Chiba, Japan, in the sweltering summer. Over a hundred thousand people walk the concrete expanse of Makuhari Messe, the famed convention space known for hosting as diverse events as the Tokyo Game Show, Jump Festa, and the Tokyo Motor Show. Colored towels with branding are wrapped around shoulders as far as the eye can see; overpriced beer in transparent plastic cup sloshes overboard, staining the walkways and filling the vast space with the scent of evaporating hops. From huge stages on opposite ends of the venue, snatches of rock and hip hop are barely audible over the cheers. The air is filled with speech and song in Japanese – and in English.
This is Summer Sonic, one of the great music festivals of Japan. A staple since 2000, the festival is held simultaneously at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba, near Tokyo, and in Osaka; bands travel between the cities, performing in one the first day and the other the second. Here, major global stars like Jay Z, Beck, and Chance the Rapper switch off performances with local heavies like Radwimps and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. It’s this mix of the local and the international, on a massive scale, that Summer Sonic likes to promote itself as; it’s also what, improbably, it’s promising this year.
There’s only one problem. We’re still in a global pandemic, one which has closed down Japanese borders and halted the issuance of entertainer visas. Besides international Olympic teams, essentially no one is currently being let into the country who isn’t already a citizen or a residency holder. And with innumerable spouses, students, job-holders, and more waiting for a year and a half to move on with their lives and to be able to enter Japan, the question becomes: what does Summer Sonic think makes them so special?
Headlining Head-Scratcher
On May 30th, the Summer Sonic Twitter account made a surprise announcement. In spite of the near-complete cessation of visa processing not related to the upcoming Olympics, the festival promised that it would be …
…the very first international music festival in Japan this year of 2021 with the artists from overseas.
From Summer Sonic’s English-language press release.
This announcement beguiled some observers. After all, other major summer festivals, like Fuji Rock, have already announced they would only host domestic acts. Yet Summer Sonic, without even presenting a guest list, still insisted they would be able to procure entertainer visas in time for September. They state that “…we have already witnessed some successful cases” as regards attempts to bring in foreign entertainment. “[We] are moving forward working with the auhorites [sic] on the safe guidelines to achieve this goal after the Olympics.”
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Indeed, the Olympics seem to be the lynchpin for these plans. Their press release assumes the “future success of the Tokyo Olympics.” Banking on overseas vaccinations and a triumphant Olympics, they imply that foreign guests will soon appear more palatable to immigration officials. However, with the first Delta Covid case already confirmed in a foreign team, this could be read as wishful thinking.
Backlash of the Bands
While the Japanese-language presser received thousands of likes on Twitter, the English-language version was a different story. With a comparatively scant 700 likes, all visible English comments expressed frustration and even anger at the festival assuming it could bring in foreign entertainers while the lives of normal people in and outside of Japan remained in limbo.
Others raised doubts regarding Summer Sonic’s optimism regarding vaccinations having any impact on visa issuance.
Meanwhile, Japanese comments on the JPN presser almost uniformly expressed excitement at the idea of international bands returning to Japan. As is perhaps understandable, the plight of international families and those stuck outside of the country remains far from the mind of most locals.
A Festival in Truth or Fiction?
It remains to be seen whether Summer Sonic will actually be able to bring in the promised foreign talent. As of June 17th, however, they have at least announced the headlining foreign acts: German DJ Zedd, Norwegian DJ Alan Walker, Dutch DJ Nicky Romero, Norwegian DJ Kygo, and American DJ Steve Aoki. There’s an easy pattern here; all the major announced acts are DJs.
This is a far cry from previous years, which featured numerous famed musical acts of all genres. 2019 alone hosts a massive collection of foreign talent playing on six stages; Weezer, Fall Out Boy, MGMT, Snow Patrol, Red Hot Chilly Peppers, Machine Gun Kelly, and more. The sheer number of bands playing the festival in 2019 was unlike anything the festival had seen before; 2021 looks to be a much-reduced outing, much as the press release indicates.
This, of course, brings us to the question: are these musical acts really going to be able to enter Japan? With no big-name bands yet signed on, it’s easy to imagine the reticence managers must feel towards the prospect of rushing a visa application and scheduling an artist for a festival they may never actually attend. As it stands, this looks more like Sonicmania–a separate EDM festival the same company puts on.
A Big Bet
More wrinkles present themselves when looking at the history of the event. In 2019, the last time Summer Sonic actually occurred, its main sponsor in Osaka was the Las Vegas Sands. At first glance, the casino and resorts company — most famous for the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas — seems an odd sponsor for a music festival a world away. Yet much closer at hand to the festival grounds is Yumeshima, a deserted, man-made island in Osaka Bay.
For over half a decade, Yumeshima (夢洲) has been one of the main imagined sites of the inert casino/resort industry as envisioned by former Prime Minister Abe. While Abe attempted to push through the legalization of IR (integrated resorts) with onsight gambling, mimicking the economic success of Singapore’s casino model, Las Vegas-based enterprises swirled around likely locations, hoping to create positive rapport and a reputation with those who hold the keys to land which might one day house potential multi-billion-dollar casino establishments.
Speaking for the Sands, George Tanasijevich, Managing Director of Global Development, said the following. “Music is one of the representative entertainments offered by Sands’ integrated resorts. We are planning to use music and entertainment during events in Osaka to appeal to both tourists and local residents, so Summer Sonic is an ideal festival [for these aims.]”
Financialized Future
On the whole, it seems the business model of Summer Sonic is highly integrated with ideas of internationality. Not only are huge foreign acts like the Red Hot Chilly Peppers and Jay Z major draws of their own; even the funding often comes from international corporations like the Sands. And in order to draw people to the event itself and get the event funded and thus profitable in the first place, an image of an opening Japan is necessary. If Japan is going to remain closed to all besides Olympic athletes, then this sort of foreign investment will dry up. If, however, Summer Sonic can claim that a safe, profitable international event is still possible in Japan, then it may just be able to will that (financialized) reality into existence.
Meanwhile, this bet may or may not pay off for the festival and its owner, Creativeman Productions Ltd. The company handles the tours of foreign acts like Ah-ha (currently scheduled for 2022); international talent is its bread and butter. The pandemic has ruined numerous entertainment venues and companies, and the desire to return to normality is palpable. Yet for those stuck abroad, or with loved ones stuck abroad, Summer Sonic’s confidence grates. Perhaps the government sees the value in revitalizing the entertainment industries; hopefully, the same officials will remember the others waiting abroad for that same invitation back to Japanese shores.
As for the festival itself; it remains to be seen who will actually receive that slip of paper letting them into the country to entertain the socially distanced crowds of Summer Sonic 2021.
Thanks to Japan by River Cruise for bringing this issue to the author’s attention.
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