10th Anniversary Live for Beginners: Preparation

So the 10th anniversary live was announced during the moviem@s completion party last weekend, and while looking around twitter, I notice quite a few people from overseas want to go for it. This post is intended to help those people who are considering for it, and we’ll break down the points that needs paying attention to.

Live Details

THE IDOLM@STER 10TH ANNIVERSARY LIVE: THE IDOLM@STER M@STERS OF IDOL WORLD!!2015

Date: July 18-19 2015

Performers:

  • July 18: MAIN WORLD 765PRO (Cast TBA)
  •  July 19: MAIN WORLD 765PRO + CINDERELLA GIRLS + MILLION LIVE! (Cast TBA)

Venue: Seibu Dome (Will change name to Seibu Prince Dome from March 1)

This is the biggest live yet for imas, and the venue itself seats around 35,000 people officially so getting tickets shouldn’t be as difficult. To get there, the best way to get there is to take the Seibu Ikebukuro(西武池袋線) line before changing to Seibu Sayama(西武狭山線) line until you get to Seibu-Kyujo Mae(西武球場前駅) station. Details on the venue here.

Ticketing:

Ticketing is perhaps the most difficult part of going to a live event in Japan, even for Japanese fans. It’s extra-hard for oversea fans, so there will be a specific article later to dive into details of getting tickets.

As of now no ticketing details have been announced yet, but these types of events will have one (or more) balloting session for tickets. The first wave(s) will likely require you to buy something to get a code to apply for the ticket lottery. There will also be a general sale open to the public later on.  Keep an eye on social media and news sites (even this site!) for the latest news on lottery and ticket sales.

Generally, either e+ or Ticket Pia will be used to do the lottery, and you will need to make an account to apply for the lottery. They’re  all Japanese only, so if you’re unsure about something, ask around for help! In many cases, you will also need someone in Japan to pay for the tickets for you, as most of these sites won’t take credit cards from oversea.

For now, again, don’t worry too much since we don’t have details yet. Plus, it will come down to luck to a degree anyway, so it is always best to prepare an alternative by saving up money in case you have to hit the auctions.

Preparing for the Live

I’m going to assume that you know how to get to Seibu Dome from your respective countries so this part will focus on what exactly to prepare for the live.

1. Drinks
Its summer, and its gonna be HOT.  Especially if you’re planning on lining up for the live goods and merchandise (and if you are, you will want to be there early, first train early). Seibu Dome has ONE convenience store nearby, so you’ll want to pack sustenance from wherever you’re going. Drink constantly to avoid heatstroke while lining up, and you’ll want sports drink to help keep up your stamina.

This also applies during the lives as iDOLM@STER lives generally allows you to bring your own drinks inside, bring plenty as you’re gonna sweat. A lot. Bring a combination of water, sports drinks and also those sports jelly drinks as they’re excellent when you need that extra stamina recovery between songs.

2. Stamina
iDOLM@STER lives are generally known to be long, and to be able to completely enjoy it, you want to be prepared. Do a little bit of stamina building before you go, because if you don’t,  you won’t last. Eat well before the live (but not to close to the live) and make sure you have the energy to have fun.

3.Clothes
Its summer, its hot. Wear something you’re comfortable moving around in. They will sell T-Shirts and towels in the merchandise booths, but you’ll want something to wear while lining up for those. Wear comfortable shoes too as you’ll be standing for long periods of time, and don’t forget to bring a towel as you’re gonna sweat (and cry). It may look cool, but please don’t wear a suit. You don’t wanna be moving around while wearing a suit in a hot stadium. Wearing a hat may help you cool down too.

4. Cyalumes/Penlights
Now comes the fun part. There probably will be a separate post about this, but you’ll want to have some as going to an iDOLM@STER live without one isn’t fun.  Each character is represented by their own colour, and you’ll want at least one colour changing penlight. From 2013’s MUSIC FESTIV@L OF WINTER, iDOLM@STER lives have prohibited the use of AAA battery penlights (like the commonly used Kingblade) as they had accidents where live equipments were broken due to falling Kingblades, so only chemical cyalumes and LR44 button battery powered ones are allowed. The official cyalumes will be powered by these, and they’ll be a bit expensive, so you may want to look into getting either a Mix Penla Pro or Colorful Pro 110 as they are colour changers that actually meets the regulations. You can get these pretty easy in Akiba when you’re in Japan.

5. Others
Although its just a fan culture and nothing official, having a producer namecard is a great way to introduce yourself, and its a good way to break the ice when you’re meeting new people. Some people also bring their ita-bikes while others bring their dolls, so really its up to you if you want to bring other things to the live. But do remember that space inside the venue is limited, and if you’re bringing dolls, you may want to make sure that you have a place to store them in.

Keeping these in mind, you should be ready for what may be your first iDOLM@STER live. We’ll put up more articles to prepare for the 10th live, so come back for more!

One thought on “10th Anniversary Live for Beginners: Preparation”

  1. “For ever and ever, I’m Imas, Imaaaaaaas!”

    Finally I know what Eriko always says.

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