The cumbia kings Very Be Careful came all the way from California, so they wanted to be sure and play as many shows as humanly possible while at Fuji Rock. This particular engagement at the Orange Court may have shown a little of their fatigue via in between song banter (something the crew is probably not used to, usually playing for frat parties and clubs in LA) but their music was still tight and perfect for an afternoon freak-out, despite the rain.

At one point, the guys made a corny joke, “Yeah, we’re playing at Orange Court! Orange you glad I didn’t say banana.” That was in fact a little over the heads of 99% of the audience which they realized, though laughing to your own inside joke on stage in fact sets you apart from the fans of your music as opposed to bringing you all together since the crowd wonders what just happened, and they totally missed it.

So, comments like that were not that funny and a little unfortunate; fortunately they jumped right into the next jam and it was forgotten, dancing in the mud.

I think Very Be Careful was also used to playing shorter sets, as the stage manager came out and told them there was 30 minutes in their set, even though they said “One more!” after the last 5 songs, and they seemed surprised.

Perhaps American humor and sarcasm goes over well in LA, but touring internationally should reflect a bit more respect for the locals. Doumo arigatou gozaimasu is a good start at meeting halfway, so the fans were glad to hear that.

And the music itself was absolutely infectious, and fit in with the fans at Orange Court.

Another minor critique is the fashion of the five piece cumbia machine. After all, since Japanese festival-goers are so stylish, even in their rain gear, I think the artists who give a little thought to coordinating outfits, or at least sport something eye-catching with a little spice or jazz, fitting of their musical genre perhaps, gives the audience reason to pull out their digital cameras.

I think the time when Very Be Careful took a photo of the audience, everyone loved it, and it is just that kind of considerate interaction with your fans that takes a show to the next level.