The xx, Khruangbin and Massive Attack are set to headline Fuji Rock Festival this weekend. But don¡¯t be surprised if Kaze Fujii steals the spotlight.?
Held annually at Naeba Ski Resort in Niigata Prefecture, Japan¡¯s premier summer music festival has increasingly embraced homegrown stars alongside its international lineup. Last year, city pop legend Tatsuro Yamashita transformed the main Green Stage into the weekend¡¯s hottest destination ahead of U.S. headliner Vulfpeck. Fujii looks poised for a similarly defining moment this Saturday.
Shortly after this year¡¯s lineup was announced in February, Fuji Rock¡¯s website briefly crashed due to a surge of visitors. Festival organizers later suggested in an interview with Rolling Stone Japan that the overwhelming amount of online traffic was driven by Fujii fans. Three-day passes and one-day tickets for Saturday sold out in late May, fueling expectations that Fujii followers will pack the Green Stage from the front rail to the forest edge.
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