Backstage
Two weekends ago the band American Hi-Fi played in Japan. They played Friday night in Yokosuka and Saturday in Tokyo. My daughter and her friend were absolutely dying to go, so I decided to take them to Yokosuka, as I could drive and wouldnt have to worry about missing the last train. Its one thing for a grown adult woman to sleep on the train station platform with drunken businessmen, something else entirely for teenage girls. I had never been to Yokosuka, but it turned out to be very easy to get there. It did cost about $20 USD round trip in tolls and took about two hours to get there, though it is only 50 km away. I figured I might get lost (I was going by directions I got from someone who had never actually been there himself, and we were doing the landmark thing), so we left very early in the day and arrived about three hours before the concert. A bunch of young men were scrambling around and doing the sound checks. The girls wanted to watch, so I thought Id go get a cup of coffee. Who needs to see some roadies doing sound checks? When I got back, the girls were nowhere to be found. But, after looking around awhile, I found them backstage! Turns out it wasnt roadies; it was the band. The girls got signed CDs, hugs, pictures with the band, and guitar picks. They were thrilled. When the concert started the girls were in the very front. I was pretty close as well. The music was great, and the band seemed to really want to be there and have a great time. They played all their own tunes and then other tunes from other bands that everyone liked. As a finale, they played a song from Cheap Trick – it didnt mean anything to the girls, but I recognized it. The entire trip home was nonstop squealing and teenage girl chatter.
Yokosuka is a beautiful city. It is right on a huge bay, so the view is breathtaking. There are shops and restaurants and at night red and blue neon light the skyline. In a country where dodgy seafood is a federal crime, Yokosuka had even fresher fish than is usual for Japan (and I didnt think it was possible). The USS Kitty Hawk uses it as its homeport; the massive carrier had just returned, so it dominated part of the water. I can so see how 5000 people can live on that thing its incredible. I hear that its sister city Yokohama is even more beautiful. I need to get out more.
Smile, and sing along 🙂