Famous for their opening theme "Complication" to the anime series Durarara!!, ROOKiEZ is PUNK'D's set list also included the twenty-sixth Bleach ending, "song for..." and the second opening "IN MY WORLD" for Blue Exorcist. What impressed me the most about the group was their presence on the stage as they played their unique combination of rock, punk, and emo to the rocking crowd at the historical San Jose Civic Auditorium. As the group's first performance in America, vocalist Shinnouskue commanded the crowd's attention through his masterful and impressive MCing in English which included his favorite pick-up phrases in English including, "you are cute" and "you are hot." A most impressive mastery of the most important phrases in English if you ask me.

The next performance was from the J-POP group 7!!, pronounced as Seven Oops!! A bit more subdued than ROOKiEZ is PUNK'D, the four-piece band led by vocalist NANAE performed several pieces including "Fallin Love," "Lovers" from Naruto Shippuden and "Bye Bye" from Kimi to Boku. My favorite song was their performance of "Sayonara Memory" which serves as the twenty-fourth ending of Naruto Shippuden. The group was definitely prepared to play to the FanimeCon crowd, as proven through the hard work they put into their English MCing. The most unique part of their performance? NANAE's attempt to lead the crowd in several chants including the words "dattebayo," "tempura" and "sushi." The only word to describe it was adorable!

Overall, it was a very solid year for MusicFest with two solid groups that appealed to a variety of tastes. Although there were several hiccups including 7!! starting a bit late and balance issues with the on-stage performances and the level of bass coming through the speakers it was an extremely enjoyable experience all around.

Please look forward to our video interviews with these two talented groups coming soon!