PassCode: Asia Tour 2024 in Japan
PassCode tour Asia – and I bought a ticket for their Tokyo show at the Zepp DiverCity once I heard about their tour plans. A wild mix of J-Pop, Chipsound and Metal!
Getting a ticket was straightforward, as I have a Japanese phone number, the ticket app e+ and could pay at the convenience store. The concert venue belongs to the Zepp company, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment Japan. DiverCity in Odaibas, Tokyo is just one of their locations in Japan.
Free Concert
Now, PassCode’s concert wasn’t free, but reasonably priced. The venue is located at one of the entrances/exits of DiverCity, just a one minute walk from the Unicorn Gundam. There was a free concert near the Gundam, but it was already on the last song when I arrived. The giant Gundam is now displaying its winter colors.
As with other Zepps, arriving hours before concert start is useless. There is a number printed on the ticket that determines how soon you can enter. Unlike at the frederic concert, Zepp didn’t try to route people around several city blocks. Instead, a staff member announced numbers one by one: Ichi, ni, san!
Entering
Thankfully, after the number 100 he switched and allowed groups of ten. My number was pretty high (950), but Zepp DiverCity is one of those locations where the hall isn’t even and the back part is elevated. The hall is also divided and there are bars to lean onto.
The standing area on the first floor has a capacity of 2100 people. As I was part of the last group to get in, the place wasn’t fully booked out.
Just like at other places, there’s a drink charge: 600 Yen payable with cash or Suica. You get a coin to exchange for a drink and also receive a little thing to attach the bottle to your belt.
Two photo spots were placed before entering the main hall: One showed the members of PassCode and the other their costumes. Merch was on sale as well, with discounts for older items. I wish I went there before the concert, because most items for the current tour were sold out after the show – and the goods aren’t available on their web store yet.
PassCode’s Show
PassCode started on time with the first of over 15+ songs. While they and their live band put on a great show, the sound at Zepp DiverCity wasn’t good and could’ve benefitted from a longer sound check.
But seeing and hearing PassCode live is an experience, especially the growls and screams that make their songs so unique. It’s a pitty that unlike Babymetal, they don’t go on world tours regularly, but it means that it’s more likely to be able to see them live in Japan, when you visit the country.
