This year’s edition of Summer Sonic is inadvertently doubling as an experiment for Japan’s live music industry.
Held concurrently in Tokyo and Osaka on Aug. 17 and 18, the summer music festival is being held at a time when compelling headliners with fresh star power are harder to come by and prices are going up. Organizer Creativeman is therefore hoping to find success with a pair of young headliners that can revive interest in big festivals in general.
Italian group Maneskin and British hard rock band Bring Me the Horizon top the weekend’s lineup on the main stage (with American pop star Christina Aguilera offering something of a security blanket for older millennials). Neither outfit has headlined a festival here before, and even though both have achieved popularity in the Japanese market, Summer Sonic will serve as a test of sorts to see if either can become go-to bookings like Foo Fighters or any Gallagher brother project.