Guys,

I was talking with my Avex contact and the management is open to suggestions on how to better promote this tour. There's not much time left (silly that they ask now), but I/they are open to suggestions. Remember I am not working for them, so I haven't gone suggesting they do some crazy shit this time around, and it's not like what I pass on will make a huge difference (BUT remember those new DVD sub titles??). I gave them a few ideas that I've been pushing them on since 2009, but I figured we could brain storm a little on this board since you are the cream of the crop when it comes to pillows fans right?? Let's discuss!

...And I'm noticing your varied setlist requests on the thread here. I've been trying hard to have them accept a fan voting campaign on the FB page that would allow us to vote for non-FLCL songs. That could put a new promotional twist to this tour and get a few new heads to come out, huh?

If you guarantee me Swanky Street and Strange Chameleon, I might die at the show.

People at colleges could email groups of interest around their campuses as a start for getting more word out.

It's too late to ask for a more expansive tour, so I'd just like to see a more varied setlist. That seems like the next major thing to inquire about. Eventhough I won't be seeing them this time around, it'd feel really good to know FLCL got put into perspective a little more in the States.

ladybirdgirl, I think the best thing to communicate about the setlists is this:

The people who go to these shows will KNOW the pillows' discography. FLCL happened a long time ago, no one's going just to hear the FLCL tracks. People who go to these shows LOVED Smile, Thank You My Twilight, Please Mr. Lostman, and Good Dreams to some extent - but songs from those albums haven't been played here.

We can guarantee that the pillows are going to play 1) Their new shit. 2) The songs that got them famous. I think we would all REALLY appreciate it if you could convey that the middle ground is also SUPER important (if not more important than the FLCL tracks) because they have never been seen live by a Western audience. You need to tell them that people would go APESHIT over songs like Shiroi, TYMT, Good Morning Good News, Waiting at the Busstop, Good Dreams, Sono Mirai, Ice Pick, Trip Dancer, Fool On the Planet. [b]No, these songs aren't the hot new singles. But to US fans, they DEFINITELY are.[/b] Please make them realize that this is their (what, FOURTH?) time being in the US and that they've been doing the whole Hybrid Rainbow/Little Busters/One Life/Advice/Runners High schtick for all of them. The middle ground is essential, and missing.

I've been hesitating about contacting you about this, I don't want to seem like a demanding fan who takes these shows for granted. But now that the lines of communication are open, I think this would be a really cool thing to do.

As one of the hardcores, I totally agree It's difficult to make this happen but you figure it would be easy. Such a unique scenario that we can even communicate on behalf of fans that are half a world away, you think they'd jump on the opportunity to play a regular show in the US (since they've toured with FLCL for years now) when they hear the feedback--play your normal material! For them it should be, 'oh yeah it sounds like we DON'T have any boundries' lol. Interesting stuff.

I think we all realize that playing FLCL stuff [i]is[/i] important. Even after all these years, there probably is a decent portion of people going to the concert specifically to hear their favorite FLCL songs. So given that their US setlists typically aren't too long, I'm not sure how much variety could be reasonably expected. They're gonna play a few new songs, they're gonna play a handful of FLCL songs.

But I do think the important message to relate is that there's a lot more people than they possibly realize who are huge fans of their entire discography.

You don't necessarily need to go start naming specific songs/albums or anything like that. Hell, you could even just say how much of a treat it would be to a lot of people even if they only play one or two older non-FLCL songs.

ladybirdgirl, a more varied set list and a longer length of the show is what is needed. There last four tours here the setlists have been almost the same, and the most songs they have played is 18. Last tour they had four bands, the pillows played 13 songs. This year they have three, so they should play more songs, please convey this to them. All of us want 20+ song setlist shows from them, I know that is pushing it, but please ask them to play longer sets. I think about 18 songs is good for the venues they are playing.

Remind them that at their last tour here, many in the crowd at both Pomona and San Fransisco show were chanting for "Swanky Street!"

Also tell them some of us are sending in emails requesting songs, like Strange Chameleon, Swanky Street, B-sides. This is what the real pillows fans want! There are more the pillows fans at these shows than FLCL fans. They need to know this.

If you can please ask them to bring more goods. The buster shop does not ship to America, so please ask them to bring all the shirts they can.

[quote="Marekenshin"]If you guarantee me Swanky Street and Strange Chameleon, I might die at the show.[/quote]
This!
[quote="GoldenRhino"]You need to tell them that people would go APESHIT over songs like Shiroi, TYMT, Good Morning Good News, Waiting at the Busstop, Good Dreams, Sono Mirai, Ice Pick, Trip Dancer, Fool On the Planet. [b]No, these songs aren't the hot new singles. But to US fans, they DEFINITELY are.[/b][/quote]
This also!

Also I'm not sure if face book is the best place to have a vote, many of them seem to be FLCL fans. If you do that make it a poll of the songs we have been requesting here. Thank you.

[quote="TJWX5"]If you can please ask them to bring more goods. The buster shop does not ship to America, so please ask them to bring all the shirts they can.[/quote]
This.

[quote="GoldenRhino"]APESHIT over songs like Shiroi, Sono Mirai[/quote]
And fucking this.

I guess I'll send my 2 cents in to them as well... It sucks they don't ship their shirts to the U.S., I really wanted a One Life shirt...

[quote="Bebop56210"]I really wanted a One Life shirt... [/quote]

That is the same one I really want.

I just sent in two e-mails, one about shirts, and one about the setlist in Austin...

[quote="TJWX5"][quote="Bebop56210"]I really wanted a One Life shirt... [/quote]

That is the same one I really want.[/quote]

Yeah, Jun wore it in one of their live shows, can't remember which...

[quote="Bebop56210"]Yeah, Jun wore it in one of their live shows, can't remember which...[/quote]
Yeah PIED PIPER tour dvd, that shirt is incredible. ONE LIFE was the first pillows song I ever heard.

[quote="Camio"]All ages............. sucks. really they do. They're just so....... fake. blech. that's the only way I can describe it. Like their music uses punk in the most superficial way possible, their lyrics aren't really convincing at all, and their ideas completely lack audacity, which is what makes punk good.[/quote]
I'd love to see someone put that on a shirt and wear it to the concert.

SWANKY STREET!
STRANGE CHAMELEON!

[quote="Marekenshin"]If you guarantee me Swanky Street and Strange Chameleon, I might die at the show.
[/quote]

And pretty much everything GR already said.

Also

[quote="Marekenshin"]If you guarantee me Swanky Street [b]or[/b] Strange Chameleon, I might die at the show.[/quote]

>_> Even that

General Consensus is Swanky Street and Strange Chameleon must be played at every show this US tour! Especially at the El Rey show.