Great food, beautiful nature, wonderful people. But of course a music festival wouldn’t be complete without the music! There were so many good shows to choose from this year. The Cure brought back emotions I have repressed since my mid-teens. Chemical Brothers gave me flashbacks to a much different time in music (and made me want to watch The Matrix), Sia fought against the rain and gave one of the most artistic and inspiring performances of the festival. While the Green Stage is where all the big hitters swing, I have to admit I am partial to the smaller stages. With that in mind, here is my list of the top five shows of the festival, in no particular order.

1) GEZAN
I have been a fan of GEZAN for quite a few years, and tracking their rise and seeing them make it to the White Stage made me proud. Putting these personal sentiments aside, this show was also undeniably unique and engaging. It was one of the hardest-edged shows I saw over the course of the weekend, and my only personal spotting of crowd-surfing. It was also one of the most artistically creative and playful sets I saw, GEZAN being willing to do things on stage that other bands would question the sense in. And the crowd was absolutely into it, myself included. They are just a band that, on paper, shouldn’t work. But absolutely, 100% do.

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2) Shibusashirazu Orchestra
I have wanted to see them perform for years, but every time the chance came up it somehow slipped through my fingers. In a way, though, I am glad this was my first experience, because I don’t think I could have asked for a better one. Before the set I managed to grab a great craft beer and snap the coveted highest spot on the bamboo trellises at the back of the Field of Heaven area. I was all set to just sit back and take in the show. When the band hit the stage and started wailing, however, I knew I just watching this set wouldn’t be enough, I had to be a part of it. Within 30 seconds I had downed my beer, abandoned the perch and thrown myself head-first into the crowd. Boy was it worth it. Then partway through the set something special happened, that made me scream and pump my fist (and get some confused looks for it). Makigami Koichi, lead singer of the band Hikashu, joined the group. Now I am a really big Hikashu fan. Here is was, Makigami freaking Koichi and Shibusa freaking shirazu. It was an amazingly weird and engaging and inclusive set, and it was well worth the years of waiting.

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3) Mitski
To be honest, before the festival I wasn’t too familiar with Mitski. I had heard a few tracks, and I did a little research into her. I liked her songs, I thought her lyrics were witty and endearing. I wasn’t expecting the show I was treated to, though. I have seen few performers in my life be able to control the stage the way she did. Every move seemed deliberate without seeming over-rehearsed. She performed like a burlesque dancer with a degree in semiotics, and did it to great effect. If the rumors are true, this may have been one of the last chances to see her perform live. I just hope you were as lucky as me to have seen it while you had the chance.

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4) Susumu Hirasawa + EJIN
I have always been a fan of P-Model. Actually let me clarify, I have always been a fan of early P-Model, when they were a weird new-wavey post-punky kind of group. In all honesty I kind of lose interest when their catalog starts getting more electronic, and I never really listed to any of Hirasawa-san’s solo work. Now I think I need to go back and reappraise a lot of his music, because this performance was jaw-dropping. Susumu-san has the kind of charisma only a veteran real like him can have, and he really knew how to perform like a mad-professor in a musical laboratory. He basically strummed lasers as his primary instrument, for the love of pete. Add to that EJIN, the birds of death in white suspenders flanking him, to really set the theatrical mood. Then have one of them use a Tesla coil as an instrument. I honestly have never seen a show quite like it, and if you weren’t there than neither have you.

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5 The Buskers!
I must admit, I am a big fan of the busking crew that comes to Fuji Rock. Their leader has been a staple at the event for 20 years, and the retinue he brings with him is diverse. I think one of the things that appeals to me the most is the busking model itself. Basically if you like it, you pay. If you don’t, you don’t. If it rains and they can’t perform, they don’t get paid. This is much different than most of the performers on the stages, who have their contracts all worked out regardless of how things go. It might sound like I am focusing on the money here, but I’m actually more interested in how it informs the art. These performers need to learn how to be individual, engaging and charming in a unique way. Their paycheck depends on it, it leads to some truly interesting art, and the festival would feel a lot more bland without it. While magician Masato Moja, one-man-band EPPAI and avant-garde mime Kano Mami may be my personal favorites, each of the 11 performers who came to the festival this year added to the flavor of the fest in crucial ways.

While I may be happy right now to have taken a shower, eaten some vegetables and taken a nap on a real mattress, I can’t help but wish the weekend could have gone on forever. If I didn’t see you there this year, I’ll be sure to in the next.

Rookie a Go Go is a stage that typically features a lot of young bands banging out hard, bands who are cutting their teeth and finding their sound. Hoon felt different, like a band who knew their own identity and knew just what kind of sound they wanted for themselves. This vibe was a lot more subtle than most bands, jazzy without being brassy, technical without being showy. They seemed like a band confident enough not to have to resort to gimmicks, which is somewhat of a rarity for Rookie a Go Go. And also a rarity for a band that prominently features a harp.

While they may not have been what you would expect to see at Rookie a Go Go, they certainly were a delight. The crowd seemed to agree, giving the band a lot of the last lingering bit of energy they had before Sunday night drew to a close.

Now… take a guy with a pedigree like this, who happens to also look like a mad scientist, and put him on stage behind an arachnoid synth rack with Star Trek: The Next Generation green laser light rigs which are somehow an optical instrument I have never heard of. Also flank him with dual guitar players (SSHO and TAZZ) in white plague-era bird masks and have them perform what can be best described as electronic pop opera. Do you want more?

When he brings out his own guitar the show really moves, an almost Japanese industrial sound from a bygone era. This is cool. And inspiring. And absolutely packing the Red Marquee. Hirasawa’s singing is high and trilling, operatic and theatrical. Hell, the whole thing is pretty theatrical.

It was a theater the crowd knew by heart. They knew where and when to clap, they knew the big beats by heart. Eating it up is an understatement. The crowd was going wild for this weird show. And for good reason.

Beyond the theatricality, the music itself had a heavy pulsing electronic beat deep enough to shake the floor, but also solid and accessible song structure, melody and movement to separate it from a typical ‘electronic’ show. Guitars knew when to be there and when not to, and more importantly how to be there when they were. Harmonies when harmonies fit, rhythm guitar when it fit, shredding when it fit. The songs fit together like beautiful jagged puzzle pieces. And Hirasawa has been around long enough and experimented musically enough to know how to do them all together. In fact it sounded a little bit like Sparks at their most conceptual at moments…

Speaking of Sparks, remember earlier when I asked if you wanted more? How about a Tesla coil? Yeah, as if at this point the diabolical villain in a science fiction film vibe wasn’t enough, halfway through the set a Tesla coil erupted in a sea of controlled musical lightning bolts, manipulated through an ‘instrument weilded by one of Enin’s plague birds’. If you are going to put on a show, do it with lasers and lightning bolts.

This was by far the most unpredictably well received and weird show I experienced over the weekend. My goodness it was good.

In a dark suit with a popped collar, a suit which had been attacked by pastel colored paint rollers (a bit of blue on the cheek as well), Jason announced the end of the sunny day and the beginning of the drizzling night with Let’s See What the Night Can Do. Let’s hope it can’t do any more rain!

He and his band really embody the laid back, beachside vibe of his music- colorful clothes, expressive faces and messages of goodwill. Ambassadors of good vibes. It almost makes your teeth hurt they are so sweet.

Jason’s songs have a benignly infectious quality not many artists can compete with, the kind of music that fits in at a festival, at a party, in a commercial, in a grocery store. It is the kind of music that makes a baby smile while his mother claps his hands for him as she sings along. Universal appeal is rare.

He warmed up and loosened up and really let his character shine on tracks like the Jackson 5 infused Unlonely, bantering with the crowd and half-rapping in a cute and childish way. Rhyming homie and pepperoni, the kind of poetry anybody can enjoy

But really, he does know how to work a crowd. He got the Green Stage crowd doing some solid call and response work during I’m Yours. He is smarmy, but he is undeniably endearing.

He also has surprises up his sleeve. Does Jason Mraz seem like the kind of guy who would have a sitar and cajón based jam in the middle of his set? No, doesn’t. But does he do it? Yes, he does! While it seems like it may have come out of left field it actually lead surprisingly naturally into 93 Million Miles. Despite his off-the-cuff airs his set was well timed and nicely paced. Slower songs found comfortable places nestled between brighter ones, never letting the good vibes dim.

In the end his set felt a lot like a big old stick of cotton candy. Sweet, airy and colorful. The kind of thing nobody could really say they wouldn’t want at least a bite of, even if it isn’t really their confection of choice.

Sun Effects was founded in 1996 in Finland by Matti Jykylä, and this May doors opened on their new Sun Effects Japan branch. Sun Effects itself has been responsible for countless lighting installations around the world, and have had four years working in Japan before the founding of their Japan specific company.

We were lucky enough to have Matti take a moment of his time to walk us down the broadway and talk a little about his company and Fuji Rock generally.

A half kilometer of forest to light in a unique and artistic way seems like a daunting task, but this is the kind of thing Matti and Sun Effects has decades of experience doing. For him every new job is a new creative opportunity. Using projection mapping tools and techniques usually used on the sides of buildings to create whimsical images on the sides of small trees isn’t something most lighting companies would even think to do, let alone execute so masterfully. Speaking of execution, a series of 2,000 light bulbs and 500 lighting effects is something most people would be hard-pressed to get operational in the first place. Sun Effects Japan were able to do this and even after the torrential rainfall of Saturday were happy to report only 2 or 3 problems. Well designed and executed art done with attention to detail and done right.

Much like a virtuoso guitar player with a cheap guitar, gear alone is not what makes a lighting experience special. Their philosophy is content centered, not gear centered. While Sun Effects Japan does use the highest spec gear possible, what makes it special is the art and design that goes behind it. For them, the goal is the art and the product. Referring to Fuji Rock itself, Matti said, “If you try to do something to please everyone it usually turns out like shit. We try to do something different every time, something unique every time. The lighting industry is perfect. Something goes up for a few days, comes down, and then it is history.” Much like Fuji Rock itself, a good lighting installation is something to be experienced, enjoyed and remembered. And to make it stick it needs to be born from a creative place, not a corporate place.

Matti had lots of praise for Fuji Rock, calling it one of the top three music festivals in the world. He should know, he has worked for many of them. He believes this festival stays true to the fans, not just to the sponsors. He also credits the attendees for making the experience so magical. Always so clean, no pushing, safe and comfortable for families, people behave so well. As he said, “Public events are made by the audience, people make the party.”

Hopefully Fuji Rock will be lucky enough to have Sun Effects back in the future, and if we do we are sure to be in for a fresh new experience. Things shouldn’t repeat, he said. “You have to go back and keep things fresh.”

Despite the fact that the boardwalk is and may remain closed today, be sure to spend some time with the projection onto the forest opposite the white stage. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

I know ‘the first bite is with the eyes’ is about food, but let’s just say this applies to music too. If so, this Kaiyote is a rich dish indeed. Pokémon knees, pink Mickey Mouse ears adorned with Kewpie dolls, a broad canvas of tattoos extending up the throat, shocking blue eyeshadow and Anpanman rosy cheeks. A lot going on. Personally I was more drawn to the bass player’s laid back fashion. Laid back to the point of just being a silk bathrobe and trucker hat. They stood out.

Once the retinal glare died down one was able to sink into the music, which started out quite rich and soulful straight out the gate. Big but not too overly showy vocals, solidly liquid bass-lines and drums played confidently but with restraint. Synths providing texture and mood. All in all a nicely balanced band.

Once Singer Naomi picked up the guitar to add punctuation the the sound it all came together. It was more sitting in your chair and groove than getting on your feet and dancing vibes, but in the sunlight and light breeze of early Sunday afternoon sitting and letting it all wash over you was just fine.

Towards the end of the set they started to get more aggressive, increasingly crunching effects on the bass and increasingly disjointed rhythms. More screaming than crooning in a good way. It seemed to alienate the crowd a little bit, but when the set wrapped with the two vibes dovetailing together the audience was brought right back. Complicated and halting rhythms made the band stand apart from other young groups trying to seed their own plot on the groove-front.

In the end Hiatus Kaiyote did what few bands can do, they managed to be both engaging and atmospheric. If you wanted to engage they were there to meet you, and if you wanted to relax they were there to set the mood.

DJ Baby Soul, Swedish by way of London and Scandinavianly statuesque and blonde, was striking not only for her looks and attitude, but for her tunes as well. She was constantly in motion, either dancing or handling the classic reggae and soul 45s (yes, all vinyl). And what a selection of tracks it was, totally out of place for the surroundings but exactly what everyone needed.

As her set went on, more and more people rose from the dead to bop on the dance floor, a true miracle performed right before my eyes. Especially when the moon landing novelty songs went into rotation. It was a weird night.

The legendary troupe founded in 1988 by Daisuke Fuwa started their set as strong as any group could ever hope to- with an epic, anthemic jam accompanied by Day-Glo orange dancers twirling bananas and…. a giant puppet wailing on the saxophone. Almost every band in the world would foam at the mouth merely at the thought of closing a set like this. Shibusashirazu opens with it.

Without letting the tension drop, they moved into another huge jam, this one supported by a head to toe white painted ballerina butoh dancer. But to leave the things to see to the side for a moment, there are also things to hear.

The thing that really makes Shibusashirazu work is the fact that the band doesn’t even need these theatrics to be amazing. Conductor at the front, cigarette dangling from his lips, orchestrating a group of impeccable musicians as they blended free jazz, no wave noise, funk grooves, shredding guitar solos, in short expertly done kitchen sink genre madness.

About fifteen minutes into the set a very special guest joined the madness- Makigami Koichi, lead singer of none other than legendary band Hikashu, who threw down some crazy caveman scat. My goodness, match made in heaven right here. He stayed on throughout the set to play the world’s smallest trumpet.

They assured us mid set that, 30 years into their career, they are still doing it how they want it done. They slept in tents last night too. They too suffered through the rain. As wild as they may be, we are part of the same family.

Toward the end of the set the band offered up their mellowest fare, still epic and driven by wailing guitar, but less frenetic and accompanied by what appeared to be a dancing god of death in a lovely dress. All supported by Makigami’s vocal approximation of a theramin.

Things finally ended with another slightly somber song, which saw all the cast of characters reassemble on stage, our butoh friend now painted chrome silver. The music swelled, the vibes crescendoed and went wild. At the end of it all it truly felt like we were all cast members in Shibusashirazu’s grand performance.

If everything up until this point has sounded like the ravings of a mad person you obviously haven’t seen Shibusashirazu before. I assure you this has been a blow by blow account. Unless I, too, have lost my mind.

Skirt is, of course, a band. And quite a good one at that! However, vocalist and guitarist Wataru Sawabe is undeniably the star of the show. His performance style has a kind of earnesty and authenticity that can’t be faked. It also helps that his songs are extremely catchy.

The band started their set by rollicking from one uptempo conga drum fueled banger to the next, fast and guitar-driven but not hard. By the time he got to their popular track Seven Star the tempo was breakneck, like the band was racing against itself. Woke up the crowd like a shot of espresso.

After this, Watanabe switched to an acoustic guitar and the tempo relaxed a bit, but kept the crowd tapping their toes and bobbing their heads.

After a few heartfelt little emotional jams back on the electric guitar, it was time once again to get people moving. The pop went down, and the funk went up with Watanabe showing his range as a songwriter and musician on his song Kaisou

When Skirt exited the stage they left behind them a lingering sense of both nostalgia and emotional optimism, perhaps the best blend of emotions to carry into a Fuji Rock Sunday.

He had planned to be posted up in the forest walkway between the White and Green stages throughout the duration of the festival, but rain cancelled most of his scheduled appearances. If the weather holds today please take my advice… find him, enjoy him and then pay him well. He is a busker after all, and the weekend’s weather hasn’t been kind to them. Help make their Fuji Rock experience as valuable as they make ours.