I saw lots and lots of really good sets during Fuji Rock 2013.  But the five performances below stood out from all the rest!  Click on the links to read the Fujirock Express reviews of each act’s fantastic gig during the fest.

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.