First time ever going to CDJ. I saw so many artists I'd never seen live before, so I was happy. It's been about a week now, but it still feels like a dream... Makes me want to check out more Japanese festivals. I'll write down my general impressions first, then the thoughts on each team below. Things that stood out: 1. The number and quality of the onsite staff was like, wow... I really felt they were systematically trained. They used a massive number of staff fitting the scale, and nobody was lost; they all did their jobs well. Their way of making lines is different, and I never saw anyone get angry. I've been to a lot of indoor events in Korea, and while CDJ was bigger than any of them, it was better controlled than any of them. I know Wonder Livet is referencing CDJ a bit, but... this is the part where they are absolutely incomparable. 2. They say going from a headliner on the Galaxy Stage (the second largest, not the side one) to any slot on the Earth Stage is a 'step up'... and I realized why the moment I walked into the Earth Stage.
It's rare to see an indoor space of this scale opened up as all-standing... I felt like the artists performing there are proof that they are truly top-tier. 3. Food prices were honestly a legendary rip-off. And for certain restaurants at certain times, waiting dozens of minutes was common. It's probably better not to buy food inside if you can help it. The most satisfying thing was a 300-yen cup of Red Bull. 4. The side stage sound was fantastic. The main stage had a high hit rate too, though spot-luck is inevitable. 5. Since the merch is so diverse, most people are wearing it. I hope Wonder Livet pulls off merch that's as pretty and diverse as this. Hard moments: 1. On the last day, I was camping out at Earth to see Zuto, so I had to watch the SixTONES boy group. During this, I took 3 uppercuts to the jaw from a J-stan girl in front headbutting me, and got hit in the back of the head a few times... took some damage. 2. Final slot, Blue Encount... listened from the very back, and with my stamina drained and the sound at the back totally trashed, it was a rough moment. 3. During Koresawa, the gender ratio was completely female. Japanese women are seriously short, so standing among them made me feel sorry for the people behind me... felt like this set had the highest female ratio of all slots. - From here on are the daily routes and short/long impressions. There's a lot. I'll put a โ next to the teams I especially liked. Day 1
Arrived a bit late so I missed the early slots. Wanted to see Maisondes at least, so that's a bummer. 1. UNFAIR RULE ... 6. Vaundy โโโ Day 2
7. SHISHAMO โ ... 17. CHiCO with HoneyWorks โโ Day 3
18. Koresawa ... 25. Sakanaction โโโโ Day 4
26. Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas โโโ ... 35. BUMP OF CHICKEN โ Day 5
36. WurtS ... 44. ano โโโโ The setlist was satisfying because she did more songs from the 2nd album. Started at 23:35 and ran through 7 songs in 25 minutes with almost no MC... Since I wasn't looking at the clock, I didn't know what time it was, so I kept thinking 'Ah, after this song it'll be the countdown.' Then she did an MC saying she's ending it and performed 'Zettai Seiyaku,' so I thought this was the final song of the year. She sang her heart out regardless of her voice condition. She seemed to struggle toward the end of the live, but the song ended right on the dot and the 15-second countdown started.
At 12:04 AM, the intro for this year's first song 'Gero-chu' (Chu, Tayousei) played and balloons came down. It felt like a dream, so I just laughed. After that, I was just dazed for a few minutes. Listening to the final song 'past die future,' reality hit me hard in a good way and all sorts of thoughts came to mind. From 'I'm glad I came' to the thoughts I had when I first arrived, all those great stages... an unforgettable best performance. 45. PEOPLE 1 โ ... 50. BLUE ENCOUNT
Leaving took quite a while, but maybe because of the lingering feeling that the happy 5 days of enjoying music from about 50 teams were over, I didn't even feel that tired on the way home. I felt so many more emotions, but trying to write them down makes it feel disorganized. Anyway, I was so satisfied that I want to go again next year. Realistically it might be hard, but... I should try to aim for RIJF Days 3, 4, and 5. It was so fun.
"OP survived a 5-day festival marathon with 'steel legs' and managed to catch an epic countdown with Ano. Other users are impressed by the dedication and the shared setlists."
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