Two versions of PUNPEE collided when a look alike dressed in the same gear as his 2017 White Stage set appeared before the real-life PUNPEE, making for an eye-catching visualization of the past and present.

PUNPEE is a well-loved Tokyo based multi talented DJ, rapper, and sound engineer with an extensive list of albums, EPs and singles under his belt. He is no stranger to the Fuji Rock festival, performing here a number of times on numerous stages. This time he performed memorable tracks such as “Time Machine ni Notte” (タイムマシンにのって), “BUDDY” with BIM, and finished strong with “Oldies”.

“It took 14 years to get here”, says PUNPEE, as he overlooked an impressively large crowd on the field of the Green Stage. The audience’s joy was evident as there were smiles all around and an infectious energy felt across a distance. Throughout his performance he shared heartfelt snippets of his life and conveyed immense gratitude for his journey so far.

In the backdrop, the crowd was treated to animated short films featuring PUNPEE himself, tailored to the tracks at play. With the help of special guests, 5lack, ZEEBRA, and BIM, in a span of one hour, we were treated to years worth of his work. It was an eclectic and thoughtful celebration of how far he has come, and with a new collaborative EP on the way, it looks like PUNPEE is really just getting started.

The stage changed from the yellow hues of the lamps to pink lights on one side of the stage, and blue on the other as Obukuro began singing a love song; it felt as though the man and woman were singing to each other. The gospel-inspired R&B music was layered on with hip-hop and the DJ. Obukuro, as well as his backup singers’ vocal ranges are absolutely one of the best that were heard all weekend at the festival.

Once there was a pause in the music, Obukuro made note that he just returned from England, after 3 months of his tour. Fuji Rock ’22 concludes his tour and he asked the audience if it would alright to open a can of beer at the end of his set, since he hasn’t drank over the tour. He also exclaimed that he turned down live streaming for his set from the festival because “my music isn’t meant to be watched on a computer screen,” and he praised the crowd for turning down big-namers, Superorganism (who were playing at the same time on the White Stage), to be at his musical experience all the way out in the countryside of Niigata.

His set transformed from Sunday-morning gospel to deeper, darker beats heard at clubs as the sun began to set. Whether people were there to wind down after a long, hot weekend, or to start off their long night ahead, Obukuro provided the perfect amount of musical entertainment.

Obukuro is the CEO of Tokyo Recordings, which has produced acts such as Wednesday Campanella and Kou Shibasaki. He has also co-produced music with famous Japanese American musician, Hikaru Utada (which was briefly rumored to be a secret act at Fuji Rock this year).

With neon green hair and a black corset, she walked onto the Green Stage at 9:10 pm on Sunday night, warmly welcomed by a sea of excited fans. As an audience member watching her perform for the very first time, I quickly came to understand her impact on the music scene as the ground quite literally shook beneath my feet at the beginning of her set. Pyrotechnics were widely used throughout her performance, with flames of fire making for an impressive and unexpected introduction.

She opened with her song, “Nightmare”, a track that recounts struggle, yet reinstills a power back in the narratives of womanhood. Behind her, video clips of past Women’s Marches could be seen with signs reading “Abortion is healthcare”. “I know the world isn’t what we thought it would be,” she says, “but we’re still going to have a good time, right?”. When something needs to be said, Halsey does so with an edge and a voice capable of reverberating across a distance.

The setlist featured a well balanced choice of tracks across her many albums such as “Without Me”,“Colors”, and “You should be sad”, and included a bombshell cover of the 80s comeback hit, “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)” by Kate Bush. “To do this festival is my dream, so thank you for making that dream come alive tonight”, she excitedly mentions mid performance. Her passion and gratitude could be felt across the field, and the show concluded in power and a whole lot of confetti.

She began her set alone on the stage accompanying herself on the piano. Her performance was so consuming that the crowd was itching to applaud and show their love. There was no time for this however, as she jumped straight from one song into the next by bridging the songs together with some improvised vocalization. Once the first act finished the applause was uproarious. The rest of the band finally trickled out as things settled down. Nakamura collected herself before admitting that she had been focusing really hard during that whole sequence.

Nakamura continued to prove her genius artistry with the way she directed her band and backup chorus. It really was like watching a conductor rather than a solo artist the way she commanded different parts of the band. Although she was doing the most singing and performing, she stepped back to let other members of her crew shine. It was really amazing to see some of her very talented chorus take the lead on certain vocals. For example, one of the singers, Azumi Takahashi, took lead vocals to belt the finale of a song with a power Nakamura said she needed help with. Her drummer and bassist also got stand out moments where their volume was turned up in the speakers. For one piece, Nakamura pulled the chorus’ starting pitch out of thin air which was a very subtle display of talent. Given this and her incredible pitch accuracy I would not be surprised if Nakamura had perfect pitch. (For those who don’t know, perfect pitch is very rare and VERY impressive.)

With all of her talent, she still managed to come off as very humble and earnest. The audience was fully taken by her, laughing after each comment she made. Everyone was enraptured by her artistry and charm.

Everything in Nakamura’s set just seemed so tastefully done. It had the touch of a true musician to it all.

With colored light as dense as paint thrown on the trees in thick, shifting day-glo splendor, the boardwalk and for the first time this year the main drag between the White and Green stages were lit up like a technicolor wonderland, and all thanks to Sun Effects. It took nearly 1km of bulb line and countless projectors to do it, but if you had a chance to catch the nocturnal majesty I think you’ll agree it was worth it.

Here’s hoping Sun Effects Japan is back next to light up the night!