Fuji Rock Festival’s headliners have demanded a lot of attention this year.
It all started in the spring when organizer Smash announced its three top-line acts, setting in motion a debate over the quality of the performers. Many — at least online — found the big names unexciting, particularly the inclusion of Noel Gallagher, a regular at the event. Then came a huge question mark after American artist SZA announced in late May that she would pull out of her Friday slot for still-unknown reasons. Speculation took over until Smash announced The Killers as the new name at the top of the bill, kicking off more discourse among the Fuji Rock faithful over whether they were a worthy replacement.
As tends to always be the case, looking beyond the big-font bands reveals plenty of gems at a major music event like Fuji Rock, which is set to take place from July 26 to 28 at Naeba Ski Resort in Niigata Prefecture. In particular, this year’s gathering offers one of the strongest collections of Japanese music present at a large-scale festival in recent times. You could easily fill up three days at the festival with acts from the country and head home feeling fulfilled.