I honestly believe that Fuji Rock is something that every music lover should have the chance to experience (at least) once in their life.  The festival site is absolutely gorgeous.  The nature surrounding the site is stunning.  And the different areas around the fest are all really cool and have been wonderfully designed.  And each year from Friday morning until early Monday morning there is always so much good music to be heard and there no shortage of new bands to discover.  But the best thing about Fuji Rock is hands down the people.  Fujirockers are amazing people.  Everyone works hard to take care of the site and keep it beautiful and clean.  Everyone is helpful, kind, and respectful.  Everyone is there to have a great time, regardless of whatever weather Mother Nature has planned for us.  Everyone can be seen smiling throughout the weekend.  Everyone makes each year’s festival memorable for their fellow fest-goers.  Without all of the wonderful people, Fuji Rock would just been a normal festival.  What makes it one of the best music events is the world are all the Fujirockers who come each year.  And for this we all truly thank you.

This is the final story that will be posted on this year’s Fuji Rock Express site.  Thank you so much for checking out all our coverage of Fuji Rock 2013.  We’ll be back again next year to cover the fest again.  We hope you can join us in Naeba to experience everything firsthand.  But if that’s not possible, we’re happy to share everything we see and do at Fuji Rock with you through Fuji Rock Express ‘14.  See you next year!

Fujirock Express Staff:

English version, http://fujirockexpress.net/13e/

Writers: Phil Brasor, Sean Scanlan, Dave Frazier, Shawn Despres, J Muzacz, Ben Olah, Elliott Samuels, Patrick St. Michel, Lisa Wallin, Matt Evans

Japanese version, http://fujirockexpress.net/13/

Writers:  Sayaka Hondo, Natsuki Nagata, Maki Nazuka, Naoka Maruoka, Eriko Kondo, Nobuyuki Ikeda, Taiki Nishino, Yoko Oda, Ryohei Maruyama, Ryoji Ukai, Kuniko Yoshikawa, Yasuaki Ogawa, Takafumi Miura, Takahiro Oyama, Ryuichi Tanaka, Yuka Ishizumi, Nozomi Wachi, Takehiro Funabashi

Photographers: Ryota Mori, Yusuke Kitamura, Hiroshi Maeda, Yoshitaka Kogawa, Toru Suguta, Naoaki Okamura, Nobuya Fukawa, Terumi Fukano, Julen Esteban-Pretel, Koji Chikazawa, Keiko Hirakawa, Takeshi Yao, Daisuke Fujii, Masami Munekawa, Mitch Ikeda, Taiou Konishi, Yutaro Suzuki, Mamiko Miyakoshi, Miyuki Samata

Fuji Rocker’s Lounge: Hirokazu Fujihara, Mika Iimori, Noriko Yamaoka, Tomoko Obata, Atsushi Yuzawa, Shoko Ikenoue, Yukifumi Sekine,

Updating Operation: Bomi Kim, Daisuke Sakaue, Tomoki Hiranuma, Shoji Terasaki, Manami Nakahara, Moeka Miyazaki, Shoko Ikenoue

Web design & Programming: Tetsuya Mitsuishi, Daisuke Sakaue, Manami Nakahara, Moeka Miyazaki

Producer: Koichi Hanafusa

A little over two weeks have passed since the big event ended for another year. This time passing and having recently talked in person with one the founder and producer of Fujirock Express, Koichi Hanafusa, has allowed me to try to see this rock festival for what it really is. It’s hard to put into words what makes this festival so magical when comparing to other festivals or concerts. It is something that everyone who goes is chasing; it’s why people travel half way across Japan, or half way across the world to get there.  I had previously gone to the festival only for two days; this allowed me a glimpse at that shimmering perfection in the middle of the Niigata mountains. I knew that two days wasn’t enough, this year I had to do whatever it took to experience this thing in its entirety and see what it was we were all in pursuit of.  Being an avid concert goer I have had a taste of this musical nirvana that sweeps over you while at a show, and immediately puts a smile on your face that can’t be exchanged for anything in the world. You look over at the person next to you and realize that person has the same goofy smile glued to their face too. This is what Fuji Rock is, only it lasts four days and is not only about music. It’s the people and their enthusiasm, it’s the camping and being surrounded by lush green, it’s being woken up at eight a.m. by the burning sun turning your tent into a sauna – only to have that smile return as soon as you hear the first of the bands practicing for the day. The beats of the drum and guitar riffs echo throughout the mountains as you zip open your tent surrounded by hundreds of others doing the same. Fuji Rock is good food, good drink, trees, rivers, valleys, big stages, small stages, hearing your favorite music and discovering new favorites. The vastness and variety of music is what makes it special too, from being among fifty thousand people at the main stages to around fifty at the small stages in the middle of the forest or on the top of the mountain. The people, who attend this festival and realize that this kind of musical vacation exists, are almost instinctively drawn back time and time again. It’s rare that you will meet someone who has only attended once, especially someone coming for the full duration of the festival. It’s something people need in their lives, and if they can hold out until next year to make the pilgrimage up to Niigata again, everything else in their lives will be okay. Never mind the cost or means of getting there, the rain, the mud, the blazing sun, or sleeping on the ground.  It’s like what Bob Marley sang, “one good thing about music, when it hits you, feel no pain.”

It has been hard to even find the right words to make others understand, like discovering a new song or film, it often has to be experienced first hand to fully understand. Of course, great songs and great films have similarities to average ones, just as this festival has similarities to other festivals, but it’s when you delve deeper that you start to realize why Fuji is the Holy Grail. The cleanliness, the food, the music, the scenery, the diversity, the people, the joy, the passion, and the overall feeling of togetherness is something I have never experienced before. To reconcile some of my feelings I am drawn to a favorite quote from Hunter Thompson, “Maybe it meant something. Maybe not, in the long run, but no explanation, no mix of words or music or memories can touch that sense of knowing that you were there and alive in that corner of time and the world. Whatever it meant.”

1)Mulatu Astatke at the Orange Court and Crystal Palace Tent.

Sorry to bore anyone who has been reading my other material on the site but without a doubt my favourite act of the festival was Mulatu Astatke. This man and his phenomenal group simply made this Fuji Rock like a dream come true for me. Not only was I able to review the band’s stellar show at the Orange Court on Sunday afternoon but due to some incredibly good luck, I got a chance to meet the man briefly afterwards and ask him a couple of questions, a truly humbling experience that I will never forget. Here is a guy who is 70 this year, released his first album of Ethiopian Jazz/Funk in 1966, yet who had never performed in Japan before. To my ears and eyes, his ensemble’s display of infinite passion and musical skill made every other artist at the festival look like amateurs.

3) Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba at the Orange Court.

My second pick goes to another band which has its roots in Africa, the high powered ethnic funk of Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba. The group played immediately after Mulatu Astatke on the Orange Court and when I got word from Mulatu’s translator that I was going to be able to interview him at the backstage area of the Orange Court, he was very specific about the time, 8:10. I arrived early only to find Mr. Astatke standing at the front of the stage in awe of the wild dancing and and even wilder soul groove of this band. Just an amazing live band and by the looks of it, the most popular pick amongst the writers “best of” listings.

3) Jurassic 5 on the White Stage.

Hip Hop is always such great party music but I think that the difference between an exciting live hip hop band and a clichéd one is huge. This crew certainly falls into the former category and that must be a testament to just how many years they have been around. These guys had the smoothest voices and even with the whole White Stage area absolutely jam packed they still seemed to somehow make you feel like they were playing just for you.

4) The Hot 8 Brass Band at Crystal Palace Tent.

The whole point of live music is to give the audience something that it can’t get from listening to a CD and with that in mind, being immersed in the sweat and facial expressions of this brass band from New Orleans made you feel like they had somehow transported you to that city of crazy good music and witchcraft.

5) Death Grips at the Red Marquee.

This band deserves a mention if only to make it known to people that the drummer from this three piece appears to be some kind of human energy generator. Where he got the strength to hit the skins of his kit that hard and fast for 45 minutes is beyond me. It didn’t matter that I couldn’t understand one word of lyrics, this was one hardcore band, and again it seems like several of the other writers on the Fuji Rock team are in agreement.

1) Jurassic 5 @ White Stage (7/27).  Read the review here.

J5 were the act I was most excited about seeing at this year’s fest and they did not disappoint. Things got so hot onstage that Zaakir started fanning Mark 7even with a towel to try and cool things down (see photo above). Thankfully, his thoughtful gesture had the opposite effect and heated things up even more!

2) Bo Ningen @ Red Marquee (7/28). Read the review here.

No band should be allowed to rock as hard as Bo Ningen did at 10:20 am on Sunday morning. Getting to the Red Marquee that early was definitely a challenge, but after a few moments of watching Bo Ningen play, I knew it was well worth it.

3) Death Grips @ Red Marquee (7/26). Read the review here.

This set was non-stop power. It opened with a drum solo and then didn’t let up for 45 straight minutes.

4) Uhnellys @ Naeba Shokudo (7/28). Read the review here.

Uhnellys are one of the best live acts in Tokyo’s indie scene and their set at Fuji Rock went by in the blink of an eye. As soon as they finished, I thought “That was really short. I wonder why they didn’t use their full time?” Only to realize they had been onstage for 40 minutes. People were calling for an encore for a few minutes after Kim and Midi finished. I usually hate encores. But Uhnellys definitely deserved one.

5) Turtle Island @ Orange Court (7/26). Read the review here.

I’m going to lift a line from our review to talk about this set. “Turtle Island were great last night during their pre-fest Red Marquee gig. Today at Orange Court, they were even better.” With so much happening onstage, I think having Turtle Island play twice gave folks a better chance to appreciate everything the 16-piece act do live. Being given the honor of opening Orange Court at this year’s fest, they were an awesome way to start FRF ’13.

Honourable Mention: The Weather
Starting off hot everyday but inevitably turning to rain, the weather wasn’t as horrible as it could’ve been or as nice as it could’ve been. But it chose it’s moments well, with mist blanketing the mountains after any rain and providing the perfect accompaniment to the atmosphere of many acts, particularly Of Monsters and Men. But it was Nine Inch Nails’ headlining act that saw it deliver it’s best performance with lightning dueling against the harsh industrial rock.

5. Skinny Lister
At the Thursday night pre-festival part, the band brought their English Folk revival to town. And it went off. I’m not sure why the Japanese were so engrossed in singing along to being able to ship back to London soon but they were. The atmosphere was a dancing one, the tunes delightful and the singalong was hearty. The crowd was even excited enough to get the bass player crowd-surfing, complete with double-bass. It was an excellent start to the festival and by all reports, their later shows easily matched this night’s performance.  Check out the live photos here.

4. LITE
You really shouldn’t want to try and dance to ridiculous time signatures like 7/8 or 13/16, but LITE’s marriage of technicality, groove and emotion forces you too. The instrumental dueling between the two guitars was especially impressive, the two trading intricate melodic hooks as fast a two machine-guns. But the forceful drumming and equally adept bass ensured it was a balanced riot of groovy melody that felt more like a race than a set. The unrelenting pace made the set appear shorter than it was but these guys are definitely one to watch in the instrumental rock world.  Read the review here.

3. Soil & “Pimp” Sessions
Pure, blistering funk delivered with a swagger. With enough style and swag to fit into Brooklyn’s coolest streets, Shacho and his band of very decidedly cool cats blasted out a set of groovy funk. Whether it was the saxophonist about to explode from a 5 minute solo, Shacho conducting the crowd or the drums leading the group into a frenzy of grooviness, it was a non-stop ride of death-jazz. The soloing of every instrument was a highlight, the talent and quality of each member evident in their seemingly spontaneous but perfectly executed bursts.  Read the review here.

2. Oboreta Ebi no Kenshi Houkokusho
This is not a band that’s well known but that may change over the next few years. Performing at the Rookie A Go-Go stage on Saturday night, the band’s shrimp head costumes, role playing of shrimps and art-funk sound drew a huge reception. Percussion heavy with their leader a virtuoso on his half bass/chapman stick instrument, it was a primal sound that skips the brain and goes straight to any part of you that could move to the beat. Not only was the music excellent but the stage performance as well, with the leader commanding the other ‘shrimps’ with squeals and clicks of his instrument, a raid into the audience by 3 members of the group to give a bewildered member a present and the tossing of shrimp flavoured snacks to the audience’s cries of ‘ebi-san! ebi-san!’.  Read the review here.

1. Bassekou Kouyate
People who saw Hendrix live speak reverently of the experience. For me, Bassekou is my Hendrix experience. You just know when you see a master of an instrument live. It’s obvious in their utter control of their playing, the band with them and sheer enjoyment of playing. How a man can get more emotional solos out of a 3 stringed instrument in the Malian ngoni than a 6 stringed guitar I will never quite understand. The Crystal Palace setting late at night made the experience particularly intimate. The sheer skill,  message of peace and enjoyment in performing made Bassekou and his family band the highlight of the festival.  Read the review here.

-Most potent attack of cognitive dissonance: Watching skinny rock singer Hideto Komoto, in a Modern Lovers T-shirt, jerking and fidgeting awkwardly across the Green Stage during the set by the Route 17 Rock’n'Roll Orchestra while singing the Village People’s “YMCA” in front a big crowd doing the song’s original choreography in perfect unison.

-Most intimidating fashion statement: Mari Natsuki’s, which consisted of a psychedelic print one-piece bathing suit, black half-stockings, baseball cap, white T-shirt, cape-like shawl, and boxing shoes. Runner-up: Tamio Okuda’s band’s, who were all dressed like cops. Runner-runner-up: Death Grips drummer Zach Hill in nothing but a Speedo.

-Sexiest singer: Sister Maud Hudson. Despite being confined to a wheelchair and cocooned in thick clothing, a cap, and dark glasses, Garth Hudson’s 70-something wife belted the blues with undiminished abandon, especially one bawdy song in which she demanded her man be “agile, hostile, mobile,” as Garth hid behind his wall of keyboards.

Smartest though least environmentally friendly improvement: The stretch of asphalt between the White Stage and Gypsy Avalon, which proved to be a Godsend when it rained.

Brahman, Green Stage FRI 7/26 (pictured)
I was really impressed with how much they’ve changed since I saw them at the Red Marquee in 2011. They still have a very raw quality about them, but now with a maturity that’s developed over the past two years. Toshi-Low spending about half the set in the mosh pit was also an impressive featーas was the elbow-in-the-face he gave a crowd surfer who was insane enough to pull at his hair while sailing by.

Uhnellys, Naeba Shokudo, SUN 2/28
Don’t Stop. One of their song titles and also one of my requests. This was one of the performances I was looking most forward to all weekend, and I wasn’t disappointed. Multi-talented Kim and super sexy Midi make a killer combo. Rowr.

Bakudan Johnny, Rookie A Go-Go, SUN 2/28
“Bomb” Johnny couldn’t be a more appropriate name. These Hokkaido youngsters’ performance was explosive and entertaining. Whether the drummer stripping down to just a skimpy thong was an appealing or awkward addition depends on the viewer.

Kemuri, Green Stage, FRI 2/27
True rock legends played some funky ska-punk to a horde of devoted and crazy fans.

The Bawdies, Green Stage SAT 7/27
These lads showed the crowd a rockin’ good time. I wish I had a time machine to send them back and have them battle against The Beatles, or cause a stir on The Ed Sullivan Showーjust so they could get a bit more well-deserved publicity internationally.

5. The surprises: One of the best things about going to music festivals is stumbling across an artist or four you’ve never heard before completely by accident. Acid folk icon Maeno Kenta and the Soaplanders produced an electrifying, experimental set that literally short-circuited the synapses in my frontal lobe at the Field of Heaven on Saturday, while acid punk outfit Bo Ningen shot a thunderbolt through my brain with a punishing performance in the Red Marquee first thing Sunday morning.

4. Sunday: While on the subject of Sunday, there’s always going to be one day at a three-day festival in which you’re busier than the others. Usually it’s Day One, when you still have energy to traipse from one location to the next in search of interesting bands based on recommendations from friends. But the line-up at Fuji Rock on Sunday this year beggared belief. Setting aside for a minute those who played on the Green and White stages — The Cure, Vampire Weekend, Yo La Tengo, The xx, Cat Power, Toro y Moi and Savages — there were myriad acts on the smaller stages that also warranted a listen: DIIV, Daughter, Lite, Bo Ningen, Brinsley Forde, Mulatu Astatke, Uhnelly’s, Dustin Wong (with special guest Takako Minekawa), Jazzanova and Jamie xx, to name only but a few. And yet the one-day tickets for Sunday didn’t sell out this year. Go figure…

3. The dope: After a complete dearth of hip-hop at Fuji Rock last year, the 2013 line-up had festival-goers spoiled for choice. Kendrick Lamar delivered an uplifting set on the White Stage on Saturday night that showed what potential this kid from California really has. Unlike some of his contemporaries, Lamar seems to understand the importance of connecting with his audience, and his intimate yet energetic set had those lucky few who had decided to forgo Bjork’s headlining performance on the Green Stage at the same time eating out of the palm of his hand.

2. The drums: Fuji Rock 2013 featured two of the most spectacular exhibitions of drumming I have probably ever experienced: Death Grips drummer Zach Hill certainly didn’t hold anything back during his soundcheck in the Red Marquee on Friday evening (unfortunately, I was covering another performance elsewhere during his Planet Groove set later that night and wasn’t able to witness the jaw-dropping assault on his drum kit that has been at the forefront of festival conversations ever since), while Mark Ernestus presents Jeri-Jeri combined colorful theater onstage with a mind-blowing, powerful drumming display in the middle of yet another downpour at the Orange Court on Saturday that had my earplugs begging for mercy.

1. The encores: Green Stage headliners NIN and The Cure produced several moments of musical magic during their encores on Friday and Sunday (10:15 Saturday Night, anyone?), but for my money the single best encore at Fuji Rock came (albeit unofficially) in Tokyo on Monday evening. Abrasive post-punk outfit Savages managed to use the worst downpour of the weekend to their advantage with a breathtaking set on the White Stage on Sunday afternoon, but as good as this was — and, aside from a few minor technical hiccups at the start, it’s hard to imagine that it could have been much better — I couldn’t help thinking the quartet would’ve been better served performing in a more intimate setting. As fate would have it, Savages did indeed play another live show at Astro Hall in Tokyo on Monday night that successfully delivered on that promise. Featuring a special guest appearance by Bo Ningen’s Yuki Tsujii at the end of their set, it was a spine-tingling brutal assault on the senses that left me physically and mentally exhausted. Fortunately, I’ve got 51 weeks to recover until next year… See ya all then!

1) Garth Hudson: I’ve heard it said that the best pop and rock  music has already been made, originating in the 60′s and 70′s. It would surprise you that a  band playing on the Red Marquee this year told me this in an interview I conducted before their Taipei show. They made this comment because music from this era wasn’t cynical or artificial. Being a recording artist back then was also a big deal, and it took a lot of time to press records and send them to outlets like Sears and Kmart, unlike the instantaneous distribution of today. And when a group like “The Band” rolled into town, well, that was a show you would remember for weeks. Seeing Garth Hudson and his wife Maud Hudson perform on the Field of Heaven has stuck with me that long. He kept the magic behind the keyboards and found inspiration in his wife who more than held  her own against the great vocalists of The Band. And at the end of the night, when it came to leave the stage, Garth lovingly went to his wife and helped her exit the stage in her wheelchair. Now that was a moment, just as touching as some of the classics Garth has been associated with like “The Weight.”

2) Daniel Lanois: This man simply is music. Look up his bio and you will see him associated with the top records of the 80′s like U2′s “Unforgettable Fire” and “Joshua Tree” and Peter Gabriel’s “So”. If not for a mistimed LP which dabbled in atmospheric music, he may have become the biggest artist of this era. Instead, Lanois fell into obscurity, only to be remembered, or revered by music critics, musicians, or those who really know their music. In fact, my attendance at this show was inspired by a talk with a member of the Kensington Hillbillys who reminded me just why I had to be here. He plays the guitar like no one else, and in my mind, holds his own against the most venerated musicians of our day such as Neil Young and Bob Dylan.

3) Gary Clark Jr: There was a lot of hype about Gary Clarke Jr. going into this gig and he did not disappoint. In fact, I thought he was just messing with us, playing against the beat, riffing on the Hendrix tune “Third Stone from the Sun” for 20 minutes, and even muffling his guitar notes on his final song. The dude is sick, and he’s reinventing the blues right before our very eyes.

4) Sparks: Again, messing with my mind. The Mael brothers are redefining music with their witty metaphors and word play, a sort of Cirque du Soleil of the mind. And when you get one of their phrases stuck up their in the gray matter, there’s very little else you can think of. Where did the beat go?

5) Cure: Yeah, I know a lot of people watched The XX and thought they were great but The Cure put on a 3-hour set that encompassed a 40-year career. Robert Smith was firmly in command tonight and ready to take everyone on a ride, and at the end, I was simply overwhelmed.

With this in mind, here are my picks of the festival.

1) Garth Hudson. What can we say? The man is a living legend, and was probably an integral member of one of the greatest bands on earth. He is old and frail now, but he still moves adeptly between the piano and the keyboard and brings us back to when music originate in the ballroom, the parlor, or the living room. His wife Maud did a nice job on vocals, and when this duo performed classics like “The Weight” and the spiritual, “I Shall be Released” capping a two-hour set, the crowd was awestruck.

2) Daniel Lanois: This man simply is music. Look up his bio and you will see him associated with the top records of the 80′s like U2′s “Unforgettable Fire” and “Joshua Tree” and Peter Gabriel’s “So”. If not for a mistimed LP which dabbled in atmospheric music, he may have become the biggest artist of this era. Instead, Lanois fell into obscurity, only to be remembered, or revered by music critics, musicians, or those who really know their music. In fact, my attendance at this show was inspired by a talk with a member of the Kensington Hillbillys who reminded me just why I had to be here. He plays the guitar like no one else, and in my mind, holds his own against the most venerated musicians of our day such as Neil Young and Bob Dylan.

3) Gary Clark Jr: There was a lot of hype about Gary Clarke Jr. going into this gig and he did not disappoint. In fact, I thought he was just messing with us, playing against the beat, riffing on the Hendrix tune “Third Stone from the Sun” for 20 minutes, and even muffling his guitar notes on his final song. The dude is sick, and he’s reinventing the blues right before our very eyes.

4) Sparks: Again, messing with my mind. The Mael brothers are redefining music with their witty metaphors and word play, a sort of Cirque du Soleil of the mind. And when you get one of their phrases stuck up their in the gray matter, there’s very little else you can think of. Where did the beat go?

5) Cure: Yeah, I know a lot of people watched The XX and thought they were great but The Cure put on a 3-hour set that encompassed a 40-year career. Robert Smith was firmly in command tonight and ready to take everyone on a ride, and at the end, I was simply overwhelmed.