Ready to Rock at Fuji Rock Fest '01!

We are about to launch the new fujirockers.org website - refreshed witha facelift and charged with the energy of this year's new faces.

The first thing we are doing, is giving the website a whole new look. All going well, it should be riding the ether around March 1 - give or take the odd techie teething pain.

Also, this time round, instead of web-maistro Yuki Okada, who has served us steadfastly since the first Fuji through till last year, the fujirockers.org website is being designed by Michael Follini, who has been a regular on the internet team also since the beggining of FRF. This year Michael gets his chance to unleash his vision of the festival in a 100 percent pure pixelated RGB. You can check out some of his other work at CyberStrom.

In addition to the new look, you may notice some changes to the feel of this year's Fuji Rock Festival homepage. To better organize the contents, we are also making a some small structural changes. For example, if you're looking for the familiar (and popular) FROM ORG section, where we answer all the questions you have about the festival and constantly feature updates, inside scoops and exclusives on the line-up, well... you will now find it safe 'n' snug at Fuji Rock Express. This is where you will find all the latest information, hot off the (ex)press with everything you want and need to know about this year's festival.

We have also decided to pull the plug on the ROCKERS POLL, which is kind of sad as this was a section we created just for fun. Unfortunately it just stopped making sense due to the spamming of biased votes. RIP ROCKERS POLL...

This might be a good time to remind you that the Fuji Rock Festival homepage is staffed by volunteers, many of whom got together through the aptly named GET TOGETHER BBS. This section actually started out as a part of the official homepage, but since last year it has been hosted on the fujirockers.org website. It is now therefore an unofficial area, not monitored by Smash. But no matter which site you visit, everyone involved with information gathering is committed to responsible reporting. However, if you want the official word on those sneeky peek previews of the line-up, et al, be sure to visit Smash's official Fuji Rock Festival website for confirmation.

This year's Fuji Rock Festival '01 will have the best-ever line up in its five-year history.

"If all the artists I'm currently negotiating with end up playing at this year's festival, and my feeling is that most of them will end up confirming, then I can tell you - this will be THE best festival line-up in the WORLD. It will certainly be the best-ever in the five years of Fuji Rock so far..."

Thus spake Taisho, at a meeting just a few days ago.

Many volunteer staff members have already scored a lot of exclusive bits and pieces of information directly from Taisho. Those are the sort of teazers we post on the fujirockers.org website. So, as Taisho said, if most of the artists currently under negotiation actually come and perform at this year's festival, the Fuji Rock Fest '01 will be the best of all festivals ever held anywhere in the world. It's a poetentially scorchin' hot line up!

Fujirockers.org will make the first exclusive announcement of the line-up on February 27 in Japanese section and a couple of days later in English.

As well as having a hot hot hot line-up, Taisho also believes that FRF is and should be an authentic festival - not just an open-air concert with some hot-dog stands. Taisho says we will definitely have a circus this year - perhaps the only thing missing (though we did have a horror house last year) to give the Fuji Rock Festival its official bona fides as a world-class festival.

There are so many things to do and enjoy in addition to seeing your favorite bands up live and large on stage. For a start, the Naeba location is a full-on natural wonderland and their crew also get into the spirit of the festival - building bridges, offering the golf course to campers, installing showers and generally helping all Fuji Rockers appreciate the total experience. There are also restaurants where you can enjoy food from around the globe and a market area where street performers can roam or set up a stage for a while.

Last year a horror house and this year a circus - Taisho's ideas just keep growing. Actually, you can get a sneak peek at the circus in Smashing Mag, but if you ask me they look like the Rocky Horror Show on the road with Mad Max. It will definitely be a showstealer at the Fuji Rock Festival '01.

Let's get together for the best Fuji Rock Festival!

As I mentioned, we will be posting constant updates of festival information on this website - fujirockets.org, but the main act appearing at the festival will be YOU! But that means that it's also up to YOU to make it a great festival.

Many of the artists who've played at previous FRFs have praised the festival for being the cleanest in the world. Many of them have also said that when they leave the backstage area and walk around the festival site, they never get mobbed by fans. According to the Naeba locals, the punters who come to the festival are far bettermannered than those who come during winter to ski. Considering the awesome line up, my guess is that there will be even more people attending this year's festival, so we may have to work a little harder to make it "the cleanest festival in the world" and, I hope, an even more beautiful one.

Every year we ask all Fuji Rockers to please be sure to be responsible for yourselves and your possessions. Let's just help each other and be at peace with each other and make Naeba a miracle valley again this year. Fortunately, we have not yet had bad weather for the festival at Naeba, however, we did have some heavy shower, Yudachi, everyday for a while prior to last year's festival. There are no guarantees - heavy rain or a pleasant mist: we cannot predict the weather. So don't forget to make like cub scouts and be prepared - come rain or cold or shine..

Although details for Fuji Rock Festival '01 will be officialy announced on March 1, you can already get a lot of useful information about the festival by yourself. Earlier on the bulletin board, someone asked "When will the next festival will be held?" The dates and location of Fuji Rock '01 were already posted a long time ago in the FROM TAISHO section. If you haven't browsed the updates already online, you may want to check them out. And also take a look at some of the other websites listed in Rockin' Links and Rockers Links. You can get info about hotels in Naeba via their homepages.

Well, that's it from me. Now it's over to you to get ready to rock!!!

Reported by nob
Translated by Yohei  (Feb 27, 2001)