| You have the correct page for the story of the Ippongi Bang concert
at Anime Weekend Atlanta, and not close-order drill for a Georgia regiment
of Confederates. The appearance by Civil War buffs Steve Bennett (left)
and a friend was intended to be a part of the show, but it turned out to
be more of the show than anyone could expect. |
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| Bang's display of movement and energy needed a few minutes to light
up the AWA crowd, which was appreciative at first, but laid-back. |
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| With the assistance of fellow artist Reijiro Kato in his trademark
gold and green, and husband Hiroaki Yab on the synthesizer, Bang belted
out a medley of popular anime songs. She may be one of the few performers
who can get a room rocking to music composed to keep anime viewers from
changing the channel when a show starts. |
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| At Katsucon in February, Bang invited all of the Sailor Scout cosplayers
onto the state to sign the Sailor Moon theme. That song was repeated at
AWa IV, and an group of costumers got the thrill of sharing the stage with
Bang. |
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| Ironically, the most popular song of the night was the old Urusei Yatsura
television series theme, performed once during the concert (after Bang's
costume change) and once during an encore. That's where Steve Bennett comes
in: he tried to get the crowd to cheer for Bang's return to the stage and
said he'd take off his clothes if they yelled and chanted at the top of
their lungs. |
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| The crowd complied. Bennett was forced to keep his promise. |
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| And, the crowd went wild. |
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