The Rock Revolution Front
She watched a video of a festival. On both sides of the stage stood giant screens, easily three stories tall. The artist performing in the dead center of the stage was projected onto them as brilliant lighting effects exploded. The bar-shaped lights suspended above the stage moved constantly, weaving patterns of light, while spotlights continuously crafted fantastic, dreamlike visuals exactly as the artist intended. It was a scene that could truly be called the pinnacle of twenty-first-century performance art.
Yet, that exact same scene was visible in other videos as well. Only the played footage differed, along with minor details of the stage setup. The overall landscape itself was identical. The sweeping spotlights, the colors of the lasers, the gear set up on the stage—that was about the extent of the differences.
Indeed, even at these massive festivals, even during performances where they were given a decent amount of setup time, stages customized for individual artists were rare. Unless, of course, it was due to an artist's sheer stubbornness. And even if an artist did throw a tantrum, it was extremely rare for the setup to change in any major way.
This feels so daunting...
After looking at performances on stages of a completely different scale for reference, that was the very first thought that popped into Seoha's head. It was daunting, and there was no clear answer. Or perhaps there never had been one to begin with?
Should I just not get greedy and do what everyone else does?
Like the other stages, the Sonic Stage had its own massive screens. If they utilized those screens well and made a great video, it wouldn't be hard to pull off a visually entertaining stage. It was just Seoha herself who would feel unsatisfied.
There's a certain visual pleasure that only analog can give...
"Let's start the meeting."
While she was agonizing over it, the bathroom door swung open, and a voice called out. Seoha reflexively looked up. Suyun, who had just returned from Korea, was walking out of the bathroom with wet hair.
"I'm just going to go buy some coffee!"
"We have coffee at home, why are you buying it outside?"
"Cafe coffee is different from home coffee!"
"Go outside every day and see if it's easy to find anything that tastes better than this Maxim."
"There she goes again, playing the old geezer. Pretty soon you'll be complaining about being half of a half-century old!"
Iseor stuck her tongue out, teased Suyun—who was shaking a packet of Maxim Mocha Gold at her—and bolted out the door. A mix coffee packet flew after her, hitting the front door and falling to the floor.
Seoha watched the two of them fooling around with a slightly pathetic look, then closed her laptop.
Taking a sip of the lukewarm coffee she had bought outside, its ice already melted in the sweltering heat, she spoke.
"...Anyway, the conclusion is that until you got here, we didn't have any set plan or direction."
"Wait, why?"
"Because the environment was completely different to begin with. I'm telling you, it's totally different from before. Frankly speaking, isn't this because you taught us wrong?"
"I didn't know. How was I supposed to know there were two venues? I mean, I knew it was held in two places, but I didn't know the stage names would be the same."
Suyun ran both hands through her hair, looking sheepish. Meanwhile, Iseor flipped through the materials they had prepared and spoke up.
"Anyway, our opinion was to decide once you got here, Suyun. Honestly, you have the biggest say."
"That's true."
"Even if we talked about it, it could all get flipped. Anyway... the environment itself is just too different."
"How different is it?"
In response to Suyun's question, Iseor showed her the photos and videos they had taken that day. Looking at the photos, which included shots of people for scale comparison, Suyun muttered, "Ah, this is definitely way too small."
"So yeah, because of this, we don't know what to do."
"Hmm... My thoughts for now are... let's think about the stage setup itself later."
"Later?"
"Because the music is what's important. And maybe an idea will pop up while we're talking about the music..."
Seoha nodded at Suyun's words. Indeed, inspiration was a fickle thing. Maybe something would come to mind while talking about other things.
Leaving Seoha to her thoughts, Suyun took the materials from Iseor and flipped through them.
"What direction were we going with for the songs?"
"A casual, slightly jazzy... kind of vibe, right...?"
"Do you think that won't work either?"
"It's too cramped. It's not that we can't do it, but it feels like it won't have the same atmosphere as before."
The concept they had originally envisioned after seeing photos of the Osaka Sonic Stage was a performance that carried the vibe of their first album, Out of Time, rather than Kingdom. Like Eric Clapton's 2015 Royal Albert Hall concert—the example Suyun had brought—they wanted a stage where people could dance to their own vibe.
Furthermore, while the Royal Albert Hall was all-seated, the Sonic Stage was all-standing, which made them feel they could bring out the atmosphere even more...
But having actually seen it, the space was a bit too cramped. How could people packed like sardines in a tight space find their "vibe"? They would just move however the people around them moved.
"According to the organizers' survey, it looks like a decent crowd will show up for us. It'd be a bit awkward to do that if it gets crowded."
"Hmm..."
It wasn't impossible, but it wasn't suitable. At Seoha's opinion, Suyun twirled her hair slightly. It was a situation that required a lot of thought on which direction to take.
"What do you guys think?"
"I... uh... don't know."
"Well, I didn't expect much. What about you, Iseor?"
"Hey, at least have some expectations..."
Hyun-ah grumbled. But the three of them, especially Suyun, expertly ignored her and gestured for Iseor to answer.
Iseor's reply came.
"Can't we just make them jump around and play like we did before? Like we did in Goyang."
"We could, but..."
"It was fun back then. Guiding the crowd. People jumping around on their own. Can't we do that?"
"We can't, because the environment is different."
"We can't?"
Seoha answered instead to Iseor's question. It wasn't as if Seoha hadn't thought about it. And at Iseor's follow-up question, Seoha laid out her explanation.
"It's indoors. To begin with, there isn't enough space for us to guide them like that, and there are fewer people. The screens won't be very visible either. It's tough in many ways."
"Hmm..."
"Since the stage itself is small, it's an environment where we have no choice but to rely on individual play. Besides, temporary instructions like that are hard to use in a place like this because the audience isn't static—people who just arrived won't be able to adapt."
"Ah, that's true... Wait a minute. If that's the case, can't we just give them instructions?"
Iseor scratched her head at Seoha's words and asked back.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Like, I heard another artist did something like that at a concert before. They used the electronic display to give signals. Jump when a certain signal is given. Clap when another signal is given. Wave your lightstick when another signal is given."
"There's... such a thing...?"
"No, seriously, it exists! Because they did that, everyone united and made the gestures. They said it was way more fun. Doing things as a group is always fun, right?"
"What is that? It's not like we're playing the blue flag, white flag game."
Hearing Iseor's story, Suyun muttered as if it sounded completely far-fetched. And leaving Iseor behind, who was shouting in frustration, "No, really, I'm telling you it exists!", Seoha focused on a thought that suddenly flashed through her mind...
"That's it!"
She suddenly shouted like a bolt of lightning.
"What?"
"The blue flag, white flag game!"
"Blue flag, white flag, what?"
"The blue flag, white flag game!"
After spitting those words out, Seoha's mind spun endlessly.
A stage where setting up was difficult, where quick installation and quick teardown were the absolute basics. Physical visuals. The crowd's atmosphere. Signals sent for the audience's enjoyment. And so on.
It felt like a pretty great idea was taking shape.
"So, what about it?"
"Why aren't you saying anything?"
"The way to make people... curious is... blah, blah, blah..."
"Where did the person who was talking go?"
"Now that you're on the receiving end, you get it, right? You do this sometimes too."
"I do?"
Leaving her frustrated bandmates behind (which was slightly intentional), Seoha kept her brain working. There was definitely a clear visual image forming in her mind.
And time flowed on.
A Monday in mid-August.
The intense sunlight beat down. The already humid Japanese air pressed heavily against them, thick with coastal moisture and the scent of salt.
It's too hot...
A young man wearing a straw hat thought to himself as he stepped out of the entrance of Kaihin-Makuhari Station. He had braced himself for the heat, but this was just too much. Was there really a need to come outside in this weather?
Of course, there was a reason. It was a promise to a friend.
To be precise, it was a favor for a friend who had begged, "I broke up with my girlfriend and have an extra ticket. Please, come with me!"
"Hey, I see it over there."
"Yeah."
On a massive banner visible in the distance, the words SUMMER SONIC 2027 were grandly written in bold typography, and countless people were streaming in beneath it. Some were dressed to fully enjoy the summer, while others had taken thorough precautions with water bottles and straw hats. There were even people wearing cosplay outfits despite the sweltering heat. It was truly a festival atmosphere.
"Where should we go first?"
"First..."
Even after arriving at the entrance, it took about twenty minutes of standing in line before they could finally enter the venue. He turned to look at his friend beside him, as he himself knew absolutely nothing.
"There are a few stages in this building, and if you take the bus over there, there's the stadium, which is the main stage."
"Then shouldn't we go straight to the main stage?"
"It's a rock festival, so we should look around a bit."
His friend spoke as he handed over a flyer with the timetable printed on it, though he had no idea when his friend had grabbed it. He scanned it, but didn't recognize a single name.
"Is there any band you want to see?"
"Not really. Oh! I know these guys. Aren't they Korean idols?"
"We'll see them later. Are there only Korean idols? You don't know this one or this one?"
"No clue."
He shook his head at the completely unfamiliar names. But his friend spoke as if it was a bit strange.
"Didn't you say you liked Kingdom not long ago?"
"I do. But what about it?"
"They're the band that played it."
"Oh, really? Wait, then shouldn't we go see them?"
"But except for Kingdom, their songs are all a bit... exciting, but with an old-school rock feel. I heard their stage is on the quieter side."
Unlike him, who knew nothing, his friend had been to a few rock festivals. He wondered if that was the case, but still felt they should check them out, so he spoke up.
"Is there a problem if it's quiet?"
"No, it's not that. But I think rock festivals are meant for having wild fun, so quiet stages are a bit of a letdown."
"It's so hot... wouldn't it be better to just enjoy something moderately?"
In this brutally hot weather, he said as much to his friend. But his friend seemed to have a different opinion, shaking his head in response.
"Still, rock festivals need that fun of jumping around."
"If I jump around right now, I feel like I'll collapse from the heat."
"You won't. You'll know once you try. Anyway, they're on at six. Let's go see that Korean idol stage you just mentioned first. We can pass the time wandering around elsewhere and decide when it gets closer."
With that, his friend walked off in another direction. He followed, thinking to himself.
It was just too hot. Instead of going wild, enjoying things moderately seemed like the best option. No matter how exciting jumping around could be, would it really be fun in this heat?
Surprisingly, it was.
"Thank you!!"
"Holy crap! That was awesome!"
The stage of a Korean idol group he had only heard of, unfolding in a wave of heat. A band stage where, even without knowing the songs, he had jumped with all his might, drenched in sweat. It was all incredibly fun. Fun enough to make him completely forget about the heat.
"Fun, right?"
"Seriously. Ah, jumping around actually made me forget how hot it was. Now that I'm standing still, it actually feels kind of cool."
At first, he had worried about his clothes getting soaked in sweat. But now, pouring bottled water over his head, he said those words. He could see why his friend had said another stage would be better than a quiet one. It was all based on experience.
"It's about time for Group Sound... what do you want to do?"
"Well..."
He hesitated at his friend's question. Kingdom was definitely a song he had enjoyed. He wanted to hear it live just as much. But if it was a quiet performance, wouldn't it cool down the excitement they had just built up? Just when they were in high spirits.
"Ah, I still think it's better to go see them. We can rest our bodies a bit too."
"Shall we?"
But he made his decision. They could catch some cool indoor air, rest up, watch the performance, and if it was quiet and boring, they could just come back out here and play.
He had no idea that this would be the best decision he made at this Summer Sonic.
Arriving back at Makuhari Messe by bus.
"Looks like everyone has the same idea. They're all moving in the same direction as us."
"Yeah. I guess they want to rest too."
People arriving at Makuhari Messe right on time, just like them. A procession that seemed to be heading toward the Sonic Stage.
And the indoor venue they entered definitely lacked the exciting atmosphere of the Marine Stage. It was quiet, with a gentle, swaying vibe.
"It really is like that. I see why you said what you said."
"Told you."
Having already tasted that wild excitement, he felt a bit of regret as he followed his friend. He planned to rest his body for a bit and then head back to the Marine Stage.
With those thoughts, they arrived at the Sonic Stage...
"Here it is, here."
"...What is that? Was this place always like this?"
The atmosphere was entirely different from what he had expected. It was a completely different venue from before. Flags were planted all over, and a banner was even hung over the screen.
And on that banner, a strange slogan was written.
"W-Wait... No, it wasn't like this. What is this?"
Amidst his friend's bewildered murmurs at the atmosphere, a busty girl stepped onto the stage. And in her hand was a megaphone.
"Hello, we are Group Sound!"
With those words, an intense wind that shouldn't exist indoors swept through. The flags lined up on the left and right of the stage rose fiercely, and at the very front, a person on each side began to slowly wave their flag.
Rather than being eerie, it was something else...
"If by any chance, there are those among you who came to our show thinking, 'Ah, I want to rest today. I don't want to move. I just want to listen to some light music and go home.' If there is anyone saying that!"
The noise blasting from the megaphone reached him with a distorted feel, as if done on purpose. The sound of fluttering flags, the slightly dirty sound quality. While he frowned at the voice that wasn't perfectly clear, the words concluded.
"If by any chance you are, you had better escape this stage immediately! Because from now on, a festival of madness is about to unfold here!"
"...What?"
What on earth did that mean? He looked at his friend with that exact sentiment. And as his friend looked back at him with the same expression, the sound of the drum striking down...
Felt like something that made you want to jump right from the very start.