About queueing system at gigs

Hiya,

I will be visiting Tokyo next week. I managed to find a Japan-based friend to purchase a ticket for next week's Yo La Tengo gig at Ebisu Garden Hall, which I gather is a medium size venue.

I understand that typically for major gigs, therefs a queue number system. The gig I will be attending is all standing and not sub-divided into areas. My ticket has a queue number in the 1000s.

My past experience attending Japanese gigs is at really small indie venues which is just walk-in. As I donft speak Japanese and this is the first time Ifm attending a gig with queueing arrangements, Ifll like to ask:-

1. What happens when doors open on the day? Do staff call out queue numbers and then you walk in? Or do people line up according to their queue numbers and then wait to be called in?

2. Doors open 1 hour before the show starts. Typically, how fast are numbers called out/people let in to the venue?

3. Even though I have a rather late queue number, are there still any advantages arriving early right when doors open? E.g. get to gjump the queueh over people with earlier queue numbers but donft turn up as early as I do.

4. I tend to prefer to stand near the stage at gigs (this is why Ifm asking about Q3), so typically I will try to slip my way through the crowd pre-show until I find an appropriate slot as close to the stage as possible. Is this a big faux pas in Japan though? (I will be seeing the show alone.)

Thanks!

I've never been to a Yo La Tengo gig or Ebisu Garden Hall, but I've been going to all-standing concerts for more than 40 years.

First of all, if you want to secure a good spot in a standing concert, you'd want to show up to the venue early, make sure you've gone to pee, and make sure you know what you're doing.

The system differs depending on each concert. A lot of concert-goers pay attention to social media to see how it's done in other gigs of the same tour.

The Garden Hall may seem close to Ebisu train station, but it's not close to the train itself. Be sure you take plenty of time to walk from your train through the big station to the venue which is at the other end of Garden Place square.

As you come closer to the venue, you'll start seeing concert staff in uniform. If I were you, I'd show my ticket to them every once in a while and point my finger toward the hall, to make sure they lead me to the correct direction. There would be lots of announcements, but they're mostly in Japanese.

At concerts, typically there would be a queue for the concert and another queue for the merch (we call them "goods"). Sometimes these 2 queues are very close to each other. Be sure you join the queue you want to.

1. What happens when doors open on the day? Do staff call out queue numbers and then you walk in? Or do people line up according to their queue numbers and then wait to be called in?

Before the door opens, staff may call out to have people line up in order of their numbers. When doors open, sometimes staff call out saying something like "from number 1 to 10, come forward please" and "from number 1 to 10, you may now enter" or only the latter, and they'll check your ticket number at some point.

2. Doors open 1 hour before the show starts. Typically, how fast are numbers called out/people let in to the venue?

I'm not sure if I understand the question. The audience is allowed to enter as soon as doors open, in your case 1 hour before the show starts.

3. Even though I have a rather late queue number, are there still any advantages arriving early right when doors open?

It's more like, you'd have a disadvantage if you're not there when doors open. I understand that the capacity at The Garden Hall is 1500, and let's say your number is 1000. If you're not there when doors open, 500 people can get ahead of you when you could've avoided it.

But since you have a ticket, you can definitely see the show. If you don't mind standing at a bad spot, you don't have to show up early at all.

E.g. get to gjump the queueh over people with earlier queue numbers but donft turn up as early as I do.

Technically yes, but I'm pretty sure that the majority of the audience would be there when doors open.

4. I tend to prefer to stand near the stage at gigs (this is why Ifm asking about Q3), so typically I will try to slip my way through the crowd pre-show until I find an appropriate slot as close to the stage as possible. Is this a big faux pas in Japan though? (I will be seeing the show alone.)

I don't know about Yo La Tengo, but that has been a huge faux pas in all concerts I've been to, whether it's the Stones or Dylan or any small punk show in Japan, the U.S. or Europe.

But you probably know that, at any concert, there would usually be (A) a crowd of hard-core fans right in front of the stage, and then there would be (B) a more relaxed crowd behind them, and then there are (C) people who prefer to stay away from the fuss. You can easily walk through (C) and (B). Then you find it difficult to go through (A). You can either feel it, or you just physically can't go. You should not barge through someone in front of you in (A). You can only hope for others to be exclusively nicer to you for some special reason.

I think the trick is always to aim for an edge, though. There is always a space where you get a pretty good view but where fewer people care - like maybe a spot where you can't see one member or a spot where the star hardly goes to. That's where you want to make a beeline to. I notice a Japanese fan Tweeting that the person "managed" to get to the front only because it was Fuji Rock.

Lastly, I hope you're sure you have the ticket in your hands. Ticket systems are really complicated nowadays, and they send you something that looks like a ticket but is only a slip to be exchanged to a real ticket at a convenience store. Be sure you read everything that's notified to you.

Have a great evening!

Thanks Uco for your detailed answers!

And yes, I am thinking of slipping my way through past the (B), (C) crowds - there's no way of dislodging the (A) crowd in any event :D

I have been to several live concerts during my visits of Japan (although most of the concerts I went to were quite small, 25-100 people) and I think almost everytime there was some kind of queue system.

With the only one bigger event I went to (amazarashi live in Sendai, May 2019, probably 1500-2000 people, only standing inside with no sectors prepared) staff has prepared numbered sectors outside the venue. Each sector was probably for 50 people and staff was lining visitors into their sectors by the numbers on their tickets. And after the hall opened they were letting in the visitors by the sectors. I would expect something similar will be taking place with your concert since its also bigger event and japanese love to organize things :-D Also if this will be the case coming early will not help you in any way...

I would not recommend jumping the queue outside. But once you are inside the venue you can try your luck and slip through the crowd to the podium.