Tag Archives: Official Website

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.

News

The latest countdown on the official B’z website will end later today and may be related to the oft-rumored 7-Eleven tie-in previously reported here. Similarly unverified rumors suggest a massive complete singles boxset is on the horizon and may be the costliest item B’z has ever released.

Next, on July 5, recent number-one single “Seimei/Still Alive” will be released on various digital platforms including the Japanese iTunes store, RecoChoku, mora, and music.jp. The single will see its live debut next month when the band hits the road on July 13 in Kumamoto for B’z SHOWCASE 2017 -B’z In Your Town-.

The support members for the band’s 2017-2018 tours have also been announced, with the familiar line-up assembled in 2011 all returning:

Drums: Shane Gaalaas

Bass: Barry Sparks

Backing Guitar: Ohga Yoshinobu

Keyboards: Takanobu Masuda

News

The official B’z website has been updated with its fifth countdown, this one ending at noon in Japan on Monday, May 5th. It bears noting that the source code on the site indicates as many as ten countdowns, so there should be no shortage of B’z news in the months ahead!

Additionally, the full version of “Still Alive” from the upcoming “Seimei/Still Alive” single was broadcast as part of Takuya Kimura’s radio show. Kimura, a longtime friend of the band, also starred in A LIFE on TBS for which the song served as a theme. The full version reveals that the song opens with an intro akin to “DIVE” and includes a guitar solo unlike any in the B’z catalogue to date.

News

The first teaser for one half of the upcoming single is now being showcased on the official B’z website! “Seimei” is glimpsed briefly, along with a hint of what may be a short music video that should end up on television as an ad and possibly in extended form on YouTube. “Seimei/Still Alive” will be released on June 14th, 2017 and includes both title songs alongside “Fukiarenasai” and “Sekai wa Anata no Iro ni Naru“.

News

Another update on the official B’z instagram has shown the band is now working at their usual studio in Tokyo. As surmised upon hearing of their recent work in Hawaii, the band typically return to Tokyo to round out albums and involve more of their core personnel. Longtime support member and keyboardist Takanobu Masuda also posted on Twitter that he is now in the studio contributing as well:

Takanobu Masuda’s gear for recording his part of the 2017 B’z project

The band have a busy summer ahead, with two announced festival appearances and a month-long SHOWCASE tour that will follow the June release of their 53rd single “Seimei/Still Alive“. As previously postulated in the aforementioned Hawaii write-up, it would be reasonable to expect the band to follow their activities in 2007 for 2017. Already we have our SHOWCASE single just as we did with “Eien no Tsubasa”, along with said SHOWCASE 2017 running concurrent with that of 2007’s which also began in June. That year, B’z would release a second single in October—”SUPER LOVE SONG“—before ending the year with the release of their massive seventeen-track effort ACTION.

News

B’z have recently posted confirmation on their social media channels that they are currently underway recording their next release. This is further evidenced by the latest issue of the Be With! fanclub magazine in which Tak revealed that he will get together with Koshi to start pre-production in April. As has been the case in the past, the duo are working at their studio in Hawaii for the time being. If the past is any indication, further recording at their studios in Los Angeles and Tokyo should be imminent. There are currently no details on their upcoming releases other than they will presumably be performing some of their new output at B’z SHOWCASE 2017 -B’z In Your Town- which is scheduled to begin in July.

Interestingly, the year has thus far resembled their activities in 2007. In May, B’z released “Eien no Tsubasa” with notable B-side “Lonely Stars“. Just prior, they announced SHOWCASE 2007 -19- which began in late June. This was followed immediately thereafter by SHOWCASE 2007 -B’z In Your Town- which ran from July to August, just as its 2017 counterpart will. Both tracks from the single were performed during the pair of summer SHOWCASES. The band also made a festival appearance at SUMMER SONIC 07 in mid August, just as they will with the RISING SUN ROCK FESTIVAL this year. In October, “SUPER LOVE SONG” was released with ACTION following in December as their 16th studio album. This led to the year-long tour of LIVE-GYM 2008 “ACTION” that began in January and culminated in the unforgettable twentieth anniversary stand LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2008 -GLORY DAYS-.

Other than the early start for SHOWCASE -19- in 2007, the years appear at least somewhat similar thus far. It would make sense for B’z to hold their new album until fall and release a comeback single here in the spring that can be included in their summer showings. Time will tell, keep checking back for the latest updates!