Lights off, phones up.

At most concerts I've attended, that is what usually happens. But for Japanese rock band My First Story's debut Singapore show on July 13, empty hands were up in the air.

When the music started and lead singer Hiro and his band members - drummer Kid'z, bassist Nob and guitarist Teru - walked out, the fully seated crowd at Sands Theatre stood up and the screams were so deafening I had to put in my concert earplugs.

It was almost like I was at a Japanese idol's concert - the crowd was so in sync with their cheers and arm-waving it reminded me of wotagei (synchronised cheering movements commonly done at idol shows), just without the glowing light sticks.

Any attempts at video-recording during the 1.5 hour-long set were stopped by strict security, and while I'd usually be disappointed that I couldn't capture anything for the memories, I felt differently this time.

The energy was so palpable, and the audience was so visibly immersed in every song since no one needed to fight to snap the best angle of the band. I'm someone who prefers to sit during concerts, but the atmosphere made it impossible for me to not join in and jump with everyone around me.

By the time the third song Tokyo Midnight was being performed, I was out of breath and had to take a seat, but the audience kept going.

Halfway through the concert, the band, which was formed in 2011, had a short talking segment. As I had predicted, there was no interpreter (a common occurrence at Japanese concerts) and for once, I felt my hours spent watching J-dramas came in handy.

"Nihongo wakaru (do you understand Japanese)?" Kid'z asked the crowd.

When the audience responded with an enthusiastic "Hai (yes)!", he looked surprised, asking if it was because of anime.

He asked if they had seen Demon Slayer. Season four's opening theme Mugen was performed by them and soloist Hyde.

"One Piece? Naruto?" he named a few others to get a gist of what the fans liked.

While Kid'z continued joking around and interacting with the crowd, Hiro, standing at the front of the stage, smiled and silently took it all in.

But the moment the lights turned off again, the 180-degree change from regular quiet Hiro to My First Story's frontman Hiro was jarring, in a good way.

There was no bad seat in the venue as he made sure to run around and interact with fans at every angle he could. At one point, he even got off the stage and walked around the entire venue while he sang.

My favourite part of the concert was during Confession, one of their few ballads. As Hiro's clear voice resounded through the venue, the audience turned on their phone flashlights and waved them in the air.

Mid-song, he softly said in English: "Thank you, it's beautiful."

Their 2022 song I'm a Mess felt like the climax of the show, with the majority of the audience jumping in sync and singing along to the lyrics, and a thought crossed my mind then: "Would it be the same had video-taking been allowed?"

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Would the crowd be just as immersed in all 19 songs, and would the energy have felt as electrifying as it did?

I remember talking to a friend who had flown to Hong Kong to attend a J-pop idol group's concert earlier in January, and how she told me her experience was much better than other shows because no one was engrossed in taking videos, and her view wasn't blocked by phones in the air.

Back then, I could only imagine how such an experience would be like, but now that I have for myself, I can't help but wish this was the norm for every concert.

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syarifahsn@asiaone.com

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