Five minutes into her set at this year’s Fuji Rock Festival, Japanese rapper Awich captured the emotional heft of performing on the main Green Stage.
“My daughter and I watched Sia perform on this stage a few years ago,” the artist told the crowd, referencing the Australian singer’s rain-soaked 2019 headlining slot. In a meaningful encounter with a Fuji Rock devotee named Rika, who had been coming to the event since its inception in 1997, Awich told the woman she wanted to perform on the Green Stage someday, too. “I’ll cheer you on,” Rika had said, which she did until her passing a few years later. And now, here Awich was, gracing that very stage.
It was a stirring moment that served as a reminder that the event, which celebrated its 25th edition in Niigata Prefecture’s Naeba Ski Resort from July 26 to 28, has been deeply meaningful to many over the years.