I left SLC on an early United flight to O'Hare. The day before, work pressure had me eating far more than usual across the office hours, knowing it was not fine but doing it anyway. I slept only three hours that night, and almost did not go. I went, and I am glad I did. Otherwise I would have regretted it.
I slept another two hours on the flight, then took a taxi to the Rosemont Hyatt. First time in Rosemont. It does not feel like Chicago at all. Too well maintained.
Badges were picked up at the convention center lobby. Brochures and lanyards were free to grab there.
I was still very tired, so I just took photos of the itashas.
Then I crossed the street to the Hilton, had lunch, and rested for a bit. Afterwards I went back to the Hyatt for the Kajiura panel. It was great to have Yuki and all four vocals on stage, though sadly there was no band and no Imano-san's violin team. No YUUKA in America either. I am going to YKL in July and August in Japan anyway, so it is fine.
The line for the imas live opened at 2pm, and the Kajiura panel ended at 4. By the time I joined the line, I was already pretty far back. Some friends who had joined the line earlier were also still pretty far back, and when I asked them what happened they said the organizer had gone back and forth on whether bags were allowed — yes on the website, no on site, then yes again on site. The line was a mess. Classical American convention. In Japan it would have been a firestorm. Welcome to USA.
The venue opened at 5:30. I still managed a position with a direct sight line, which was great.
The black T-shirt with the Chicago skyline was out early. I only got the white one, with the silhouettes of all six characters. Still a good souvenir. I will wear it to moiw in Tokyo this year.
Penlights were out too, but UO was plenty. Mountain fire is imas.
The setlist was gorgeous. All six had their most famous song done. I never thought I would hear Aoi Tori in America. It was great.
The performance was only about an hour and a half, with no encore. The real headline this time was Miki's AR live. Yes, Miki — not Akiko. The strategy seems clear: BN has decided the future of imas is AR. It makes sense. The first-generation seiyuus are in their forties heading to fifty, and you cannot expect them to perform the character forever.
I realized the AR live was streaming worldwide. Listening on-site in Chicago was just fun and cool.
After the live I took an Uber to the lakefront. The hotel this time is the St Regis — the most recent top luxury in Chicago, opened in 2023. I arrived around 9pm, so I will write about it in Day 2.
The drive from Rosemont to the lakefront took thirty minutes, much faster than I expected. I had seriously considered the Blue Line, but the Washington station is too far from the St Regis. The driver told me the flex lane runs toward downtown at this hour, and that Friday nightlife people heading in are already there by then. That checked out — the next day I taxied at 6:30pm and the same route took a full hour.