SEIKO FAN DOOGIE SHARES HIS MEMORIES OF A REMARKABLE CONCERT...
We arrived at the hotel at around 3:30pm….what a glam hotel, right from the walkway all the way to our room,….And the service,…..wow!…..talk about high class. We were on the 10th floor, room 5012….I'm guessing the first 5 floors didn't have any rooms?? The view,…exquisite,…the room, full of everything you could imagine,…..from heated toilet seats that do more than you can imagine, soaker tubs, marble-tiled showers top-to-bottom glass, individual care packages for the ladies and gentlemen (I got a thrill out of the mini-shaving cream dispenser in my package), hot water dispenser, mini-bar fridge, white slippers, heavy-duty white bath robes, an endless supply of towels everywhere and can you believe,…yukatas…..gaaad, I've always wanted to wear one of those! (pics to come,.. haa haa)
With some time to spare, we took a brief walk through the Japanese garden linking our building (the Sakura Tower) to the other 2 towers and the main hall. The garden is like something out of the movies,……it was huge and filled with plants/trees of all sorts,…and yeah, even those small red leaves….a small version of the Maple leaf. Took some great photos,….(hope they turn out).
Back at the hotel room, the 4 of us began to get ready, and with every passing minute, the feeling of something special was amounting to a feeling of something grand….a feeling of "I can't believe this is actually happening!" With my tuxedo on, the only thing I could do now was wait patiently for the ladies,…and maaaan, do they know how to dress up!!!….Glamour at it's best, and Seiko fans at that too made them all look like Angels…….. If I could talk to them at that moment, I would have made sure that they knew exactly how I felt…….so honored to be in their presence…. (oh, I should mention that I couldn't talk that day because of no voice,….yep, got a nasty sore throat,..couldn't say a thing for 2 days,….eeeesh,…. But I wasn't going to let that ruin my night). It was funny because everyone was telling me that I had to save what little voice I had left for the concert so that I could tell Seiko that I had a gift for her,…. Haa haa, read on to find out what happens. J
On
the elevator and down to the 2nd floor,…the walkway to the main hall was
the same that we had viewed earlier with the Japanese garden,….a little
cool for a stroll, but too excited to realize how cold it was out there,….and
besides, 4 people dressed to the 9's escorting one another was warmth enough,….ahhhh,
we all felt like movie stars! Once in the main hall, the excitement was building
tremendously,… people all over, dressed to the best, I just had to take
my camera out (yes Simon, I brought the EOS3 with all lenses…haa haa,…so
heavy). Down the circular indoor walkway you could see in the center a shallow
pond lit with towering columns of light,..shades of purple, green, orange and
sky blue,….oh and I can't forget about the hundreds of candles floating
in the water…….and the center of it all….a photo opportunity
with a framed pic of Seiko…..hmmm, can I take that home with me?…haa
haa. We all lined up for photos and it was so good to see what other Seiko fans
look like,….and the kind of people that would pay mega bucks for a one
hour concert,…haa haa, so good to see other crazy seiko fans. We even had
a chance to meet some of the people from Flawless Seiko displaying stuff for
sale…."Hey, I recognize that person!". And everywhere you went
on the main floor, security guards checking our tickets,…..wow, I felt
so important, almost as if I had backstage passes to the concert,…geee,
I wish! I won't forget the one security guard who even gave us his business
card and told us to give him a call if we needed anything…..how nice!….how
professional!
The glitz, the glam of it all,… I was truly enjoying the prelude to the
main event. The people there are so friendly and I really felt at home with
them,….it was also such an innocent feeling,…a feeling that hardly
comes our way in this world…….
A
buzz filled the air as people started filing into the main hall for dinner.
I reluctantly dropped off my camera at the front entrance, but soon forgot about
it as we were gracefully escorted into a HUGE dinner hall,……it was
totally AWESOME…….tables everywhere, setup French cuisine style….
The rounded ceiling seemed to caress the stage….. and I couldn't believe
it,..all these months I had imagined that the stage would be some 2 dimensional
platform with a black backdrop,…but not this time baby,…it was GRAND…….
Huge speakers outlined the main stage on each side, lights filled the ceiling
over top of the main stage and robotic spotlights lined the runway,….yes,
that's right, they had setup a runway!!!….a modelling platform for Seiko,…
a stage set to kill. Forget this being a 'dinner show'…this was setup to
be a 'mini concert'. The runway alone was enough to drool over as the anticipating
moments were to come to see her glide down that 50 foot stretch…….whoooooaaaa!….wooo
hoooo!
We walked from the back of the room towards the front. Our ticket seat numbers said A-2,… Closer and closer to the front we went trying to locate our seats,… A-2,…. 2nd row from the front, but way off to the right side of the stage,……hmmmm, did we get good seats??? Read on to find out how good they were. J
Dinner was served promptly. Some fancy puff pastry covering a goblet of French soup, caviar and other cold appies and for the main course a delicious cut of filet mignon smothered with a red wine sauce. Desert to follow was a scrumptious chocolate terrine pie (I think that's what it was)…but it was good and rich,…just perrrrfect for my sore throat,… and oh yeah, I can't forget about the glass of champagne, glass of white wine and yet another filled with red wine….. I opted for the fruit juices and stayed away from the Asahi dry…. I knew I had to save my voice for later on. The only time I really said anything at the dinner was to a motorcycle racing guy that was there with his wife (mmm, forget his name)… but I was really touched when his wife handed me a small gift,… a Seiko poster,…. Coool!
I was praying so hard just prior to the concert that my voice would come back,… even just a little would be great. I had a really cute Canadian bear for Seiko and I really wanted to let her know that I had it for her. I've got to take this time to say "Thanks!" to Tzing for organizing her friends to try and get Seiko's attention for me if the opportunity ever came up……how sweet of Tzing and her friends to be so generous to a complete foreigner….eeeeegaaad, I need another tissue.
It was really cute to see everyone trying to get the best vantage point possible…. Our group was sitting in the last row in the A-2 section,..but no problem, I still had a very strong sense that our seats were special. The clock was approaching 20:00 You would think that by this time, I would be totally anticipating the concert,…but for some strange reason, I was really calm,..almost as if I new everything would be alright this time,…to say "I finally made it to see Seiko".
THEN THE LIGHTS WENT DIM,…DIMMER,….and dimmer yet………………
……….The sound of a 'STOMP' and then a brief Japanese chant could be heard coming from the stage……ahhhh, it brought back memories of Seiko clips with Seiko in the change room prepping for her grand entrance…..you know, doing the hand thing with the staff.
…..A
spotlight shone brightly down the runway off to the right-hand side,…..and
low and behold, Sekip clad in a mime artists clothing and a white white face
appeared…….COOOL!!!!! haa haa, I can't believe I was thinking "Micheal
Jackson??" His performance down the runway enchanted every soul in that
room,..every dance step going to the beat of the music,…and with every
beat, and every step the anticipation grew wilder and wilder as he approached
the main stage….and then before I knew it, Seiko and the band all jamming
to "Joy to the World" rang throughout the entire concert hall,…..it
was loud,… it was grand,… what a spectacle!…. I'm here and I
can't believe it! Seiko's voice and image LIVE is really something to experience….so
vibrant and truthful….such aura and presence…waaaaa….this was
it,..this is what I had been waiting 12 years to experience…..and as fate
would have it, I could not have been at a better seat…. "Hey my Canadian
Flag"…. I pulled out my flag and started to wave it as she looked
in our direction,……"Hey Seiko sees my flag!!!!!!!!" wwwwwaaaaaaaa,….
Wwwaaaaaaaaa!!!!! Nobody was behind me so I was able to stand and be seen by
her,….what a feeling! (and I'm thinking,…I hope the security guards
are o.k. with this) Several more songs came. And them I'm thinking "I don't
even know Japanese,..what am I doing here???" But you see, it's not just
the understanding of the lyrics that counts….her voice is so powerful,
the way she sings is so attractive and addictive, and if by some magical way,
I know what she is singing about…..Totally Magical!!! Seiko did stop several
times to chat with the audience and to joke around a bit,… I guess that's
her trademark,… and again, even though I had no idea what she was saying,
it was enlightening for me to hear her speak live. (Thanks Tzing for translating
for me!) What an honest person Seiko is,... she was totally open about her divorce
and handled the situation with such tact and poise and even included some humor
into the topic…..do I dare say professional,…I think I'd rather say
"A genuine person with a heart of gold" to let us talk with her about
such a personal situation…. Seiko,…..ahhhhh.
And then the moment came……. "Raise your glasses for a toast",
she said in Japanese…. And before her soft lips could touch the edge of
that glass, a voice could be heard from A-2, a friend and true fan of Seiko….
"Seiko! There is somebody here to see you from Canada!"………long
pause……. Then as if touched by an Angel I yelled out on my own "I
have a gift for you from Canada!!!" (what am I doing!) I reach for the
bear and raise it into the air…. (o.k. so what do I do next???) So, I approach
the stage,….still not knowing what to do as there is a rope barrier and
3 security guards blocking my way,… but still Seiko is standing there tall
looking directly into my eyes and if by some magical way….and I don't know
how it happened,…but I was able to pass through the rope barrier and the
security guards let me through to the very front of that stage,… "Seiko,
this is a gift for you from Canada. I have been waiting 12 years to see you
live and now my dream has finally come true. We all love you!" and I gave
Seiko the gift and she offered to shake my hand…. Wow! What a firm handshake!
What soft hands! Not a single flaw on her skin,….and that long, long stare
into her dark brown eyes,…that fantastic aura surrounding her,.. I felt
like I was being pulled up onto that stage….I was almost in tears……And
then I remember the flag "Seiko, I have one request for you", I said…..
Seiko said "Yes"… "Can you sign my flag?", I asked……
"Sure!!!", she said in a very positive, happy voice.
She gave her champagne glass to one of the band members and then began to lay
the flag out on the stage,…. She didn't seem to mind that she was kneeling
on her beautiful white sequence gown,…both knees…all the while I was
entranced by her soft skin as she signed my flag…….. You guys are
right about her skin being so flawless. Her hair caressing the back of her neck
and wisps of hair trailing down the sides of her glowing face. "My nickname
is Doogie,… that is spelled D.O.O.G.I.E….. I have been listening to
you for 12 years (Seiko gives me the microphone) and my favorite song is Strawberry
Time" (laughter from the audience). Seiko hands me the flag and pen and
then offers to shake my hand for a second time,… I accept and return the
same firm handshake…. I look straight into her eyes and say "Thank
you"… and then I bow (yeah I know I'm not Japanese,..but what the
heck)…. Our group applauds and I try walking back to my seat. I'm finding
it hard to stand…my knees feel like jelly,… and I'm thinking "I
Did it!!! I finally met Seiko!!! Now, where is my seat?!?"
Seiko apologizes to the audience for the brief intermission (I still feel bad
for taking up so much time). I'm in 7th heaven by this point and can't even
think straight. People are shaking my hand and saying "Congratulations!"….
yeah and my eyes are all tears by this point and I'm trying to hold them back….
The songs after that I can't remember, I just know that I heard them from the
"Love", "Sound of Fire" and "20th Party" CD's
a few days prior to the concert (sorry, I'm behind the times)…..I do remember
her singing '20th party' and getting everyone to do the finger thing,…that
was funny…. and then WHAM!!!! Another surprise in our direction,…
Seiko points right at me and shouts "THIS SONG IS FOR YOU!!!"….
and then Strawberry Time whales through the speakers and tears fill my eyes
once again. We all stand up and begin to dance to the all-familiar toon…..
"Welcome to Strawbeeeeerrrry Time………"…… yaaaaaaahhh!!!!!!
We're all dancing away and I'm doin' the Doogie Dance while waving my freshly
signed flag in the air. She see's it once again and smiles…..J
We're all having a fantastic time,…. She gives her thanks and says good-bye,….
But only to return for an encore all dressed in black sporty clothing (am I
allowed tosay 'sexy clothing'?). We're all getting ready to rush the stage,
but get held back by her manager so we stay back and enjoy the spectacle of
everyones hands in the air, and all jumping in tune to the beat of the music.
The 1hour45minutes goes by fast and we enjoy every second of it!
I can't believe that she's 38 and still full of energy. She's got lots of childhood
left inside of her and I think that is fantastic. We all need to find that in
ourselves, and to be there at this dinner concert I definitely felt the kid
inside me again. This Magical Evening is something that I will cherish for the
rest of my life….the setting, the fans, the friends, the elegance of the
evening, the power of Seiko will always be remembered in my heart…. Her
music has more meaning to me now than ever before and I'm finally beginning
to understand more about who Seiko Matsuda is.
I could go on and say more about the post-concert festivities,….but we'll keep that for another time.
Good night,…..and Sayonara 'til another December morn.
Doogie.
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