Concert Promoters Udo have lined up some huge names for their new summer rock festival. Rock legends Kiss, Santana and Jeff Beck are among the 30 or so acts due to play the first Udo Music Festival. Like the annual Summersonic event, the festival will take place in two venues, one in the Kanto region, the other in Kansai. The Kanto festival will be held at Fuji Speedway in Shizuoka Prefecture on July 22 and 23 and an audience of about 100,000 is expected. The Kansai event will welcome about 50,000 at the new Izumiotsu Phoenix in Osaka on the same dates. The Fuji Speedway will have small, medium and large stages. Just an hour from Tokyo on the Tomei Expressway and with considerable parking space, it offers a good alternative to the train and bus-only access of other festivals. Kiss will be making their ninth visit to Japan and it will be their first outdoor show here. This will allow them to pull out all the stops with pyro effects and fireworks. Japanese fans can look forward to seeing guitar gods Carlos Santana and Jeff Beck on stage together for the first time in 20 years. Details of ticket prices and advance sales will be released soon.
• The Tokyo District Court dismissed an indictment against Nigerian talento Bobby Ologun (photo, 39) yesterday. The K-1 fighter was in court after starting a brawl over a financial dispute at his management agency in January. The court decided he had already received sufficient “social punishment”.
• Comedian Matsumoto Kouta (26) revealed on a variety show yesterday that he is romantically involved with a fan. One half of the popular duo Regular, best known for their “aru aru tankentai” routine, he said he met his “future wife” when she bought a ticket to their show and asked him out to dinner.