Fuji Rock Festival 2018

Attention! Nightrider speaking!

While recovering from the San Diego Comic-Con International, my Youtube app on my smartphone suggested to me that I can watch the Fuji Rock Festival starting on Friday, July 27 and ending on Sunday, July 29. So, I watched most of the live streams, and I was left wanting some more!

So what is the Fuji Rock Festival? Starting in 1997, the Fuji Rock Festival became the biggest outdoor music event in Japan. The festival earned its name from the first festival venue located at the Tenjinyama Ski Resort near Mt. Fuji. Since 1999 the festival’s new home has been located at the Naeba Ski Resort in Yuzawa in Niigata Prefecture.

Some of the bands that performed in the past include the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, Iggy Pop, Beck, Oasis, Masayoshi Yamazaki, Yura Yura Teikoku and Kiyoshiro Imawano just to name a few over the years.

For the 2018 Edition (22nd year) of the Fuji Rock Festival, I only saw a few live acts due to the time difference between California time and Japanese time. But they were good. The first band that I saw on Channel 1 of the broadcast was a band called Mitsume. Hearing this indie pop band play took me back to somewhere in the mid 90’s when music had value and creativity. I also saw another band called GLIM SPANKY. On Saturday I missed Kendrick Lamar, but I got to see Johnny Marr; Marr hasn’t lost his touch. I also saw on Channel 2 a band called Oledickoggy. They were a good kind of different. On Sunday I was only able to see one act perform; it was the man himself: Bob Dylan.

After seeing this event to the best of my ability, I went and checked out some of the other bands not mention here (it’s a huge list). I have to say: I am willing to pursue more of the Japanese indie scene! And thanks to my searches, I discovered another Japanese indie pop band worth noticing: Lucie,Too.

So that’s Fuji Rock Festival 2018. I will plan ahead and make the time to watch the majority of next year’s line up and performances. I encourage everyone to watch next year’s festival; this is a rock festival that not many have heard.