Summer Sonic 2011

[Blue Stapler]

August 13 and 14, Tokyo and Osaka (well, Chiba and Osaka to be more precise). Headliners are Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Strokes.

http://www.summersonic.com/2011/

The major Japanese festivals usually release the dates simultaneously on January 1 each year, so I'm not sure why Summer Sonic are jumping the gun, announcing not only the dates but the headliners as well.

[Cookieman908]

I'm thinking they announced it early because they can claim bragging rights on being the first festival to announce a Chilis performance.

[frazzles]

Hop, skip, and 2 hour train ride away and I'm probably not going...SS's lineups are usually bands that played Coachella a couple of months earlier, local J-Rock groups, and top 40 bullshit no one should pay to see.

[Blue Stapler]

I'll wait until the lineup shapes up a bit more before I make a decision. I don't really hate RHCP but they aren't someone I'd go out of my way to see, and I'm pretty indifferent to the Strokes, so the headliners by themselves aren't going to sway me into doing this.

I lost count of the number of times I flip-flopped between going and not going to Summer Sonic this year. I ended up opting out, and given that I got to see Jonsi (my biggest regret) earlier this month at the Studio Coast, I probably made the right choice, though it would've been cool to see Jay-Z and ATCQ.

[Blue Stapler]

I'm thinking they announced it early because they can claim bragging rights on being the first festival to announce a Chilis performance.

I think Rock In Rio got first dibs on the RHCP announcement. We actually already knew that they were playing Summer Sonic from this interview (skip to about the 1:50 mark):



Unless, of course, there really was another Japanese festival named "Supersonic" or "Semisonic."

[anti-square]

No, we didn't know because we didn't care.

[Blue Stapler]

We = people who live in Japan that likes to go to music festivals.

Apologies for not being clear on this. I think you'll appreciate that this is a group that has a particular interest in following Summer Sonic lineup rumors.

[anti-square]

Fair enough. I was referring to RHCP news in general and will admit to being an ass about it. I just wouldn't want them at my festival in 2011.

[nathanfairchild]

I'm thinking they announced it early because they can claim bragging rights on being the first festival to announce a Chilis performance.

back in November they were already confirmed for Rock in Rio 2011

[Blue Stapler]

I just wouldn't want [RHCP] at my festival in 2011.

This is a festival that had My Chemical Romance, Linkin Park, and Beyonce* as headliners last year. Kiss were originally slated to headline this year until they cancelled. And if you look beyond the headliners, there were lots of other lovely acts like Taylor Swift, Sum41, Nickelback, and the Offspring.

I'm pretty sure that acts much worse than RHCP will be booked for next year as well. If there's one thing Summer Sonic teaches you, it's how to hold your nose for some of the more unpalatable music that are on offer, and focus solely on the good ones. It's just a matter of how many good ones they'll be able to bring out. This year's lineup was such a huge disaster.

*Full disclosure: I probably would've checked out Beyonce if she didn't conflict with the Flaming Lips last year...

[Boourns]

Summer sonic is strange.

I wonder if ebisu muscats will return.

[Boourns]

Summer sonic is strange.

I wonder if ebisu muscats will return.

[fnmore]

Strokes and RHCP? Wow, I bet Fuji Rock people are jealous. Both bands should be great and it would be fun just to check out how the crowd reacts to RHCP. I bet RHCP love to play Japan just to watch the crowd. Anyone know when the official lineup will be announced?

[Devin the Dude]

My Chemical Romance destroys the Red Hot Chili Peppers' live show, just so you know.

[Blue Stapler]

I'm sure that any popular act playing either of the two festivals would arouse a fair bit of jealousy from the other camp (though if you're really that jealous you should just go to both). That having been said, RHCP have played Fuji three times already, whereas they're first-timers at Summer Sonic, so I think the SS crowd would be more keen for them than the Fuji crowd.

In other news, it looks like X Japan are confirmed. Their drummer all but declared that he'll play Summer Sonic on twitter (though theoretically, I guess it could be another project of his instead). I can assure you that X Japan is one band that most Fujirockers will not be jealous of.

The initial lineup was supposed to go out Friday, but they've since recanted and it's now due to be released on Monday.

[Blue Stapler]

I guess I should post this here as well.



For what it's worth, they said they'll be lowering ticket prices this year.

[TonyWonder]

urgh...I'll probably buy a one day pass if Suede, Primal Scream and Odd Future are on the same day.

[yeahfontaine]

The Mars Volta!!!

Not flying to Japan, but this means there are some US tour dates coming up relatively soon. Can't wait for another Volta tour run. The husband and I are poised for flight-hopping. Even have savings ready to go.

I would love to go to Japan, not just for this festival, but in general, but tickets from Seattle are like $1700 a person roundtrip. Ouch.

[fnmore]

this lineup is kicking Fuji Rock's ass at the moment

[Blue Stapler]

I'll probably go to this, although I can't say at the moment whether it will be the full two days or just one.

Suede is actually the biggest draw for me. Primal Scream playing Screamadelica would be an even bigger draw were they not an Osaka-only act. I'd love to know the logic behind that brilliant decision. I'm also keen on checking out PIL and Mars Volta, but am acutely aware of the possibility that both those bands and Suede could all conflict with each other.

As to the UK special guest, a couple of people have suggested that it might be Pulp but that unfortunately is not going to happen. There's a conflicting festival in Sweden that they're playing. I am now pinning my hopes on Fuji, but that's starting to look less likely too. Damnit. My guess for the special guest is Jamiroquai, who gained a lot of exposure over here with the singer's appearance in a Cup Noodle commercial. We'll see in a couple of weeks.

Summer Sonic should follow up Ebisu Muscats' appearance last year with AKB48.

[Blue Stapler]

Replying to a question asked in the Fuji Rock thread...

I'm going to try to go to SummerSonic. Should I anticipate 2-day tickets selling out early?

And is the line-up going to be split-up between Tokyo and Osaka? How does that work?

I wouldn't rule the festival selling out, although if it happens it'll probably be later than sooner. Say what you will about RHCP (and I'm not even that big a fan), they are huge, and Summer Sonic's convenient location makes it a lot easier for folks who'd rather not have to deal with all the stuff that an outdoor destination festival like Fuji Rock would entail.

As to the Tokyo/Osaka split, this is a two-day festival, and the bands that play Tokyo on Saturday will play Osaka on Sunday and vice versa. I understand that the Osaka edition is smaller than the Tokyo edition, which makes sense, and they always have acts that only play Tokyo. Most of the time these are local Japanese talent, but PIL being billed as Tokyo-only this year is a big "ouch." But on the flip side, Primal Scream is only playing the Osaka edition so far, which is highly unusual and makes zero sense (not to mention that it really pisses me off).

You should also know that Creativeman have indicated that Osaka will be bit of a downgrade compared to Tokyo (though not in these precise words, of course). They'll only have three or four stages, whereas the Tokyo edition has seven or eight. This is reflected in the ticket price - two-day tickets for Osaka is 4,500 yen cheaper than Tokyo. I imagine most of the major acts - PIL and Primal notwithstanding - will play both cities though.

[NerosNeptune]

According to the twitter, the special UK guest will be announced tomorrow.

[Blue Stapler]

It's Beady Eye. I'm not sure why they bothered hyping them up as a "special guest"...

Neros, are you planning on attending Summer Sonic?

[NerosNeptune]

Not sure if I'll get to either of them this year
Still a chance, but I can't say yet.

You doing both? SS looks pretty fun this year.
Mogwai and BAD the only Fuji bands I'm excited about so far!

[Blue Stapler]

Neros - I was seriously thinking of doing both, but I'm not so sure now with recent events. All these disasters are sure to take a toll on the economy, so I may want to be more prudent with how I spend my money. I'm still 100% planning on going to Fuji, but I'm about 50/50 on SS at the moment.

Anyway, more additions to the lineup.