Tak Matsumoto News

Tak Matsumoto’s latest live show 「Tak Matsumoto Tour 2016 -The Voyage-」 has finally been announced as a home video release! The release will feature the final show at the Nippon Budokan on DVD and Blu-ray, and will be out on 28th anniversary of the B’z debut: September 21st, 2016. Bonus content will feature two optional angles to the guitar spectacle for select songs:

1. Stage View: Stage view allows viewers to experience the whole atmosphere and stage scene while taking in the music.
2. Close-up View: Ever wanted to know how Tak plays his guitar? Well, now you can! Close-up view allows viewers to see Tak’s fretwork up close for the entire song.

[SET LIST]

01. Dream Drive
02. enigma (+ STAGE VIEW)
03. Vermillion Palace (+ CLOSE-UP VIEW)
04. Step to Heaven
05. Koi Uta
06. Hana (+ STAGE VIEW & CLOSE-UP VIEW)
07. Theme from Fist of the North Star ~The Road of Lords~ (+ STAGE VIEW & CLOSE-UP VIEW)

08. Theme from ULTRAMAN
09. THE THEME OF B.J. (+ STAGE VIEW)
10. THE WINGS (+ STAGE VIEW & CLOSE-UP VIEW)
11. 99
12. Wanna Go Home
13. Hopes
14. Under The Sun
15. Drifting (+ STAGE VIEW)

16. The Voyage (+ STAGE VIEW)
17. Mystic Journey
18. Ups and Downs (+ STAGE VIEW & CLOSE-UP VIEW)
19. enigma ~epilogue~ (+ STAGE VIEW)
20. RED SUN ~ SACRED FIELD (+ CLOSE-UP VIEW)
21. GO FURTHER (+ CLOSE-UP VIEW)
22. #1090 ~Million Dreams~ (+ CLOSE-UP VIEW)

Koshi Inaba News

The recently released home video of Koshi Inaba’s 2016 solo tour 「Koshi Inaba LIVE 2016 ～enIII～」 has gained the pole position on both the general DVD as well as the general Blu-Ray Oricon charts.

The home video release sold 12,000 copies on DVD and 23,000 copies on Blu-ray in its first week. Koshi’s last solo home video release of “en-ball” only managed to score second place in the Blu-ray charts in its first week on sale. With the release of “enIII”, this is Koshi’s first home video release to be #1 on both DVD and Blu-ray charts.

Via: Oricon

News

As you’ve probably noticed, ever since Koshi and Tak had wrapped up their respective solo projects, it has been very quiet on the B’z front despite the announcement of a new song, “Sekai wa Anata no Iro ni Naru”, which ties into the Conan franchise. The latest issue of the fanclub magazine, Be With! Vol. 110, was supposed to shed some light on their future plans and their current work, but no new information could be extracted from the interview.

Both say they are working on new music. Tak Matsumoto is very likely preparing new B’z songs, while Koshi is working on a solo project with Stevie Salas. In the interview, Koshi mentions he wasn’t in the mood for work for quite a while, and didn’t start working until after Golden Week in the beginning of May. He does not mention why, but the passing of his father on April 15th may be the cause of that. Said solo project may not come to fruition until Fall, with an announcement to be expected for September at the earliest. Another solo tour for early 2017 may also be thinkable for Koshi, depending on how well the record does, according to Salas.

Koshi’s recently announced song 「YELLOW」 was, in fact, rushed to meet the deadline for the commercial, and Koshi has since reworked the lyrics to the song, as evidenced in the new version of the commercial. (old one for comparison)

As for Tak, he talked about his solo tour and the recent reveal of his 1959 Gibson Signature model. Gibson approached him last year, and asked him what he’d think if they made such a model for him. Tak gladly accepted. A Gibson employee visited Tak and took pictures of Tak’s 1959 model from every angle and in great detail, so they’ll be able to reconstruct it later. On the B’z front, Tak assures that he’s working on something, but it may take some time before they can announce something. Koshi may even be working on his solo project and the new B’z project at the same time, as Koshi is in contact with Tak.

All in all, us B’z fans are expected to be patient for just a little longer! We’ll keep you updated, of course!

Koshi Inaba News

Koshi’s latest solo tour「Koshi Inaba Live 2016 ~enIII~」was released on DVD and Blu-ray on August 3, 2016. To commemorate the release, Koshi has as usual released a message for the fans. Check it out below!

Koshi Inaba News

Koshi’s upcoming home video release of his recent solo live tour 「Koshi Inaba Live 2016 ~enIII~」 is just around the corner and an official digest video has been uploaded to the official YouTube channel. The digest video also features the TV commercial that recently started airing. Furthermore, one can see that they have put a lot of work into the camera work and editing for this release compared to the livestream that was conducted on Hulu Japan.

Tak Matsumoto News

Gibson has announced that they are releasing a Tak Matsumoto custom 1959 Les Paul model based on the 1959 Les Paul #9-1156 owned by Tak himself. Gibson created a digital model of Tak’s guitar by using a 3D scanner, to then build it as one of their flagship models. Tak has used said guitar during his latest solo tour 「Tak Matsumoto Live 2016 -The Voyage-」 and is currently using it as his main guitar.

On BARKS, Matsumoto was quoted as saying “I bought the #9-1156 in 1993. A Japanese instrument dealer introduced me to it and I chose one model ordered from the U.S. Among the candidates there was also a cherry sunburst one, but I chose my current one based on its wood and color.” He continues: “I used it on the B’z album 「The 7th Blues」and my solo album 「Hana」, among others. I choose it during recording when I am working on a mellow part or need that vintage sound. I also used it to do the main part of 「Mystic Journey」, found on my lastest solo album 「enigma」. Furthermore, I played it live on stage in 1996 during my 「Rock’n Roll Standard Club」 tour.”

“I received a prototype during rehearsal for my tour, and the grade of perfection was so high, that made me realize one more time how great Gibson is. I use it during live performances as well as recording. It is currently my go-to guitar.”, says Matsumoto.

A Japan-exclusive limited run of 30 guitars will be hand-signed by Tak Matsumoto and cost you around $14,000. The regular guitar will cost you around $11,000. The guitar will be on sale from July 1st, 2016.

For pictures and more detailed information, check out Gibson Custom’s product page here.