A first-hand journal of The Reducers' Japan Tour 2004.

The Reducers at the El 'N Gee Club, New London, CT

Kyoto Sunday

Posted by Hugh

Some impressions since our arrival:

Many things are the opposite of what we know - like left side driving and walking, so it takes some getting used to.

Meals have many courses, lots of little dishes of things that everybody can try out.

The gig at Shelter:

Cozy from Rockbottom made two gigantic glossy banners with our name and logo on them to be displayed behind the stage. Way cool!

Jimbo from Firestarter setting up the aggressive marketing of Reducers/Firestarter/Rockbottom/Trio merchandise in the corner.

The sound engineers and stage managers were these two girls who were incredibly efficient and accommodating. Massive sound equipment for a room half the size of the ElnGee Club. A chest-high fence in front of the stage, which we didn't understand the need for, until later.

The first band was Trio - loud, angry, fast and exuberant. At first the crowd seemed kind of sedate. Standing in line for T shirts and CDs, polite applause, a few hoots, then utter silence. Is this a cultural thing?

Then Rockbottom came on - catchy melodies, Cheap Trick influence, Tetsuya on Rick Nielsen Hamer Guitar with great leaps and cool feedback between pickups. The Japanese answer to Keith Moon on drums - very complex and very fun to watch. The crowd getting more animated, the occasional pogo dancing - that's all there was room for in this packed space.

Finally, the band I've become a huge fan of - Firestarter! They virtually exploded onto the stage. From the moment they started to the moment they ended their well-deserved encore, the crowd went f*****ing crazy! Pogo dancing, moshing, swaying in time, singing along with every chorus, even stage diving. Certain songs - two of my favorites - She's Red, and I Don't Mind - brought shrieks of approval and more frenzied audience response. From where I was in the wings of the stage, I could see that this was a synergistic love fest. Amazing, unforgettable!

How were we supposed to follow this? But we did our best to step up, and Firestarter's crowd embraced us too. Incredible energy. Autographs and good wishes after the show. A great night. More later.


Posted by Hugh on June 26, 2004 at 08:33 PM EDT

Comments

Hugh's eloquent, vivacious, and jubilant feedback of the first show at Shelter will make everyone do want to be Reducersaholic; that's a kinda sin. I've already got addicted!

Posted by: Hisashi at June 27, 2004 at 09:54 AM EDT

Love the detailed account. Are you guys getting any sleep at all?

Posted by: stidfoles at June 27, 2004 at 12:10 PM EDT