An outdoor festival in Tokyo that had somehow never quite existed before — ROCKS TOKYO.
The historic first day of the inaugural event. I went.
This was my fourth festival by now. Starting to get the hang of it.
Unfortunately the forecast said “cloudy with occasional rain,” so I grabbed a raincoat at a convenience store on the way out.
Honestly, it was bitterly cold.
I’d come in short sleeves and was nearly done for. Even after the rain stopped I couldn’t let go of the raincoat — it was doing double duty as a windbreaker.
But once the music started I was moving around too much to keep it on, so off it came. That was the pattern.
The artists I saw (the photo above is KREVA setting up):
(Note: only compact cameras were allowed inside — no DSLRs. Reluctantly shot everything on my phone.)
the Mirraz
the telephones
ORANGE RANGE
flumpool
WEAVER
KREVA
NICO Touches the Walls
BEAT CRUSADERS
ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION
At the main stage, there was an L-shaped no-entry zone in the middle, and I positioned myself in the inner corner of that bend. It stopped the crowd from pressing forward too much.
Of all the festivals I’d been to — Summer Sonic, Countdown Japan, GO!FES — this was the most intense spot I’d been in. Moshing broke out nearby and I was somewhere between getting caught up in it and actively joining.
The moshing was technically prohibited, but the people around me were the considerate kind — it never felt actually dangerous.
Getting more comfortable with festivals, and starting to really understand how to enjoy them.
Next up: ROCK IN JAPAN on August 6–7 in Hitachinaka, and Summer Sonic at Chiba Marine Stadium.
Currently making plans to lock in tickets. This summer is going to be hot.