[Music] 36-year Shogo Hamada fan: I went to "Shogo Hamada Official Fan Club Presents 100% FAN FUN FAN 2024 Blue Time."

This is takewoody.
Last Saturday, November 16th, I went to Shogo Hamada's fan club-exclusive concert.
I will introduce the concert with photos.
I'm talking a bit passionately, so it's a little long.(approx. 3,400 characters)

[Music] 36-year Shogo Hamada fan: I went to "Shogo Hamada Official Fan Club Presents 100% FAN FUN FAN 2024 Blue Time."

◆ Enjoyed the concert at Tokyo Garden Theater!!

Venue: Tokyo Garden Theater (Ariake, Tokyo)
Date and Time: Saturday, November 16, 2024, Doors open 16:30, Start 17:30
Saturday is a workday, but I took paid leave to go.

It was my first time at Tokyo Garden Theater, but
it's compact, and the structure where the stands behind the arena look close to the stage
gives a sense of unity. It has an atmosphere like an opera house.
The two photos below are images from the day that the fan club member site allowed to be shared.
The state of the arena seats before the show started.

The structure where the stand seats visible on the left are high and extend toward the stage is nice.

You don't know your seat until the day of, so it's exciting every time.
It's a system where you present your fan club membership card and ID
to have your ticket issued.

Since it's a fan club-exclusive concert, tickets are issued only after identity verification,
and there are no general ticket sales, so there were no scalpers.

This time, my seat was B block, row 1, seat 20. The very front of B block.
Seat 20 is the edge seat closest to the center of the block.
Just looking at this might not give you a clear idea, but
looking at the venue seating chart, it was exactly the middle block of the stage
and the 7th row from the front. However, there were no seats in front, so it was effectively the 5th row from the front.

Super close!! It's the closest seat I've ever had.
The closest I've had in the past was the 7th row from the front of the arena,
so this is even closer, and I'm super hyped!!
I've always been in the stands, so I'm happy to be in the arena seats for a change!
I mean, it felt like I even made eye contact with Shogo-san.

◆ No matter how many times I come, I get teary-eyed every time from the emotion of hearing Shogo Hamada's live singing and live voice for the first song.

Started at 5:30 PM, about an hour later there was a 20-minute break, and it ended around 8:40 PM.
The long, roughly 3-hour concert was amazing as always!!

And I look forward to Shogo Hamada's MC every time.
Not only can I hear Shogo-san's live speaking voice, but his stories are interesting.
Singing casually in an a cappella style while doing the MC is just goosebump-inducing and amazing!!
There aren't many opportunities to hear his singing voice without instruments or accompaniment. The fans sing along too.

◆ What is the fan club-exclusive concert FAN FUN FAN?

We couldn't have concerts during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021,
but generally, he does a nationwide hall tour or
a nationwide arena tour about once a year.

The fan club-exclusive concert FAN FUN FAN is held irregularly.
Shogo Hamada said in the MC that
this is the first fan club-exclusive concert FAN FUN FAN in 5 years.
When I looked it up, the last one was from 2018 to 2019.
Before that, I feel like it was 2017, 2013, 2009, and 2003.

He did the ON THE ROAD tours in 2023 and 2022, but
those were concerts that included general fans.

What's different?
Well, since it's exclusive to fan club members, it's a gathering of core fans,
and the content of Shogo Hamada's MC is also interesting, with rare stories for fan club members.
And the selection of songs to be sung at the concert, called the setlist,
also has a theme. This time, it was centered on songs Shogo-san wrote in his 30s,
just before he turned 40. In terms of decades, songs from the 1990s.

In the first MC, he immediately said, "I won't be playing popular songs today!"
"I won't play that song, or that song either!"
"Don't say you're going home already, stay until the end!" said Shogo-san.
The whole venue burst into laughter!

I've gathered core songs exclusive to the fan club,
so please enjoy until the end, said Shogo-san.

Fan club members look for more nostalgic old songs and
songs that aren't often sung at general concerts.
The setlist this time, which answered that perfectly, was the best.
There were few major hits, and it was mostly heart-wrenching ballads. The feeling of 'This song is here!' is irresistible.

On a personal note,
memories of that time and that era come back with Shogo Hamada's songs.
Since there are many songs about love and life's struggles,
I remember my own love life, work, and the struggles of my youth at that time.
From my youth to the present, Shogo Hamada's songs have always been there.

◆ A survey of fans by age shows a wide fan base from their teens to their 90s!!

The usual age survey isn't often done at FAN FUN FAN,
but this time, we decided to do it. Shogo-san's MC was also incredibly funny.

At general concerts, there are sometimes parents with children under 10,
but as expected, there were no children under 10 in the fan club.
Even so, there were people from their teens to, surprisingly, their 90s this time.
It's Shogo Hamada's charm that he is supported by such a surprisingly wide range of ages!

As expected, those in their 50s were the most numerous. Furthermore, on a whim,
we surveyed whether there were more people in their early 50s or late 50s, and the result was
that those in their late 50s were the most numerous. That is exactly my age group.
I was a high school student when Shogo Hamada's popularity exploded with J BOY.
The high school and college students of that time are now in their 50s.

Shogo Hamada is 71. He will turn 72 on December 29th, but his movements are young!!
His voice is as thrilling as ever. It's the best!!

◆ Shogo Hamada 100% FAN FUN FAN 2024 Blue Time Setlist

◆ Shogo Hamada's career, fan base, and increase in fan club members!

Shogo Hamada will turn 72 on December 29, 2024. He is a man of the Year of the Dragon.
He is a Japanese rock singer who has been active in music for 48 years since his solo debut at age 23 on April 21, 1976.
There are not many musicians who are still active at this age.
At first, he was in a band called
Aidowhere he played the drums.He participated as a tour band member for Takuro Yoshida. He made his solo debut one year later.
Shogo Hamada's current fan base is supported by a wide range of ages, regardless of gender.

The current number of fan club members nationwide is over
76,000.In January 2024, it was
66,000, so
that means the number of fan club members has increased by 10,000 in just this one year.
I am one of them.I joined the fan club in May 1998, and 26 years have passed.
At that time, there were
a little under 30,000fan club members.

When the number of fan club members increases this much, the slots for fan club-exclusive concerts are also
limited, so I apply from my first choice to my third choice.
I managed to get tickets with my first choice.
In the past, I have missed out on a lottery for a general concert once.
Even for fan club members, that's how hard it is to get tickets.

I will take my leave here for now.
I would be happy if there are people who can relate.
Thank you for reading until the end.
See you again.

◆ Please also check out my past related articles about Shogo Hamada ↓

I also talk passionately about the charm of Shogo Hamada.