Going to a concert in Japan is not simply a case of buying a ticket and going to the show, as I found out on Saturday when I went to see British rock legends Feeder at the Shibuya AX Hall.

The aim of a concert in Japan is not to see enjoy the band as much as possible, or to have a great time with your friends. No, the motive of any Japanese rock fan is to crush the front of the crowd into a fine paste. Upon arrival, we were concerned that we wouldn’t actually be able to see the band – in Japan you are called into the hall based on when you bought your ticket. We bought ours three weeks in advance, which is quite good by European standards, but I think these tickets went on sale about 6 months ago. As a result we were some of the last people into the hall.

Being as I am 6″1, seeing the band wasn’t really a problem at all, but I was still somewhat upset about being so far away from the speakers.

“Don’t worry, Mike! Nobody pushes at concerts in Japan so you can sneak forward!” Suggested Lynsey, who taught at Junten 5 years ago. Relieved, I decided to stand around and wait until the band came on stage before making my stelthy attempt for a better place.

Needless to say I was somewhat suprised whe I was thrown forward by a massive stampede of beserk Feeder fans the second the lights went down. I desperatly tried to cast a “You lied to me!” glance to Lynsey, but she too had been swallowed by a swarming mass of screeching fans. With fear as my only accomplice I was propelled forward, until I crashed into the part of the crowd with no room left. I was quite literally lodged between noisy, sweaty and unbelievably excited Japanese fans with nowhere to go.

Now, I’ve been to a lot of concerts in my time, and I think I’m pretty good at forcing my way through a crowd to a better place. This crowd however were Japanese, so they were masters of Tetris and as a result had left absoloutly no gaps between them. Unlike Tetris however the first row didn’t disappear when it got full. Curses.

Anyway, the band came on and I spent the next two hours being accosted from all sides. It became appear to me that there are three basic ways to enjoy a band in Japan;

1. Fast Songs: Jump up and down in time to the beat, clap along and attempt to shout the chorus. (“I thinku we going make it!”)
2. Slow Songs: Jump up and down a bit slower, clap along and attempt to sing the chorus, but sing it a little quieter so it’s not too obvious you don’t know it.
3. Other Songs: See #1.

The one anomaly to this rule was Feeder’s final song of their encore, Just A Day. Despite being told if it happened again they would be banned from the Shibuya AX Hall, the band invited everyone in the crowd to climb on stage. I feel that on reflection this was a bad idea as you can’t fit 500 people on a small stage, but I guess you must learn from your mistakes. The band had to play the introduction to the song twice, as reaching the guitar pedals was proving difficult when surrounded by a screaming mass of flesh.

I decided not to go on stage as I had foolishly worn a really nice black cotton shirt, which was now quite literally dripping with a mixture of people’s sweat. I had to buy a Feeder Hoodie (6,500 yen…) to stand any chance of getting on the train. Last time I make that mistake.

The band however put on an absoloute belter of a slow. Highlights of the show were Lost & Found, Just A Day and Buck Rodgers. Make sure you get yourself to a Feeder show if they play near you anytime soon.

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2. Japan Day 2009 – The Big Recap
3. Karaoke In Japan
4. The Emperor says Hello
5. Dir En Grey @ Sheffield Corporation