News

The tour merchandise for B’z LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2018 -HINOTORI- has just been revealed! Prices are much the same as before, with all variety of shirts coming in at 2,700 yen, the themed brochure at 3,000 yen, and numerous trinkets ranging from 600 to 2,000 yen.

Additional gacha dispenser items are also available, ranging from throwback items such as a “juice” and wristbands, including one limited to each venue. As usual, each attempt costs 500 yen. A charity pin styled after the tour logo will also be on sale for the same price with all proceeds going to ongoing earthquake disaster reconstruction throughout Japan.

Full pricing and sizing details for all of the tour’s merchandise can be found on the official website. Surplus items will be available on B’z The Store once the tour concludes in September of this year. Notably, leftover merchandise from the “SCENES” exhibition is available now from the store.

The list of tour-themed shirts, towels, keychains, and other wearable merchandise are all preserved after the break!
(more…)

News

The fourth in a long-term series of B’z books about their history, this time entitled B’z: The Chronicle, has just been announced. The release, written by Akira Saeki, comes in a special edition including a limited postcard print and a standard retail version. Both editions come packed with exclusive photos shot for the occasion, exclusive long-form interviews, a review of the hometown shows from B’z SHOWCASE 2017 -B’z In Your Town-, a report on B’z LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2018 -HINOTORI- in Okinawa, and setlist and discography reviews.

B’z: The Chronicle will be on shelves September 21, 2018.

News

The first promotional material for B’z LIVE-GYM 2017-2018 “LIVE DINOSAUR” on Blu-ray & DVD has just been aired on Japanese television. As shown above, the commercial utilizes the audio from “Akai Kawa” in its debut appearance on home video.

As previously reported, both the two-disc DVD and single disc Blu-ray packages will be available on July 4, 2018, for a price of 6,800 Yen ($61.28 USD) with 21 songs performed in all—thirteen of which are making their home video debuts!

UPDATE: A second commercial is now airing with glimpses at even more songs and footage.

Pre-order DVD Edition: CDJapan / Amazon.co.jp

Pre-order Blu-ray Edition: CDJapan / Amazon.co.jp

News

It has just been announced that B’z SHOWCASE 2018 -The Wall Of Rock- will serve as the warmup to the upcoming thirtieth anniversary tour! The show will take place on the island of Ishigaki at Ishigaki City Hall and, as is typically the case with SHOWCASE events, is an area not frequented by the band given its population of less than 50,000 people. As is the stated mission of a SHOWCASE, the show scheduled for July 2 will be both a warmup and a means of playing for fans that otherwise don’t have ready access to B’z shows.

B’z will embark on B’z LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2018 -HINOTORI- five days later on July 7 at the Okinawa Convention Center and run through September 21 and 22 at Ajinomoto Stadium. A home video release should reasonably follow in January or February of 2019.

News

B’z have just posted a video entitled “Thank you all for coming to B’z 30th Year Exhibition” which features a preview of new song “HINOTORI”! The song, whose title serves as the basis to B’z LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2018 -HINOTORI-, is being unveiled in the video for the first time.

As part of the exhibit dubbed “SCENES”, preliminary lyrics and the first sheet of music were on display. In the audio guided tour, the band revealed the song is actually a sequel to 1995 single “LOVE PHANTOM“—thus explaining it being referred to as the song’s second opus on the sheet of music in Tak’s handwriting. The opening in the video when played backwards should sound appropriately familiar as a result. Too, the font used in the tour logo should appear similar when compared to the original single’s cover. Lastly, in the audio guide, it was mentioned that the song will be framed from the original female character’s point of view.

The committee in charge of the exhibition also posted on the official website a statement as part of the exhibition’s closing, which ended by concluding that while “SCENES” as an event has ended:

“Of course, this is not the end. B’z will continue into the future, in search of new scenery no one has yet seen.”

B’z will embark on their thirtieth anniversary tour B’z LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2018 -HINOTORI- on July 7 at the Okinawa Convention Center and run through September 21 and 22 at Ajinomoto Stadium. A home video release should reasonably follow in January or February of 2019.

Feature

B’z LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2018 -HINOTORI- will serve to commemorate the band’s thirtieth anniversary on the music scene and will culminate with a pair of performances to mark the exact date, on September 21 and 22. This is their tenth Pleasure outing in all—a moniker given to non-album tours that essentially serve the purpose of playing their best output without regard for a single era or recent release.

As part of a series of articles discussing the band’s catalogue to date, we are looking at which signature tracks we expect to hear on the live stage this year as well as those we think are probably not going to make an appearance. Additionally, we’ve taken guesses as to which lesser-heard songs may or may not make their way onto the setlist as well. Several different factors were weighed in judging each song’s chances, including how recently they’ve been performed, how recently they’ve made their way to home video, and the general unlikelihood certain songs would appear.

Naturally, this list is ultimately all conjecture. B’z always pack surprises into their setlists and we expect this year will be no different. Be sure to read beyond the break to see our Pleasure 2018 rankings for every song in the B’z catalogue!

(more…)