fuji rock: worth every yen.

i think my fuji rock high is finally starting to wear off. it was such an incredible few days… i didn’t want to come home and when i did return, i couldn’t stop talking about it. mel, carrie, liz and i met on the train heading for naeba ski resort, in a town about an hour away, nestled in lush green mountain valleys. we were carrying hiking packs bigger than us stuffed with boxes of wine, bottles of liquor, gallons of fruit juice, bags of food…i did manage to bring a tent although i had to fasten it onto the outside of my bag. on the train you could spot the other people also en route to the festival…the mood was total excitement. i was so pleased the trek ended up being stress free. when we arrived at echigo yuzawa station we got in line for the shuttle bus. we drank beers and caroused with others while waiting. we fit on the second bus that arrived and the 45 minute trip flew by. arriving at the venue, we called some friends who were already there to come and meet us. we traded in our high-dollar tickets for a couple of wristbands, one for the 3-day event and one for the camp ground. our friend led us up a winding path on a mountain side to a spot where he’d set up camp.

over the course of the event lots of other friends would join us so we ended up with about 20 of us together.

the campsite was on the side of a mountain, a fairly steep mountain as it’s used as a ski slope. it made for some funny times… especially when walking, uh stumbling, home drunk, weaving your way through a sea of similar looking tents… at least we had our sexy headlamps.

one friend did end up passing out in someone else’s tent. they politely asked him to move. ha, ha.
the dynamic at the festival was amazing. we met so many interesting people including these three hotties.

we first spotted them on the train and then ran into them while dancing the night away on the first evening. they decided to move camp and set up their tent with ours. we were glad when we woke up the next morning, slightly foggy, and decided they were indeed cool, it wasn’t an alcohol induced opinion. their senses of humor jived so well with ours and their energy level was enviable. they also knew a lot of interesting cultural stuff that surprised us, like bands and movies. people in our small town are sheltered and i haven’t met anyone here who seems to have such worldy pop-knowledge. it helps they all live in the youth hub of Osaka i’m sure. [we are currently planning a trip to visit them.]
thursday night we wandered through some of the exhibits like these statues made of old cars. the artist was also on hand to chat with us.



friday 7/29/05 was the first day of bands. the schedule ran from 11 am until 6 am each day on 6 stages with more than 125 bands, not including the djs that would provide the soundtrack for our late-night shenanigans.

it was blazing hot in the tent in the mornings, so although we’d been awake to see the day dawn, we couldn’t sleep much after about 8:30. liz and i would get up and stagger up the mountain a bit into a shady spot where we could sleep on the soft lawn. the smell of the grass was intoxicating. after that it was breakfast and jokes with our boy-friends before we all headed off in different directions.

i love that about my friends here, we are all independent and strong enough people that we didn’t have to stay up each other’s butts the whole time. if there was something someone wanted to see, they’d set off on their own if necessary.

there were also plenty of distractions; artist interviews, craft stalls, tons of unusual for japan kinda food.

and plenty of crazy people to socialize with.

we made the 20-minute walk from the campsite to the wooded stage area by 2:00 on friday, early enough to get front and center for our first show.
here’s what i took in on friday:
cake – i couldn’t believe how adult and old they were. i guess it was about 7 years ago when i was really into these guys. their voices and quirkiness were still evident though.
acidman – Japanese hardcore
Kaiser chiefs – one of my ‘must-see’s. quite possibly the best performance of the festival. we were nestled up front amongst the rowdy crowd where the air was just electric.
the music - a super popular british band that sounded like whitesnake and jane’s addiction all in one. couldn’t believe the number of people that were so into them considering i’d never heard of them before.
coldplay – i didn’t see them, simply heard them as we were trekking back to the campsite to change out of wet clothes and stock up on drinks. the rain that absolutely poured every day wasn’t even enough to bring down the fantastic mood.

foo fighters – dave grohl in classic form. they were nutty and rocked out.
everyone eventually collected back at the campsite where we whiled the night away.
on saturday:
los lobos of la bamba fame had to cancel because of flight problems which was disappointing. the sky opened up this morning and drove many people into the few kiosks and venues that were covered.
the bravery – another ‘must-see’. they rocked out and had the whole crowd dancing and amped up. they won over a couple of our british friends who’d never heard ‘em.

asian dub foundation – commanding stage presence and a fab blend of lyrical and musical styles. creative hip-hop and reggae.

beck- i don’t care if he has a wife…i want him now. he played electric and acoustic bits and had an imaginative stage show, including a dinner table set up with great looking food which culminated in a utensil and plate orchestra. awesome.

fatboy slim – i danced my ass off. he played a really long set and everyone was into totally into it.

liz and i planned to make a pit stop back at the camp site but i was so exhausted i passed out. our rockin’ Japanese boys promptly woke me up and we spent the night drinking and chatting.
on sunday:
liz and i listened to the knack as we unashamedly showered with bottles of water behind the porta-potties on a hill side overlooking one of the stages.
the magic numbers - a chill, jammy blend of all sorts sounds. the singer had an intoxicating voice.
aqualung – a british band our friends were into. they were a little too jazzy and barry manilow for my taste. we watched for a bit and then laid down to listen in a patch of woods near the stage.
the futureheads – one of my new favorite bands, even before the concert. a 4-piece that doesn’t really have a clear lead singer because they get into so many catchy voice jams that retain the dance rock sound i love.
doves – chilled out and talented group bordering on hippie.
royksopp – was going to meet a friend here but it was so packed we never found each other which was perfectly fine as i was content to dance myself silly. these guys were a great surprise. blending all sorts of electronic genres and samples into a high energy, smooth sound.
moby – i used to absolutely love this man so i was glad to finally see him live. surprisingly, he played some acoustic songs and a few covers. i was hoping that seeing him in person would give me a better idea of how he creates his music, i.e. what is a sample and what is produced by him, but unfortunately it didn’t. still the set was phenomenal.
the mars volta – these guys are out of control in a good way. there are tons of them but they manage to keep their sound really tight while traveling from one extreme to another. really fun to watch.
sigur ros – an Icelandic group whose music is as expansive and surreal as the landscape from which they hail. you have to hear them to truly understand how ethereal and angelic their sound is. the show was low key, not a whisper from a huge audience, and absolutely mesmerizing. i felt like i was in a drug induced euphoria. thinking about it gives me goosebumps. you should check these guys out.
primal scream – bizarre. i recognized a few of their songs and enjoyed watching them rock out 80s hair-metal style although it wasn’t the best performance ever.

we met up with our Japanese boy friends at the last show and went to the all-night dj tents with them. it was so refreshing to hang out with homegrown boys who are wild and crazy and like to dance and who are able to let go and enjoy themselves despite the conservative roots of their culture. that was one of the overwhelming positives of this festival; being surrounded by intriguing, friendly and like-minded people who know how to have fun. i hated to see the night fade into morning…we literally partied all night so we’d be awake to catch the first shuttle bus at 6am back to the train station. we said goodbye to our new friends, wishing i could return with them to their japan, so different from the city where i disembarked the train and headed straight to work.