Udo Sticks To Classics For Summer

Veteran Japanese concert promoter UDO Artists is organizing its own summer rock festival this year amidst a very crowded field of outdoor events.

Udo’s main rivals in the foreign artist concert promotion game, Smash and Creativeman, run Japan’s two biggest and most established festivals, Fuji Rock and Summer Sonic, respectively.

There are about a dozen other summer rock festivals featuring local artists that bring in huge crowds.

Two years ago, Udo presented a two-day stadium festival in Yokohama. Although it featured Aerosmith and the belated Japan debut of The Who, it didn’t do as well as expected.

The promoter has decided to go with its main strength this summer, which is its longtime relationship with many of classic rock’s heavyweights.

The Udo Music Festival will take place July 22nd and 23rd simultaneously at the Fuji Speedway near the foot of Mt. Fuji and at Izumiotsu Phoenix in Osaka.

The headliners are two of Udo’s most reliable ticket-sellers: Santana and KISS. But the roster includes other Udo standbys Jeff Beck, The Doobie Brothers, and The Pretenders.

The lineup is filled out with the likes of Nuno Bettencourt, Audioslave, The Pussycat Dolls, Godsmack, Morningwood, Rhett Miller, Teddy Thompson, and Fourplay. More acts will be added in future weeks.

– Philip Brasor