B’z Festival Appearances Completed!
RISING SUN ROCK FESTIVAL & ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL (08.05 / 08.11)
News 
The summer touring for B’z has only just come to an end, and we first bring you news on their appearances at RISING SUN ROCK FESTIVAL 2017 in EZO and the ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL 2017. As expected, the setlist used for both shows were truncated for the abbreviated stage time compared to earlier dates for B’z SHOWCASE 2017 -B’z In Your Town-.
Given the shows have already completed, the setlist is preserved below:
B’z Summer 2017 Festival Appearance Setlists
[August 5 & 11, 2017]
1. Samayoeru Aoi Dangan
2. Liar! Liar!
3. Sayonara Kizu Darake no Hibi yo
4. Uchouten
5. Hadashi no Megami
6. Ichibu to Zenbu
7. Still Alive
8. Shoudou
9. juice
10. girigiri chop
11. ultra soul
It is not uncommon for B’z to include recent singles that would appeal specifically to festival-goers as well as their perennial hits for such occasions, as opposed to the fan-centric SHOWCASE outings. The band’s appearance for SUMMER SONIC 09, for example, spanned thirteen songs—all thirteen of which were singles.
Koshi Inaba & Stevie Salas to Perform in Shanghai on August 26
Koshi Inaba News 
The international show teased by Stevie Salas back in June has finally been confirmed. On August 26, Koshi Inaba and Salas will play what could be the final date in support of their collaborative album CHUBBY GROOVE with a stop in Shanghai! The showing was favored as the foremost contender for the international show given that INABA/SALAS will already be performing at SUMMER SONIC in Tokyo and Osaka the previous week. The duo will appear alongside Japanese visual kei act Luna Sea and Scottish rock outfit The Fratellis on the Marine Stage in the event’s inaugural performances.
This is Koshi’s first international performance since B’z LIVE-GYM 2012 -Into Free- wrapped in Los Angeles five years ago. This is not his first time performing outside of Japan in Asia, however: in 2001, B’z performed in both Hong Kong and Taipei. B’z LIVE-GYM in Taipei & Hong Kong 2001 lasted for one date each in both, with the setlist essentially making it an honorary Pleasure LIVE-GYM.
Tour Goods for Upcoming Festival Appearances Announced
News 
The official B’z website has just posted glimpses of the tour goods that will be on sale for the band’s appearances at RISING SUN ROCK FESTIVAL 2017 in EZO on August 5 and ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL 2017 on August 11. The list leads off with a themed muffler towel and is followed by rubber bands in various colors available at each venue.
Tak’s Contribution to Shizuka Kudo Album Previewed
Tak Matsumoto News 
As we previously reported back in June, Tak Matsumoto has recently contributed all new music to the upcoming solo album Rin (凛, Cold) from Shizuka Kudo. The release is due out on August 30—the same day as B’z COMPLETE SINGLE BOX—and today further information has been announced.
The song written by Tak has been titled “Mitsu to Toge” (蜜と棘, Honey and Thorns). Arrangement was handled by Yukihide “YT” Takiyama, who was first credited on a B’z release as co-arranger with Tak and Koshi on “Seimei” earlier this year. The lyrics were penned by Shizuka Ijuin, a noted fiction writer and lyricist in Japan.
Below is a brief preview of the resulting song along with a comment by Kudo:
For more information on the times Tak and B’z have written songs for other artists, check out our featured article “The B’z Songs Written for Other Artists“.
B’z SHOWCASE 2017 -B’z In Your Town- in Kanazawa (07.28.2017)
News 
The seventh showing for B’z SHOWCASE 2017 -B’z In Your Town- has come to an end, and this time with an expanded setlist! The total number of songs played is now twenty, with one additional—and familiar—song now being played as part of the encore.
The full setlist is posted below to avoid spoilers for those attending the shows. The tallies for each song have also been updated in full.
B’z YouTube Channel Unlocked Internationally!Plus Two Trailers for B’z COMPLETE SINGLE BOX
News 
Since late 2015, the official B’z YouTube channel was blocked in several international markets thanks to the introduction of premium subscription service YouTube Red. The service offered new incentives and dividends for international uploaders in their local markets, which caused nearly all of the major Japanese music-based channels to be blocked in some countries (including the United States) given they were monetized for only their primary market.
Today, we are very pleased to report this is no longer the case! Whether this signals the band are gearing up for another international showing or not, it is great news for B’z fans that have wanted to get quick glimpses at all of their music videos but did not have their DVDs handy, as previews of all are available on the aforementioned channel. This is not an industry-wide return as the other affected artists at the time still remain blocked, though all Being channels appear to be unlocked alongside that of B’z such as Mai Kuraki.
To celebrate, let’s have a look at the latest two trailers for B’z COMPLETE SINGLE BOX in its two incarnations: the mass-market “Black Edition” and the special archivist “Trailer Edition” that is being built-to-order and won’t deliver until December. Full details on both packages and what they contain can be found in this post from the initial announcement.
B’z COMPLETE SINGLE BOX can be pre-ordered ahead of its August 30 release in its “Black Edition” from all the usual retailers including CDJapan, YesAsia, and Amazon Japan.
