Fuji Rock Festival 2010

[Blue Stapler]

[Blue Stapler]

There's about a 98% chance that I'll be there - is anyone else thinking of going?

Fuji and Summer Sonic are going to be held only a week apart from each other this year - yikes.

[TeamCoachellaHellYeah]

if the line up is worth it I might make plans. Flights out of SFO are really cheap.

[ficklecycle]

Fuji Rock never fails to impress with the lineup. I think they had both Interpol & Daft Punk in 2007. My two favorite bands, and it was like a week before my birthday...

Seriously considering this.

[TeamCoachellaHellYeah]

Fuji Rock never fails to impress with the lineup. I think they had both Interpol & Daft Punk in 2007. My two favorite bands, and it was like a week before my birthday...

Seriously considering this.

you're thinking Summer Sonic not Fuji Rock.

[ficklecycle]

you're thinking Summer Sonic not Fuji Rock.

I think you're right, it was one of those two. Is there any connection between the two? Same promoters, same organizers? I always hear of the two in bulk.

& I think Daft was 06, Interpol 07 at Summer. But either way, damn.

[TeamCoachellaHellYeah]

different promoters and organizers. In fact the 2 biggest in all of Japan.

[Blue Stapler]

I'm predicting that the Fuji Rock lineup will be kind of so-so. I have a pretty good idea on who some of the undercards might be, but no clue about the headliners. I'm not holding my breath though, not after they brought out three highly unexciting bands to headline last year.

Although I just realized that the close proximity between the Fuji Rock and Summer Sonic dates means that someone visiting from overseas could very easily do both (well, if you can afford tickets).

[TeamCoachellaHellYeah]

I think this year will be different. I have a little more faith.

[hangthedj112]

I'm predicting that the Fuji Rock lineup will be kind of so-so. I have a pretty good idea on who some of the undercards might be, but no clue about the headliners. I'm not holding my breath though, not after they brought out three highly unexciting bands to headline last year.

Although I just realized that the close proximity between the Fuji Rock and Summer Sonic dates means that someone visiting from overseas could very easily do both (well, if you can afford tickets).

The question is would you want to do both, isn't one of these festivals really cheesy US pop acts? Like Avril Lavigne/Black Eyed Peas status?

[Blue Stapler]

That would be Summer Sonic. And it's not all cheesy US pop acts - they have plenty of cheesy Japanese pop acts as well!

To be fair though, last year they had the Flaming Lips, the Specials and Mogwai among others, so it's not like they don't have awesome bands playing too. It's just a matter of whether you're willing to hold your nose for stuff like Limp Bizkit and My Chemical Romance (who aren't that hard to avoid anyway).

Fuji Rock has fewer pure shit acts, but Fall Out Boy played there last year so go figure.

[Boourns]

I wasn't really impressed with the Fuji Rock lineup last year. The setting interests me far more than Summersonic's, but Summersonic seems to get first dibs on the rare and epic acts lately. And a lot of top 40 crap, too.

[Cookieman908]

I went to this last year and can vouch for how great it is.

Lineup's solid but not super impressive, you'll probably find about a dozen or so festivals around the world with more impressive lineups on paper. But...the intangibles (food, vibe, beautiful lush surroundings, camping, relaxed atmosphere) make this a contender for one of the top-5 festivals in the world IMO.

I liked it so much last year I vowed to go back, but this hobby is all about variety so I'm gonna try a different festival this year. I've basically narrowed it down to Roskilde or Rock Werchter.

[TeamCoachellaHellYeah]

I wasn't really impressed with the Fuji Rock lineup last year. The setting interests me far more than Summersonic's, but Summersonic seems to get first dibs on the rare and epic acts lately. And a lot of top 40 crap, too.

I don't think you can really count the last few years. Last year was rough for all festivals and the year before was pretty much if you didn't get Radiohead then you failed type of year. Their lines ups have been insane from 2007 and prior.

Actually even in 08 when it was a pretty slow year they still had MBV as the big headliner. So that in itself is a win.

[Cookieman908]

The thing to realize with Fuji Rock is that they may not have an over the top lineup Coachella-style but how easy can it be to get dozens of great acts to fly to Japan?

With this obstacle in mind, they do an admirable job. Think about it, is there a festival in the world aside from those in North America and U.K. that have a stronger lineup than Fuji Rock's? Can't think of many.

[Blue Stapler]

I knew I could count on Cookieman to vouch in Fuji's favor. The thing with Fuji is that it's much more inaccessible compared to Summer Sonic, so it tends to have a larger percentage of dedicated music fans hellbent on having fun, which makes for a great vibe. I'm just not really a big fan of the atmosphere at Summer Sonic.

And yeah, the geographical remoteness definitely hurts, as we don't have the advantage of those Euro festivals where bands can just hop from one fest to another. There's a festival in South Korea which Fuji shares some bands with, and there's Australia's Splendour in the Grass (a winter festival for them), but that's about it. In fact, I wish Fuji would work more closely with Splendour - they seem to have a solid lineup every year, and I'd like to see more of them play Fuji.

TeamCoachella - I think 2003 and 2005 are considered bumper years as far as lineup goes, whereas some of the other years (2004 and 2006, for instance) seem somewhat weaker, but I agree that there's been a drop-off over the last couple of years. I guess it's becoming increasingly hard to book these bands as more and more festivals sprout up all over the world.

[Boourns]

Really digging the 2007 Fuji lineup. But if Glasto taught me anything, it's that setting, vibe, and exceptional non-musical aspects can make for the absolute best of times, regardless of who is playing.

What happens at Fuji after midnight?

[Blue Stapler]

Your options after midnight are either the Red Marquee, which turns into a dance tent and runs until 5AM, or the Palace of Wonder, a mini-complex of sorts that has the Crystal Palace tent (DJs and bands), which also runs until 5, the Rookie A Go-Go stage, and usually a non-music show (last year it was a Mongolian circus troupe). Or you can just eat your heart out at the Oasis area. And there's also the All Night Fuji at the Orange Court on Friday, although this was cancelled last year due to the unbelievable rain...

[TeamCoachellaHellYeah]

TeamCoachella - I think 2003 and 2005 are considered bumper years as far as lineup goes, whereas some of the other years (2004 and 2006, for instance) seem somewhat weaker, but I agree that there's been a drop-off over the last couple of years. I guess it's becoming increasingly hard to book these bands as more and more festivals sprout up all over the world.

haha! 2003 was the year I went and that line up was incredible.

[gweilo]

So the 2010 thread is up and running! Can’t believe we’re just a half-year away already.

Me and my posse will definitely be there again. I'm even trying to recruit a couple more people from Hong Kong and the US. Cheers to Blue Stapler for providing the dates -- I hadn't seen that.

Lessee, where to begin....

I’m wondering if Soundgarden (reuniting for a spring/ summer tour) and Massive Attack (new album?) will be targeted. The problem with SG is that Matt Cameron is also Pearl Jam’s drummer, so they will have to work around that tour too. I was joking that maybe they both come to Fuji, Cameron plays with both, and then they all come onstage and close with some Temple of the Dog numbers. Might as well get an early jump on the ‘90s revival….

Fuji always manages to surprise with its randomness. Last year they pulled in the Neville Brothers, Bad Brains and Gong, so we can probably expect more of that sort of thing.

For the record, while the ’08 lineup was weak on paper (MBV notwithstanding) and we had the no-Sunday-closer travesty, I had a better time at that one than last year’s.

I’m not religious, but I will pray if needed for no rain on Friday. That was really no fun last year. It ruined the Orange Court, and come to think of it, it also ruined much of the Green Stage field for the whole weekend.

The thing with Fuji is that it's much more inaccessible compared to Summer Sonic, so it tends to have a larger percentage of dedicated music fans hellbent on having fun, which makes for a great vibe.

That's a great point. I've never thought of it that way, but it makes sense.

So what IS the likelihood of the same band playing both SummerSonic and Fuji? It's usually one or the other. But if this could be the case, it would widen the net considerably....

[Blue Stapler]

Massive Attack is definitely a possibility, and I'd love to see them headline. Not sure about Soundgarden. I think they have the same problem as Pearl Jam, in that their Japanese popularity isn't commensurate with their popularity in North America or Europe.

Muse will probably play either Fuji or Summer Sonic this year. Their Japanese tour is promoted by Creativeman (Summer Sonic organizers), but that doesn't necessarily rule out them playing Fuji. Although SS can have them for all I care. And what about the Killers - will they try to book them again after last year's fiasco, or will they switch over to Summer Sonic (FTR, their upcoming tour is also organized by Creativeman)?

Here are some of my undercard predictions:

Cat Power
Wilco
The Dead Weather
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Album Leaf
Isis
Andrew Bird
Mika
Kings of Convenience
Dirty Projectors

Fairly confident that at least a few of the above will play Fuji. On the other hand, Pavement is probably headed for Summer Sonic.

So what IS the likelihood of the same band playing both SummerSonic and Fuji?

Maybe for a smaller Japanese band, but as far as international acts go, I'd say it's close to zero. A lot of people go to both Fuji and Summer Sonic, and it just wouldn't be fair to the fans here if the lineup overlapped.

[Devin the Dude]

holy fuck that was an informative post.

[gweilo]

Muse is in Hong Kong later this month, but maybe they would consider coming back to Asia in the summer. Andrew Bird will be here next month at a small venue. Patrick Watson is here next weekend. Also, some “screamo” band called Saosin is coming to town soon, and they’ve reportedly played Japan a couple of times. I listened to a couple of tunes on their MySpace page and am not sure if I could be a fan.

I would LOVE to see Wilco and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Pavement could happen given that Stephen Malkmus played Fuji in ’08. I doubt the Killers would show their face at Fuji one year after blowing it off, but what do I know….

How about Them Crooked Vultures?

Mika can piss off.

[Boourns]

Your options after midnight are either the Red Marquee, which turns into a dance tent and runs until 5AM, or the Palace of Wonder, a mini-complex of sorts that has the Crystal Palace tent (DJs and bands), which also runs until 5, the Rookie A Go-Go stage, and usually a non-music show (last year it was a Mongolian circus troupe). Or you can just eat your heart out at the Oasis area. And there's also the All Night Fuji at the Orange Court on Friday, although this was cancelled last year due to the unbelievable rain...

Thanks. I need to hit this or Primavera in 2012.

[stinkbutt]

every time I see this thread the first little riff of this goes off in my head

[Blue Stapler]

It would actually be sort of cool if the Vapors came to Fuji to play that song (though I have no idea if they're even still around).

gweilo - A lot of bands play Japan around this time of the year and then come back for Fuji or Summer Sonic. My list pretty much consists of bands who will be playing shows here in the coming weeks/months promoted by Smash, minus the ones that were at Fuji the last couple of years. I don't think they'll ALL play Fuji, but if none of them do then I'll eat horse manure (well okay I probably won't but you get my point).

Some of them I'll be seeing anyway (already have tickets to the Cat Power and Isis shows) so it's no big deal to me if they don't come back in the summer. But I won't be able to make it to some of the others (fucking weekday shows), so pretty please Mr. Hidaka, if you could at least make sure that Wilco and Album Leaf play Fuji, I'll forgive you for the crappy headliners last year.

As for Pavement, their Japanese tour is promoted by Creativeman. There was a huge, collective sigh of resignation from the Fuji Rock contingent when that was announced (though of course, their fans can just go see them on that tour - problem solved).

Them Crooked Vultures? Who knows, although they seem like a band that both Fuji and Summer Sonic would want to have.

[gweilo]

Ahh, there's that value you bring -- knowing who's promoting what up there.

Hong Kong is REAL easy to keep track of by comparison. News in English, and very few shows to report on anyway.

[hangthedj112]

After actually coming to tokyo, i find the idea of the people here going to music festivals. what's the crowd/vibe like at fuji rock?

[Psicosis]

Muse have said they are returning to Australia/New Zealand to play arena dates in August, so I wouldn't be shocked to see them play one of the Japanese festivals.

[Blue Stapler]

Ah - yeah, that makes it even more likely. Really, I think Muse are practically a lock to play one of the two festivals. My bet is on Summer Sonic not Fuji, but we'll see. BTW, since you're based in Australia, do you know when Splendour in the Grass announces their lineup? I'm interested to know, because Fuji and Splendour are held on the same weekend and I think they could share some acts.

hangthedj - Wait, you're in Tokyo now? Are you going to live here or just visiting? As for what the crowd at Fuji is like, maybe these clips will give you an idea:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krP1qseMBJM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnAnulEZO1c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_l8RXpYYjA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9Car2EmMQo