Japan's 2017 summer music festival landscape has mostly settled into place. The Fuji Rock Festival, after an upbeat 20th anniversary last year, kicked up excitement thanks to a top-heavy bill headlined by Gorillaz, Aphex Twin and Bjork, along with the promise of more left-field fare down in the smaller font. Summer Sonic, meanwhile, has placed Calvin Harris and Foo Fighters up front, followed by an array of Western acts.
It's business as usual for the top two gatherings centered around international acts — Fuji Rock leans toward eclectic bookings, while Summer Sonic errs on the side of the mainstream, down to pretending the Black Eyed Peas warrant a main stage appearance (insert your own "so 2000 and late" joke).
A closer examination of the line-ups, however, reveals a striking fact: Both events are stacked with domestic acts, from the biggest stages to the off-the-beaten-path spots. As Western music continues to recede in terms of sales and visibility in Japan, summer festivals are turning to homegrown groups. It's a natural move set to continue, but it could backfire.