Even today's hottest stars and artists have moments of "firsts" when they make their first appearance, first event, or first live performance. "My Firsts" is a series where the artists themselves look back on those thrilling moments that only come from an inexperienced experience. This time, we asked Sunplaza Nakano, the vocalist of rock band Bakufu Slump, to look back on the band's first performance at Nippon Budokan (Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo) in 1985.
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Bakufu Slump performed at the Budokan for the first time on Friday, December 13, 1985. It was one year and four months after their debut.
We were told to "fill the venue," which was a huge pressure. We didn't think it would be full, so we wrote a dramatic song with the theme of empty seats. That song was "Under a Big Onion." It turned out to be a better song than we expected.
Fortunately, our first performance at the Budokan was a full house. We sang "Under a Big Onion" as an encore. It made us happy.
In 1982, Bakufu Slump was formed by Funky Sueyoshi and Egawa Hojin, members of Bakufu Gun, who won the top prize at the EastWest contest, and Sanplaza Nakano and Pappara Kawai of Super Slump, who won the Excellent Group Award. In August 1984, they made their major debut with the album Yoi and the single Shukan Tokyo "Shoujo A". In December 1985, they held their first solo concert at the Nippon Budokan. In 1988, their song Runner became a huge hit, and they made their first appearance at the NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen. In 1989, Egawa Hojin left the band, and BarbeQ Wasada joined. They made waves in the Japanese music scene in the early 1990s with songs like Rizzo Laba and Under the Big Onion - Haruka Naru Omoi. In 1999, they announced a hiatus. They held one-off comeback concerts in 2005, 2007, and 2010.
Sanplaza Nakano-kun was born in Yamanashi Prefecture in 1960. He is the vocalist. After Bakufu Slump went on hiatus, he became involved in a wide range of activities under the name "Sanplaza Nakano," including singing, health, and writing. In 2008, he changed his name to "Sanplaza Nakano-kun." He is a fan of the Hanshin Tigers.
