VIPeas

This is incredibly exciting ...... I was able to upload some video footage from the most recent Beleza game. It has absolutely nothing to do with what I am about to write and it is extremely out of place in our chronological order of blogs but this inaugural video has monumental implications. Not only will you be able to live our Tokyo adventure through our still words and pictures but now .... drum roll please .... streaming video. Woohooo!!!!

OK, now on with the show. Although it is Monday night here in Tokyo and we had a full 2 days of crazy Tokyo times, I am going to break blog common law and take you way back to Wednesday night because it is just too good not to.

The Scene: Saitama Arena, Tokyo. Wednesday, September 24th

The Players: Jo, Becca, Sawa, Tom, Roland, The Black Eyed Peas (also known as BEP's), and 20,000 screaming Japanese Black Eyed Pea fans.

The Backdrop: We were asked by Sawa to attend the concert the week before, and if you know Sawa, every invitation comes with very little pomp, circumstance and very little information. With that being said, we never really know exactly what we may be getting ourselves into. I will paint a picture....For example, what we think is an invitation to a simple birthday dinner is, in actuality, Rebecca and I severely under dressed as we meet many of Sawa's famous friends in a cool, hole in the wall bar in Rippongi while watching karaoke on a big screen into the late hours of the night (happened last week). Sawa is extremely modest and has more friends than we could ever keep track of, so, as a rule, when Sawa invites .... we just nod our heads yes. It would be a crime not to.

The Continued Backdrop (but we don't know all of this until after the night ..... and the information doesn't come from Sawa): We will be attending the concert with two of Sawa's friends, Tom and Roland. Tom has been in Japan for 20 years, has 80 successful soccer instruction schools, 15,000 students, and a plug on his own television show every morning around 7am. Roland, the tallest man in the stadium, has lived in Tokyo for 15 years working with a marketing company. Through their day jobs, both men are connected to Adidas and therefore connected to Sawa, one of Adidas' top female sponsored athletes.

The Show: We arrive at the concert around 5:30 pm. The concert starts promptly at 6:00 pm and there is no opening band (I love this about Japan). We meet Tom and Roland, two very nice individuals who hand us tickets to the club section (a pleasant surprise but not a huge surprise ... we are with Sawa) and also another green pass to go along with it. As we walk into the stadium past the crowded lines teeming with people, Tom and Roland non-chalantly mention that the passes are for backstage. Luckily, Rebecca and I are walking behind all of our companions so none of them witness both of our jaws drop to the floor when we hear the news that we would be wandering backstage after the show (once again a surprise but not a huge surprise ... we are with Sawa).

We reach our comfy seats in the club section ..... second level, first row, directly facing the stage. While the entire stadium is forced to stand to see the action, we are the masters of our domain, standing and sitting when we choose (mostly sitting ... the practices are so hard here .... we are usually exhausted and have to conserve energy for the next day).

The Black Eyed Peas put on an amazing show that includes all of their hits, psychedelic lights, detailed costumes with multiple changes, acrobatics, dancing, fergies, pumps, body shakes, lovely lady lumps, and the list goes on. The entire stadium is rocking and it truly makes you want to get out of your seat and join them. The audience hangs on their every word, their every beat, and their every mention of "Tokyo" (the BEP's speak no Japanese so the best you get is " Tokyo "... but it seems to work just fine).

Just when you thought the night couldn't get any better we feel the backstage passes burning holes in our pockets. With only a few songs left (their second encore at this point) we head down to the floor and park ourselves immediately next to the stage. It is a much different atmosphere and the sweat dripping off each fans forehead is every bit an indication of this. The BEP's are in their groove, performing their newest hit "Tonight's Gonna Be a Good Night" (please excuse me if I butchered the song name .... but that is essentially the chorus .... and now that I think about it, essentially the words to the entire song). Meanwhile, two famous Japanese boy band singers from the group SMAP (they are kind of a big deal), have seemed to find their way onto the stage . In what seems like a rock concert mixed with New Years Eve, we jump and dance to the music as streamers rain down around us, everyone thanks everyone for coming, random people are speaking into the microphone, and I swear that one of the Japanese boy band members is so drunk he almost falls over on stage ... so New Years Eve.

The concert ends for most but our excitement is only beginning. We make our way backstage to get a first hand look at the immensity of the set, its lights, and all the hard labor that goes into to taking it apart. The BEP's will be traveling to Malaysia after the show and that means that everything, and I mean everything, from the drum set to the Fergies pink high heels has to be packed and shipped within the next 3 hours. It is incredible. There are workers everywhere and as we make our way backstage we do our best to avoid tripping on wires or getting hit by falling debris.

We learn that Tom is best friends with the tour manager of the BEP's and that is how he was able to score such amazing tickets. We meet the manager, he hails from NY, and stare in amazement as dancers, band members, personal body guards , and legitimate rock stars walk all around us. Although we probably stick out like sore thumbs, we do our best to act as if we belong among them. Fergie .... no big deal .... we have Sawa =). After much schmoozing and attempts to sneak a peak into every room we decide that being a rock star or one of his or her groupies is hard work .... you sleep all day, party all night ..... umm. ... where do I sign up?

Additions to the CauSAWAnnabeher List:

1. See above ... no more explanation needed.

2. See above ... no more explanation needed.

Scenes for next blog:

FC Tokyo and J-League Men's Pro Soccer, American friends in Tokyo, Our first traditional Japanese sleep over, Massive Buddhas, Eating eyeballs, and much much more.