Veteran Japanese rockers Mr. Children attracted so many fans to this year's edition of the Summer Sonic music festival that they made Smashing Pumpkins' frontman Billy Corgan upset.
"Thank-you for the warm reception," he said sarcastically in Osaka on Saturday, in response to the legions of Mr. Children fans who crowded the area just ahead of the Japanese group's set. Ah, the trials of being an opening act.
Despite Corgan's rage, Mr. Children's supporters were one of the reasons the 14th Summer Sonic, held simultaneously in Chiba (representing Tokyo) and Osaka, sold out both legs of the event (as well as the pre-festival SonicMania night) for the first time ever. The festival's decision to cater to the disparate fandoms of hard rock and J-pop made this happen, and resulted in some of the most impressive crowds Summer Sonic has ever seen.