Summer Sonic 09

[JClemy]

It's a little late but we may as well discuss it for the week leading up to it. Does anyone who has been before have any advice?

Can you go from stage to stage easily? I see that there are gates to get to different stages. Do the lineups get long? I was looking at the map and I can't read Kanji so all I know it says is Wristband and 1 day or 3 day(I think). Can anyone else spread some light on the situation?

Here is the map:

[Aurgasm]

ummm flaming lips into sonic youth... mogwai into aphex twin. im jealous

[Still-ill]

Damn... that line-up has some real shite headliners, but the lower poster is incredible...

[Aurgasm]

ghostland twice? bring on the lazors

[Blue Stapler]

Yeah, this thread was long overdue.

I'm going to this on Saturday (the tickets for which I got easily at Lawson, despite the site saying it's all sold out...) and possibly Sunday. For some reason, I'm not feeling nearly as excited and giddy as I was on the week preceding Fuji Rock. I don't know, maybe it's because SS is held too close to Tokyo.

I have a question too - how long does it take to get from the Dance Stage to the Beach Stage? While I'll probably camp out at the Sonic Stage for Sunday (as I would if I were going on Friday as well), Saturday will mostly be Dance and Beach for me. But I'm looking at that map now, and I'm just going "crap." Those two stages are practically at opposite ends of the site. I know that it's not as spread out as Fuji, so I'm hoping that the distance is more akin to Green Stage - White Stage (in Fuji Rock terms) rather than Red Marquee - Orange Court. Please someone tell me that it's so.

JClemy, where are you staying for this? Are you going to do the Midnight Sonic on Friday and Saturday?

[fumfum]

In Makuhari Messe, you can go to stage to stage ok. You can take a shuttle to go to Messe to stadium. You can also walk, it takes 10 minutes or so. It would be easier if we can do short cut, but unfortunately, no.

Do you have 3 days pass, JClemy? If you do, you need to go to marine stadium in Friday, and change your pass to wristband.

I love beach stage.It is very laid-back atmosphere. You are right, Blue Stapler, it is far from dance stage to beach stage. Beach stage is close to wrist band exchange place.

[Boourns]

I wish I could go. Well, not Saturday, but Friday is ridiculously good. School of Seven Bells->Girl Talk->Jenny Lewis->NIN->brutal Soulwax vs Mogwai & Aphex Twin clusterfuck->2 Many DJ's->Tricky->heartsrevolution? epic win. Sunday in the Sonic Stage would be nice, too.

[JClemy]

I'm really excited. I make this group and then I forget to come back to it.

I have the three day pass. Thanks for letting me know. I'm going to do at least some of the midnight sonic. I want to see Tricky and MEG. My fiance wants to see Lady GaGa so we probably will.

Glad to know that we can go from stage to stage pretty easily. There are lots of conflicts or really close conflicts. I'm gonna try to get to Girltalk early. Maybe I'll get on stage with Greg!

[Blue Stapler]

Try to see Yura Yura Teikoku before Tricky if you can. They're pretty awesome (although I haven't seen them live in about a decade...), and since it looks like Sonic and Dance are right next to each other, it should be possible for you to see both them and Ghostland.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z68pQlYWcec

I really like the lineup for the Midnight Sonic on Friday (Saturday, not so much). Well okay, I like the entire Sonic Stage lineup on Friday, but we've been through that already. I wish they had a midnight-only ticket at a discounted price. I'd go see it after work.

fumfum - Thanks for the info. Yeah, the Beach Stage does seem to have a great vibe, so I'm looking forward to it. But man, you take a shuttle to get from one end to the other? I was hoping to do Tom Tom Club and then Matisyahu, but if it's that far away I guess I'd have to leave TTC a bit early then.

[JClemy]

ゆらゆら帝国 is Yura Yura Teikoku right? My reading is shitty. They sound fun.

I think I have very few conflicts this fest which makes me happy. You are going on Saturday right? I think the Midnight Sonic will be fun. I really am looking forward to MEG after Lady GaGa. I have her album precious and it's not great but it's fun. I think it will be a good way to end the night. We're sitting in our hotel in Tsudanuma now getting excited!

I've been listening to some of the acts. I like Michi. She's kinda good. I'm also stoked for Oreskaband on the beach stage. I unfortunately have heard of new bands and I'm getting more conflicts. I don't like the Sonic Youth, Gogol Bordello, Flaming lips fiasco. I don't know what to do! I think that seeing Gogol on a beach and leaving early might have to be my choice. I might be able to do a little SY and a little Gogol.

I like little boots too. I made the mistake of choosing Fall out boy for my old enjoyment at Fuji so I'll leave my memories and check out little boots.

[fumfum]

Have fun summer sonic!
I love to see 2 many DJs, Kyte, mogwai,tahiti 80,mew, Phoenix today.

I know shuttle is annoying.

Looking forward to reading the review.

[Blue Stapler]

People are having mad fun at Summer Sonic while I'm typing this from my dreary workplace. I wanted to see 65daysofstatic goddamnit, life just isn't fair.

JClemy - Yeah I'm going Saturday (tomorrow) and I'll probably be there Sunday as well. I haven't bought the ticket for Sunday though, so I'll be pretty gutted if I go all the way to Makuhari and find out that it sold out, but I'm figuring it won't happen.

I haven't planned out my schedule at all for this festival. Basically, I want to see Matisyahu on Saturday and the Flaming Lips on Sunday, and that's it. I'll let my mood dictate what I'll be seeing rest of the time. Though I do have a good idea on some of them. I'll probably see Sonic Youth, Teenage Fanclub, and Grizzly Bear (not that familiar with the Vaselines outside of those Nirvana covers - might check them out). Traveling from Sonic to Beach to Sonic again seems like a pain in the ass, so I'm going to give a pass on Gogol. I saw them at Fuji last year, so that'll make it hurt less.

Also, my previous request asking you to kick B'z fans in the nuts still stands. Yes, I realize I could do it myself since I'll be there too tomorrow, but I'm somewhat of a wuss.

Fumfumさん - 面倒くさいので日本語で（笑）。リストバンドの引き換えって結構並びます？フジはいつも前日入りしてるので ほとんと待ち時間ゼロですが、当日はさすがにそう簡単には行かないのではないかと。一応12時半頃に会場に 着こうかなと思ってます。あと日曜は当日券になるので、それもどれくらい待つか教えていただけ れば…。

[Blue Stapler]

Oh crap, it just started raining big time literally right after I posted that. Hope you guys at Summer Sonic are all right (while I make a mental note to remember to bring my rain gear tomorrow).

[JClemy]

It started to rain right in the middle of NIN playing the fragile. It was actually really cool. He was playing a bunch of harder songs and some from the slip and then as he finished with hurt the rain slowly started getting lighter. By the time he finished with "I would find a way" the rain had basically stopped/gotten really light. It was a cool touch. I was really sad though during the show knowing that it was the last time I was going to see NIN. It was good though.

I also got on stage to dance for girltalk!

[slurpee]

Summer Sonic is the festival which takes place in 2 locations?

Outside Tokyo and Osaka?

[Blue Stapler]

Summer Sonic and I just were not made for each other. We seem to be a very poor match.

Summer Sonic is the festival which takes place in 2 locations?

Outside Tokyo and Osaka?

Yep, that's the one.

[JClemy]

I really enjoyed it. I liked the indoor stages and the beach stage best though. On Sunday I spent basically my whole day indoors. I didn't even know it had started raining till a friend came to meet us.

[fumfum]

Blue Stapler さん

役に立たなくてごめんなさい。スレッド見てませんでした。リストバンドの引き換えと当日券
大丈夫でしたか？やっぱりフジのほうがいいですもんね～


How was summer sonic overall? Who is your favourite act?

[Blue Stapler]

fumfumさん - 引き換えも当日券も、待ち時間はないも同然で、まったくの杞憂でした（笑）。もっと早く行ってたら違ってた かもしれませんが。何か逆に気を遣わせてしまってすいません。So you didn't go to Summer Sonic either this year?

Overall, I just didn't really like the vibe that much. The Messe felt like three Zepp Tokyos enclosed in one building, and it seemed more like a convention than a festival. And the fact that the Marine Stage is a fucking baseball stadium speaks for itself. I loved the Beach Stage though. That was the only place where I really felt like I was at a festival, and I wish the other stages had a comparable vibe. I appreciate that a lot of people feel Summer Sonic had a superior lineup, but Fuji Rock just seems to agree a lot more with my body system...

I did see some good shows though, so there's that. I really was not enjoying myself on Saturday (which JClemy can attest to), but Matisyahu saved the day for me. In fact, he might have been better than any show I saw at Fuji Rock this year. Please, Smash, could you invite him to sub-headline the Field of Heaven in, say, 2011?

As for Sunday, I seriously, seriously, seriously considered not going, but the Flaming Lips made me grateful that I didn't back out. They were every bit as good as I was hoping they'd be. However, it was a bit disheartening listening to Wayne Coyne talk about how wonderful Summer Sonic is and how they need to invite his band every chance they get ("crap, they're never going to play Fuji"). Grizzly Bear were great too, though the sound quality could've been better. And authentic funk isn't the kind of music that one generally associates with SS, so it was fantastic seeing War (though they also had dashes of salsa, ska, and reggae at times) at the Beach Stage.

Fuck the rain though - it delayed the Beach Stage by an hour and made me miss Sonic Youth (who I was planning to see after War). Although that's probably better than the fate suffered by fans of Tahiti 80 on Friday, whose set was cancelled altogether even though the band was all ready to play. How on earth can something like that happen? I apologize for the repeated Fuji comparisons, but it was raining almost all day long during the first day at Fuji Rock, and they certainly didn't cancel Clammbon at Field of Heaven or System 7 at Orange Court. It only rained for a couple of hours at SS. Come on, Creativeman, get your act together.

[JClemy]

The rain did suck at Fuji Rock to be fair.

Summer Sonic didn't feel like a festival. I agree with that. It felt like there was a whole bunch of concerts all thrown together. I really liked a lot of the acts though so I really enjoyed Summer Sonic. I didn't enjoy Fuji as much because of rain and mud. I don't know if that's a permanent fixture but definitely not my favorite thing. I'm used to just having to deal with the sun at Coachella not stinky wet mud. lol.

I liked the lineup at Summer Sonic. It was a really stacked lineup. The Marine Stage wasn't very good but I think I only saw a few artists there. I loved the Dance stage.

When you were on your way to Matisyahu did you see a big foreigner passed out facedown? Or did you see a big foreigner in a red shirt all messed up? I know it's not likely.

I think I liked Summer Sonic more but it really didn't feel like a festival. Blue you need to go to see the Flaming Lips at an outdoor show. The crowd wasn't as good as when I saw them last.

[Blue Stapler]

FWIW, I might have felt differently about Summer Sonic if I had been able to see that awesome lineup on Friday...

The rain at Fuji Rock, I think, was one of the worst, so you were probably unlucky it happened on the year you came. The weather depressed the hell out of me at first, but it stopped bothering me after a certain point. I had the proper gear to deal with it (i.e. not those flimsy 100-yen raincoats) and I guess the fact that I lodged at a hotel is a big factor as well. The stench of the mud though - fuck that. I hope they do something about that next year.

I'd love to see the Flaming Lips in an outdoor setting, but I think I might have to travel overseas for it. I've pretty much given up on seeing them at Fuji (though they would be perfect for the closing slot at the Green Stage), and it seems similarly unlikely that they'll play the Marine or Beach at Summer Sonic either. And I can't think of any other outdoor festival in Japan which they could possibly play. I don't know, maybe Asagiri Jam, but that seems unlikely too.

Regrettably, I don't recall seeing any wasted, largely-built foreigner en route to Matisyahu. I actually saw, uh, B'z before him. Don't ask me why. Caught about four songs before leaving early to avoid the congestion. Also, on Sunday, because heading to Messe after the Beach Stage seemed like a pain in the ass, I briefly considered seeing Beyonce instead of the Flaming Lips. Again, don't ask. Needless to say, I'm glad I changed my mind.

BTW, what other festivals are the Japanese residents here planning on doing? (Though I think JClemy said SS was going to be his last.) I'm seriously considering Metamorphose (Lotus, Tangerine Dream, Nujabes) this year, and Asagiri Jam too if I can get tickets. Eletraglide (Battles and !!! are confirmed, and Squarepusher is rumored) is another possibility, and I'd also like to go to Otonotani (Shing02, Ryodan, Arakajime Kimerareta Koibitotachi E), but its location (Gifu) might be bit of a challenge. Will give a pass to Rising Sun (lineup isn't bad but not great, and it's hard to take a day off this time of year), Sunset Live (terrible lineup), and Tokyo Crossover Jazz Festival (I like Soil and quasimode, but both bands play club shows in Tokyo all the time).

[Cookieman908]

The rain at Fuji Rock on Friday was the worst I've ever stood in for a long period of time, festival or otherwise. Just unrelenting non-stop rain for 14 straight hours.

But it wasn't enough to ruin what was a great festival for me and we did get great weather the other two days. Althoug yeah, like Bstapler mentioned, the whole place reeked to high heavens the rest of the weekend because of the Friday rain. Especially the Green Stage. It was akin to being on a farm surrounded by stacks of horse manure in 30 degrees heat.

I'm impressed that some of you think Summersonic can measure up with FujiRock. Fuji's the best festival I've ever been to (even better than Coachella).

[fumfum]

今年のサマソニは行きませんでした～　今週末だったらよかったんですけどね。
代わりにサーフィンに行ってました～

I didn`t go to summer sonic this year. I did surfing instead.

Electraglide is confirmed this year? I think I went to 2005 one, underworld was playing 3 hours.

Asagiri Jam is cool to go. I wonder who is playing this year.

[JClemy]

Coachella is my favorite festival. I really don't think in my opinion anything compares to Coachella.

This is my last Japanese festival. I really thought the sound in the Messe was amazing. That was one of the best parts. I wasn't totally prepared for that much rain and the camping made it extra uncomfortable. I was uncomfortable and I think that hurt my experience with the festival. The music was amazing but the festival site wasn't my favorite. I like with Coachella how it's small enough to get from stage to stage fairly easily. With Coachella you can catch part of one stage and make it to another one before the set is over.

[Blue Stapler]

Uh, someone from Kasabian apparently caught the swine flu at Summer Sonic. Someone from another band, Maximum the Hormone (a really crappy Japanese band) also caught the flu, though they didn't say if he got it at SS (which they played). For the record, I seem to be perfectly fine.

JClemy - I think Fuji Rockers are a masochistic breed who likes tough love. Somehow, perfect weather all three days just doesn't seem right - it just wouldn't be Fuji Rock without some rain. Though yes, they did kind of go overboard with it this year.

I've never been to Coachella (someday, someday...) so I obviously can't compare, but I think the setting at Naeba is beautiful and would be pretty gutted if they ever moved it to a more "convenient" location. I have no problem with the site being spread out. I love taking the boardwalk through the forest, I love basking in the air at the Field of Heaven, I love all the beautiful decorations that really come to life at night, I love sitting on my tiny folded chair at the Oasis area surrounded by all those food stalls at the end of the day asking my friends which bands they saw, I love it when you spin your head around during a show to see this massive army of trees towering over the entire crowd and suddenly realize that oh my god you're in the middle of a mountain...okay I'm getting long-winded again. But that's what you get for dissing the Fuji Rock site in my presence!

Fuji's the best festival I've ever been to.

You really need to go around telling people this the next time you're at Fuji Rock (there will be a next time, right?). Everyone is going to want to buy you a drink. I know I will.

fumfum - Yep, Electraglide is confirmed. I'm definitely going to if the Squarepusher rumors are true, and if it's not, well I might still go anyway. As for Asagiri, rumors abound, but obviously we won't know until like a week before the festival.

[JClemy]

It was a good festival. It wasn't bad. Coachella is just my first love. I love festivals in the mountain. It was great at the Pemberton festival. The rain just put me off a bit.