A few days ago I went to the Hatsune Miku concert in Toronto. I was both excited and uneasy, based on some things I read and watched about the North American Tour. My thoughts? Well... as someone who has already experienced the magic of a Miku concert back in 2016, my feelings are very salty.
Below is a link to that blog, if you are curious (unfortunately there are no photos of the actual concert):
Hatsune Miku Expo 2016 in Toronto - https://ironixgirl.blogspot.com/2016/05/blog-hatsune-miku-expo-2016-north.html
Me and Hatsune Miku
It's been over 10 years since my first exposure to Hatsune Miku and I'm still a big fan. While I haven't bought any of her recent video games, I still interact with her songs everyday on the phone game Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage. I also still have Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Future Tone (and all its DLCs) on my PS4 in case I want to play or listen to certain songs. In short, Hatsune Miku is never that far away. :)When I found out that Miku was coming back for a concert in Toronto, I bought my tickets right away. The 2016 concert was amazing and I wanted to experience it again. <3
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BEFORE THE CONCERT
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On April 13, weeks away from the Toronto concert, a friend sent me a Reddit link and Youtube video talking about how the Vancouver and Portland concerts (the first two concerts of the North American Tour) used a huge LED screen to display Hatsune Miku instead of the traditional technology that would give the illusion that she was really on the stage. I was very disheartened, and also confused.Why would they do this? What is the difference between the 2016 concert and this one? I checked the website for Hatsune Miku Expo North America 2024 and Hatsune Miku Expo North America 2016. The 2024 concert has a "Powered by crunchyroll" tag underneath. Could that be the factor???!
I did not purchase cancellation insurance for the tickets and I didn't want to re-sell the tickets to another Miku fan who could end up being as disappointed as the fans in the Reddit post and Youtube video. So I still went to the concert.
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DAY OF THE CONCERT
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The Little Details
Date of Concert: Thursday May 16, 2024Venue: Coca-Cola Coliseum (Toronto, Ontario)
Time: 8:00 PM
Ticket Price Total: $115
Seating: Section 118, Row D, Seat 1
Went with: My boyfriend
7:20-ish PM -- @ Coca-Cola Coliseum
When we got to the Coca-Cola Coliseum, we followed a bunch of attendees, hoping that they were walking towards the entrance. We ended up walking almost all around the building. Coca-Cola Coliseum has a strict bag policy, so I was expecting for my slightly-larger-than-acceptable-size messenger bag to be checked. Instead, it seemed like those who set off the metal detectors were checked. My bag wasn't checked at all but my boyfriend was checked and he wasn't carrying any bag at all (the metal detectors picked up on his steel toe boots).When we got inside, there were many other attendees. The crowd level was similar to attending a very popular convention. There was some walking room but barely any. Many cosplayed as Hatsune Miku and the other vocaloids. Often I'd spot a great Miku cosplay but they were lined up to get some overpriced food. There was one guy wearing a long green pigtailed wig that looked like it was made out of green plastic. I thought it was pretty neat!
We walked around the whole first level of the Coca-Cola Coliseum, but we didn't find the merch table. Where was it? Was everything already sold out?? After the concert I read online about how the various venues had low merch stock. :( My initial thought is: why bring such limited merch stock to each venue? Don't concerts make most of their money from selling merch? How many thousands of dollars did the organizers lose by not keeping proper merch stock at each venue?
Around 7:40-ish we found our seats and stayed there.
The stage from our seats. It's so far away. I can see the black screen... :(
The back of a great Miku and Luka cosplay. They looked like they were in a hurry so I didn't want to bug them.
8:00 PM-ish -- Hatsune Miku!
I was hoping the LED screen wouldn't be so bad, but... sadly it was. There were times when Miku would look 3D and there were times when she didn't. It was also hard at times to make out what was going on. Why weren't there extra screens above the stage showing close-ups for those sitting far away?? Why weren't the vocaloids sized larger? I paid $115 for this?
The LED screen stayed black most of the time during the performances. I wondered if it needed to stay black but then Luka's song had Japanese lyrics displayed. So... why did the LED screen stay black for all the other performances? Was this laziness? Even though there were other setups and lights on the stage, it's hard not to notice that Miku and the other vocaloids were dancing against a black background.
The only saving grace was the music. While the music was too loud at times for me to make out anything but the melody, I recognized and enjoyed some of the songs.
The crowd was also very high-energy and excited. It's always nice to see more Hatsune Miku fans. If only they got to see the true Hatsune Miku experience. :(
After one song finished, I heard a nearby voice yelling "PopCORN! PopCORN!". I guess the vendors outside the stage wanted to try making more profits while they could.
We were allowed to take videos and photos during the concert so below are a couple photos and videos. I still suck at taking close-up shots ^^'
Kaito and Meiko performing "on the rocks". This was a nice laidback song.
Miku and Luka performing "vivid".
Part of "World is Mine", Miku's iconic song.
Part of "Tell Your World". I just wanted to capture the crowd waving their glowsticks.
9:30 PM-ish -- Encore
After the last song ended and the lights went down, everybody cheered and called for Miku. A few minutes later, the encore started.The concert ended at 9:45 PM.
Part of "Highlight". I think this was the right song for a send-off.
Overall Experience
I was hoping for the same magical experience as I had in 2016. Unfortunately, it did not happen. Even now, I'm still boggled at why the decision to use an LED screen was made. Did any of the organizers think about how the fans would feel? The recipe for a successful concert was already there (just set things up like how it was done in 2016). The 2016 concert was worth all the money I spent ($119). Heck, when a Miku concert was announced for 2020, I bought myself a VIP ticket based on how much I enjoyed the 2016 concert. If COVID didn't happen and the 2020 concert actually went through, would it have been an LED screen then?Despite all my disappointment, I think I am one of the lucky attendees who only has gripes with the LED screen, distance of the stage, and the non-existent merch table. I did not spend extra money on airfare nor did I spend extra money for any overnight stays just to attend the concert. Our seats were slightly to the side but still close to the center so the characters did not appear angled and completely flat like it did for attendees who did sit at the side seats. To every fan who's been negatively affected by the concert experience, my heart goes out to you *hugs* (>;_;)>
Often it is thought that "newer is better", but this concert shows that is not always the case.
To Crypton or Crunchyroll, whoever was responsible for organizing the 2024 North American Tour and deciding that using the LED screen was a good idea: Next time... get your crap together. Give us a concert where Hatsune Miku really comes to life.
Setlist
Below is the setlist for Toronto. I've linked each song to a YouTube video if you were curious about any of the tracks. I also created a Spotify playlist if you'd like to access the songs that way.Spotify playlist: Here
2. The Vampire by DECO*27 (Hatsune Miku)
3. Unknown Mother-Goose by Wowaka (Hatsune Miku)
4. Genius Rock by Karasuya-sabou (Kagamine Rin)
5. GEDO by daraku (Kagamine Len)
6. Childish War by Giga (Kagamine Rin x Kagamine Len)
7. Literacy by wotaku (Kaito)
8. Fraulein=Biblioteka by nyanyannya (Meiko)
9. on the rocks by oster (Kaito x Meiko)
10. M@GICAL*CURE! LOVE <3 SHOT! by SAWTOWNE (Hatsune Miku)
12. Can't Make a Song!! by beat_shobon (Hatsune Miku)
13. Thousand Little Voices by Vault Kid & Flanger Moose (Hatsune Miku)
14. Even if it's the Happiness of You by Heavenz (Megurine Luka)
15. vivid by Utsu-P, Yuyoyuppe (Hatsune Miku x Megurine Luka)
16. Gimme x Gimme by Hachioji-P, Giga (Hatsune Miku x Kagamine Rin)
17. Hyper Reality Show by Utsu-P (Hatsune Miku)
19. Lucky*Orb by emon(Tes.) (Hatsune Miku)
21. Intergalactic Bound by Yunosuke, CircusP (Hatsune Miku)
Encore
22. imaginary love story by Synthion (Hatsune Miku)
23. Highlight by KIRA (Hatsune Miku)
That's it for this blog. Thanks for reading! Sorry that it's pretty negative, but I love Hatsune Miku so much. The concerts are the only times where we can see her "come out of the screen and perform". I know it's not real but I want that illusion at the concerts. I want that magic.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free. Take care, stay safe, and till next time! :)
