. LOL
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: kitaoji on July 04, 2013, 04:10:10 PM: Hi.

I don't even have to worry about parking. :)

I'll be around!
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: Rina the Robot on July 04, 2013, 04:26:37 PM: West coast gets all the cool shit as usual, you lucky bastards. :P No chance of me going, just wanted to say I hope everyone who's planning on going has fun!
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: Chibs on July 05, 2013, 04:21:27 AM: Hi Im going yeah
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: kurotsuki on July 05, 2013, 04:43:20 AM: Are you kidding me!!! I was in San Fran for school and now that I'm away for the summer, everything good is happening while I'm not there!

Arashi's Kazunari Ninomiya's movie "Platina Data" is showing in SF in Aug. Kyary Pamyu Pamyu is performing a free show in SF in July. And now Lovendor is going to be there in July! I won't be back in SF til Sep. :(

I should have stayed on-campus for the summer. :badluck:
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: Tris-chan on July 05, 2013, 10:03:39 PM: Finally something I can freaking go to!

Then Sacramento the next day for a cosplay performance thing...

That weekend is going to be the most busy ever @_@
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: Chibs on July 06, 2013, 02:39:45 AM: @kurotsuki
just come back to san fran early xD
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: kurotsuki on July 09, 2013, 07:33:36 AM: @Chibs
I wish I could but I can't :( Maybe next summer I should just stay in San Fran in case something like this happens again.
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: rokun on July 11, 2013, 10:08:40 PM: Wtf? How did I just see this now????

This actually gives me an EXCUSE to go visit my mom in the bay area! I can see Reina too!!!! ...maybe it'll make me feel better after not being able to go to her grad concert T_T I promised at the time (though maybe hollowly since I promised the grad too >_<) that I'd be able to still see her in LoVendoЯ, and now she's coming to almost my own back yard (though I don't live there now, I've had residency there before since my mom lives there, and I go at least once a year)!!!!!

Finally I'll be able to see one of these acts in a place I'm familiar with too :lol: My old Japantown stomping grounds... Union Square too, wow...

So if the message hadn't come across, count me in!! Looking forward to seeing you all again too! :D (and maybe finally meeting rndy???)
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: rokun on July 19, 2013, 10:43:20 PM: Has anyone seen the schedule yet? (I was tipped off by Mirai on jplop)

http://www.j-pop.com/2013/toyota/ (http://www.j-pop.com/2013/toyota/)

7/27:
11:00am: LoVendoЯ Talk event and music video
11:30am: LoVendoЯ autograph session
5:00pm: SWEETY and LoVendoЯ Live Performance at Peace Plaza

7/28:
2:30pm: LoVendoЯ Union Square Live
5:00pm: LoVendoЯ Autograph session and merchandise sales

Here I was hoping I could just make an evening of it Saturday :( not sure how I'm gonna be able to make it in time for things at 11.
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: Assman on July 24, 2013, 08:38:16 AM: GOOD ON YOU ROKS! Anyone meeting up together? Wish Marina a happy bday!

here's more deets:

Quote from: Press Release
Sample New “Cross Collaboration” Anime Project As Well As Live
Girls Band LoVendoЯ and J-Pop Group Sweety, Music Video Screenings & Special In-Person Appearance By PES Anime Director Hidekazu Ohara

(http://i.imgbox.com/aczqXIjW.jpg)

San Francisco, CA, July 22, 2013 – Toyota Motor Sales & Marketing (TMSM) has announced its participation with “PES (Peace Eco Smile),” a collaborative animation project with STUDIO4ºC, and its Diamond Level Sponsorship of the 2013 J-POP Summit Festival, taking place Saturday, July 27 and Sunday, July 28, 2013 in San Francisco, CA, to present a range of special animated programming and live music events for the annual Japanese pop culture celebration.

At its booth during J-POP Summit, Toyota Motor Sales & Marketing will present “PES (Peace Eco Smile),” a new collaborative animation project with STUDIO4ºC, a leading Japanese animation studio. A prominent PES tent will be stationed in the center of the Festival to host PES screenings, live appearances by a variety of special Guests of Honor and music video screenings by a variety of hot J-Pop and J-Rock acts.

For more information and images of events and activities at PES (Peace Eco Smile) is available at http://p.tl/u8c6. (http://p.tl/u8c6.)

Toyota Motor Sales & Marketing and J-POP Summit are also proud to present the exclusive U.S. concert debut of the new girl band, LoVendoЯ, and girl’s pop trio, Sweety. This will be the first time that LoVendoЯ and Sweety will perform live in the United States.

The 2013 J-POP Summit will offer numerous attractions and events including live bands, edgy fashion shows, anime and live-action film premieres, Guest of Honor appearances, live art performances, merchants and vendor booths. Full details are available at www.J-POP.com (http://www.J-POP.com).

LoVendoЯ Talk & Music Video Screening
TOYOTA x STUDIO4ºC Meets ANA Tent
Saturday, July 27; 11:00am - 11:30am

LoVendoЯ & Sweety LIVE Performance
Pagoda Stage Peace Plaza
Saturday, July 27; 5:00pm – 6:00pm

LoVendoЯ LIVE Performance
Union Square
Sunday, July 28; 2:30pm - 3:00pm

LoVendoЯ Merchandise Sales & Autograph Session
TOYOTA x STUDIO4ºC Meets ANA Tent
Saturday, July 27; 11:30am - 12:00pm
Sunday, July 28; 5:00pm - 6:00pm
※Autograph session limited to the first 50 customers who purchase a LoVendoЯ CD.

WHOA! better wake up at 3 am to get dat merch!
Hieroglyphics - That Merch (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWJu_LLOnMw#ws)
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: Chibs on July 24, 2013, 05:06:28 PM: Quote from: AyuHikaru
Lovendor had an interview with JpopAsia.

http://www.jpopasia.com/news/exclusive-jpopasias-interview-with-lovendo::14537.html (http://www.jpopasia.com/news/exclusive-jpopasias-interview-with-lovendo::14537.html)

Quote
JPA: Do you have plans to release original singles and albums?

Marina Okada: For the moment nothing is decided but everyone will be soon able to hear our songs.
]
Pack it in guys, this shit is gonna take forever.
I will just put it here xD
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: rokun on July 25, 2013, 06:14:35 PM: ^
^
It also seems to say the autograph session on Saturday will be limited to the first 30 people... they are totally gonna have a riot on their hands.

Edit: Oh wait, UpFrontLink tweeted it'll be the first 50 on Saturday and the first 50 on Sunday too. Still, that's pretty restricted. XD Those Japanese wota on Sunday who'll be happy to just skip the Union Square live to stand in line...
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: Rayle on July 26, 2013, 08:15:50 AM: I'll be going both days, and probably all day both days.
On Saturday, will be wearing a yellow shirt and grey short sleeve hoodie, faded-black patchwork cap.
On Sunday, will be wearing a red shirt, grey jacket, with faux-cornrows on one side. (a la Gekikara, but with short hair. So more like Berryz's Saki's hair in Special Generation)
Large brown over-the-shoulder bag.
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: J-Triumf on July 26, 2013, 09:16:21 AM: So what's the plans for the weekend? Lunch between/before shows? Saturday night gatherings?

It's only a few days away and I'm still not quite ready; the blessing and curse of living right next door to the whole thing. :lol: Gotta make sure to wake up extra early on Saturday. I might be able to give folks a ride between Daly City and Japantown if need be.

Flights coming in from Japan to SFO on Friday will be arriving mostly in the morning, with a couple in the afternoon...just saying...
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: kitaoji on July 26, 2013, 03:35:14 PM: Looks like it's rokun, Rayle, J-Triumf, chibs, and myself at the least. Anybody else? Step right up!

Today is such a great day to stop in South San Francisco! (hah.) I'm betting my time on the 11:00 am flights.

I can be pretty nondescriptive, but have every intention to wear the Masaki-birthday t-shirt so that'll be pretty distinctive. Depending on the weather, I'll have my dark kelly green snoopy jacket (you'll notice the snoopy logo on the back) as much as possible, but if it's too cold I'll just have a navy blue fleece.

The other distinction is my Mission Workshop Sanction black rucksack, which stands out a bit due to its back metal buckles, and I'll probably be riding my bike at least on Saturday, so look out for the white helmet hanging at my side.

PM me if you'd like my phone number to plan out any weekend or hangouts, as Geary Boulevard (out towards the Avenues) and Fillmore Street have some pretty nice places to eat.
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: rokun on July 26, 2013, 05:51:31 PM: Sadly I'll be lacking much Lovendor gear too (hoping they have a good amount of t-shirts), so on Saturday I'll be wearing a Wonky Crew t-shirt :lol:

kitaoji, I may give you a call if I have trouble finding parking Saturday morning lol. I was planning on parking in Japantown, but with autograph events and such I dunno how full the garages will be...

I think lunch on Saturday is definitely a must, as we'll be getting together first at the autograph/talk events. Something should certainly be done Saturday evening/night too after the live, but we'll have all day to figure that out, I'd think :D
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: Slack on July 26, 2013, 06:04:50 PM: I'm going to be there both days reporting for JPHiP.

I should be wearing my jph!p shirt and a maybe a jacket or hoodie.
I'll be tweeting on @Slackius throughout the weekend.
If you want to meet up, that's probably the easiest way to get a hold of me.

Will be carpooling from LA with some other local fans, leaving here at midnight tonight.
Might be waiting in line absurdly early in the morning with some Japanese fans, trying to catch up on sleep!
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: oaxiac on July 27, 2013, 08:21:15 AM: (https://gs1.wac.edgecastcdn.net/8019B6/data.tumblr.com/f2bd87d163d07a03e0168a8bf91438e5/tumblr_mqkp58eM321rzhx51o1_1280.jpg)

(http://25.media.tumblr.com/e4e0cfe64f619637d35e7122ab91d2dc/tumblr_mqkp58eM321rzhx51o2_1280.jpg)

(https://gs1.wac.edgecastcdn.net/8019B6/data.tumblr.com/756f235ed176bdefd9ccf3821c277063/tumblr_mqkp58eM321rzhx51o3_1280.jpg)

http://ameblo.jp/tanakareina-blog/entry-11580956025.html (http://ameblo.jp/tanakareina-blog/entry-11580956025.html)
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: J-Triumf on July 27, 2013, 09:38:12 AM: ^ Good to see them learn of San Francisco summers the hard way. :lol:

I'm used to this weather, though; I'll be wearing a thin green jacket and some shorts. :P I might consider wearing my JPH!P shirt too, since it's the closest I have to any idol-related wear (I really should've bought a Yurina shirt in New Jersey last year...oh well).

I wish I could've done a better job planning for this, but hey, practice run for hopefully a bigger gathering/event in this area...live and learn. Anyway, LET'S DO THIS! :jphip:
San Francisco Anthem (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SKukuRmuHU#)
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: rokun on July 28, 2013, 06:55:13 AM: Wow, what a day XD

Nothing was going right at the beginning of Lovendor's performance. XD At first Reina's microphone wasn't hardly on at all, and so the sound guys ran up to the side of the stage to try and fix it (which apparently they do wirelessly via iPads...), but it just resulted in the backing track fading out, and the girls completely lost it and just stopped the performance. XD Then while they were trying to fix the sound, Reina said they should try and talk in English, but of course instead of doing it herself she tried to make her lackeys, and mainly Marina, try it. XD To which Marina ended up saying "No English!" XD

Eventually they seemed to get the sound fixed and resumed performing, but Reina's mic still wasn't at full volume, so pretty much whenever she had a second during the next couple songs or so, she would tap her mic and shake her finger at the sound guy at the side. XDDD It was so hilarious how she did it over and over lol. She was just in total control. :P

...but then, I think before the mic problems were even fixed, toward the end of the song Reina kinda fell down, to a kneel, and it turns out a string from her skirt got caught on her boot. XD When the song was over another of the staff had to come from the side and help her get it untangled lol. The beginning of the live was just kind of a disaster. XD But it was hilarious and we loved it... lol. Not sure the same could be said for Reina though. XD During one of the MC's she said how she likes San Francisco, but it seemed to be full of problems for her. XD In all her years of showbiz, she'd never gotten her skirt caught on her boot like that lol... in addition to all the sound trouble!

.......And that's just the live. XD The rest of the day was pretty crazy too. Of course they lost count of the original line to count out the 50 who would get autograph tickets, but it worked out well for me... lol, as I was one of the lucky ones to get the autographs. Even had a mini-conversation with Reina telling her about how I've loved her for so long and wished I could have gone to her grad concert but unfortunately couldn't and so I'm glad I was able to see her here. :D

Aside from Lovendor and Reina, I watched a good amount of other stuff in the festival, as opposed to anime cons I actually am interested in the other stuff going on lol. The rock band which performed before Lovendor was.. a bit too hard rock for my taste lol, but I liked SWEETY. Never seen them before, but the girls are really... genki. XD Especially that Yuripon, lol. They're very responsive to fans too, so it might be fun to keep an eye on them. :)

Also!!! I only realized it a couple days ago, but of course Kyary Pamyu Pamyu's here too... I went to the main stage to see the Harajuku Kawaii fashion show, which was cool to see all the designs, some brands which I've seen the H!P girls talk about they buy (MILK was especially one I remembered they buy), and aside from being cool to see the Japanese models there, and even one producer, Kyary came on at the end too :D and I'm looking forward to her live tomorrow... I'm not a huge fan or anything, but she's certainly unique, and I'm happy to have the opportunity to see her here too :D This is really quite an awesome festival, I'm finding...

Anyway... that's most of the fun stuff from day 1 I think, lol.

Edit:
I added photos from the day to a facebook album:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10103062214394669.1073741825.6811186&type=1&l=4894eaa2e4 (https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10103062214394669.1073741825.6811186&type=1&l=4894eaa2e4)
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: J-Triumf on July 28, 2013, 11:36:41 AM: You know, seeing photos of Reina and her band at the Golden Gate Bridge or Pier 39 is pretty damn cool, but honestly doesn't faze me too much; those are famous hotspots known to tourists and media.

Seeing them in Japantown, however, amongst streets and buildings I've frequented and are meant more for locals...it's surreal. (also surreal: being able to type up a day 1 report immediately from home!)

I had planned on waking up earlier than usual and getting to the place at an unrealistic hour, but my body clock refused to cooperate, so I set my alarm a bit later and hoped that rushing there wouldn't be too bad. In fact, Slack kinda taunted my concern over parking...but even I underestimated my own knack for finding a good place to park in that area, landing a spot just across the street from the main plaza right as I drove up to the place a little before 10 AM (always remember to read the signs, kids), and got greeted by the sounds of the band rehearsing "Roman My Dear Boy" as I made my way to the main area. There I met up with Slack and his crew, learned of the impromptu nature of the line, received some weird eggplant visors from festival staff, and waited for an hour for things to set off, seeing a few familiar faces from other events/websites show up as well.

11 AM was the official start time for the whole J-Pop Summit event, and right then and there we got to see Reina, Marina, Yuki and Marin up close and personal for their official introduction to the place! After a few comments about being surprised by our weather and wanting to perform for us, the merchandise/autograph session began, though restricted to the first 50 people and to CDs being purchased at the time. Luckily I was one of the first to have the opportunity, and I managed to quickly rip off the plastic packaging quickly enough to provide the CD booklet for signage. It kinda went by fast, and I was at a loss for words, but seeing the girls up close and smiling directly at me was still an awesome experience. In a way, it's kinda good that I stayed silent, because all I could think about saying to Reina was "IPPAI ELEVATOR!" XD

(http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o706/J-Triumf/HP/IMG_7243.jpg)
(http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o706/J-Triumf/HP/th_IMG_0527.jpg) (http://s1339.photobucket.com/user/J-Triumf/media/HP/IMG_0527.jpg.html)(http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o706/J-Triumf/HP/th_IMG_0529.jpg) (http://s1339.photobucket.com/user/J-Triumf/media/HP/IMG_0529.jpg.html)(http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o706/J-Triumf/HP/th_IMG_7237.jpg) (http://s1339.photobucket.com/user/J-Triumf/media/HP/IMG_7237.jpg.html)(http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o706/J-Triumf/HP/th_IMG_7238.jpg) (http://s1339.photobucket.com/user/J-Triumf/media/HP/IMG_7238.jpg.html)

Once that first part of the day was done, we checked out the booth for the upcoming Japan Expo; we were concerned about the lack of official announcement for You Kikkawa, so we asked the guy there about what exactly was going on with her. Unfortunately the answer we got was somewhat vague, and the promotional material from the booth conflicted with each other. Supposedly next week we'll find out the truth?

We managed to get one last good look at the band as they walked past us...
(http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o706/J-Triumf/HP/IMG_7240.jpg)

...then my mad scramble all over the place began! While the group decided lunch, I decided to dump off my stuff at my car, but when I got back everyone kinda dispersed! Luckily I managed to find them at a restaurant inside the shopping center. After that, met up with Tris-chan (who was happy to learn that I'm from nearby Daly City XD ), got another look at Reina and Marina as they helped with a Toyota promotion, then got some autographed drawings from the artist behind the promotion.

Then began mad scramble part 2! I took my new loot back to my car, only to return to see everyone having disappeared again! By this time my phone was essentially unusable due to the battery being drained, and attempting to utilize Japantown's free wifi through my iPod was unreliable due to the wifi only working in a certain part of the plaza, so I ended up running around the whole thing just trying to look for a familiar face. Luckily I eventually managed to get online long enough to locate Tris, and shortly after found Chibs and the rest of Slack's crew enjoying the main stage shows while Slack checked into his hotel.

Then the long wait for the final show began. We all managed to get a good position in front of the stage, and before Lovendor came out we had to sit through two acts. The first was a hardcore punk band who almost destroyed my eardrums with some loud feedback-driven guitars. :panic: Next up was idol group Sweety, who foreshadowed the technical problems rokun talked about when one of their members had trouble with a non-functioning microphone; luckily the girls were straight up professionals, managing to carry on the show like it was nothing.

Finally, after a long wait full of aching legs and backs, we got to see what we came for! Of course, rokun already covered some of the more notable details of the show, but just seeing them up close again, handling the problems with stride and keeping us entertained, it was all worth it.

(http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o706/J-Triumf/HP/IMG_7241a.jpg~original)
(http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o706/J-Triumf/HP/th_IMG_0536a.jpg) (http://s1339.photobucket.com/user/J-Triumf/media/HP/IMG_0536a.jpg.html)(http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o706/J-Triumf/HP/th_IMG_0537a.jpg) (http://s1339.photobucket.com/user/J-Triumf/media/HP/IMG_0537a.jpg.html)(http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o706/J-Triumf/HP/th_IMG_0538.jpg) (http://s1339.photobucket.com/user/J-Triumf/media/HP/IMG_0538.jpg.html)(http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o706/J-Triumf/HP/th_IMG_0539.jpg) (http://s1339.photobucket.com/user/J-Triumf/media/HP/IMG_0539.jpg.html)

My view was kinda good and kinda not good at the same time...good because unlike last year's Berryz concert I didn't have to jump behind tall people blocking my view; not good because I still got my view somewhat blocked by cameras as quite a few people felt the need to record everything instead of simply getting a few shots in and enjoying the show. BUT I'M NOT HERE TO JUDGE TOO HARSHLY, as long as everyone showed their excitement and support for a legendary Musume and her new project.

Three main things really stood out for me from seeing Lovendor live:
1. Reina Tanaka is so much more beautiful in person. Just like Erina Mano and Berryz Kobo before her, JPEGs and YouTube are simply no match for seeing these idols live with your own eyes...and the fact that I was able to see her not only in a familiar locale, but as finally getting my first taste at a live glimpse of the beloved Platinum Era lineup that I missed out on by a couple months, made things all the more special. Shit, it's just now sinking in as I type this...
2. As far as the new girls go, I'm really leaning towards Yuki Uozumi as my definite favorite. I had already found her the most attractive of the three when they were first revealed, and seeing her in person, joining the vocalists up in front for some extra stage presence for some of the songs (while Marin did her own thing in the corner :P ), checking out that smile of hers, I can't help but just find her really cute and charming.
3. "Joukyou Monogatari" (Sharam Q cover) is probably my favorite of their songs. I had listened to it earlier this week and really digged it back then, but watching it performed live really gave it more points in my book.

After the show was done we had one more mad scramble, albeit a lot less exhausting, as I met up with Slack and his people for dinner. They wanted to get seafood at Fisherman's Wharf, and rather than pack six people into my Honda Civic, we decided to just take the bus out there. I gotta say, it's been a while since I've played tourist in my own city, and this just might be on of the most touristy of my experiences. :lol:

I'm definitely looking forward to tomorrow's show at a different (yet hopefully better equipped/managed) venue. It'll probably be the same setlist and all, but hey, I can't complain about seeing them again so soon.

Also: to anyone who was there, for the record, I was the guy constantly screaming "TANASATAAAN" and "FREE BIRD". 8)

By the way, I left out a few details from my story, as I'm not sure I should be talking about them yet or at all...
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: Rayle on July 28, 2013, 05:20:55 PM: I got there at around 9AM and meandered my way to the LovendoR autograph line, but decided not to go for autographs, instead hanging out near the front of the line, sitting on the nearby building ledge.

The whole "first 50 people" thing was a clusterfuck, as one well-meaning guy counted off the 1st 34 people (but only the 1st 34) and then collapsed the line for the talks, so that when autographs came around, 35-50 were pretty pissed that they might have stood in line for nothing.

Marin is not into this PR thing, it's awesome. The other three were in the normal high-pitched genki greeting mode, and Marin's just like "Yo what up, I'm Marin" in a monotone low voice. XD

Everyone was in stiletto heel boots...except for Reina, who was on platforms that boosted her up like 4 inches on the toes and 5-6 inches in the back, and she was still at least 3 inches shorter than her bandmates like that . :rofl: I also loved how she wore a set of asymmetric earrings, where one was a question mark and one was an exclamation point.

Since I chose not to go for autographs, I just hung around the tent to ogle the girls up close. Acoupld guys got Reina (and sometimes the other girls) to look up for photographs, and it was both exasperating and amusing. There was one dude who brought an uchiwa with the "don't call me Tanaka-san" joke on it, and Reina gave and exclamation on seeing it, which was really funny. We also got an "Otsukareina" out of her.

Marin was seriously just super chill and aloof. :wub: She cracked out a smile maybe once or twice during the session, and unf, :inlove: :inlove: :inlove:

By coincidence, I managed to hook up with Kitaoji, (and very briefly met rokun) and the two of us hung out for the rest of the day. First we had lunch watching the Vocaloid dance competition. Then we wandered around the tents, laughed at how sketchy the idol concert DVDs at the video store were, before checking out Kinokuniya, where I forced poor Kitaoji to wait through my endless waffling over whether or not to buy some old classic H!P CDs, and lamented over the lack of Capsule or Perfume.

We then hit up the stage for the rest of the day:

Kylee's songs were anime-esque pop-rock songs, and she did in fact do the ED for Zetsuen no Tempest! I realized that she's younger than me. DX Her band from LA is really energetic and were having a blast on stage, especially the drummer, who was AWESOMESAUCE and really driving the energy of the live.
The Jpop karaoke contest was judged by a local karaoke bar owner and DAICHI. (beatboxing artist) There was Hatsukoi no Cider, a bleach opening, an acoustic ballad duet, (Kitaoji thinks it might have been Kobukuro) an amazing rendition of Ashita e no Sanka, (alan song) and this one Casanova expertly charming his way through Mr. Music. (Vocaloid) I was a little disappointed that there weren't more mainstream idols, with Buono being the only one represented.
Akabane Vulgars on Strong Bypass may not have necessarily had the objectively best music overall, but they were bar none the best live act, bringing a passion to the songs that they had clearly worked hard to write that made me not care that it was the same three formulas over and over again. They were having even more fun on stage than Kylee's band, and that's saying something.

The best part in all of this was a that there were a couple of guys doing legitimate wotagei routines to the songs, and picking up curious bystanders mimicking them. They were awesome, although one of the lead guys looked like he was dying after a few songs. XD :twothumbs

Then people started breaking out the lightsticks as they set up for Sweety and LovendoR, who were both there as representatives of this Toyota X 4°C meets ANA project: http://myanimelist.net/anime/13427/PES:_Peace_Eco_Smile (http://myanimelist.net/anime/13427/PES:_Peace_Eco_Smile)

Sweety were adorable, singing Shibuya-kei songs. Unfortunately, main vocal Yui's mic was off, so she had to mime her way through the first song. The first song also just got Boogie Train '03 stuck in my head. Sorry, Sweety! But they were super adorable anyways, and the audience gave them very enthusiastic greetings and reactions. Facing the stage, I was on the left, next to a couple of cosplayers with lightsticks doing their own reduced arm-movements only wotagei on the railing. (The wotagei contingent at this point was going full-speed ahead) We definitely got Yui and Yuripon smiling at our antics. In addition, the left side had a view of the part behind the stage where all guests did a short photoshoot after their performance, so while waiting for LovendoR, we got to interact from a distance with Sweety during their photoshoot, waving, making hearts, blowing kisses, and all of that. Saa-chan tried to blow a kiss and Yui caught it. XD They were really cute!

J-triumf and rokun smmed up the events of the LovendoR performance pretty well, but here's my additions:
The wotagei contingent in the back dispersed at this point to get as close to the stage as possible.
LovendoR was the only act where the audience did some fanchant elements, like the "oooooooh hey!" jump during pre-choruses. It helped that Reina and Marina would pump up the crowd to do "oi! oi! oi!"s, but the big thing was that the audience was clearly more comfortable with doing them for LovendoR, especially once the Roman cover went through. Other people were fist-pumping, so I threw up devil horns. :pimp: :twisted:
Being on the left, Yuki was the closest member, and I made eye-contact a couple of times, getting a smile out of her by waving during said eye contact. I think I might have gotten one smile out of Marin at once point, but since she was on the other side of the stage I wasn't sure.
I felt bad that no one did Marina chants when she and Reina were trading off lines. I'll probably do that during today's concert.
After Reina's skirt mishap, she noticed that the fans knew about "Gambareina!" and got excited. :lol:

After the concert, we tried to get their attention during the photoshoot again, but the most success was when me and a few other girls got out some Marin lovecalls as they left. XD She definitely noticed those, and we got a smile for our troubles. :wub:
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: Chibs on July 28, 2013, 05:49:30 PM: you know they played the theme song for one of those robot animes and that got stuck in my head until lovendor came out xD
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: rokun on July 28, 2013, 06:21:13 PM: Nice to hear reports from you other guys! Rayle, you must not have been too far from me since I was on the left side too, though I was closer to Marina lol. We seem to keep having close encounters :lol:

All right, I got a couple little videos finally uploaded. First, and mainly, another video of most of the Lovendor talk event:
http://youtu.be/L5wmxLAhSL8 (http://youtu.be/L5wmxLAhSL8)

Also, for anyone who might be interested, the short interview with Kyary when she came out at the end of the Harajuku Kawaii fashion show: http://youtu.be/Bmug6kBBl8E (http://youtu.be/Bmug6kBBl8E)

Edit: Also added a little dance by some of the Harajuku Kawaii models when they came out: http://youtu.be/IXG-PYmwCxE (http://youtu.be/IXG-PYmwCxE)
Title: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: xepher416 on July 28, 2013, 08:07:39 PM: Yup, all of that sounds just about right. Lol it was a pretty amusing live with all that going on. Oh and when I was going back to my hotel room, Reina was actually in the elevator so for the next 5 seconds I was just staring at her, starstruck and was unable to say anything.
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: J-Triumf on July 28, 2013, 08:58:41 PM: Quote from: Rayle on July 28, 2013, 05:20:55 PM
I got there at around 9AM and meandered my way to the LovendoR autograph line, but decided not to go for autographs, instead hanging out near the front of the line, sitting on the nearby building ledge.

Ah, I should've known it was you. :lol:

To be honest I was hoping for a more coherent gathering of us JPH!P folks, but I think we were all too tired. :lol: Well, still not too late for that, although I'll likely still be sticking with Slack and company.
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: rokun on July 29, 2013, 07:31:20 AM: All right, back from day 2!!

I started the day meeting up with Tundra Wind, and we had lunch with J-triumf and walked down to Union Square to catch the live. Kylee was all right, and it's good to see some local Jpop represensation, but of course things got started when Lovendor took the stage! Sadly they only sang a few songs, and they didn't expressly allow photography this time, so you may not see a whole lot of pictures from this (I got a couple). Thankfully the live also went off without incident this time... There were a lot of people there this time, and most of them were not Lovendor fans, so... hopefully good exposure!

After Lovendor, Daichi came up. This man calls himself the human beatbox, and really must be seen to be believed. I was a little unsure of him beforehand, but what the guy can do is certainly impressive. If you're interested, you can check out his youtube channel (I'm guessing a search along the lines of "daichi" and "beatbox" will point you in the right direction).

Then Kyary came on, and all hell broke loose. XD No, seriously, obviously most of the fans were there to see Kyary, and the scene was full of cheering and jumping (and loud music) for the next few songs. I hear she even drew attention from the windows of buildings surrounding the square. I like what Kyary's doing, so yay for more exposure to the Harajuku style!

After Kyary, Tundra Wind and I ran back up to J-town for Lovendor autographs, and although we were a ways back in line, she managed to get them! I was happy for her! I also somehow managed to sneak by the merch guys and get my album cover signed, since I'd gotten the insert signed yesterday... my craftiness of the event I suppose, and ending up in a fulfilling conclusion!

However, what could be a more fulfilling conclusion than having a final dinner with the gang? Tundra Wind and I joined J-triumf, kitaoji, Rayle, Slack, and all of his posse for dinner in the J-town mall, and it was a good meal with lots of good idol-related conversation. You guys sure know your stuff!! I'll have to try and ask dai about getting a press pass next event if he still loves me. :) According to Slack, the more the better!!! lol.

I uploaded 29 more pictures of the days events, and although they're in the same album I linked above, I'll link it again just for kicks: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10103062214394669.1073741825.6811186&type=1&l=4894eaa2e4 (https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10103062214394669.1073741825.6811186&type=1&l=4894eaa2e4)
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: kitaoji on July 29, 2013, 08:39:13 AM: Well, looks like the first day has been covered quite thoroughly by rokun and Rayle and J-Triumph, so I'll try to chime in with day zero and the second day.

Since I can without lie declare to be a San Francisco wota (I live and work in the city proper), it wasn't very difficult to request two extra days off in an attempt to corner Lovendor in the airport. Unfortunately, there are two exits at the international terminal and it's hard to monitor both at the same time. At any case, I showed up at 8:45 in the morning and readied my spot for the 9:25 flight, but no one came.

At 10:24 (thereabouts) I finally located the one lonely Japanese wota who had his Lovendor towels out over the security barrier. Mostly we had a very stuttering conversation, because I speak Japanese too fast for anything to sound right in the first place. So we stood and recorded the whole damn gate, for a good three hours before giving up. And Lovendor gave us the slip XD while the Juventus soccer team fans were SO MUCH MORE ENTHUSIASTIC and cornering the team members to sign t-shirts and take photos. I think if any jpop fan were to do something like that to their idols, the handlers would go ballistic and would spend all and any available cash to sneak out of airports.

In any case, the whole day (yes, we left at 8pm :O) was rather fruitless, although d0ku0 (that's the wota's handle) and I chatted a bit about MM in general and how Maachan gets jealous of his Lovendor goods and scowls in those group photos and keeps chatting up the fans for updates about her beloved Tanasa-tan. Keep this in mind, Reina fans! XD Maachan might ACTUALLY MAKE SENSE if you talk to her about Reina.

Anyway, on both days I got up at 6am, and biked to J-Town to (a) the line for the Lovendor autograph session on Day 1 and (b) just to check things out on Day 2. For (b), I did manage to pass their general translator (the old baldy) and their stage manager (the guy with the spiky hair and Tsunku eyebrows XD) lugging Nee-san's floor amp and probably Marin's gear across Geary Boulevard to catch the bus to Union Square. Guess it's just faster that way!

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu fans were trickling into the square by 9:30. I was mostly distracted in the morning and missed Important Moments, like snagging first row seats and just making it in time for Lovendor's mic check around 11:30 (Thanks, Rayle!). To keep things short, it was mostly Tsunku-brows tuning things up because the girls don't know what exactly they were doing, except for Reina (who's a total pro at this point).

Concertwise, the Union Square Live was much more staged and slick, rather than the quirky Peace Pagoda show that was much more energetic. We had scowling security guys, no railing standees, and one desperately sad MC. Kylee opened and closed her piece with anime-esque songs, but the three in the middle were Katy Perry and another cover. Maybe it was done to placate the more "mainstream" atmosphere of Union Square and causing a ruckus to both Macys and the American Public Transportation Association conference over in the Westin.

Moving on to the performances themselves: Rayle and I were on stage left, which meant that we got to see Reina and Marin a lot. :) Reina was at her best working the crowd, definitely much better than yesterday and dare I say even more than what I've seen of MM concert footage; I think it's because she's had more experience working in similar settings like those summer Mezameshi TV festivals, and even acknowledged the other fans swarming around the side railings like a pro. I'm sure the fact that there was actual sunlight in Union Square helped a lot (they picked a bad week to come; the fog wasn't rolling into J-town, which is considered bad weather, but there was not a streak of blue all weekend in that area).

True to our word, Rayle and I kept up the crazy fanchants for Marina, and with some Marin and Nee-san, so you'll hear us loud and clear :P We might have gotten a few waves from the two M's and I definitely got some from Reina as I was noticeably right next to the subdued Kyary brigade.

The whole event was rather short, as they did only three songs, all without mishap and decently translated. I would say that there was better entertainment value in Day 1's concert, with all of the bloopers and the lack of official cameras, which meant that there was more space to do things and space for the casual attendees to watch as well. All in all, the Kyary fans had an alright time, stage right was too polite, and those of us in stage left hammed it up as much as we could.

By the time Lovendor ran off into their waiting van, I was already huffing and puffing on my bicycle along Sutter Street to get back to J-town. Here's a protip for future SF tourists: the bike beats the bus! (It's super-easy to get to all the tourist destinations, too!) I managed to hightail it like there was no tomorrow despite having to walk some pretty steep grades and got back to an empty booth, but a bathroom break prevented me from being the first in line.

Given that this second session started at 5 (no talk show or whatever), the girls were pretty exhausted. I'm pretty happy that the staff caught on how to properly do crowd control and lined us all in single file and got paper tickets from Office Max to keep the line sane. They also pulled out their spare CDs (? :D), so a lucky 61 people got autographs instead of the afore-announced 50. Hey, it's a way to reduce check-in difficulties AND profit!

I just want to say that Okamari might have melted my heart from being so close :wub: I wished her a happy birthday (for what, the fourth time this weekend?) and told her to check out some bars before she leaves. (oh shit, the drinking age here is 21. Never mind...) She grinned and probably thought I was asking her if she was going to go do some major drinking sessions XD and pointed to Nee-san's direction, who can hold her liquor XD I probably should have said that there's (hard) cider too so Reina can join in the fun. (Another protip, guys: the Midwest welcomes you!)

Reina was REALLY worn out, as she had this fluffy leopard print jacket on and was scowling more towards the end and probably got something in her eye. I screwed up my verbs and ended up asking if she sent any messages to Maachan, when it should have been if her inbox was flooded on a daily basis. (The answer was 'now and then', FYI.) The handlers also had to nudge me ahead as I had to conclude all those thoughts and wish her the best of luck with Lovendor.

Rayle was completely trolling the session and juggling her way through (XD), although the two of us made it a mission to holler and get waves from all of The Other Three. d0ku0 also very nicely took a two-shot of us with Marin in the background, and a lot of us kept taking photos during the signing, while Reina was working out her eye problems (the left one) and The Other Three just milling about. The staff were generally more ingenious with their barricades and hanging around the members this time round so my candid shots were lousy with bad angles.

In any case, we kept taking photos while the team was doing their requisite interview. As I was repositioning myself to get shots along their escape route, this CREEPY SCOWLING old guy showed up and just pretty much talked shit about the girls with their boring profiles and getting information (from various forums - blog project maybe) and asking if we were on any forums. Well. That was quite a bit of a damper.

Eventually, with the cold coming in and the girls clearly out of it (although heck, Marina probably didn't mind getting so many birthday wishes) we decided to pretty much leave them alone. Rayle and I met up with rokun, J-Triumph and Tundra Wind, and we eventually made our way to Izumiya for dinner whereupon we were joined by the Japanese wota contingent, Slack, and a few others and happily talked everything we could about H!P, before wrapping it up with a group photo.

All in all, it was great festival. The girls probably suffered the most with the jetlag and the cold spell, but they didn't really go too far between locations and according to Reina's blog, managed to put in some emergency shopping time for jackets and some sightseeing. The Peace Plaza MCs were corny, the booths weren't too bad and the food trucks were a cut above average, although there was more jewelry and people taking advantage of the jpop ~culture~ element to do some very elegant, but unrelated displays. In other words, it was really more of a street festival than a full-blown anime convention, which is all that J-town is really capable of since they lost the Cathedral Hotel :(

And well heck, it was the best time I've had in 8 years of going to J-town. Thanks guys! :)
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: J-Triumf on July 29, 2013, 09:49:11 AM: My Day 2 report!

I decided to sleep in for a bit, as there was no longer a need to rush to get there for me, but still woke up at a somewhat "early" time of 10 AM. :P Had a very minimal breakfast, contacted some people, popped the Lovendor CD in my car's player, and drove off around noon, managing to immediately find yet another convenient parking spot!

Met with rokun and Tundra Wind at the food truck area before walking (!) our way to Union Square where the action was. A mile seemed doable but the distance was starting to sink in towards the end. :lol: We arrived at the plaza where there was already an intimidating size of a crowd hogging all the best viewing spots! After a quick bathroom break (by the way, concert MC Mike Inouye lied, he said there were no public restrooms around when there was actually one at the parking garage entrance) I met up with H!O user ryu1132 (who made a Berryz NJ fan journal last year (http://youtu.be/yaW_pMtJ2r8)) and we took the best spot we could, off to the ~~left~~ west side of the stage (EDIT: stage right, apparently). Unfortunately the view wasn't that great, as a speaker setup was in the way. :(

I rocked out a bit to Kylee, whose original songs keep making me think I'm watching an episode of J-Melo, then Lovendor came on. This was definitely a letdown compared to yesterday's show; despite the technical stuff going smoothly this time they were restricted to just three songs, and combined with my horrible view of the stage there was just no comparison...but I couldn't be disappointed too much considering how I already had a great time seeing them not too long before.

Then began the most epic of the weekend's scrambles! :panic: I tried to contact Slack right after Lovendor left, but he didn't answer; knowing that some H!P fans were going to stick around for the rest of the show I took the risk of searching the backs of the crowd for any familiar faces...and with my phone battery running low again and free wifi being scarce I was in no position to really contact anyone else. So I simply made the most of the situation, taking advantage of what little wifi time I could connect to, while passively listening to Daichi and KPP's performances, as well as doing a bit of people watching. In any case, my plans to have some kind of quick photoshoot with folks at a hot dog stand that was featured in a Rika Ishikawa photobook were dashed. :nervous

Once the show ended and the crowd dispersed I began my search for familiar faces again; while I couldn't find anyone I had been hanging with, I at least still managed to run into JPH!P's own strawb3rrykream, as well as briefly reuniting with Bryan Veloso of Hello!Ranking/Hello!Party fame. But then I had to make a mad dash back to Japantown to catch Lovendor again! I probably should've just barefooted it the whole way, because running in flipflops is no way to go through life, son. :bleed eyes:

I got back just in time to finally find Slack and company having another go at autographs. This time the line was a bit longer, and more CDs were available for signage. Since I already got my CD and autograph, I simply enjoyed the view of the girls as they did their thing, as well as have another chat with ryu1132 while getting some photos of the band.

(http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o706/J-Triumf/HP/th_IMG_0545a.jpg) (http://s1339.photobucket.com/user/J-Triumf/media/HP/IMG_0545a.jpg.html)(http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o706/J-Triumf/HP/th_IMG_0546.jpg) (http://s1339.photobucket.com/user/J-Triumf/media/HP/IMG_0546.jpg.html)(http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o706/J-Triumf/HP/th_IMG_0547.jpg) (http://s1339.photobucket.com/user/J-Triumf/media/HP/IMG_0547.jpg.html)(http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o706/J-Triumf/HP/th_IMG_0548.jpg) (http://s1339.photobucket.com/user/J-Triumf/media/HP/IMG_0548.jpg.html)(http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o706/J-Triumf/HP/th_IMG_0549.jpg) (http://s1339.photobucket.com/user/J-Triumf/media/HP/IMG_0549.jpg.html)(http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o706/J-Triumf/HP/th_IMG_0551.jpg) (http://s1339.photobucket.com/user/J-Triumf/media/HP/IMG_0551.jpg.html)
(http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o706/J-Triumf/HP/th_IMG_7244.jpg) (http://s1339.photobucket.com/user/J-Triumf/media/HP/IMG_7244.jpg.html)(http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o706/J-Triumf/HP/th_IMG_7245a.jpg) (http://s1339.photobucket.com/user/J-Triumf/media/HP/IMG_7245a.jpg.html)(http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o706/J-Triumf/HP/th_IMG_7247.jpg) (http://s1339.photobucket.com/user/J-Triumf/media/HP/IMG_7247.jpg.html)(http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o706/J-Triumf/HP/th_IMG_7248.jpg) (http://s1339.photobucket.com/user/J-Triumf/media/HP/IMG_7248.jpg.html)(http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o706/J-Triumf/HP/th_IMG_7249.jpg) (http://s1339.photobucket.com/user/J-Triumf/media/HP/IMG_7249.jpg.html)(http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o706/J-Triumf/HP/th_IMG_7252a.jpg) (http://s1339.photobucket.com/user/J-Triumf/media/HP/IMG_7252a.jpg.html)(http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o706/J-Triumf/HP/th_IMG_7254.jpg) (http://s1339.photobucket.com/user/J-Triumf/media/HP/IMG_7254.jpg.html)

Not sure if you can tell but I really wanted to get some good shots of Yuki, who had won me over with that infectious smile of hers (plus I already had enough shots of Reina). At the very least I was able to call out to Yuki and wave to her, and she waved back in return. I also tried to yell out "TANASATAAAAAN" to Reina, which actually caught her attention, but unfortunately another autograph linegoer blocked her view just as she looked in my direction.

Also managed to finally identify kitaoji and Rayle during this time. XD

Once the autographs were done Reina ran off to the side, as she was experiencing some sort of problem with her eye; while the other girls waited we finally got a chance to sing happy birthday to Marina as a group!

The band had one more interview to do, then they walked off as we waved our final goodbyes to them. With J-Pop Summit now coming to a close, we made plans for dinner inside the shopping center, where we bonded over idol talk and the future of American H!P visits. We then had our group photo (which y'all should see soon) and all headed our seperate ways; I dropped off Rayle and kitaoji at their required places then headed back home with the Lovendor CD on full blast.

I'll probably have some final thoughts, but I gotta wake up early again tomorrow for something unrelated; just wanted to get this out of the way. For now I'll say this: As much as I've joked in IRC about being the only H!P fan left in the Bay Area, it feels so good to confirm how wrong that notion is.
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: rokun on July 30, 2013, 01:32:20 AM: ^ Talking about H!P fans in the bay area, I'm starting to think of planning my next year's trip out here to coincide with Jpop (regardless of who goes). I heard from those of you locals who go every year, so if I do make it then, hopefully I'll be able to see you then too! The main wrench in the whole thing would be if other stuff was announced during the summer like a couple H!P groups going elsewhere ;) But it's a tentative plan at least!! I enjoyed the festival apart from just Lovendor, so I think it'd be fun to go again as well as to see you all. :)
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: Rayle on July 30, 2013, 05:14:52 AM: Day 1 was kind of a sussing out exploration day.

I am not afraid to admit that Day 2 was all about trolling. :lol:

I really felt bad about some people clearly being there for only one or two acts, so I wanted to make sure that everyone felt welcome and had fun, so even during Day 1's music stages I was initiating a lot of the cheers and trying to make sure that the less popular acts like Kylee, Akabane, and Sweety had a receptive crowd.

Having gotten a feel for the artists from Day 1, I was determined to do even better on Day 2.

First of all, though, I dressed up a lot more distinctly. On Day 1, due to the colder weather, I had to cover my bright yellow T-shirt, and ended up in drab dull colors. For Day 2, I went in clothes more appropriate for rocking out, with bright colors, a flashy hairstyle, and a bit of bling. Plus, during the concert, Kitaoji and I were the Sunglasses Brigade. 8)2

Since the concert was scheduled for 2:00PM, I arrived at 11:00AM, only to find that seats were already scarce, and managed to grab two 3rd row seats, which mean that I was on the side where most of the artists were setting up. Daichi's soundcheck got quite a bit of applause and drew a lot of casual attention. I got a wave out of Kylee's drummer :wub: and bassist, which was awesome. Stage left also totally got waves and smiles out of Yuki (Nee-san) and Marin while they were waiting on the side for their soundcheck. Shippy Yuki/Marin moments happened, y'all. There was hugging and giggling and shit.

Like the others have said, the Peace Plaza stages on Day 1 were ultimately more fun, with the smaller audience also being more energetic and into things. The passiveness of Day 2's audience was at its greatest during Kylee's stages, although I tried to throw in cheering rounds as much as possible, and it was great that there was a bunch of girls in cosplay in 1st row who were quick on the take and always joined me in screaming. Thanks, girls, you rock! :twothumbs I really missed not having an wotagei brigade going on, though. :lol:

In some ways, the chants during LovendoR's stage were better done, since a lot of us were now familiar with the songs from Day 1. On the other hand, the lack of standing room on the railing meant that we couldn't do the "ooooooohhh hey!" jumps during the pre-chorus. :( Nonetheless, LovendoR's stage was when I really got into trolling. As kitaoji said, we did our best to do chants for the other three girls, with multiple OkaP/Okamari, Nee-san, and Marin calls during and outside of songs. Towards the end of their set, Marin really smiled at the folks crowding the back and sides of the square and stage, lucky bastards. :lol: Reina was completely pro about waving to everyone in all directions. This was where it was really obvious that stage right were Debbie Downers. There were a couple of time where they didn't even throw out a cheer when the girls moved closer in their direction. The wotagei brigade from before were behind us, though, and that combined with the enthusiastic girls up front, I can say confidently that the girls really enjoyed stage left. Lol, we were totally "that guy" you always hear at H!P concerts with our "Neeeee-saaaaaaannnn!" calls. :P

After LovendoR's set ended, a bunch of the people who were there just for them left to line up for autographs, which meant more casuals and Kyary fans. Regardless of that, Daichi got huge audience reactions, as his act lends itself to get reactions out of people as a part of its flow. He would build up songs sequentially with new sounds, each one garnering a new "Ahhh" and cheers from the audience as they either recognized the song he was starting, or just marvelling at how he could replicate some sounds, and just plain enjoying the drops and breaks of dance rhythms on their own like it was a club. Daichi got a lot of clapping along to his stuff. Highly enjoyable.

Finally, the audience size and reception of Kyary was just blew everyone else's out of the water. It helped that her songs were EDM, with bass subwoofers turned up to the max, (yes, I saw people in the Westin Hotel peeking out of the windows to see what the fuck was going on XD) but her connection with the audience was just really palpable. Whereas for the other acts, at most you had the people on the roof balcony of Macy's watching, during Kyary I saw people watching at the windows on every single floor. She didn't speak a lick of english, unlike Kylee, who is fluent, LovendoR, who used a translator, or Daichi, who attempted some short engrish phrases, and yet the confidence with which she tossed off her Japanese never let any doubt as to the intent of her words. She did Pon Pon Pon, Invader Invader, Fashion Monster, Kyary An-An, and Tsukematsukeru, directing the audience in the last two to do accompanying hand gestures. Again, without a translator, and without attempting english. And during the harder beats portion of the songs, a lot of the audience, myself included, were just straight up dancing with hands in the air. :cow: Another thing that helped was the pure energy of her backup dancers, the Tempura Kidz. They looked like they were having a blast and were right on top of the beat crisp and sharp, which lended to the energy of the audience.

After the end of the concert, I power-walked my way to Japantown, (my thighs still hurt :lol:) and found Sweety (Yui and Sayaka, anyways. Yuripon wasn't present for some reason) doing an autograph session while the LovendoR autograph line got longer and longer. At first I just hung out at the chairs and watched the girls be really adorable, getting a couple of waves from them in the process, but then I noticed that people were getting photos with them, too! Autographs and 2shot with an idol group for free? Fuck yeah, that was more than anyone in LovendoR was going to get. I jumped in line and picked up a visor for them to sign, and told the girls that Day 1's live was "very good" and that I had fun. They got so much more excited when I dropped the "tanoshii." :D

And then I stuck out my hand and got two-handed handshakes from both girls. :pimp: Skin was so soft, man. Not a single callus.

And then I did my photo doing the Gekikara "nee, okoetteru" nail-biting smile. Thanks to my hairstyle and ROCK necklace, kitaoji knew that I was trolling hard with that pose. :lol:

(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/wVoI3Q5kqNfkUgfXO6tb7lwbNnwCDBaqrivNoPVOFd4=w155-h207-p-no) (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-O7vnGbUD7LM/Ufcpr-XkhqI/AAAAAAAAAIo/iIpPiNOInUE/w433-h577-no/130728_0000.jpg)

So yeah, I got idol autographs, handshakes, and a 2shot, without getting wallet raped one bit. :jphip:

Last but not least, as their session ended and the girls were leaving, I threw out a "I love you Sweety!" yell and starting a good-bye cheering session. They seemed to really enjoy it. I hope they do genuinely have good memories of the festival.

Since I wasn't in line for the LovendoR autograph session at all, for a while I had a lot of open space in front of the tent, about 10 feet from the girls. So I started juggling for them. :lol: Of course, people who got their stuff signed stayed around to watch the girls, so visibility quickly went down. XD kitaoji and I really started trolling the girls at this point, getting waves and smiles and calling for the non-Reina girls. By the end of the session it was highly likely the girls knew that we were MD scum and whoring for attention a little. XD Another shippy moment happened while Reina went to the bathroom (probably to fix whatever was wrong with her eye) and the other girls were hanging out at the back of the tent: Marin grabbed Marina's bare thigh out of nowhere. XD Got a little more juggling in at this point that I'm pretty sure they saw. Kitaoji mentioned d0ku0 getting us a picture with Marin in the background, but what she didn't mention was that d0ku0 first assumed that we wanted a picture with Reina, like everyone else, and we had to clarify that we wanted Marin. And that's why I put my focus on the other three girls all festival long, because everyone else pretty much was going for Reina alone, and I wanted to make them feel loved as well.

After that, like the others said, the JPHIP crew and some Japanese wota did dinner together. To the peeps at that table: that pre-Sheki Dol soloist I was talking about was Ishii Rika, which I remembered because Perfume covered her Leslie Gore-esque song "Super Jet Shoes during their early days, so it much have been somewhat popular as an oldie.

Also, Slack is a beast. He hung with us to about 8PM, even though he was going to have to drive all the way back to LA that night and go to work the next morning.

A+++ weekend, most certainly looking forward to more like it in the future. :jphip:

(My boss, who lives about 3 blocks from Japantown, mentioned today that he went to the festival, too, but just for the food. XD He also said that the food trucks this year weren't as good as last year's. :lol:)
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: Dracil on July 30, 2013, 07:29:31 AM: Hey all, I'm new to the forums. I saw Rayle's juggling while in the autograph line and didn't know what to make of it :P. Anyway, I believe I was part of the "wotagei contingent" that Rayle talked about on Day 1 (I had a House Targaryen shirt on Day 1, and a AX Porno Graffitti shirt on Day 2), though I'm not sure who the "wotagei brigade" was from Day 2.

Most of it has been covered, but I would like to apologize for the anemic Stage Right on Day 2. I was 3rd row from the front (first 1.5 rows were Press and Staff, and only 2 of the Staff seats ever got filled). We had most of Row 3, including one of what I think were the aforementioned "cosplayers with lightsticks" from Day 1. There were two Japanese fans in the same row who did some (I assume) correct calls for Kyary. Other people of note was 1 guy in the press seat who was really into it, and a guy behind us who knew when to do the proper member calls for Lovendor. Unfortunately, the biggest Lovendor fan in our group spent Day 2 at Japantown getting autographs, so we lost a bit of a leader on our end. I did enjoy the interaction we got with Marina on our side though.

As for the more negative parts on stage right, we apparently got called kimowota by some person behind us when we were doing some in-seat arm movements during rehearsal. My friend's friend also tweeted that when she tried to do wotagei somewhere in the back, someone gave her a nasty look. When Lovendor came on, me and the press seat guy tried to stand (and I managed to coax some friends to stand too), but we got immediately shouted to sit down by the people behind us, so it was all just very depressing I think. At least when Kyary came on, everyone stood so we were able to properly express some energy on this side as well.

Overall, Day 1 was much more enjoyable, though they really need to work on the technical problems with the mics.

Edit: Removed a case of mistaken identity.
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: J-Triumf on July 30, 2013, 09:22:28 AM: I made it into the Lovendor blog!
(http://i44.tinypic.com/14mx6za.jpg)
http://ameblo.jp/lovendor-blog/entry-11582312865.html (http://ameblo.jp/lovendor-blog/entry-11582312865.html)

Me with my green jacket and refusal to put the visor on my head. :lol:

Quote from: Dracil on July 30, 2013, 07:29:31 AM
Most of it has been covered, but I would like to apologize for the anemic Stage Right on Day 2.
Yeah, there were times when it felt like I was the only person really cheering them on from that side (I assume you're talking about the west side of the plaza closer to Japantown); the seated area seemed dead from what I saw, while the seated area on the other side was really lively. I even remember seeing some people attempting to stand up only to sit back down right away. The main good thing for Lovendor at Union Square was the chance to perform for a much bigger audience; the Day 1 show was definitely the real show for them.

Quote from: Rayle on July 30, 2013, 05:14:52 AM
To the peeps at that table: that pre-Sheki Dol soloist I was talking about was Ishii Rika
Ah, the Douyou Pops Lady... XD Slack and I used to joke about her because we remember her primarily for her appearance on Utaban with the 2002 shuffles.

Quote from: rokun on July 30, 2013, 01:32:20 AM
^ Talking about H!P fans in the bay area, I'm starting to think of planning my next year's trip out here to coincide with Jpop (regardless of who goes). I heard from those of you locals who go every year, so if I do make it then, hopefully I'll be able to see you then too! The main wrench in the whole thing would be if other stuff was announced during the summer like a couple H!P groups going elsewhere ;) But it's a tentative plan at least!! I enjoyed the festival apart from just Lovendor, so I think it'd be fun to go again as well as to see you all. :)

I'll most likely be there again next year since it's right here, so it'll be great if you could come. The festival's been going on since 2009 and I've been attending since 2010 because it's been something to do, although this year's the first time I was actually excited for it. Like I said before, I was really surprised to see it blow up big time this year, so who knows what tricks they got up their sleeves for 2014.

Maybe next time I'll try to chart out a street parking map to help you guys out; the big church on Geary is a great place to start searching, as well as a side street off Webster across from Safeway where an elementary school is located.

P.S. All this mention of Kylee reminded me that we do have a thread for her here (http://forum.jphip.com/index.php?topic=33720.0). :P
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: oaxiac on July 30, 2013, 03:56:43 PM: ＬｏＶｅｎｄｏЯ、海外イベントに登場 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf072RzV6Eg#ws)
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: Rayle on July 31, 2013, 03:39:00 AM: I see Kitaoji XD

Otherwise, WORST FOOTAGE EVER. We were totally more energetic than that during other parts. This makes us look bad! (Or maybe we all just trolled too much and they had to edit it all out. :lol:) And obviously they didn't give a shit about Union Square, unless that'll be saved for a Kyary focus video.
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: rokun on July 31, 2013, 04:32:29 AM: Quote from: J-Triumf on July 30, 2013, 09:22:28 AM
Quote from: Dracil on July 30, 2013, 07:29:31 AM
Most of it has been covered, but I would like to apologize for the anemic Stage Right on Day 2.
Yeah, there were times when it felt like I was the only person really cheering them on from that side (I assume you're talking about the west side of the plaza closer to Japantown); the seated area seemed dead from what I saw, while the seated area on the other side was really lively. I even remember seeing some people attempting to stand up only to sit back down right away. The main good thing for Lovendor at Union Square was the chance to perform for a much bigger audience; the Day 1 show was definitely the real show for them.

Hey, Tundra Wind, erilaz (from jplop) and I were on the right side too! XD I was watching you a bit through the live J lol, but we were only the only few people in that mass doing any cheers or jumping. I wish I'd thought of going over to the left... but oh well, at least we gave some support from the right. ^^
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: Rayle on July 31, 2013, 05:28:53 AM: Fancams!

LoVendor performing in JPop Festival (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKfzQLC4DDg#ws)

(I was next to that girl with the black hair and blue hair ribbons, although you can't see me here.)

Sweety performing in JPop Festival (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVNZ3ciqlCQ#ws)

(I see rokun XD Also I'm pretty sure 99% of those random lonely "whoo"s is me. XD I had earbuds in since I was right next to the speakers, so I couldn't hear the rest of the crowd much.)

Jpop Summit/Union Square Live 2013 Pre-Show - LoVendoR (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIWWrLwtfls#ws)

Jpop Summit/Union Square Live 2013 Pre-Show - LoVendoR pt. 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hew5DwfDWIk#ws)

Daichi Live Performance at Union Square, San Francisco - J-Pop Summit Festival 2013 (Part 1) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUfaGVdDI-g#ws)

Kylee at j-pop summit 2013, incomplete set (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VV8RtErPu0#ws)

Kylee at the J-Pop Summit Festival 2013 Part 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rtmwt0kUlro#ws)

Kylee at the J-Pop Summit Festival 2013 Part 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAW_xIN9Dbw#ws)

Wotagei during kylee performance , J-POP SUMMIT FESTIVAL 2013 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4gUlB6hRZA#ws)

The Akabane Vulgars On Strong Bypass @ J-Pop Summit Festival 2013 (Clip No. 1) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ATdDMdsX88#ws)

Also, highlights of the solo vocaloid dance contest and the karaoke contest:

JPop Summit 2013 - Vocaloid Dance Contest - Majikuru MaChan2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ywfqktENEM#ws)

【Live】 Mr.Music (Chiquewa×Da-little ver.) @ J-Pop Summit 2013's J-Pop Idol (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x540mOhWixQ#ws)
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: Tris-chan on July 31, 2013, 06:38:24 AM: Also Reina totally ignored me. I caught her eye MULTIPLE times, tried waving, doing the heart sign at her....nada. :sweatdrop:

So, in my H!P ranking, Saki is still tops. ;)

Since everyone else has talked about LoVendoR, I'll talk a little about the kyary press event. Very little, since that interview will be up in the next couple of days here on the JPHiP front page!

Kyary is small, but not as small as Reina. She's adorable, and wore an outfit that I COVET. Seriously. I covet her clothes from this event. She also was adorable, but seemed tired.

The models, however, are fucking tiny. Like, super tiny. Especially Ayumi Sato, I'm pretty sure that a strong gust of wind would break her in half.

Sebastian is super charming and verbose, and I would love to interview him one day. I bet he'd give some great answers.

The models looked a little surprised to get any questions: they were the sideshow to Kyary's main and they knew it. But it was cute seeing them flustered (Saki was the most flustered of any of them, she had no idea what to say.)

Yura is hilarious and I want to get a beer with her.

That's all!

PS - J-Triumf, if we don't hang out sometime I will be an unhappy camper. Also you should come to my cosplay group's shows. THAT IS ALL.
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: Dracil on July 31, 2013, 09:34:00 AM: Quote from: Rayle on July 31, 2013, 05:28:53 AM
Fancams!

LoVendor performing in JPop Festival (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKfzQLC4DDg#ws)

(I was next to that girl with the black hair and blue hair ribbons, although you can't see me here.)

Sweety performing in JPop Festival (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVNZ3ciqlCQ#ws)

(I see rokun XD Also I'm pretty sure 99% of those random lonely "whoo"s is me. XD I had earbuds in since I was right next to the speakers, so I couldn't hear the rest of the crowd much.)

Jpop Summit/Union Square Live 2013 Pre-Show - LoVendoR (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIWWrLwtfls#ws)

Jpop Summit/Union Square Live 2013 Pre-Show - LoVendoR pt. 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hew5DwfDWIk#ws)

Daichi Live Performance at Union Square, San Francisco - J-Pop Summit Festival 2013 (Part 1) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUfaGVdDI-g#ws)

Kylee at j-pop summit 2013, incomplete set (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VV8RtErPu0#ws)

Kylee at the J-Pop Summit Festival 2013 Part 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rtmwt0kUlro#ws)

Kylee at the J-Pop Summit Festival 2013 Part 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAW_xIN9Dbw#ws)

Wotagei during kylee performance , J-POP SUMMIT FESTIVAL 2013 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4gUlB6hRZA#ws)

The Akabane Vulgars On Strong Bypass @ J-Pop Summit Festival 2013 (Clip No. 1) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ATdDMdsX88#ws)

Also, highlights of the solo vocaloid dance contest and the karaoke contest:

JPop Summit 2013 - Vocaloid Dance Contest - Majikuru MaChan2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ywfqktENEM#ws)

【Live】 Mr.Music (Chiquewa×Da-little ver.) @ J-Pop Summit 2013's J-Pop Idol (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x540mOhWixQ#ws)

Nice! I see myself and my friends in that first video (basically everyone with LED glowsticks). The girl with the black hair and blue ribbons is actually the head maid of Fanime next year (she was also one of the judges for the Vocaloid solo dance contest). Her and the tall brown-haired girl (also a maid) next to her were probably the biggest Lovendor fans in our group. And obviously I see myself and some others in our group in the wotagei video. :P

I was also disappointed that Kylee never did her Bluebird English cover on either day. :(
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: ryu1132 on August 05, 2013, 01:14:51 PM: Hey guys ryu1132 from H!O. Just wanted to say, I've been reading the jphip boards for a long time but never participated so why not now. San francisco was so awesome and getting to meet Lovendor especially Reina Tanaka was mind melting(looks at autograph CD Insert with no CD). Meeting up with J-Triumf and getting to meet rokun and a person I assumed to be Tundra Wind was pretty cool. Anyways here's a video I made of the whole event.

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu (きゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ) + Lovendor (Reina Tanaka) + Jpop Summit 2013 Guest= Best Weekend Ever (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duqAEDnCIBY#ws)

In the words of Kumai-chan ENJOY!! ENJOY!!
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: oaxiac on August 16, 2013, 03:33:25 PM: ジュリン、相田翔子MV初公開！,LoVendoя in サンフランシスコ,中島卓偉,高橋愛(8/16/2013)#27 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4E5QuBt_je8#ws)
00:00〜相田翔子コメント
07:32〜ほたる祭りの日 / ジュリン（MV）
14:05〜 for you / 相田翔子（MV）
19:44〜 LoVendoя in San Francisco 前編
29:37〜 FREE FOR FREE / 中島卓偉（まっ卓偉けてるタダシいライブ）
33:59〜 Calling You / 中島卓偉（まっ卓偉けてるタダシいライブ）
41:13〜愛の園〜Touch My Heart!〜 / 高橋愛（SEACRET BOX）
45:37〜 HAPPY!いっぷくまる / 高橋愛（SEACRET BOX）
53:00〜 LICKS BOX
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: Rayle on August 17, 2013, 03:28:32 AM: Finally some Peace Plaza footage!

The amount of fucks Marin doesn't give never fails to make me grin. :wub:

So the entire take-away from the experience for Reina was "SanFran is @#$%ing cold. And it is troublesome." :lol:

Man, this needed some Sayu-snark. She would have had a field day with the TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES story.
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: J-Triumf on August 17, 2013, 07:35:21 AM: Yeah, this is why J-Pop Summit needs to stick to being held in August or September. Last year's event had warm sunny weather the whole time, which just doesn't happen in late July.

I'm glad they focused on the Peace Pagoda stage performance (a.k.a. the real show), since most news reports seem to focus on the Union Square show instead. It would've been nice if they showed more of it, but at least Reina commented on the sound system shenanigans for a bit. :lol: She also seems to like our city's sourdough bread bowl soups.

Watching the footage of the freeway ride into the city was kinda perplexing: why would their driver take 280 to enter the city when 101 goes straight there from the airport? But then again, that's kinda awesome, because it means HOLY SHIT REINA WAS IN DALY CITY AND PASSED BY MY HOUSE AND A BUNCH OF OTHER PLACES I SEE EVERYDAY! XD

Quote from: ryu1132 on August 05, 2013, 01:14:51 PM
Hey guys ryu1132 from H!O. Just wanted to say, I've been reading the jphip boards for a long time but never participated so why not now. San francisco was so awesome and getting to meet Lovendor especially Reina Tanaka was mind melting(looks at autograph CD Insert with no CD). Meeting up with J-Triumf and getting to meet rokun and a person I assumed to be Tundra Wind was pretty cool. Anyways here's a video I made of the whole event.

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu (きゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ) + Lovendor (Reina Tanaka) + Jpop Summit 2013 Guest= Best Weekend Ever (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duqAEDnCIBY#ws)

In the words of Kumai-chan ENJOY!! ENJOY!!
I finally got around to watching your video just now; it was longer than expected but a great way to catch up on some of the other things that went on that weekend, especially since I was completely focused on Lovendor. I'm glad you were able to make it out here! Also, it's good to see you finally register for this site...don't be a stranger!

Quote from: Tris-chan on July 31, 2013, 06:38:24 AM
PS - J-Triumf, if we don't hang out sometime I will be an unhappy camper. Also you should come to my cosplay group's shows. THAT IS ALL.
Hey, you know where to find me now, so just let me know when you're down for whatever. :P
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: kitaoji on August 17, 2013, 06:26:35 PM: Well - there was an A's game. And a Giants game. And the Bay Bridge was closed with warnings of a suspicious package. Stuff happens. Plus, with 101 they'd have to crawl through the Hairball. Heck, I'd take 280 and just deal with 19th Ave if I really wanted to go to the Bridge.

But 280? Passes my house. Exit for the Civic Center? OH HI YOU JUST PASSED THE OFFICE (and Philz Coffee, and City Hall, and Starbucks, and...). :D Van Ness Avenue? I have a project there. So much shameless SF pride :nervous

I guess she was fine with the shenanigans too XD And we need to find that special food truck!
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: Tris-chan on August 17, 2013, 07:12:18 PM: ..Yes, it is exceptionally weird to see them drive up 280, do things and go to places I've gone to. Also that tent is familiar - they use the same one for everything I think (it's where the performers for the Cherry Blossom festival go to prep also - so technically I was in the same spot as Reina about 4 months earlier!)

I think they switched to July because Japan Expo, which was a dumb idea because so cold! I felt so bad for the girls, they totally expected sunny California weather and got....July in SF :nervous

In all honesty, I wish they'd done JE instead of summit - Japantown events are NOTORIOUS for sound issues for everybody, it's a really cold venue, tends to be on the not so professional side, etc. If I didn't have to I'd never perform there again.
Title: Re: LoVendoЯ in San Francisco
Post by: J-Triumf on July 01, 2014, 08:03:25 AM: The official Lovendor channel on YouTube finally uploaded their own recap of visiting J-Pop Summit 2013:

LoVendoя in San Francisco! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPmU01W3yVc#ws)

Nothing really new, but it's nice to relive those times with the festival coming up again soon.

I think I recognize that person in the cyan-colored shirt at the end... ;)

Also: the reason why they took 280 into SF was because they flew in via the San Jose airport instead of SFO...an odd choice considering that 1) San Jose is pretty damn far from where they needed to be, and 2) 101 would've still been faster. I guess they wanted to check out the scenic route?