Having survived the first two days of Fuji Rock Fest '01 with relative elan, I woke up Sunday morning relatively refreshed, despite my heat trap of a tent. The weather throughout the fest had been quite nice, considering the season. Only a smattering of rain (on the first day), and mild temperatures, especially during the late afternoon. And so i began to prepare for my departure that evening, lugging a bag to my car, and buying a fest shirt. After hanging with a friend during the early afternoon in his air-conditioned minivan, i walked over to see Two Lone Swordsmen.
I was surprised that they weren't wearing masks, considering the dearth of any info whatsoever in their albums (pretty much just song titles and lengths are all you'll find). It wasn't especially crowded, but everyone seemed to be dancing or having a good time. Of the tracks they played, i recognized "Brootle," "Neuflex," and "You are..." A really danceable set, which is surprising considering their critical appeal. After the end of the set, i wandered over to catch the beginning of System of a Down.
System of a Down was completely insane. They introduced songs by saying "This song is about drugs" or "This song is about sticking needles in your arm" or "This song is about cocaine. Who here likes cocaine?" As i was leaving to go see Squarepusher, i heard "This song is about an orgy." The music is pretty much generic death/nu metal riffage, although the singer actually does sing most of the time. Their onstage demeanor would have been a much bigger hit in the U.S. (where all the high school dropouts would have shouted "Fuck yeah!" in response to the bassist's expressed admiration to mind-altering substances), but the attitude toward drugs over here is much less permissive. Many of the audience on the periphery seemed a little stunned by the whole spectacle in fact.
But on to Mr. Tom Jenkinson (aka Squarepusher). His appearance reminded me of the title character in _Amadeus_, and his general attitude did call to mind Tom Hulce's whining, peevish Mozart as he implored the audience to dance more. The music was somewhat manic, and heavy on randomness and breakbeats, so it wasn't exactly the most danceable stuff i've heard, but it was cool. Still, i wish he could have pulled out more stuff from _Music is Rotted One Note_.
After grabbing some dinner, i went and watched Tool perform on the main stage. Unlike just about everyone else who had played the main stage, the video screens around the stage didn't show the band performing, instead displaying what could be described a weird cross between claymation and porn looped over and over. The band was tight, and they sounded pretty much like their albums (although the vox were a little farther down in the mix for the first few songs). Their set list (not in order): "the grudge", "schism", "forty-six and two", "stinkfist," "sober," "parabola," "aenema," and maybe a couple of others. Good show, but they didn't really offer anything different from their recorded body of work, except for the bizarre multimedia experience.
Being the huge Eminem fan that i am (his was the last show of the fest on the main stage), i hied myself the hell out of the fest grounds as soon as tool ended, packed up my tent, and left naeba. i was a bit sorry not to catch any of ani difranco's set, as i've heard she's not bad, but it was just a case of bad timing, and i wanted to sleep in a place where i wasn't assured of waking up at 8:30 am. (i also really needed a shower.) The drive back wasn't bad...Son Volt's _Wide Swing Tremelo_ makes great driving music. i did have to stop at a rest area about an hour out of naeba and take a 40 min. nap, but i did manage to get into that driving groove after a couple of hours. I got home around 3:30 am, and, after checking my mail, collapsed into bed, feeling the caffiene course out of my system. So that was my Fuji Rock experience. Many thanks to the new friends i made at the fest (who i mooched sunscreen and tent stakes off of). And thanks to God for traveling mercies.
been listening to: vigilantes of love, tool, miles davis quintet, squarepusher
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