The Five Fox Festival in Japan[a] (stylized as THE FIVE FOX FESTIVAL in JAPAN) was a Japanese concert tour by Japanese band Babymetal. The tour ran from July 18, 2017 to October 15, 2017, taking place in Japan, commencing after the band returned from international touring where they were the opening acts for various bands from 2016 to 2017.
The tour has been subtitled in the band's lore as Metal Resistance Episode V.[4] The first tour dates were announced on April 2, 2017 with shows named Black Fox Festival, Red Fox Festival, Gold Fox Festival, Silver Fox Festival, and White Fox Festival, each with separate requirements for attendance.[5][6] Tickets were made available for pre-sale to "The One" members on April 1, 2017 and to Japanese audiences April 12, 2017.[5] For international audiences, tickets were awarded in a lottery from April 29 to May 9, 2017.[7][8] On May 29, 2017, in response to tickets for the tour selling out,[9] the band confirmed an additional four shows, titled Big Fox Festival in Japan[b] (stylized as BIG FOX FESTIVAL in JAPAN).[10][11] Tickets were made available to international audiences for presale on July 20, 2017, and via lottery on July 28, 2017 (with winners announced the following day).[12]
The first performances of the tour, running from July 18 to July 20, 2017, were located at Akasaka Blitz, the same venue where Legend "D" was held four years prior.[13] During the tour, the band also took part in Summer Sonic Festival in Osaka and Tokyo on August 19 and 20, respectively.[14] When asked for the reason for starting the tour, Su-metal explained they set those events in music clubs to be able to see their fans up close, and Moametal said that she had wanted to perform in front of different audiences.[15]
The Big Fox Festival on October 15, 2017 was the last show with Yuimetal as a member of the band, she would be absent starting with Legend S prior to leaving the band for health reasons nearly a year later.[16]
Controversy
According to the band, anyone who was unable to meet the requirements for attendance would be refused admittance to the show.[6] The restrictions received a mixed response, with some considering it a potential innovation for concert tours in the future,[17] or fascinating due to a potential culture gap.[18] Others, particularly international audiences who won tickets via lottery, complained that it was unfair to be barred from shows due to not being in the correct age range.[19] Fans have also found the age range set for the Silver Fox Festival, specifically for elementary school students and adults above the age of sixty, unusual.[2][8][18]
Broadcast and recording
The shows on October 14 and October 15, 2017 were recorded and set to stream via Wowow on April 14, 2018.[20] Five shows from The Five Fox Festival in Japan and one from Big Fox Festival in Japan have been recorded and released as "The One" fanclub-exclusive box sets in early 2018.[21]
Tour dates
List of concerts, showing date, city, country, and venue
Footage from the tour has been released in two limited-quantity releases exclusively for "The One" fanclub members. The Chosen 500 released on January 20, 2018, and The Fox Festivals in Japan 2017: The Five Fox Festival & Big Fox Festival was released on February 14, 2018.
Background
The Chosen 500 was announced on September 22, 2017, and released exclusively to a select five hundred "The One" fanclub members on January 20, 2018.
The set included footage from the first five shows of The Five Fox Festival in Japan as well as a set of colored fox masks.[23]
The Fox Festivals in Japan 2017: The Five Fox Festival & Big Fox Festival was first announced on December 24, 2017, with shipment beginning in February 2018.[21] The set included footage from The Five Fox Festival in Japan (the same shows included with The Chosen 500), as well as the final show from Big Fox Festival in Japan.[24]
Track listings
The Chosen 500 includes only the first five discs as a DVD box set, while The Fox Festivals in Japan 2017: The Five Fox Festival & Big Fox Festival includes all six discs as a Blu-ray box set.
The Five Fox Festival in Japan: Black Fox Festival – July 18th, 2017 at Akasaka Blitz