This weekend sees the proper return of the Fuji Rock Festival at Naeba Ski Resort in Niigata Prefecture. What does a proper return look like? Well, it starts with The Strokes, Foo Fighters and Lizzo.
The past few years have seen a postponement (basically a cancellation) and experimentation (an all-Japan lineup), but Fuji Rock is at its best when the lineup of bands is as diverse as the people in the audience. Yup, the borders have opened and you can expect to see a lively crowd in Naeba celebrating this fact.
The three aforementioned big-name acts will serve as your headliners on July 28, 29 and 30, respectively. The Strokes and Foo Fighters are classic Fuji Rock picks, sure to bring the right mix of nostalgia and guitar-powered energy to the main Green Stage. The most intriguing name, though, is Sunday’s Lizzo, the latest stab by promoter Smash to find a future fixture for the top of the poster that wasn’t around in the 1990s or early 2000s. She’s sure to bring something different to the event, thanks to swaggering pop courtesy of some fierce musical chops. Expect a lot of Fuji Rock’s usual crowd to walk away from this year’s festival noting how surprised they were by Lizzo.