Many know of Vocaloid through Hatsune Miku, the ever popular teal twin-tailed virtual idol. Her amazing concerts, and others like it, span the globe. A Vocaloid concert is a mysterious event by all means. The performer isn’t real or performing on stage, so what’s with the excitement? Why is the crowd cheering like there’s no tomorrow? If you want to experience one of these concerts for yourself, then this guide will help you ease into your first Vocaloid concert.
Vocaloid is a voice synthesizer software that emulates real voices recorded by voice actors and actresses. There are several Vocaloids, but the main ones featured in this article are the Crypton Vocaloids: Hatsune Miku, Kagamine Rin, Kagamine Len, Megurine Luka, KAITO, MEIKO, and Teto Kasane. We’ll look at Crypton sponsored concerts, which feature Crypton Vocaloids. The music at the concerts is played live by real instrumentalists, so expect to hear unique remixes of your favorite Vocaloid songs!
There are five popular Vocaloid concerts across the world: Magical Mirai, Miku Expo, Snow Miku Live, Miku X KODO, and Miku Symphony. Let’s look at each of these.
Magical Mirai
Let’s begin with the largest Vocaloid concert of them all, Magical Mirai. It is held at the end of August every year, since 2013. Magical Mirai is a celebration of Hatsune Miku’s birthday, or rather, the day she was created, which is August 31st. It is a large scale concert that now spans two cities, Osaka and Tokyo, with two concert days in Osaka and three days in Tokyo. The concerts are played at noon and in the evening for each day, so there are plenty of opportunities to see one of the live concert showings!
Magical Mirai also has exhibitions that showcase various official vendors, from reputable Vocaloid producers to race car showings — did you know Miku has her own GT racing car? The exhibition hall is a large space for everyone to enjoy themselves, purchase merchandise such as figurines and plushies, and to cosplay or take pictures of cosplayers. It’s a full-day event with different offerings each exhibition day that includes a free live DJ concert that remixes popular Vocaloid songs. Purchasing a concert ticket includes an exhibition ticket, so there is no need to purchase the exhibition ticket if you plan on attending the concert.
Because the concert is held in Osaka and Tokyo, it’s hard for foreign fans to attend the concert, but no worries! There are options specifically for foreign fans to purchase tickets and attend. One thing to note is that concert tickets are awarded on a lottery draw, so you might not get a ticket even if you apply for one. The application is currently open for foreign fans from the dates 4/15 12:00PM – 5/13 JST 11:59PM (Japan Standard Time). You can find more information on the ticket lottery here.
However, there’s a packaged accommodation plan that guarantees a concert ticket if you purchase it. The plan includes a night stay at a hotel very close to the concert venue and an exclusive gift bag. The application is currently open for foreign fans from 4/15 12:00PM – 5/7 12:00PM JST (Japan Standard Time). There’s plenty of information here. The accommodation plan does not include flights to Japan, which you’ll have to book separately.
Magical Mirai is my personal favorite, and has given me unforgettable memories and lifetime friends. The atmosphere of the event is amazing. If there’s any Vocaloid concert you must attend, it’s this one!
Miku Expo
The second largest Vocaloid concert, Miku Expo, is Hatsune Miku’s global tour. With showings in countries such as Indonesia, China, Taiwan, Europe, Mexico, and North America, there’s a location for everyone to attend if you’re close.
If you live in either Taiwan or Hong Kong, Miku Expo is happening in your city, so you can still purchase tickets here!
Miku Expo is a great way to expose yourself to what Vocaloid concerts are like in different parts of the world. As I live in the United States, I usually attend Miku Expo concerts when they do come stateside, which seems to be following the trend of every two years since 2014. Fear not, American fans, as she tours the entirety of North America, covering major cities from Los Angeles all the way to New York.
Although the concert is named Miku Expo, it is a concert that celebrates all but one of the Crypton Vocaloids (poor Teto), so there is a time for your favorite Vocaloid to shine on stage!
Snow Miku LIVE
Snow Miku LIVE is a celebration of Miku’s hometown in Sapporo, Japan. The concert is held in conjunction with the Sapporo Snow Festival, which is held from late January to February. There has not been an official announcement for Snow Miku LIVE for 2020 yet, but there has been a concert showing for the past two years, in 2018 and this year.
Snow Miku features a special winter design for Hatsune Miku every year. The design is chosen from art submissions, and fans vote for their favorite ones. It’s always exciting to see what design is chosen for Miku come winter time! The concert will feature her snowy design during the performance, so be sure to keep an eye out if you attend!
Even if there happens to be no Snow Miku LIVE in 2020, it is worth checking out the snow festival in Sapporo for the beautiful ice sculptures!
Miku X KODO
Miku X KODO is a newer addition to the family of Vocaloid concerts, and the cheapest. This is a collaborative effort between Japan’s most famed drumming ensemble, KODO, and Vocaloid. In an effort to create momentum for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, this mish-mash of traditional and modern Japanese sounds was created in March 2017.
Miku X KODO is one of the most unique Vocaloid concerts, combining traditional Taiko sounds with synthesized vocals. Also, just because it’s named Miku X KODO doesn’t mean the other Vocaloids aren’t there! Rin, Len, and Luka get their time to shine in this concert as well.
There are options for foreign fans to purchase tickets as well, so if Miku X KODO does get announced for a showing in 2019, be sure to check it out!
Miku Symphony
Miku Symphony is also one of the newer Vocaloid concerts. This concert is a live orchestra that covers popular Vocaloid songs. Miku Symphony has already wrapped up for the 2018-2019 year, but there are planned showings for later this year. Keep an eye out for ticket presales for the Yokohama showing on October 14th, and the Osaka showing on December 13. Miku Symphony is the very first, and only official concert to feature all Crypton characters. Teto Kasane is not featured in any of the other concerts listed above, so if you’re a big fan of hers, this is the concert to keep an eye on!
Unfortunately, the Miku Symphony website does not have an option for overseas tickets, so in order to purchase a ticket, you need a proxy in Japan. This is also the most expensive concert in terms of the types of seating available, with the highest priced ticket ranging up to around $145 USD.
I missed out on the concerts!
No worries! If you missed out on the Vocaloid concerts, all of them are available to purchase on Blu-ray from various retail sites, like this Magical Mirai 2018 Blu-ray collection on J-LIST!
You can experience many different kinds of Vocaloid concerts from the comfort of your own home, and cheer along with the fans! The experience may not be the same, but there’s a unique comfort in attending virtually.
The singers themselves are already virtual, anyway!
I don’t know what to bring! How should I prepare?
No worries! Thankfully you don’t need much, if anything, to attend a Vocaloid concert. The most important item that I would heavily suggest would be a penlight, or two, or more!
If you don’t have a penlight, the Vocaloid concerts all have penlights with unique designs specific to the concert for sale. There’s no feeling like waving your penlight in sync with other audience members to your favorite Vocaloid song!
If you want to get even more festive, you can purchase concert shirts, or even happis of your favorite Vocaloid to show your support! There will be plenty of merchandise to purchase before the concerts so you can prepare at the venue.
There are plenty of ways you can prepare yourself for the concerts, so it’s up to you to get creative and show your energy! There are many people who cosplay, and some who even bring life-sized Hatsune Miku statues to the concerts, so don’t be afraid to show off your enthusiasm!
I can’t attend the concerts, but I want to show my support!
Every Vocaloid concert comes with a host of collectible merchandise for passionate fans to buy.
Magical Mirai often opens up a pre-order site for their merchandise in June, so keep an eye out for that. Here is the list of goods from last year’s Magical Mirai 2018.
Otherwise, you can always support the Vocaloid idols by purchasing their concert figurines and CD’s, such as this Miku Symphony 2017 Ver. Scale!
Hopefully, this guide answered some questions for any potential concert enthusiasts. Attending a Vocaloid concert is a lot of fun, and enjoying the same type of music while chanting with thousands of like-minded fans is an indescribable feeling. Hopefully, a Miku Expo comes to a city near you, or if you find yourself in Japan during one of the many Vocaloid concerts, you can attend one!
