It can be quite nerve-wracking entering a live house at your first vkei live. Hell, I was nervous returning to the dominor vkei world after taking a 2-3 year break! I knew what to expect, but I forgot the simplest things and panicked. That being said, I hope this post can help ease your nerves!

If you haven't seen it already, I've created a general guideline for what to expect at your first live here.

Meanwhile, this post will be dedicated specifically to the beginning of your live experience.

Many live houses are quite small, with their capacity ranging from 200 to 500+ people. 

If you're curious, you can google the live house name + キャパ to see what their capacity is! I love doing this when finding out my ticket number.

THE IMPORTANCE OF A TICKET NUMBER 

When a live concert has multiple types of ticket sales, then the ticket will be labeled with a letter along with a number. But generally S and A are most common. 

S -> A -> B -> C -> same-day entry.

S is top priority and they enter first followed by A then B…etc.

Let's say a live has only A tickets and same-day entry. That means if you hold the ticket A35,you'll be the 35th person to enter. This is why many bangya try to get the best number possible. The lower your number, the better the spot you can get!

ARRIVING AT THE LIVE HOUSE

Now, when arriving at the live house, there will be separate lines based on tickets. Let's use the same example above, with “A and same-day entry”.

One line will be for everyone who owns a ticket. Behind them will be another line for same-day entry. The area/layout completely depends on the venue. Don't worry if you guys aren't in numbered order, because staff will actually call out individual numbers once doors open!

At Ikebukuro Black Hole, ticket holders are closer to the door while same-day attendees are in the back behind them, with a gap to separate the two. Staff will be calling out “chiketto” for ticket holders and “toujitsuken” for same-day entry. They'll direct you to the correct area.

(I don't remember the exact phrases in Japanese, but just listen for those key words.)

When it's time for doors to open, a staff member will call out each ticket number one by one. So it's important to learn your number in Japanese in advance or have it written down in your phone's notes app.

When your number is called, walk towards the entrance and show staff your ticket; when you receive their quick nod of approval you can proceed to the entrance. If you're late and staff has already called your number, then you can immediately show them your ticket and join the entry line. 

If you're #35 and arrive when staff is calling #60, you may join the entry line. You cannot cut directly to the beginning of the line.

If you're #35 and arrive when staff is calling #20, then keep waiting.

But once you're in the entry line, have money ready!!!!!!!

EVERYONE PAYS A VENUE/LIVE HOUSE DRINK FEE!!!!

At live houses, you pay for a drink fee which is usually ¥600-700 yen. This is not optional: you must pay.

If there's multiple bands performing then they'll also ask who you're there to see. Name one band so staff can check the amount of fans for which bands. You cannot name multiple bands so please pick one.

After paying you'll be given a drink token (if not, then it's your ticket), and then you can proceed to the stage area and secure a spot for the rest of the live!

And that's it! 

For other details including the drink token, please check out the post I mentioned at the very beginning. There's a lot more to it than this, but recently I've seen many people get confused or anxious about the entering process.

I hope this helped!!! Feel free to ask any questions.

Have fun!