I went to GO FES!
First time back at a festival since COUNTDOWN JAPAN 09/10 at the end of last year — three months in between.
This festival is organized by Makuhari Messe and Nippon Broadcasting, launching this year for the very first time.
Festivals usually make you think: summer, rock. But this one is different — it’s a spring festival, with a lot of non-rock artists in the mix.
A distinctly different feel from other festivals.
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The performance order on Day 1 (March 20) was:
1. Sakai Yu
2. Kuzuo
3. Miho Fukuhara
4. FLOW
5. Aoyama Thelma
6. Hillclimb
7. Perfume
8. FUNKY MONKEY BABYS
9. Sukima Switch
At most festivals, the performance order and timetable are released in advance — but not at this one.
With only one stage, releasing it early would mean poor turnout for the earlier acts.
Even on the day itself, the timetable wasn’t announced publicly.
At the end of each performance, they announced only the start time for the next act.
Sets ranged from 20 to 60 minutes. Earlier acts got 20 minutes, mid-card got 30–40, and headliner Sukima Switch got 60 (including 2 encore songs).
About 25 minutes of stage changeover time between each act.
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A festival means food stalls.
This festival is smaller-scale, so fewer stalls — but a good variety of food types.
I had tsukemen (dipping noodles) at one of them… no photo though. (It’s the small stall at the far left.)
Plenty of chairs and tables for resting — no issue finding a spot. Though with only one stage, everyone’s movements are synchronized, which is a bit awkward. For the autumn edition, two or more stages would really help spread the crowd out and improve the flow.
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There was a filming area set up — probably for a TV Tokyo show sponsoring the event.
A message board nearby was covered in everyone’s messages of enthusiasm.
(Click the photo to enlarge.)
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My impressions of the actual performances:
· If you arrived just 5 minutes before an act, you could easily get to the front third of the crowd — sometimes the front quarter or fifth. Much closer to the artists than at bigger festivals.
· Not just rock. A wide range of genres — sometimes jumping around wildly, sometimes listening quietly. The atmosphere shifts completely depending on the act. More genre variety than most festivals.
· The size of the Perfume fandom was striking. PTA (Perfume TO ANATA, their fan club) pink T-shirts everywhere. Personally I’ve been slightly less obsessed since they haven’t released new material lately. Though their set had the biggest energy of the night — or maybe tied with FUNKY MONKEY BABYS.
· Audience age skews young. My impression was that 20–25 was the center of gravity. I’m probably in the old-timer bracket now.
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Writing properly in the blog for the first time in a while. Starting to sound like a critic.
Being the inaugural event, the festival has a rough-diamond feeling — still taking shape, still finding its identity.
There was a slight awkwardness to some aspects of the venue today, but subsequent editions should make the character and direction of GO FES! clearer.
According to the performance schedule photo, the second GO FES! is expanding to three days in the autumn.
I hope the next one shows even more of what makes GO FES! GO FES!. I’d like to go again.
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Bonus note:
IMALU — the TV Tokyo presenter or host — was walking around the venue with the production crew.
She seemed to be going through the work calmly and methodically. She’s quite petite, though — I don’t think I’d recognize her if I passed her on the street.
That said, she’s a well-known figure these days…