History - 2008
Fact file
Dates
July 25, 26, 27, 2008
Place
Naeba Skii Resort, Niigata
Figures
Audience
119,000 (cumulative)
Campers
15,000
Tents
7,500
What happened?
2008 was the 150th anniversary of The Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Amity and Commerce with collaborative events in both countries that carried 'UK-Japan' slogan. Fuji Rock Festival was one such event and featured more UK artists than usual, with the Green Stage on Friday devoted to UK artists and Saturday filled with just UK and Japanese bands.
My Bloody Valentine reunited after 17 years, and were a dream come true! The audience revelled in the band's beautiful and magnificent sound, as it echoed around the vast natural surroundings of Naeba. The weekend included first time appearances from the likes of Kasabian, Bloc Party and Travis. Bootsy Collins' tribute to the godfather of soul was also unforgettable.
On Saturday, the bar was raised again by a spectacular performance from Underworld, with giant tube lighting onstage and the release of hundreds of huge inflatable balls over the heads of the audience at the climax of their set. Gogol Bordello, whose Orange Court performance had been much talked about, excited the packed Palace Of Wonder audience with a second "late-night " gig. Their wild rocking live show left the audience reeling; such an intimate encounter with the band was one of the excitements of the year.
The Green Stage opened a refreshed and relaxed Sunday afternoon with Melee and Jason Mraz and the Festival's signature band The Music came back to perform another inspiring show. Unfortunately Kiyoshiro Imawano's appearance was cancelled but Primal Scream and The Birthday covered his absence and rocked the audience, followed by Asian Dub Foundation who closed the Green Stage with another energetic performance.
A new side show was added to the ever evolving list of stages - the Cabaret Fiesta, with a strong Mexican atmosphere, tequila and a Mariachi band, was found next to the Stoned Circle, which returned for its 2nd year.
The Fuji Rock Festival has always tried to tackle the issue of recycling resources used within the event. Bio Diesel Fuel (BDF), recycled from used cooking oil, has been used for powering the Avalon, Field Of Heaven, and Board Walk areas. A new plastic recycling project was introduced this year, and plastic bottles collected in 2007 were transformed into staff jackets and the original 'My Bottle' was made available in the Official Goods shop.
Also new was 'FUJIROCKERS - THE HISTORY OF THE FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL' the official documentary of the festival, released on July 23rd as a double disk DVD.
The film covers the 11 years of Fuji Rock from the start 1997 on Mount Fuji, to 2007 in Naeba. It features documentary footage, festival life enjoying music and nature, as well as live performances from 123 artists who have helped make the Fuji Rock legend. This unique festival documentary film, unlike any other in the world, has attracted widespread attention and proved to be an extraordinary hit.
Timetable 2008
GREEN STAGE | ||
7/25 (FRI) | 7/26 (SAT) | 7/27 (SUN) |
RODRIGO Y GABRIELA | eastern youth | MELEE |
THE PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | THE COURTEENERS | JASON MRAZ |
quruli | HARD- FI | JAKOB DYLAN OF THE WALLFLOWERS |
TRAVIS | ASIAN DUB FOUNDATION | BEN FOLDS |
BLOC PARTY | THE CRO-MAGNONS | ELLEGARDEN |
KASABIAN | PRIMAL SCREAM | The Birthday |
MY BLOODY VALENTINE | UNDERWORLD | PRIMAL SCREAM |
--- | --- | ASIAN DUB FOUNDATION |
WHITE STAGE | ||
7/25 (FRI) | 7/26 (SAT) | 7/27 (SUN) |
RYUKYUDISKO | Ling tosite sigure | MONO |
Harada Ikuko | ASPARAGUS | WRENCH |
JAMIE LIDELL | ALL | MYSTERY JETS |
KATE NASH | THE CRIBS | THE FUTUREHEADS |
EGO-WRAPPIN' | THE ZUTONS | STEPHEN MALKMUS & THE JICKS |
GALACTIC featuring Chali 2na (of Jurassic 5) and Boots Riley (of The Coup) | GOGOL BORDELLO | THE BREEDERS |
Bootsy Collins Tribute to the Godfather of Soul | The Birthday | Yurayurateikoku |
--- | SIMPLE PLAN | THE MUSIC |
RED MARQUEE | ||
7/25 (FRI) | 7/26 (SAT) | 7/27 (SUN) |
carrozzeria FRIDAY REVIEW | carrozzeria SATURDAY REVIEW | carrozzeria SUNDAY REVIEW |
RAZORS EDGE | MONGOL800 | Riddim Saunter |
MIDNIGHT JUGGERNAUTS | M!NK | THE DEATH SET |
THE WHIGS | BLACKMARKET | WHITE LIES |
THE RASCALS | GOTYE | ONE NIGHT ONLY |
SPOON | ROGER JOSEPH MANNING JR. | FOALS |
GOSSIP | locofrank | THE GO!TEAM |
THE VINES | TRICKY | BEAT CRUSADERS |
FEEDER | IAN BROWN | CSS |
PLANET GROOVE | TRIBAL CIRCUS | SUNDAY SESSION |
DJ FRESH presents SOUNDWEAPON | PRINCESS SUPERSTAR | NEON NEON |
DJ MEHDI | EROL ALKAN | ADRIAN SHERWOOD |
DAN LE SAC VS SCROOBIUS PIP | SWITCH | FANCY |
GRANDMASTER FLASH | RICHIE HAWTIN | FreeTEMPO |
Shing02 | --- | DatA |
1945 a.k.a KURANAKA | --- | AEO( EYE+ Sawai+Jo) |
--- | --- | UKAWANIMATION! |
FIELD OF HEAVEN | ||
7/25 (FRI) | 7/26 (SAT) | 7/27 (SUN) |
Nakayama Uri | UNDERCOVER EXPRESS | DOUBLE FAMOUS |
INO hidefumi LIVE SET | THE FUMES | SEASICK STEVE |
LITTLE TEMPO | BETTYE LAVETTE | J.A.M (piano trio from SOIL&"PIMP"SESSIONS) |
JASON FALKNER | Yanagi George& RAINY WOOD | MICHAEL FRANTI AND SPEARHEAD |
SPECIAL OTHERS | FLOWER TRAVELLIN' BAND | LEE 'SCRATCH' PERRY |
mice parade | LETTUCE | RODRIGO Y GABRIELA |
THE NEW MASTERSOUNDS | --- | --- |
ORANGE COURT | ||
DOBERMAN | PARA | BAGDAD CAFE THE trench town |
HOCUS POCUS | Suzuki Keiichi/Captain HATE and The Seasick Sailors feat. Keiichi Sokabe | Kicell |
VERY BE CAREFUL | Oki Jin | Tomobe Masato with Miyake Shinji |
OZOMATLI | JANET KLEIN | Big Willie's Burlesque |
SHERBETS | MARK STEWART + THE MAFFIA | NARUYOSHI KIKUCHI DUB SEXTET |
--- | SPARKS | Bill Laswell presents Method of Defiance |
All Night Fuji | ||
Paul Van Dyk | ||
DENKI GROOVE | ||
kagami | ||
BRYAN BURTON-LEWIS | ||
sugiurumn | ||
DEXPISTOLS | ||
Gypsy Avalon | ||
7/25 (FRI) | 7/26 (SAT) | 7/27 (SUN) |
NGO Village TAlk: Hyper Power G8 | Comugi | NGO Village TAlk: Shift Green - Natural Energy |
Youmoutoohana | NGO Village TAlk: Truth of Rokkyasho Village | Tengusa |
Tawada Emi & The Acoustic Soul Infinity | salmon and garlic with anyo | ogura hirokazu from Yamagen |
Upendra and friends | Ashleigh Mannix | JANET KLEIN |
Sunshine Love Steel Orchestra | Tokumaru Shugo | soul flower acoustic partisan |
sleepy.ab | TOMMEE | LIVE LOVES |
MASTARICA | Montelima(ex.Daigoro) | Mt.Delicious |
DJ HI-GO & DJ ERA | THE FLYING PADOVANIS | ASA-CHANG &JUNREI |
THE PALACE OF WONDER | ||
7/25 (FRI) | 7/26 (SAT) | 7/27 (SUN) |
ROOKIE A GO-GO | ||
mudy on the sakuban | satoutoshio | MOTHER |
imamon | karmaseki | 24-twofour- |
AFRICAEMO | UTSUBO | debcornelius |
SUBMARINE | Charlie Brown&Baseball Team | Taiheiyou-siranui-gakudan |
tengu-invaders | OLEDICKFOGGY | YOLZ IN THE SKY |
Crystal Palace tent | ||
Tear It Up | Funkin' Gypsies | Let's Crazy |
SIM CASS | YOSUKE TOMINAGA (CHAMP) & OIBON (CHAMP) | TRAMP! DJs |
Seasick Steve | MOUNTAIN MOCHA KILIMANJARO | Sheena & The Rokkets |
Ichihara 'icchie' Daisuke | Cumbia Kid | PINCH |
Trave-Wrappin' | Big Willie's Burlesque | Big Willie's Burlesque |
DR.IHARA ( CLUB SKA / LONDON NITE ) | Hackney Globetrotter | Tomi The Jazzy Monk(Repoll:FX) |
THE FLYING PADOVANIS | Gogol Bordello | SAMANYOLU with JVC FORCE TYO |
Mani | Hackney Globetrotter | SIM CASS |
ARENA | ||
Lords of Lightning / Feuerwasser | Lords of Lightning / Feuerwasser | Lords of Lightning / Feuerwasser |
NAEBA SHOKUDO | ||
7/25 (FRI) | 7/26 (SAT) | 7/27 (SUN) |
chopiiin | the trio de folkjamboree | THE FLYING PADOVANIS |
Tokumaru Shugo | Seasick Steve | Kicell |
outside yoshino | Big Willie's Burlesque | Nakagawa Goro |
so-on-g | JANET KLEIN | blues the butcher |
--- | NARUYOSHI KIKUCHI DUB SEXTET | --- |
DAY DREAMING AND SILENT BEEZE | ||
7/25 (FRI) | 7/26 (SAT) | 7/27 (SUN) |
Eccy | NEON | HAWTIN RICHIE |
Stoned Green Apples | group_inou | MATSUSAKA DAISUKE |
KOTANI KAZUYA | THE SAMOS MOBILE SET | YODA |
MemoryStorm | tamakiROY | SEINOIZE |
Daisuke "DSK" Kojima | Eccy presents SLYE COLLECTIVE | --- |
CHUB DU | origami | --- |
TAKIMI KENJI | DEXPISTOLS & ROC TRAX CREW | --- |
MOKUDO TEI | ||
7/25 (FRI) | 7/26 (SAT) | 7/27 (SUN) |
JUSTIN NOZUKA | YAOAO from Dachambo | Boot-Tondel |
Riddim Saunter ACOUSTIC | Nakagawa Goro | yukawa shione |