Since they took place on successive weekends, it's difficult not to compare this year's editions of the Fuji Rock Festival and Summer Sonic, so let's do it. Fuji is bucolic where SS is urban. Fuji's vibe is communal and free-spirited, while the SS vibe is commercial and controlling. Fuji is populated by hippies-at-heart, while SS attracts 22-year-olds.
And what about the music? Fuji's lineup was huge and eclectic: something for everyone. Summer Sonic's represented the state of commercial popular music at this moment; or, more precisely, the state of commercial rock music. The closest thing to hip-hop was Blondie's "Rapture"; and electronica was either reduced to a history lesson (Devo) or absorbed into a rock context. Guitar bands were the norm, and while detractors will claim there was too much pop-punk, it came from the four biggest pop-punk bands in the world right now -- Blink 182, Sum 41, New Found Glory and Good Charlotte.
Held simultaneously in Osaka and Makuhari in Chiba, SS may be commercial but it's commercial in an honest and ambitious way. You want the most popular bands of the moment? We'll give you the most popular band of the moment. Radiohead was the reason the festival sold out, and it meant something more than just star power. The first hugely popular band since The Beatles who continually challenge their audience, Radiohead has achieved its lofty position not by regurgitating a successful formula, but by setting the bar higher with every album. They are the best proof that the market appreciates something other than predigested music. And they delivered with a heart-stopping festival-capping performance at the Chiba Marine Stadium Sunday night.