I really think FRF in 1997 - its first year- was the most important. I'm not talking about success or failure, but there were so many things all packed into it.
Six years has passed, and fortunately the weather has been great every year since then. But at the same time, there are a lot of people who never experienced FRF in 1997, and, to me, it looks like people are starting to come in less preparative as the years go by.
The FRF staff knows that even a simple shower in Naeba could cause serious damage. Also, Taisho says that if it rains hard in Naeba, there is a possibility that we will have to cancel the festival. Don't underestimate the mountain weather - be sure you are equipped to cope with the cold and the rain, just in case. Sleeping outside is very dangerous and should definitely not even be a consideration.
Anyway, here is an experience report from ☆☆☆-san, who has kindly reminded us about these things again. Is there anybody who has had a similar experience? We're still waiting for those experience reports. The word count should be roughly between 400 - 1000 Japanese characters (or 180-450 words in English), title it "FRF report" and email it to ORG-master.
Reported by ORG-master and translated by ORG-yuko, ORG-kaori, and ORG-yohei with a help of ORG-jason & ORG-damon (April 21, 2002)
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I'm not trying to turn FRF 1997 into a legend or anything, but I had never felt the power of music till going there - and ever since, music has been the most important thing to me, bringing an immense amount of happiness - all thanks to FRF 1997. Perhaps people feel the same thing in a different way, with Beck or Bjork in 1998, Underworld in 1999, or Patti Smith or Neil Young from last year.
I had always loved music, but for some reason had never been to a live performance. One day while browsing through a magazine, I happened to come across a FRF ad showing the superb artist line-up. I called my friend straight away and we headed for Tenjinyama. A little while after arriving, the Hi-lows started to play, despite the heavy rain. There was moshing going on all over the place - not just at the front. Before I knew what was happening, I and some dude had put our arms on shoulders each other grinning from ear to ear. I completely forgot about my friend. What was this feeling? Without even sparing a thought, I just continued on rocking to the Hi-lows and the Foo Fighters - that feeling was something I'd never experienced before.
But the weather was getting worse, and the temperature in the mountain dropping. Between performances, the MC kept announcing that there were many lost and sick people. It seemed like only a few people had brought protection against the bad weather such as raincoats in that first year. At any rate, there were a lot of first-timers to the rock festival like me who had come set to have an intensely rock steady time. Everybody was soaked. What's more, we couldn't just sit down and enjoy the music from a distance since everyone had to keep warm by herding to the front.
Just at that moment, finally, Rage Against the Machine started up the show. Considering it was my first live performance ever, I was suddenly thrust into something fantastic. What's more, the sound pressure, groove, and the unbelievable spirit within the sound reverberated throughout my body. I had only listened to their albums a few times, and my ears weren't used to it yet, but that only made it sound all the more free, especially because heavy rock had not really become mainstream in Japan by 1997. Anyhow, their music was ripping, so powerful and overwhelming there was no time to get a feeling for what kind of music sense they had. There must have been about 10 thousand people moshing knee-deep in mud. Despite the madness, everyone just kept on smiling! It was hard to see the stage by the second half because of the steam generated from the rain and the heat of the audience.
The feeling of joy continued right through to the end of the Red Hot Chili Peppers set. Looking back now, I recall being so keen to see the second day despite having to sleep in the middle of a full-on typhoon - people who had no place to sleep stayed on the stage with a blue sheet covering themselves. But the second day was cancelled.
Later, I saw the words "FRF big failure" in a magazine. But for me, this was the first chance I had experienced such impulsive emotions and sheer joy - feelings given to me through the live music that transcended the danger and went beyond the physical elements that you only saw with your eyes.
letter from ☆☆☆-san (April 21, 2002)
