CHABO BAND

From RC to beyond!

It all started with the hugely influential Japanese rock group RC Succession. Throughout the 1970’s and 80’s they were the top rockers in Japan. They were edgy, controversial and they could plain rock. They provided something local for Japan that was otherwise being filled by UK and American groups. Their live album, Rhapsody was ranked no. 2 by Rolling Stone Japan on its list of the 100 Greatest Japanese Rock Albums of All Time. At the center of RC Succession were Kiyoshiro Imawano and our man at the heart of this review, Mr. Reichi “Chabo” Nakaido.

Since RC Succession broke up in 1990 “Chabo” Nakaido has been out on his own playing a mixture of RC Succession classics and his own tunes. His afternoon set in the Field of Heaven proved that even though Chabo is now in his mid-sixties he still has the chops to rock a stage at Japan’s premier music festival. Though I’m not familiar enough with Chabo or RC Succession to list tracks by name, his hour long set kept me thoroughly entertained all the way through. Together with his band, which consisted of a bass player, a drummer and a keyboardist, they worked through loads of blues, rockabilly and hard rock tracks. Chabo was clearly the star of the show ripping through some killer solos and getting into it with the older, but appreciative crowd.

As much as Fuji Rock needs the foreign young rockers, killing the current pop charts, it equally needs classic essential Japanese rockers like Chabo to keep a certain local flavor to the festival. If all you’re doing at Fuji Rock is running from the big stages to see the next foreign act, I urge you to give classic Japanese rockers like the Chabo band a shot, you may be pleasantly surprised.