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Uta no Prince-sama Staff Apologize for Starting Concert Before All Attendees Entered
posted on by Jennifer Sherman
The "Utano☆Princesama Maji LoveLive 6th Stage" event was held this past Saturday and Sunday at the MetLife Dome in Tokorozawa, Saitama. The event drew huge crowds. Unfortunately, there were so many audience members scrambling to get inside at the same time on the first day, that not everyone was able to enter before the event started. Some fans apparently were less than pleased about the situation.
The Uta no Prince Sama franchise's official website posted an apology on Tuesday. As initially stated on the event website, staff began checking IDs and issuing wristbands at 10:00 a.m. in the order that visitors finished purchasing event goods. The staff had performed a simulation before the event that allowed everyone to enter before the scheduled start at 4:30 p.m. However, a large number of people came shortly before the event's scheduled start time on Saturday.
In order to expedite the process, the staff added more personnel to check IDs. The staff did not want to start the event late because they were concerned about residents in the area of MetLife Dome after the concert's end. Noise ordinances prohibit excessive noise after 9:00 p.m. The staff reluctantly made the decision to start the event 30 minutes late at 5:00 p.m. in order to ensure that there would be enough time to complete the entire program.
In addition, the staff deemed it was impossible to change the program just before the event's start because there was a possibility that they could not ensure the safety of performers and production staff.
The staff repeated their apology to fans who were unable to see the first half of the program. They intend to hold careful discussions with related companies before holding future events.
In light of the problems on the first day of the event, the event staff posted a request to attendees on the official website. The request asked audience members to arrive as early as possible, refrain from trading goods outside the seating area, and follow staff guidance to exit the event in an orderly fashion on Sunday.
The event revealed that the previously announced new anime project for the franchise is a brand-new anime film (as opposed to a compilation film).
Uta no Prince Sama music CD releases have been selling well in Japan. Utano☆Princesama Legend Star's in-series idol group QUARTET NIGHT's second CD single, "God's S.T.A.R.," shipped on December 21 and ranked #1 on Oricon's weekly CD singles chart.
[Via Nijimen]
