J-POP Summit 2015 (Fort Mason) Day Two Report

Day One of J-POP Summit 2015 was almost too much for any one attendee to grasp. From the action on the Fort Mason Center Main Stage, to the action at Union Square, there was more than any one person can see in one day. Thankfully J-POP Summit is a two-day event!

The second day started off a little slower than the first with the J-POP IDOL Contest. This is another popular yearly tradition similar to the ODOTTEMITA contest. This year it was judged by a panel that included YANAKIKU who would also be the first performers of the day.

YANAKIKU marked their return to J-POP Summit with a set that included their super popular song "Fujiyama Disco". The pop duo have been wowing fans with their up-beat and fun songs ever since their formation and were fan favorites at J-POP Summit 2014. It was a pleasure to see them again and to see that their penchant for fun had not diminished one bit! Besides performing on the main stage, they could also be found at the Sake Summit Stage at Union Square and could also be found at the Ryokan Pavilion. Like FESTIVE and FAINT STAR, they were very approachable and more than willing to stop for a picture with their fans, many of whom they won over that day.

Following this, J-POP Summit attendees were treated to a fashion show featuring pieces by way of Baby, The Stars Shine Bright. This was followed by the MARUQ fashion content before the music acts continued.

Now day two had a sense of deja vu to it for a bit after this otherwise fresh start as we were treated to performances that also took place the day before. First up we got another performance by Little Glee Monster who today switched places with FESTIVE in the running order. I was pleased to see them again and it would be unfair to not mention that they performed a set that was slightly different than the one the day before. The energy was definitely still with them even though the attendance was slightly less than before. Little Glee Monster also performed at the Sake Summit Stage with YANAKIKU on this day and I was lucky enough to stop by their meet and greet in between the festivities.

Once again repeating part of the previous day's line-up we were treated to another round of FESTIVE. This time they performed the set that they had done the day before at the Sake Summit Stage (A set which was different than the one they did on the main stage) and were met with as much fan fervor as they had been at their previous performances. If anything fan reaction was stronger as they had had time to get to know the girls both by way of performance and by way of one-on-one interaction.

This is also a good time to mention their continued appearance at the CHEERZ booth. For those that don’t know, CHEERS is a smart phone app that allows you to “cheer” on your favorite idol by basically liking (cheering) their photos. There are many idols featured on this app including the members of FESTIVE. The app is available in the US on both the Apple and Android app stores.

Following this was another performance by FAINT STAR. I was quickly becoming a fan of their sound and their songs so it was a pleasure to see them again. Their set list was something of a mix between their sets the previous days, but I think their reception was a little stronger most likely owing to the same factors that helped FESTIVE. Also like the previous day, it was easy to find the pair around the event for that quick autograph/photo op.

Next up we got a performance from AMIAYA. Now they had performed the previous day as part of the Moshi Moshi Stage Line-up, but this time they had their own set. I had the joy of seeing them DJ the week before at Moshi Moshi Nippon LA and I was very pleased to see them perform some of the songs that had made them popular such as their cover of Pink Lady's "UFO". The twins AMI and AYA are talented enough to not only be DJs, but also performers, as well as models. Hopefully they appear at more events in the US. It is also worth noting that they provided an interesting departure from most of the sounds otherwise heard at J-POP Summit.

The second day didn't have headliners like Gacharic Spin, Eir Aoi, and JAM Project, BUT it did have FEMM. FEMM is a pop duo whose unique electronic sound has made them popular the world over. The self-stylized "Mannequin Dance Duo" are noteworthy do to the fact that they keep up the “mannequin” facade far beyond the stage. They could be spotted at various spots around the Fort Mason Center and were available for some silent photo ops as well as a silent autograph session. There was actually a contest judging who could take the best picture with them during these pop ups. Their one-of-a-kind take on the J-Pop formula meant that fans who might not care for other aspects of J-POP Summit were there to see them and quite a bit of excitement was being built up regarding their appearance.

Before we got to see them on stage though, we were treated by several performances by the Go-torch characters. These characters represent each locale in Japan and act as their mascots. For this stage we got Chissai Ossan (Amagasaki, Hyogo), Sanasenabona (Sasebo, Nagasaki), and Koakkuma & Akkuma from Hokkaido. Their mix of comedy, music, and performance was one that was very amusing to watch and while some of the fans might not have come in originally intending to stick around for their performance they did once they realized how much fun they actually were! They were also available for many photo ops throughout the day and were very approachable at their booth.

This night's main events were FEMM, DJ Ken Ishii, and ANAMANAGUCHI. Now before I start to bring this report to a close I must admit that out of these three I only personally witnessed FEMM's performance. I was busy attending to the spectacle that was their second autograph session (which seemed to have attracted EVERY attendee at the event) and missed most of DJ Ishii's set. I am glad to note that I DID in fact catch him a couple nights earlier at the Castro Theater. ANAMANGUCHI unfortunately I skipped out of pure ignorance, but I am sure that they were more than capable of closing out this amazing event. With that said, let's talk a bit about FEMM!

FEMM were arguably the biggest performers of Day Two and they were fresh off a performance in West Hollywood days before. This West Hollywood performance conflicted with the opening night's event which not only caused A-To-J to miss it, but also meant that they were absent from both that and Day One. They made up for this absence though with a performance that got the crowd the most active they had been all weekend. I mentioned before that their style of music broke boundaries of fandoms and it was most apparent in the varied crowd that showed up for their performance. People who probably would not attend for say...FESTIVE or even JAM Project showed up for FEMM. While I was skeptical about how lively their performance could be since their gimmick required them to be all but stationary at all times, I was quickly silenced by what I saw. Pictures don't do it justice, this duo pull off the mannequin thing perfectly and also provide a dance performance (complete with twerking!) that has to be seen to be believed. They performed all many of their most popular songs including the megahit "Fxxx Boys Get Money" a song that the emcee conveniently called "Boys Get Money". They definitely won over fans of all kinds this night and hearing a room full of people shouting "Fuck boys get money!" was something that I thought I'd never witness in my life!
 
There you have it. J-POP Summit 2015 comes to a close and we wait until next year. A-To-J Connections had the pleasure of covering this event, but as I stated several times, this was not an event where one person could cover easily, but I personally took up that challenge. Here's hoping to an even bigger next year, both to the event and to our level of coverage!

Manuel (alavic_222)

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For more information on J-POP Summit:
Website: http://www.j-pop.com/
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/JpopSummitFest