Melt-Banana at Club Heavy Sick, Hatagaya, April 29, 2012

These are pretty awful but they document the last Melt-Banana show I saw with Rika on bass. This was a very nice weekend, everything going extremely well, perhaps even perfectly. Here's Heavy Sick, just a two or three minute walk from my hotel:

Let's see if we've come to the right place.  We have--

Sold out! Oh no!  But what's this?

I bought my ticket the day before because I've never been to a Melt-Banana show that hasn't sold out.  It was nerve-wracking cutting it even that close, but the end result was I got to hang out with some really cool people and experience some music I wouldn't have under other circumstances while buying my ticket to the Melt-Banana show.  So it pays to keep yourself open for new kinds of fun.

But at least one other couple had the good fortune of getting involved in a language mix-up with the door person and having Yako herself come out of Heavy Sick and add them to the audience list.  That made everyone feel good.  Added a positive vibe to an already ultra-smooth evening.

Heavy Sick is very small.

Here are images from the show itself.

And there you have it.  I have no idea what Rika is up to these days, but Melt-Banana is a duo.  We saw them next on Christmas Day the same year.  They played most of the same songs from this set.  Sorry my photos are so lousy this time around.  I'd blame the camera but it was all me.

Melt-Banana at Heavy Sick, April 29, 2012!

I can't believe it's been a year since this show.  It took place at Heavy Sick in Hatagaya, which was incredibly convenient for me because I could stay at Sakura Hotel with about a 5-minute foot commute to and from the venue.

Let's time travel and see what happened...

Of course it sold out.  Here's a sweet story.  A couple came up while I was waiting to get in and they were disappointed not to be able to buy tickets.  I can't remember how it happened, but they ended up telling the door guy their dilemma and he mistakenly came to believe they were friends with Melt-Banana.  Language barrier.  He popped into the club and a few minutes later came out with Yasuko.  She looked a little confused and the couple were embarrassed and apologetic for the whole mix-up.  While they'd both been perfectly willing to give up and go elsewhere for fun, Yasuko quickly added them to the attendee list.  They paid the ticket price and in they went.  A very cool moment all around.  It made me very happy.

There's no requirement for musicians you like to be nice, but it's always extra sweet if they are.

Yeah, I had a ticket.  I bought mine the night before because I was pretty sure the show was going to sell out.  Awesome bands, small venue, Tokyo.  This usually equals sell out show.  Actually, every Melt-Banana show I've been to has been a sell out.

This might have been their last time with Rika on bass.  Definitely ONE of the last times.  I'm going to miss having her over there on the left pumping out bass and doing that little bouncing move.

Anyway, here are some really lousy photos I took with my iPhone!  Some of them might be duplicates, too!

The next time I saw them was the night of Christmas Day the same year.  That show was in Shibuya where they opened for Guitar Wolf.  While the Heavy Sick show was pretty good, they had more energy in the Shibuya venue even if they were reduced to a duo.  However many people they have in their band, I highly recommend you attend at least one Melt-Banana show if you're here in Japan or if they tour through your country.