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.
Tak Matsumoto & Daniel Ho to Play Aratani Theater in Los Angeles!
Tak Matsumoto News 
Flyer for the presumably final showing for the duo’s Electric Island, Acoustic Sea promotions
It has just been announced that one final date will be played as part of Tak Matsumoto & Daniel Ho Live! 2017 -Electric Island, Acoustic Sea- and this time, it is in Los Angeles on October 14, 2017!
The show is presented by American Honda Motor Co., Inc. and JACCC, the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center. Tickets are on sale now at this link and are listed at $49 for orchestra seating and $39 for balcony options. Unlike with many past B’z shows overseas, there are no special tickets allocated for B’z Party members and all are first come, first serve.
More information on the show can be found here on the venue’s website, along with copy promoting the event:
Tak Matsumoto and B’z have rocked Japan’s stadiums for 30 years and sold over 80 million records. Daniel Ho’s Hawaiian and world music albums span 14 GRAMMY nominations and 6 GRAMMY wins. Together, they present Electric Island, Acoustic Sea, a unique convergence of their island cultures.
The prospect of a stop in Los Angeles was first floated in an interview with Daniel Ho some months ago but given it was not included in the initial announcement and was also not paired with the Hawaii show that served as the tour’s finale, we were unsure if it was still happening. Electric Island, Acoustic Sea is available for purchase worldwide on iTunes. We may not have heard the last of the album, however, as November will bring the official list of the Grammy Award nominations and the album is surely being considered given Daniel Ho’s own fourteen nominations and Tak’s one which resulted in a win with Larry Carlton in 2010.
Tak has previously performed in Los Angeles as part of B’z numerous times, including twice for B’z LIVE-GYM 2002 “Rock n’ California Roll” and LIVE-GYM 2003 “BANZAI IN NORTH AMERICA”, with one showing for 2011’s -long time no see- tour and another for B’z LIVE-GYM 2012 -Into Free- at the since re-purposed Gibson Amphitheater at Universal Citywalk.
B’z Loud-Gym Announced: First 30th Anniversary Event
News 
The seventh countdown on the official site has ended and with it comes the announcement of the first ever B’z Loud-Gym. The event is a long-term one that is the first official announcement from the band’s upcoming 30th anniversary celebrations. Beginning September 21, 2017, a long list of music clubs in Japan will be holding B’z-themed nights featuring music and videos from the band playing throughout. Entrance is free at the over forty participating venues and a new event will be held once monthly through September 21, 2018.
A list of all venues participating in the September 21, 2017 event can be found on the official website.
New Countdown on Official Site & SHOWCASE 2017 Updates
News 
Yet another mysterious countdown has appeared on the splash page of the official B’z website! This is the seventh to date, with previous countdowns resulting in big announcements such as unveiling “Seimei/Still Alive” and B’z COMPLETE SINGLE BOX. The countdown does not have a definitive end-date yet and cycles through random dates for the time being. Once that changes, expect an update here!
Additionally, the band is currently working their way through B’z SHOWCASE 2017 -B’z In Your Town-. Following our post on the July 22 show in Koshi’s hometown of Tsuyama, the band then headed to Tak’s home place of Toyonaka. The setlist was the same as the previous show and it seems the band will be following through with the previously-reported combinations of hidden gems as far as changes in the selist goes. Should there be a drastic change, we will let you know, but in the meantime you may visit the corresponding B’z Wiki article for full information on the setlist. We will also provide a full tour report following the end of the band’s fall activities.
