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Old 2008.06.07, 12:22 PM   #1
gekokujyo
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Default Rock Festival 101

Ok people, in view of RSRF that's happening in August, which I am attending, I thought that there'd be no better place to seek advice than here.

I have zero experience with attending these things in Japan, would appreciate any sort of advice, tips etc, on what to take note of/look out for, for me to survive this experience and have the best time there I possibly can.

In particular, uh, how do the stages work? Do they have endless expanses of land for people to stand at? Are the crowds insane? Should I go insane early (how early) to secure a good viewing spot? Should I bring pepper spray?

Things like that.

Much thanks!
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Old 2008.06.08, 08:58 PM   #2
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I haven't been to an outdoor festival in Japan. Only once an indoor one and my experience, as with the rest of Japanese society, is that Japanese people and their social gatherings of this kind more closely resemble a western upper-class tea-party in comparison with the (armageddon-like) rockfestivals in Europe.

With that said, I think a pit is always a pit if you choose to advance such far towards the stage. For me I am fairly fine with standing a distance from the stage because in my country I'm taller than most and here I'm a giant. At live festivals with big stages it's likely less of a problem, but at small venues I feel bad about it because I surely block the view of any living creature behind me...
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Old 2008.06.09, 12:41 AM   #3
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I think you'll be good without the pepper spray.

The expanse of land isn't exactly endless; it's like a really big lawn.

Get there 2-3 hours before the show starts for a good spot. Maybe 4 if you're feeling extra frisky. Obviously, there'll be a lot of competition for the area in front of the stage, so it all depends on how anal you are about being right up in Ringo's nostrils.

Buy souvenirs! It's really cool that a. you're able to go and b. a Ringo concert will be your first, so commemorate.

Have fun more than worrying about anything else. I tend to stick out like a big red sore thumb at these Japanese venues and nobody gives a shit. You're all there to just listen to good music.
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Old 2008.06.09, 03:30 AM   #4
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Awesome, this has been really helpful.

They aren't anal about photography at these events right? I seem to remember that they are rather strict about photography at concerts (those at proper indoor venues)?
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Old 2008.06.09, 04:06 AM   #5
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I have no idea how similar festivals are in Japan, but I'll give you my two cents on how they work in the UK, and I go to a major one yearly. Judging from various pictures of RSRF, it looks pretty much like any other festival. Usually the main stage area has a huge expanse of land. Big enough for pretty much everybody to be there who wants to be there. Usually the further toward the front of the crowd you go, the more dense it gets, with people getting wilder. As you move further back through the crowd you'll end up with people standing with enough space to individually dance (Rather than jump in a wave of people or mosh) and further back from that you'll have people standing and sitting.

As for getting there, I usually arrive at the stage about 10-15 minutes before the act starts. It's usually very easy to work your way through the crowd to get to any place you want to and without rudely pushing people out of the way (Unless you literally want to be at the very front). I just don't like to stand at the front for 2-3 acts before the act I want to see starts if I have no interest in the previous acts. You'll end up tired, sweaty, dehydrated and likely in need of a toilet, thus having to leave the crowd anyway. I don't know how densely packed a Shiina crowd will be, creating impenetrable waves of people if you arrive late, but that's never happened to me. I've always managed to work my way to exactly where I want to be for some of the biggest acts in the world.

As for the pepper spray, what for? Is there a history of violence at Japanese festivals? I've never seen any kind of deliberate violence at a festival I've been to, usually everybody is up for a good time and great fun. Even at Leeds festival which is renowned for it's rioting. And again, I don't know if Japanese festivals work similarly, but there isn't a problem with photography at any UK festivals. It would be pretty hard to clamp down on such a thing in such a vast crowd.
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Old 2008.06.09, 08:08 AM   #6
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I've been there tokyo jihen's concert several times and there were no one who took a picture.(and this is why we could get few concert photos) Usually they are very strict in this matter and more importantly most of audiences observe this rule. About festivals you can refer to serveral SR and TJ festival videos such as 'Fuji Rock Festival 2004', 'Meet The World Beat 2004' or 'Countdown Japan 06/07'. At least in this videos I can't see anyone taking a picture and you don't have to worry about punchs from audiences. Just remember the concert is held in the height of summer. I think the most dangerous enemy is 'the heat'.
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