On Procyon Studio's website, Mitsuda announced that he decided to hold a concert to celebrate the 20 years since his debut in game music. The concert takes place at the end of July, but otherwise no info on city, country or concert style.

Thank you so, so much for all the birthday messages. I apologize for not being able to reply to everyone separately. This year my life as an artist reaches the turning point of 20 years and I would like to return the favor to everyone who has supported me. I have decided to hold a 20th anniversary concert at the end of July. Details will follow later, but I want to make it a wonderful concert and I hope you will look forward to it.

What kind of a concert and setlist would you like to see?

Anything that's stateside. Anything.

Please be in Osaka or Kyoto, please be in Osaka or Kyoto...

I'm inclined to think this'll be a Tokyo-only one-time event (at least at first), but considering we have four multi-continent VGM concert series going strong perhaps I'll be wrong about that.

As for set list, of Mitsuda's big three Chrono Trigger remains my favorite by far. It seems on multiple occasions he's downplayed his work on CT almost to the point of sounding embarrassed, but hopefully that won't be the case with the concert. Hearing "Guardia Millenial Fair" performed live at the Little Jack Orchestra concert was a joyous affair that I'd love to experience again.

Given Mitsuda's fondness for world music, I wouldn't be surprised if an ensemble of that sort took part. And at least one or two vocals are very likely, I'd say. Hopefully not all at the expense of an orchestra though.

I asked Mitsuda on Twitter about plans for going abroad with the concert. He answered that he would like to and that they do have plans for that, but that's all he will say for now. And he doesn't yet know where the concert would take place.

So if you're reading this, send a message to Mitsuda encouraging him to come abroad. Maybe that'll help

More info revealed!
http://www.procyon-studio.com/20th_special/
- "Yasunori Mitsuda 20th Live"
- Takes place in Tokyo
- Dates are July 25-26 (sat-sun)
- Ticket lottery start in April.
- Produced by Procyon Studio and 2083.

My only comment to this is that the Japanese concert ticket lottery system is the dumbest system on the planet.

That's a positive way to start things off. Anyway, what exactly is so dumb about it? They take pre-order applications for tickets for a certain lottery period and then choose at random the ones that can purchase tickets. Am I mistaken in how it works?

I don't like it if the lottery period is especially long (I think it's good to limit opportunities to people who are on the ball) but still I think it's better than making tickets available all at once at a certain time, when you HAVE to make sure you're off work and free at that exact time, and even then might not be able to get through to the web site or phone operator to order tickets before they sell out.

Can't believe I'm gonna say this (because I'd rather defend just about anyone else) but if he wants to say it's stupid let him say it's stupid. Cripes.

I don't know if I even have a justification for it that makes logical sense.  A lottery system just doesn't feel fair to a passionate fan who I feel might enjoy it more than someone who just signed up for a lottery and got lucky on a whim. 

I don't have any examples of a lottery system to speak to because I've never been to a JP concert but my friends deal with it all the time.  They fly to Japan once or twice a year for Jpop/Idol concerts and their trips can get completely ruined if someone isn't able to get tickets in the lottery system or find them on the secondary market.  It feels shitty.

I can provide a perfect example of a first-come-first-serve basis, though.  The Yoko Kanno piano.me concert at Otakon last year was something I was really, really, really excited for.  In fact, it was the -only- reason I went to Otakon at all.  I made sure I was in line to get a ticket to the concert and I stood there for a good 6 hours and got my ticket.  I then sat in line the following day for another 6 hours to make sure I had a decent seat to the show.  If this system was a lottery based system and I wasn't fortunate enough to go I'd have been absolutely devastated.  Same thing with the Joe Hisaishi Paris Tsunami Relief concert i attended.  It was probably the most accessible and only opportunity I had to see him perform and if I was subjected to a lottery system and wasn't able to go, I'd be really upset.

I don't know.  It just feels really shitty when you're not able to control your own fate, I guess.  Particularly if it's something you're truly passionate about.

Well this isn't something where you can go stand in line as early as you care to and wait for tickets to go on sale (which wouldn't be fair to fans outside Tokyo, to say nothing of the ones who simply have to go to work). They're putting the tickets on sale by phone and online, and though you'd think online services would be robust enough by this point to handle sudden demand, there have certainly been times in the past where people (namely me) couldn't get tickets even though they tried to buy them on the on sale date, simply because they couldn't get through.

So yeah, in lieu of a perfect system, I think a short lottery period is a reasonable way to go about it. And I do think this being the first live concert in the 20-year career of one of VGM's most popular composers that there are more positive perspectives to take on it anyway.

I don't know what the best answer here is, but I always find it extraordinarily unfair when I essentially get punished for having a job in which I can't really take time off whenever I want and can't stand in line for hours and hours at weird times or be online RIGHT at the moment something goes for sale.  Maybe a hybrid system where you sell some tickets to the people who are able to be there at the first moment of availability but a lottery for the latter half of tickets or something?

I'm glad not to have a lottery system in Europe. But that's because I'm still a student and can always be online when the tickets come on sale. But I think a lottery system probably suits Japan, since I guess they work hard and wouldn't go online buying tickets in the middle of work/class. But the lottery shuold be available for a limited period, like Adam said, so that those up-to-date are rewarded. Or make an algorithm that gives you better chances, if you signed up earlier (only counting days, not hours or minutes). Your chances would progressively get lower the longer you wait to sign up.

I do think there should be a system for passionate fans as well, like jb was saying. Maybe an advance sale with high prices? Or a have the buyer fill in a form of with his Top 3 Mitsuda soundtracks and a 300 word essay on why he/she loves Mitsuda's music. That would filter out people. And the best essays could be included in the concert booklet. Win-win.

Did anyone here attend any of the concerts? If so, please tell us all about it! I suppose and hope they played some tracks that will be included on the recently announced Chrono Trigger/Cross album with Millennial Fair.

A small worldwide tour of these concerts would have been nice, to say the least.

Ah, I found the set list. Pretty amazing stuff there!

Marty McFly, where is your DeLorean. I need to go back in time...

http://www.procyon-studio.com/20th_special/

セットリスト - Setlist

M01. 予感 → CHRONO TRIGGER → 時のみる夢
『クロノ・トリガー』『クロノ・クロス』より
M02. MELKABA
『ゼノギアス アレンジヴァージョン - CREID』より
M03. Sailing to the World
『Sailing to the World』より / Vo 霜月はるか
M04. ヴォルフィノーの市
『kiRite』より
M05. 風の約束〜花片の行方
『kiRite』より / Vo 井上愛
M06. SMALL TWO OF PIECES 〜軋んだ破片〜
『ゼノギアス』より / Vo サラ・オレイン
M07. 風の憧憬 - Piano Only
『クロノ・トリガー』より / Piano solo 谷岡久美
M08. Lime Odyssey - Piano Only
『Lime Odyssey』より / Piano solo 谷岡久美
M09. Beyond the Sky
『ゼノブレイド』より / Vo サラ・オレイン、Piano 下村陽子＆谷岡久美
M10. 人が語り継ぐ限り
『SOUL SACRIFICE』より / Vo サラ・オレイン
M11. 邂逅〜闇の帷
『kiRite』より
<休憩 - Pause>
M12. オープニング → つぐない → 魔王決戦
『an cinniuint』より
M13. 黒執事 Book of Circus メドレー
『黒執事 Book of Circus』より
M14. - Ring - → 炎を駆けるラルゴブリッジ
『ソーマブリンガー』より
M15. astaroth-8-minute-note-mix
『SHADOW HEARTS』より
M16. Dream As One
『SARAH』より / Vo サラ・オレイン
M17. Radical Dreamers 〜盗めない宝石〜
『クロノ・クロス』より / Vo 霜月はるか
M18. BALTO
『ゼノギアス アレンジヴァージョン - CREID』より
M19. Pain
『ゼノサーガ エピソード I』より / Vo サラ・オレイン、Piano 谷岡久美
M20. 希望の名は
『kiRite』より / Vo 井上愛
<アンコール - Encore>
M21. CHRONO CROSS〜時の傷痕〜
『クロノ・クロス』より
M22. 遥かなる時の彼方へ → クロノとマール
『クロノ・トリガー』より
M23. LAHAN
『ゼノギアス アレンジヴァージョン - CREID』より