I quite often hear the phrase "Japan never changes" however given it is the only country in history to completely eradicate the gun (they're let few back in now before you say it), Samurai no longer practice sword skills on the occasional unlucky passing peasant and voyagers are allowed on their way without being crucified, this is something of a stretch. Japan has changed significantly, and that includes the modern iteration as much as anything in past history. So, in reality, Japan is actually in a constant state of flux, and when you look closely, you can see these morphisms in action.
In 1994 U2 came to town, playing at the Tokyo Dome (a baseball stadium with, it has to be said, the acoustics of a baseball stadium but, at something around 55,000 seats, the largest gig in town). I'd been extorted for many years by friends from Europe and the US that it was going to be the best show of my life. And it sucked. I mean sucked in biblical proportions. The band could feel it too and as the final video of Lou Reed singing "Satellite of Love" arose across the screen, they walked off. No encore, no "thank you Tokoyo" no "goodnight", nothing. And for the next nearly twenty five years this one night remained the singularly worst show on earth to me.
Until 2019 that is, same band, same venue and pretty much the same set list. And it was one of the greatest shows I'd ever seen. And the difference, this time, was the crowd rather than the band, which could engage with the heaving masses, who loved the night and rocked with every tune they delivered. And there was an encore(!). Which the crowd loved. The main difference appeared to be, given all else remained essentially equal, Japan had changed. In this instance, a significant element of the crowd had never known the world without the inter-web and the global communication and exposure it carried with it. At the 1994 show the internet was barely spreading its wings. But Japan embraced it with a fervor in the years to come and, as a result, the people changed. And all it took was U2 to make me realize just how much. I wonder, it has to be said, just what's to come...
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