Rainbow / Hokkaido, Japan 1978 Broadcast

“British Rock ‘Death Song'” “British Rock ‘Bloody’ Performance”… These are not the Japanese titles of third-rate metal bands. These were the headlines that appeared on the pages of the Yomiuri Shimbun and the Mainichi Shimbun on January 28, 1978. This article tells of the crushing death of a female college student that occurred at RAINBOW’s Sapporo performance in 1978. A shocking video that vividly conveys this tragedy has been decided to be released. “January 27, 1978” has remained like a black stain on the history of Western music in Japan. About 5,000 people packed into the venue on the day, and fans who had been waiting for RAINBOW to appear since the opening performance rushed to the front of the stage as soon as the show started. Among the many spectators who were crushed under the stage, one female college student died (at that time, it was customary at rock concerts to leave their seats and rush to the front when the show started). This accident became such a sensation that national newspapers swarmed around it, and of course it was also reported on TV news. This work contains news footage from that time. Although home video decks had already appeared at the time, they were not yet common in ordinary households, but we managed to obtain a recording master that miraculously survived. This is a piece that allows you to witness extremely rare footage that is not available on any video site in the world, with a clear image quality that makes it seem as if it happened yesterday. The news footage is about three minutes long, but the sights and sounds are overwhelming. First, the audience waits for the band in a venue with the house lights on. I don’t know if it’s an encore or an interruption, but next to them is a pile of destroyed metal chairs that are in a terrible state. The strange contrast between the wreckage that looks like it was hit by a huge tsunami and the crowd clapping peacefully. It’s a vivid sight even for us who know the tragedy as history, but it must have had a strong impact on the general audience who don’t know rock. Next are interviews with those who experienced the scene. There is nothing more persuasive than the live voice, so let’s transcribe it. —What was it like? Female audience member: You can’t see anything at all. Everyone in front of you is standing up. I didn’t think he would continue after being so injured… Male customer A: I lost my shoes. My cassette tape recorder was also stolen. Male customer B: They jumped on me. I couldn’t stand it. —How did it happen? Male customer A: It’s the fault of the people behind me. Everyone behind me is at fault. Everything, everything. Male customer C: They pushed me from behind, so the guy in front of me went forward like this. Male customer B: It was a metal chair, so it fell over. I was attacked. Chairs and people were jumping on me… Then the ambulance siren was heard, and the scene shifted to the hospital where I was taken by ambulance. There, a female customer who seemed to have finished her treatment also talks about her terrifying experience. The tone of voice, expression, and words of the person who had just experienced the tragedy. The raw power of the story is completely different from the newspapers of the time and magazine articles that tell the history. The program that reported on the scene in this way will investigate the cause of the tragedy. The organizers were criticized at a press conference for not canceling the concert even after a fatality occurred. Organizer: We requested the concert to be cancelled several times, but we felt that there was nothing we could do about foreign talents like that. The organizers were flustered and blamed the band (in fact, the police had not sent a cancellation request to the band, and they only found out about the accident after the concert). The reporter went on to conclude that the accident was caused by the band’s appearance from the dark, with a spotlight on them and a loud sound. This was a fierce era, with no understanding of rock music. Even today, the “opinion leader in the Geno world” would say to the award presenter Page, “Just play a little bit (don’t be stingy),” but this shows a deep gap that cannot be compared to that. In any case, this incident marked a major change in the style of Western music performances. Not only did RAINBOW play the remaining dates under strict security at that time, but from then on rock concerts were heavily guarded. This film not only takes you to the scene of the brutal tragedy, but also to the turning point of the era. Rock has been a part of many legends and events. This shocking footage of a major Japanese incident hits you with a sense of reality like a slap in the face. Nakajima Sports Center, Sapporo, Japan 27th January 1978 PRO-SHOT (Broadcast Date: 28th June 1978) PRO-SHOT COLOUR NTSC Approx.3min.