OTAKON 2004 Presents
L'Arc~en~Ciel
Live in USA

We're thrilled to announce that L'Arc~en~Ciel will be appearing as the headlining performer at OTAKON 2004, the largest anime convention on the East Coast!! This will be their first concert in the U.S.

Mark your calendar and don't miss the one-day-only special live performance by the biggest rock band from Japan! For further details, visit www.otakon.com and www.tofurecords.com.

OTAKON 2004
L'Arc~en~Ciel
Live in USA

L'Arc~en~Ciel is one of the biggest rock bands in Japan. Since their debut in 1991, they've sold over 35 million units, and have built a firm position as the rock band representing Japan and Asia. After a 2-year hiatus to pursue solo projects, they are in action again with the new album “SMILE,” and the break did nothing to wane their popularity. Their first two singles back "READY STEADY GO" and "Living In Your Eyes -Hitomi No Jyunin", singles from the album debuted at #1 on Japanese "Oricon" hit chart.

Building on their popularity as rock stars, L’Arc~en~Ciel has provided several anime theme songs to some of the most popular anime programs such as “GTO”, “Rurouni Kenshin (Samurai X)”, “D.N.A.2”, and the new hit anime series “FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST”. “FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST” will begin airing on Cartoon Network in November 2004 with the L’Arc~en~Ciel song as the theme song.

L’Arc~en~Ciel has just finished their sold-out Japan arena tour. Their popularity in the US will be proven when they take the stage in the USA for the first time as the headlining performer at OTAKON 2004.

Mark your calendar and don't miss the one-day-only special live performance by the biggest rock band from Japan! For further details, visit http://www.otakon.com/ and http://www.tofurecords.com/.

Information on L'Arc~en~Ciel Concert

Admission to the L'Arc~en~Ciel Concert at OTAKON 2004 is included within the purchase price of a 3-day or Saturday-only OTAKON membership. There is no additional fee for a concert ticket. We will, however, be implementing a special "stickering" procedure in order to control entry to the concert venue. At some point after picking up your badges from Pre-Registration or Registration, all attendees who wish to attend the concert will have to report to the Concert Admission Desk during designated hours on either Friday or Saturday in order to have their badge stickered. Only one badge per person will be stickered.

The Concert Admission Desk will be located on the 400-level of the Baltimore Convention Center, beside the Ballroom, and will only be staffed during the designated stickering hours. Approximately 7,000 seats will be available during the Friday stickering session, and another 5,000 (plus any remainder from Friday's allotment) will be available during the Saturday stickering session.

Once stickered, the wearer of the badge will be guaranteed a seat for the concert, provided that they enter the arena no later than 15 minutes prior to showtime. Entry to 1st Mariner Arena will be through the entrances on Hopkins St. and Howard St, and doors will open for seating at 4:00pm. Due to safety and traffic concerns, any concert attendees lining up outside prior to 3:30pm will be turned away by arena security.

Any unfilled seats in the arena will become available to any bearer of an OTAKON 2004 badge, whether stickered or not, at 4:45pm.

For further questions, please refer to the FAQ below.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. “Do I have to register with OTAKON to attend the concert?”
A. Yes, only OTAKON 2004 members will be permitted into the concert. Specifically, 3-Day memberships and Saturday 1-Day memberships will be eligible for stickering. These memberships will be able to be purchased at the convention.

2. “Okay, if I’m registered for the con. Wait, what do you mean, Stickering?”
A. We have logistics in place to sticker the attendees who will be able to see the concert. Stickering will be occuring at specific times Friday and Saturday, at the BCC.

3. “Will there be an extra cost to get a Sticker?”
A. No, there will not.

4. “Hey, if I’m only getting a Saturday badge, does that mean I can only get my sticker on Saturday?”
A. Yes, it does. Half of stickers will be available during Friday’s session, with the remainder being held for Saturday’s session. This is for both logistical purposes and to spread the benefit of stickering out among two days. Details will be posted as soon as they are available.

5. “Does that mean if I have a Friday badge, I can sticker and go to the concert on Saturday?”
A. Sorry, it does not. You MUST have either a 3-Day or Saturday membership to attend the concert. (Nice try though!)

6. “Will lining up early outside the Arena help me get a good seat?”
A. No, it will not guarantee a choice of seats. Also, if all you did was CAMP outside the Arena, you’d miss the stickering sessions and wouldn’t be able to get in!

7. “Hey, the Arena couldn’t possibly hold everyone who comes to the convention! Do I have any guarantee of getting into the concert venue?”
A. As it is with any other convention event, seating is being handled with a first come/first serve system. In this case we will hand out stickers until we have a full Arena, and no more. We are doing this to avoid the necessity of people waiting outside the Arena. We do not expect to turn anybody away, however, as the arena is gigantic.

A Saturday or 3-Day badge WITH a concert sticker will be your only way of assured entry into the concert. Programming at OTAKON will CONTINUE throughout the concert.

8. “Will there be a simulcast of some sort?”
A. Sorry, but the logistics of the Arena are such that we are not currently planning on a simulcast.

9. “Do I have any chance of going to both the concert and the Saturday Masquerade?”
A. Yes, we are working on the details of making this possible. If it can be worked out, details will be posted.

10. “Can I costume/bring my props/carry my bag to the Arena for the concert?”
A. Details on policies for the Baltimore Arena will be posted on our website as they are hammered out. HOWEVER, expect that policies will be much more restrictive for the concert as per requirements of the Arena. This is a concert venue with security concerns: you will not be allowed to carry anything that can pose a safety or security issue. Details will follow, but plan on keeping costumes as simple and as comfortable as possible.

11. “Can I bring food into the Arena?”
A. No, outside food will not be allowed. The Arena will be running their own concessions during the concert.

12. “Can I bring a camera or other such recording equipment to the concert?”
A. No, there will be no recording equipment of any kind allowed into the
Arena. If you have photo, video or audio equipment, you will be turned away at the door.

13. “I have no pockets. Can I bring a purse to the concert, despite the no-bag policy?”
A. Small purses will be permitted on a case by case basis, per Arena
staff. Remember, less is more.