After being a fan for about 12 years now, I finally decided to attend a Perfume show (the times I've been to Japan, Perfume were never playing live, and it is really difficult to get a ticket without a Japanese address or phone number). The group announced their Perfume “COD3 OF P3RFUM3 ZOZ5” Asia Tour 2024 a few months ago and while I was hoping they would play Singapore again as I wanted to visit that country, alas they only announced shows for Hong Kong, Shanghai, Taipei and Bangkok.
In the end it was a toss up between Hong Kong and Thailand, but I had wanted to travel to Hong Kong about a decade ago, which didn't happen for various reasons, so I decided a couple of days there might be nice. I managed to get a hotel literally connected to AsiaWorld-Expo where the concert was being held.
I collected my ticket on early Saturday afternoon on Saturday 8 June from the P.T.A. Booth and hung around until about 5:30pm, an hour before the doors opened. When I got there, a young guy from local fan group Team Perfume Hong Kong gave me a set of the above three stickers and a coloured glove to wear during the final song, My Color, in order to surprise Perfume when they asked the audience to join in.
I am really not used to pop concerts as I am far more into alternative rock, and usually go to smaller venues like pubs or the local university bar on the few occasions I go to live performances. However, while the concert is a stripped down one compared to their Japanese shows, it was still excellent, with a set list made up of their more danceable songs, pretty much in line with the set lists for their other Code of Perfume shows.
I really loved every minute of it. Easily one of the best things I have done in a long while. Perfume were great, the lighting crew, effects / video crew and F.O.H. sound crew as well as all of the other staff involved did a great job too. It all flew by way too quickly and I really wish I had bought tickets for the Bangkok show as well. If they had played all three nights I was in Hong Kong, I would have gone each night. In addition, the fans, both the locals, the Japanese fans who flew in for the concert, as well as others who did the same from other countries like me, were fantastic, well behaved and really enjoyed themselves.
