The Rock Festival Featuring MCZ Will Change Its Name.

The organizer of “Inazuma Rock Festival,” held on September 20?21 at the Karasuma Peninsula Lawn Field in Kusatsu, Shiga Prefecture, Takanori Nishikawa (T.M.Revolution) has announced that the festival’s name will be changed starting next year.

MCZ is set to appear as the headliner on September 20 this year.

Launched in 2009 to promote water-quality conservation for Lake Biwa and regional revitalization, the festival has welcomed MCZ almost every year since 2014; this year marks their ninth appearance.

According to Nishikawa, each time the lineup was announced he would see unkind comments such as “Is this rock?”, which made him feel apologetic toward the performers. “The purpose of the event is to bring smiles not only to attendees but also to the performers and everyone involved. If there’s something that gets in the way of that, then clinging to labels means nothing,” he said, indicating that the word “Rock” will be removed from the name.

Looking at this year’s roster - which includes idol groups such as FRUITS ZIPPER and =LOVE, K-pop artists, and comedians - it is clear that the lineup is not confined to the rock genre.