What about returning Music Fest to the Hilton Ballroom, as it was in 2006? The San Jose Civic Auditorium sounded like a huge gymnasium (which is what it is). FanimeCon only filled maybe half of the auditorium and forced convention goers to stand in line for tickets AND entry. When the Music Fest was in the Hilton ballroom, there were no lines, there were in-and-outs allowed, and no heavy handed security. Renting out the SJ Civic Auditorium has got to be a complete waste of money. Along with that, the Civic just sounds like CRAP!
the reason it was ticketed because of the AN Cafe event and it was up to an agreeance between fanime and An Cafe's Managment to make it a ticketed event thats why there were serches for cameras too. It was for their first american appearance and all measurments of security and flash photography had to be taken seriously. Normally music Fest is not a ticketed program, but also in 07 the civic auditorium was being leased to another event hence why fanime did it at the ball rooms.
I think the civic is a better place because that place fills up for masq and when music fest has a variety of artists. Also if we dont have masq at the civic where would we have it? I dont think I want to walk to get to another place for it :T
I think a factor may have been the fact that MusicFest staff expected the An Cafe attendance to be over 3,000(the civic's capacity limit as stated on the sanjose.org website) because of the high attendance numbers for 2008. According to state(or is it federal?) law, it's considered a fire hazard to fill a specific location beyond the capacity limit and if Fanime were to allow the attendance to exceed 3,000, that could land both the con and the civic auditorium staff in some hot water.
Besides, if you were there at the local bands concert on Friday and 2006 MusicFest, you would have noticed that the security was much more lax compared to An Cafe's performance. I think it was 2007 when they had it at the Hilton Ballroom. Granted, it had its ups and downs, but it wasn't any different than when MF was in the civic, other than the smaller capacity limit. Besides, I like how the civic gives a more concert-ish vibe than the ballroom.
This isn't official staff word, but rather one out of many reasonable possibilities why the civic may have left a bad impression on some of us. If you want the official staff word, drop a line at Tony via PM(I'd add his e-mail address, but I don't have it).
hi:)
This could have very well happened at Fanime..I'm glad it didn't
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7pwa5U0k1s (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7pwa5U0k1s)
I hear you, on all of those concerns! I take the blame for being overly cautious; I sincerely regret all the hassle of the ticketing and line policies.
That said, concerts at conventions are a somewhat new and tricky thing. If we had put An Cafe into the SJCC J ballroom, as we had in 2007, we would have had major overflow and security problems. Yet when we had 4 days of shows in the J with lesser known - but incredibly talented - groups, the place wasn't more than 40% full at its best. And the cost of setting up a stage, sound, and lighting in the J was nearly as expensive as running it in the Civic.
For next year, I'm loosely advising the new head of MusicFest, Val, to focus on a small, well-run concert for this year. (By small, I mean in contrast to, say, 2007, when we had like 10 acts over 4 days.) We'll probably pour some more money into the sound system to make it sound better, and plan things (like the ticketing) much better. We're always on the road to improvement...
You dont need to pour more money on the sound system Tony. The system that Musicfest has used for the past two years have been enough. I dont know of the other years cause I only helped out in the J Room and the Civic. System is a system what changes are characteristics is the room. Civic will always sound the same even if you spend more money on the sound system. Its the character that the venue has. It is what makes it the Civic. It was built for plays and basketball, so you get this natural reverb ambience. A midas console is as good as the venue console. The main thing you need is a good engineer and I think the person who ran the sound system was good. Knowledge of the frequency and the tone of the room are key, and figuring the best way to get the best quality sound from the room. As for guest engineers it is different. There is more then one way to bake a cake so all engineers have different ways of doing things, which leads to mistakes and can really change the sound. Like trying to find the garbage can at someone else place. Ego gets in the way so they tend not to ask, and could be costly.
As for ticketing yeah that needs to improve, it was not bad but room for improvement.
As for less bands it is all in taste. You can get four bands and they can all be diva's and cause a lot of damage. Or you can get more acts and have them to agree to rules with the stage. Everyone uses same gear. For locals stand point. Headliners use there one stuff.
Finally you need a really really good as crew union or no union. If you have a super crew that is ready to work and understands the principle of the live concert. The show will run smoothly.
I think J room was more of an intimate performance, and the civic was a basketball court disguised as a gymnasium. They both sounded good. All depends on the budget, the con gets, and the act they hire.
Firstly, thank you for expressing your concerns regarding MusicFest! I want to assure all of you that we are keeping in mind what worked and what didn't work so well; that kind of knowledge is key in improving and planning ahead for future concerts as well as MusicFest-related events (Q&A, autograph sessions, etc), so I do encourage everyone who has come to previous MusicFest shows to voice their opinions on what they liked and didn't like (just keep it respectful xD ). Your feedback is valuable :)
Quote from: Tony on September 23, 2008, 10:08:47 PMI take the blame for being overly cautious; I sincerely regret all the hassle of the ticketing and line policies
Well you know what they say, better safe than sorry :). I can't really blame you for doing it either at that time given our circumstances. lol.
Hi, everyone. Tony, it's cool, I'm glad that there is someone like yourself that is listening to us convention goers and open to suggestions. As for ticketing, I was under the impression that the ticketing was purely to create demand since access to these free tickets were limited. Even with this heightened demand, the Civic was only half-full for the An Cafe show. By the way, having the Civic only half-full only adds to the poor sound quality of the Civic. J-Ro, you are right that the sound system is fine; it's an uphill battle with the Civic. The sound was much better in the ballroom in 2007 because sound is easier to deal with in the ballroom. I just think that the environment of the Civic with all the security just did not jive with the overall vibe of FanimeCon, which is kind of like a Anime Fan's Burning Man. To come and go as you please with no tickets or lines would match the vibe of the rest of FanimeCon. What do y'all think?
Hi everyone,
I agree with Yoshi having the civic half-way did add to the poor sound quality, and that was because people absorb sound. The less people the less absorption happens. What happened was cause it was not packed the low end frequency expanded creating a muddy sound to all those fan sitting in the back. It was not bad but it was not good either. If we would've had AnCafe play in the J room with the same amount of people that were in the civic, it would've been considered packed. But you have to take account of the popularity of the band, one could never know how many people are going to show up, are people going to try to rush back stage. I do believe that having all the security did not give the fanime vibe, but sometimes it is good to have around you never know what might happen. It like what Shi_Musouka said better to be safe than sorry.
Plus the Civic might make it seem like a real venue, but some people are lazy and dont want to walk across the street. I think that is where J had it advantage. People would walk be interested and walk in to check it out, if they liked it they stay. If they didn't the can leave and go back to playing video games in the gaming room.
Actually, the Civic only looked half-full because all the chairs were taken from the main floor space. Everyone had squeezed up against the barrier to get closer to the stage which really made it look like there weren't a lot of folks, but because we had given away nearly all the concert tickets, we were definitely near the capacity number. If the chairs were left in, it probably would've looked a lot more packed.
I really enjoyed how MusicFest were held at the Civic. I didn't went for 2006 so I don't know about it being at the ballroom. But having at the Civic is the closest feeling to having a concert at a venue. It's always good to be safe than sorry especially when taking into several precaution. To be honest, I really enjoy the amount of security that they have out since it's a good to enjoy the concert than worrying about non-con goers making some ruckus.
*blinks* If you willing to walk throughout the convention center, then how is walking across the street makes a difference? It's a plus side to get some fresh air too.
Thank you MusicFest staff for making it better every year! =)
I'm sorry, but that one year that Music Fest wasn't in the Civic center, pissed me off, and I hope it never happens again. There was no where to sit. And a concert doesn't feel like a concert in a tiny stupid room like that. I'm voting for keeping it in the Civic center all the way no matter what bands we have and how many acts they have or how empty it is.
*waiting for MF announcements*
Just slightly over a month 'till Fanime. No announcement. Are we having MusicFest this year?
I figured Momoi Halko is enough of a MusicFest all by herself. ^_^
Quote from: Nyxyin on April 17, 2009, 08:45:20 PM
I figured Momoi Halko is enough of a MusicFest all by herself. ^_^
I am so excited that she'll be at Fanime this year! I saw hear a couple of years ago at AX and I loved her stage presence. Her fans that followed her from Japan made the show even more entertaining as they encouraged the rest of the audience to dance along with glow sticks.
Note to self: Buy glow sticks.
Quote from: WaffoCellist on April 19, 2009, 11:45:06 PM
Note to self: Buy glow sticks.
Note to you: clarify if you can even bring those. o:
SJCC doesn't want glowsticks, I think Rovers would take them away from you. Not sure about the space where Momoi is going to perform at, though...
So you might want to e-mail whoever would be in charge of knowing that info.
Quote from: Chiri Kcrinh on April 19, 2009, 11:57:24 PM
Quote from: WaffoCellist on April 19, 2009, 11:45:06 PM
Note to self: Buy glow sticks.
Note to you: clarify if you can even bring those. o:
SJCC doesn't want glowsticks, I think Rovers would take them away from you. Not sure about the space where Momoi is going to perform at, though...
So you might want to e-mail whoever would be in charge of knowing that info.
Momoi concert without glowsticks would be fail. Seriously.
Quote from: Chiri Kcrinh on April 19, 2009, 11:57:24 PM
Quote from: WaffoCellist on April 19, 2009, 11:45:06 PM
Note to self: Buy glow sticks.
Note to you: clarify if you can even bring those. o:
SJCC doesn't want glowsticks, I think Rovers would take them away from you. Not sure about the space where Momoi is going to perform at, though...
So you might want to e-mail whoever would be in charge of knowing that info.
Actually, the concert is held in the Civic Auditorium and not inside the SJ Convention Center. So having glowsticks at the concert won't be an issue but Facilities is double-checking that for me.
And yes, no glowsticks at Momoi's concert would be a sad thing!
Quote from: jemz on April 20, 2009, 11:28:40 AM
Quote from: Chiri Kcrinh on April 19, 2009, 11:57:24 PM
Quote from: WaffoCellist on April 19, 2009, 11:45:06 PM
Note to self: Buy glow sticks.
Note to you: clarify if you can even bring those. o:
SJCC doesn't want glowsticks, I think Rovers would take them away from you. Not sure about the space where Momoi is going to perform at, though...
So you might want to e-mail whoever would be in charge of knowing that info.
Actually, the concert is held in the Civic Auditorium and not inside the SJ Convention Center. So having glowsticks at the concert won't be an issue but Facilities is double-checking that for me.
And yes, no glowsticks at Momoi's concert would be a sad thing!
Thank you for clarifying!!!
Glowsticks and otagei are a huge part of Momoi's concert, and the enthusiasm associated with it is a huge aspect of what a Momoi concert is. Without that, many fans traveling across the country and internationally would be really disappointed.
Looks like I'll be having about a few dozen glow sticks on me :3
You'll just see this glowing ball of light...@_@...
The Dollar Tree has glow sticks for cheap in packs for people who are have a budget etc. I am very happy she is going to be at FanimeCon!
Looks like I am going to be buying myself a pair of glowsticks. Does anyone know how to wave the glowsticks Akibakei Style? If anyone from Fanime staffing can get the ok that we attendees can bring glowsticks to the San Jose Civic Auditorium please respond so there will not be any confusion. Thanks. ;)
I am so looking forward to Haruko Momoi's Concert and I hope she sings Love Slave and Kujibiki Unbalance.
Quote from: Tsuchimi Rin-chan on April 20, 2009, 08:44:58 PM
Looks like I am going to be buying myself a pair of glowsticks. Does anyone know how to wave the glowsticks Akibakei Style? If anyone from Fanime staffing can get the ok that we attendees can bring glowsticks to the San Jose Civic Auditorium please respond so there will not be any confusion. Thanks. ;)
I am so looking forward to Haruko Momoi's Concert and I hope she sings Love Slave and Kujibiki Unbalance.
Love Slave is unlikely, but Kujibiki Unblanace is a possibility. You can see a lot of examples of otagei in Momoi's concert videos on YouTube, I think.
Get this concert advertised with over 9K glow sticks on that day and make it the best welcome for her! :3
Quote from: LordKefka on April 21, 2009, 12:42:49 AM
Get this concert advertised with over 9K glow sticks on that day and make it the best welcome for her! :3
... more glowsticks != better...
Everyone should have two... that's it. 1 in each hand.
I know...-.-
**Sets up a glow stick stand in front of the civic aud.**
Glow sticks being a requisite to enjoying a "performance" huh? Maybe it's just taste but I'm reminded of when I saw Elliot Smith play with nothing more than a chair and an acoustic guitar, and it was one of the best shows I've ever attended. Oh well, at least it's a free (with cost of fanime badge) "music" fest.
Quote from: raltga on April 22, 2009, 12:18:52 PM
**Sets up a glow stick stand in front of the civic aud.**
Glow sticks being a requisite to enjoying a "performance" huh? Maybe it's just taste but I'm reminded of when I saw Elliot Smith play with nothing more than a chair and an acoustic guitar, and it was one of the best shows I've ever attended. Oh well, at least it's a free (with cost of fanime badge) "music" fest.
o_0. It has to do with the energy and what is associated with the concert as a whole. Momoi concerts are pretty audience interactive, and the whole audiences use the glowsticks to participate in the dances and movements within the concert. Not having kills one of the huge appeals of Momoi's concerts.
It's like stating big foam fingers, hot dogs, nachos, and beer at a baseball game. It's not NEEDED, but they make the game better, more fun... and allows more for audience participation and what not.
It's cool, I hope everyone has a good time. Like I said maybe it's a matter of taste. Just not my cup-o-tea so to speak. I'm sure there'll be something else going on at the con at the time to entertain me :D
Quote from: raltga on April 22, 2009, 01:47:47 PM
It's cool, I hope everyone has a good time. Like I said maybe it's a matter of taste. Just not my cup-o-tea so to speak. I'm sure there'll be something else going on at the con at the time to entertain me :D
You must be part of the older crowd, lol.
I'm only 27 >.>
Quote from: Liquid on April 22, 2009, 02:15:56 PM
You must be part of the older crowd, lol.
I do hope you're joking. Momoi is an idol representing fan culture from media since the 80's. Most of her biggest fans are of "the older crowd".
Quote from: Jun-Watarase on April 22, 2009, 04:05:24 PM
Quote from: Liquid on April 22, 2009, 02:15:56 PM
You must be part of the older crowd, lol.
I do hope you're joking. Momoi is an idol representing fan culture from media since the 80's. Most of her biggest fans are of "the older crowd".
It
was a joke.....because mostly the ones who cannot relate to a concert atmosphere and are used to
only listening to one guy, with one chair and a guitar and nothing else...are usually people like my Grandfather, lol.
Quote from: Liquid on April 22, 2009, 04:56:03 PM
It was a joke.....because mostly the ones who cannot relate to a concert atmosphere and are used to only listening to one guy, with one chair and a guitar and nothing else...are usually people like my Grandfather, lol.
Or different tastes? Some of my favorite concerts have been acoustic concerts. Frankly, that's what I prefer when I'm focusing on the music. I love real concerts because of the energy, but frankly, most concerts like that sound horrible.
Jeez, sorry I said anything. Forgive me for not liking exactly what you like Liquid. I think I'll go back to lurking, at least that way I don't get mocked for my tastes and accused of not understanding a "concert atmosphere" when I've dropped acid at a Daft Punk show and myself do front of house for several venues in the bay area and DJ/perform music in front of audiences of 500+ people for a living.
Hope you all have a good time at music fest, maybe one year there'll be an act I'm interested in again like Swinging Popsicles a few years back, they were great :D
Quote from: Tsuchimi Rin-chan on April 20, 2009, 08:44:58 PM
Looks like I am going to be buying myself a pair of glowsticks. Does anyone know how to wave the glowsticks Akibakei Style? If anyone from Fanime staffing can get the ok that we attendees can bring glowsticks to the San Jose Civic Auditorium please respond so there will not be any confusion. Thanks. ;)
I am so looking forward to Haruko Momoi's Concert and I hope she sings Love Slave and Kujibiki Unbalance.
There is this website (http://momoi-halko.jp/eng/) that has some basic Calls. Of course, specific songs have specific things. At worst, I bet the Momoists will practice in front of the auditorium while waiting for the concert. There may be other practices things going on, so stayed tuned.
As for songs, there's no telling what songs she might do.
Quote from: raltga on April 22, 2009, 12:18:52 PM
**Sets up a glow stick stand in front of the civic aud.**
Glow sticks being a requisite to enjoying a "performance" huh? Maybe it's just taste but I'm reminded of when I saw Elliot Smith play with nothing more than a chair and an acoustic guitar, and it was one of the best shows I've ever attended. Oh well, at least it's a free (with cost of fanime badge) "music" fest.
It's not a requisite to have glow sticks but it can be used to enhance the experience. I've been to a lot of JE concerts where the audience participates by doing hand motions with or without glowsticks/uchiwas. And I've been to concerts where it's just a singer and her piano.
The bands we bring to MusicFest may not appeal to every single person attending but we (the MF staff and I) hope that you do find something new to enjoy with the concerts.
Quote from: raltga on April 23, 2009, 12:25:32 AM
Jeez, sorry I said anything. Forgive me for not liking exactly what you like Liquid. I think I'll go back to lurking, at least that way I don't get mocked for my tastes and accused of not understanding a "concert atmosphere" when I've dropped acid at a Daft Punk show and myself do front of house for several venues in the bay area and DJ/perform music in front of audiences of 500+ people for a living.
Wow, some people just can't take a joke. Talk about being over dramatic. :-\ Maybe you'd laugh some more if you took some more acid? I dunno.... I really have nothing against you. It was simply a f
Sorry but you are not allowed to view spoiler contents.
ing joke. Some of you people need to take the sticks out of your a
Sorry but you are not allowed to view spoiler contents.
and have a laugh sometime. Seriously. ::)
Now, if you need me, I'll be in Forum Games. ::)
P.S. If anyone wants to flame me more, I'll meet up with you in byo/b/ <3
Wow... I'm a bit disappointed at this years line-up. I mean, I'm sure they're great bands in their own right, but they don't seem to be what I'm looking for. And I really really hope we have more than just three bands lined up. I can't even remember a Fanime where there were only three bands in MusicFest. It's just... disappointing.
MusicFest is the number one thing I look forward to each year, and it doesn't look like it will be that satisfactory to me.
yah...see here:
http://forums.fanime.com/index.php/topic,12117.0.html
thread unlocked...... *insert flame*
Quote from: ewu on April 27, 2009, 11:39:58 AM
yah...see here:
http://forums.fanime.com/index.php/topic,12117.0.html
thread unlocked...... *insert flame*
<33 ;D
:)...but no kisses, u know, swine flu and all....
Quote from: Tsuchimi Rin-chan on April 20, 2009, 08:44:58 PM
Does anyone know how to wave the glowsticks Akibakei Style?
Now that the schedule (http://www.fanime.com/schedule.html) is out...the answer to your question is YES.
Come, 4pm, Saturday, right after Momoi's panel. The Momoist Call Workshop is what you are looking for. The workshop/panel is designed to teach some of the basic Calls (coordinated cheering) and also some song specific ones.
Here's hoping there aren't any flu quarantine scares from now until then... :(
Thanks this workshop is where I need to go to. We as Fanime Fans that want to show how much we like Momoi have to at least try to be coordinated when doing the call during the concert. Can someone name a couple of places where I can find glowsticks?
Quote from: Tsuchimi Rin-chan on May 14, 2009, 08:06:55 AM
Thanks this workshop is where I need to go to. We as Fanime Fans that want to show how much we like Momoi have to at least try to be coordinated when doing the call during the concert. Can someone name a couple of places where I can find glowsticks?
look at your local wallgreens, sometimes i see a bunch there.
http://glowproducts.com/
http://www.extremeglow.com/
are both phenomenal places to get glowsticks, even the ultra bright ones
buy them in bulk much cheaper.
--
anyone else COMPLETELY STOKED Haruko is gna be at Fanime?
i admit, this is insanely AWESOME.
argghhh...i freaking love FanimeCon..
Quote from: milkmandan on May 14, 2009, 05:52:42 PM
http://glowproducts.com/
http://www.extremeglow.com/
are both phenomenal places to get glowsticks, even the ultra bright ones
buy them in bulk much cheaper.
--
anyone else COMPLETELY STOKED Haruko is gna be at Fanime?
i admit, this is insanely AWESOME.
argghhh...i freaking love FanimeCon..
If anyone's thinking about getting some ultra bright sticks, please buy some of the 5 minute orange ones; there are certain times during certain songs that they should get lit (of course, not knowing the set list, there's no telling how many would be needed).
Quote from: tenton on May 14, 2009, 06:00:43 PM
Quote from: milkmandan on May 14, 2009, 05:52:42 PM
http://glowproducts.com/
http://www.extremeglow.com/
are both phenomenal places to get glowsticks, even the ultra bright ones
buy them in bulk much cheaper.
--
anyone else COMPLETELY STOKED Haruko is gna be at Fanime?
i admit, this is insanely AWESOME.
argghhh...i freaking love FanimeCon..
If anyone's thinking about getting some ultra bright sticks, please buy some of the 5 minute orange ones; there are certain times during certain songs that they should get lit (of course, not knowing the set list, there's no telling how many would be needed).
I have several ultras stocked up already. As my brother runs a glowsticking workshop @ AX.
I'll bring extra just in case.
and yes, it is bummer not know the set list, but i think we'll hear more at the panel perhaps?
I don't know. you are right though, knowing the songs before hand would sure help our pro 'calling'. i dont wanna have to memorize all the call signs for every single song of hers.
Quote from: milkmandan on May 14, 2009, 06:07:59 PM
and yes, it is bummer not know the set list, but i think we'll hear more at the panel perhaps?
I don't know. you are right though, knowing the songs before hand would sure help our pro 'calling'. i dont wanna have to memorize all the call signs for every single song of hers.
We probably won't know the set list at all. I wouldn't even ask (speaking for myself, only); the answer will probably be a "maybe" or a "please come to the concert". ;D
When in doubt on what to do, you can clap along to the beat, follow what she's doing (if she's motioning) or do what I do...locate Japanese fans and try to mimic what they're doing. 8)
I should note that the Momoists are hauling along some glowsticks to give out to concert goers. If the auditorium fills to capacity (looks like that's ~3000, including the balcony section), there probably won't be enough glowsticks for all the attendees, so don't let that necessarily change your glowstick purchasing plans. ;D
Quote from: tenton on May 14, 2009, 06:00:43 PM
If anyone's thinking about getting some ultra bright sticks, please buy some of the 5 minute orange ones; there are certain times during certain songs that they should get lit (of course, not knowing the set list, there's no telling how many would be needed).
Any other specific colors that you should bring? Do you use 2 different colors (one in each hand)? So far I have green, yellow, and orange in the 12 hour kind. I am still seeing if I can get some of the ultra 5 minute orange before I leave for Fanime next Thursday.
Quote from: Mordyan on May 15, 2009, 09:08:56 PM
Any other specific colors that you should bring? Do you use 2 different colors (one in each hand)? So far I have green, yellow, and orange in the 12 hour kind. I am still seeing if I can get some of the ultra 5 minute orange before I leave for Fanime next Thursday.
Well, the bulk of the glowsticks that the fans are hauling along to give out are assorted colors. If you watch her live DVDs, most of the glowsticks in the crowd tend to be blue and pink (momo = peach, first kanji in her last name), except for the occasional UO blast ;D. How you want to hold the glowsticks is really up to you; same colors, different colors each in hand.
There are song specific colors, too; the one that comes to mind recently is Chuuou Line, which is an orange colored song (because color of the rapid line trains).
so who's gonna be there I just checked and now there's only 2 in it? Isnt going to be more than just 2 bands/artist?