Where the Violent Things Are: Cultural History of Japanese Rock Crowds

Where the Violent Things Are: Cultural History of Japanese Rock Crowds

TAKAHASHI Sota!Ph.D Student, Tokyo University of the Arts!

!@ IACS Graduate Conference!

Mon. July 1st, 2013

photo: Michael Rouger, Time & Life Pictures/Getty images

Introduction

■Interests!the cultural history of audiences!that participate in live music in Japan!!■Focuses!how Japanese rock fans react!to visiting artists’ concerts!...Japanese audiences are too polite to rock?!!cf.!Deep Purple’s ‘Live In Japan’ in 70s

The cover photo of Deep Purple《Live in Japan》1972!(at Budokan)

Ruins of the riot at Deep Purple concerts at Budokan in 1973 !(taken form the cover of bootleg record)

Introduction

■Main features of this presentation!Actualization of violent behaviors!in Japanese rock concerts!!...In what contexts?!...How were they possible?!...What is represented in them?!!■Resources!survey of Japanese music magazine and newspapers

1. Settled Craze at Budokan

■The Beatles at Budokan (1966) !...promotores employed 6,000 security guard! for 50,000 audience!!...The rating for the TV program! devoted to this concert reached 56.5%!!...the elders vs. the youth!!...promoters build up a mass mobilization system!!(Takenaka 1966, Noji 2001, Ito 1984)!

BUDOKAN

1. Settled Craze at Budokan

■The Beatles at Budokan (1966) !...promotores employed 6,000 security guard! for 50,000 audience!!...The rating for the TV program! devoted to this concert reached 56.5%!!...the elders vs. the youth!!...promoters build up a mass mobilization system!!(Takenaka 1966, Noji 2001, Ito 1984)!

2. Hard Rock Riots Under Control

“The top groups of the world have visited Japan this year in a rapid succession. But the reason I’m sure is not only from the growing number of top groups' concerts and their audiences, but also from the uprising of youth that loves, brings up and establishes rock culture, and I saw them right in front of me.(...) If you would have seen their response at the concert, you would know how much they love rock clearly.” (Ichiyanagi 1971)

■Chicago at Budokan (1971)


“For example, at a concert of Chicago(...) as the show was coming to an end, they stood up from their chairs, raised their hands in peace signs, clapped their hands to rhythms of rock, sang along, whistled, made noise and absorbed Chicago's music completely and participating in the creation and performance of the band.”!(Ichiyanagi 1971)



“Here, the powerful electric sounds and the engagement of the audience as stated by their voices, behaviors and handclaps united into a huge ensemble and constituted one majestic sonic event.”(Ichiyanagi 1971)!!...Japanese crowd began to stand up! while musicians were on stage!!...Standing was regarded as evidence! of localization of rock music in Japan



[riot outside the venue]!...2,000 people who could not purchase tickets ! tried to enter the venue and police defeated them!![riot inside the venue]!“(...) In a simple word, it was a melting pot of excitement. Those who rushed to the dugouts of first and third base, tried to climb a fence and get close to the stage. Security guards stood there to defeat them. Security guards were also deployed on the ground. Some young people went over the fence and rolled into the ground, they were held down by security guards.”(Fujitake 1971)!

■Grand Funk Railroad at Kourakuen-kyujo (1971)


[riot outside the venue]!...2,000 people who could not purchase tickets ! tried to enter the venue and police defeated them!![riot inside the venue]!...crowd against security guards! (stand up, dance hard, get close to performer)!!...Japanese audiences used to it,! they came to stand up before the show started! and rush to the stage in mid 70s

■Grand Funk Railroad at Kourakuen-kyujo (1971)


...the crowd rushed to the stage suddenly! and knocked down chairs and many people!!...8 concert goers were injuried,! and a female college stuten was passed away!!...promoters and venue managers operated! absolutely strict security to control crowd!

■Rainbow at Sapporo Nakajima Sprots Center(1978)

Asahi Shinbun!(Jan 28th, 1978)

ROCK!GOES!MAD,!

FEMALE STUDENT!

DIED


...the crowd rushed to the stage suddenly! and knocked down chairs and many people!!...8 concert goers were injured,! and a female college student was passed away!!...promoters and venue managers operated! absolutely strict security to control crowd!

■Rainbow at Sapporo Nakajima Sprots Center(1978)

3. Rude Boy Out a Jail

...encouraging the crowd! to dance and get on the stage!→Sun Plaza urged them not to stir up the crowd!!but. the band resisted pressures! and were banned to use there!!...replaced their venues from to a disco! and the crowd were dancing on the floor!

■The Specials at Nakano Sun Plaza (1980)


“We do not want to distinguish the players and the audience definitely. We want to enjoy music together. There are strict regulations in UK. When Sex Pistols appeared, this problem became more severe. But after that, the players and the audience are creating a new order by themselves, and accepting the responsibility.!In particular, we play dance music, so if people want to dance in their own way, it is nonsense to forbid them to dance.”(Dammers in Tagawa, 1980)



...encouraging the crowd! to dance and get on the stage!→Sun Plaza urged them not to stir up the crowd!!but. the band resisted pressures! and were banned to use there!!...replaced their venues from to a disco! and the crowd were dancing on the floor!!



live halls: privately owned venues! with spacious dance floors! that developed in late 80s!!...live halls enabled more intense body moves! like moshing, stage diving and crowd surfing!!...emergence of ‘all-standing’ concert!!

■Development of new venues

Final Remarks

Violent activities in rock concerts!were results of historical accumulations made by those who tried to realize!the ‘proper’ way to enjoy intense music!!!cf. !...the word ‘live’ as noun in Japan!...dialectic of musical practice! (silent and noisy/ static or dynamic/ audience and crowd)

Thanks for your attention!!for more info: [email protected]

the photo from Deep Purple concerts at Budokan in 1973!※This paper was supported by Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows

mailto:[email protected]

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Where the Violent Things Are: Cultural History of Japanese Rock Crowds