Fuji Rock Festival '07- All about the music

WE're BACK!!!! and I'm alive. You can't seriously expect Stella the PRINCESS to camp outdoor and not bathe for 3 days right. But i did it ok.

It wasn't perfectly comfortable, i complained and Lester had to endure it for a bit. He was also my mule, he must have gotten 2 inches shorter since he had to carry 2 backpacks right from day One.


Anyway, Fuji Rock fest is a yearly affair like the Glastonbury of Japan. Its a 3 days 3 nights affair (maybe 4 nights if u camp longer). Almost 24 hrs of music, from 11am to 4am, different genre playing at different stages, so there's something for everyone.

Okay i'll get right down to the performance highlights without further ado.



DAY ONE

Jarvis Cocker
What can i say, Pulp is Jarvis Cocker but Jarvis Cocker is not Pulp. The overall energy of the performance didn't do justice to the lyrics of the songs. There were some gems amongst the medly but too bad it wasn't good enough to draw the crowd. He did his hit song "Running the World" very well tho. Very singalong but a bit rude. (chorus goes "C*nts are still running the world....)

Rocker Award : Most Sporting Artiste Award (for perservering in his dry english humour amidst a non-english speaking japanese crowd, and for continuing to perform despite the murder crowd)



Kings of Leon
Frontman Caleb Followill's vocals blew me away. He sounds so good live... U know how whiny voices can sound crisp and enunciated on microphone? THeir performance made me wanna come back and listen to their album once more.

Rocker Award: Best Vocals + Most handsome frontman award

Muse
Okay something happened here. Muse and Damien Rice were due to perfom on the same timeslot at different stages. Its was SO tough deciding which one to go for. I mean Damien Rice has written the greatest melancholic love songs of this era and Muse has had such a successful album with Black Holes and Revelation. Anyway, the choice was made for us when Damien Rice cancelled! Anyway, Muse was good, not excellent but OK. Supermassive Black Hole was a bit warped and didn't have the punch during the intro... I was tired by the end of the set tht i didn't encore for more.

Rocker Award: Best Presentation (they had projection stuff tht other bands didn't have. I guess its cos they were also on tour)


The Cure
Okay nothing to say cos by the time i was too tired already, and Les had already drank half his bottle of whisky so it was time to go back. I only waited for Lovesong but didn't wait for Friday I'm in Love.

Rocker Award: Best Comeback (they are old la, but thank god for ageproof make up)

DAY TWO

Juliette & the Licks

I must say, a pleasure to watch. The music wasn't exactly impressive, but Juliette Lewis has great showmanship. She has the rocker chic attitude and can connect with the crowd. She's still pretty after all these years.




Rocker Award: Best Female Performer + Hot bod/butt award



!!! (Chk chk chk) http://chkchkchk.net/

Seriously, had no clue who they were before fujirock, but they are the kind tht makes u drop whtever you're doing and pay attention to wht they're doing. A bunch of dorky looking folks, but OMG best performance they put up. The crowd was WILD.... WILD... Strongly recommend checking them out.


Rocker Award: Best Jivin Award + Best Accidental Find award


Kula SHaker
Sorry i feel asleep here. But fans should know that they are good. They played Govinda while i was in the toilet and it sounded good. I mean no disrespect to Kula Shaker fans out there, i'm a lukewarm fan only cos i never really listened to them. Maybe i will!


Rocker Award: Best Lullaby.... (sorry)



Kaiser Chiefs
The biggest disappointment was Kaiser Chiefs. I am such a fan... We gave up watching the Feist to singalong to them... They have good potential crowd pleaser tracks but they did nothing with their catchy choruses. The enunciation was also rubbish. Blah. Next.






Rocker Award: Biggest Let Down Award


Iggy and the Stooges

Honestly, we stayed only cos we wanted to see Iggy naked. There i said it. Who doesn't want to see rippling six pack on a 60 plus yr old man!! The music was Iggy loud, he was so iggy high tht he iggy fell off the stage at one point. When he got to his song No Fun (the lyrics goes No fun to be alone...) Iggy invited fans on stage impromptu, and more and more fans went on stage until it was CROWDED, dangerously crowded. U need to squint a bit to see the crowd on stage.



Rocker Award: Most dangerous in every sense of the word Award

Beastie Boys

I went in lukewarm, came out a fan. FANTASTIC performance wo hoo.... They were funny, they were entertaining, and they rock live. My adrenaline went to max watching them perform, every blood vessel was pumping and i didn't want it to end. Lester would call them the only whites who can rap.

Rocker Award: Best Performance! Will watch them a 2nd, 3rd, 4th time.

Other Performers:
We also saw Lily Allen (it was freaking crowded so i peeped from outside and watched from the screens), Mika (ahyo so happy and gay) , Joss Stone and Happy Mondays.

Performers we missed but would have loved to see: The Shins and The Feist.

Performers mix-up: The Chemical brothers performed, i bimboly mixed them up with The Chemical Romance. I was so looking forward to seeing the black parade. I know!

Okay... I'll pause here for today since i'm done with the concert reviews. Tomorrow (or when i find the time) i'll continue with part 2 of the fujirock entry, i call it The life up in the Mountains....