Tag Archives: Events

Koshi Inaba News

Koshi Inaba & Stevie Salas have just wrapped up two shows in Japan with their double showing at SUMMER SONIC 2017. The pair of shows took place on August 19 and 20 in Osaka and Tokyo respectively with the performances being a truncated rendition of their CHUBBY GROOVE TOUR 2017.

The full setlist is preserved below:

INABA/SALAS at SUMMER SONIC 2017
[August 19 & 20, 2017]

1. SAYONARA RIVER
2. Kunou no Hate no Sore mo Kotae no Hitotsu
3. Shoumen Shoutotsu
4. WABISABI
5. OVERDRIVE
6. MARIE
7. AISHI-AISARE
8. TROPHY (Only for 8.20)

The pair are not finished yet, however: they will play a special triple-billing with MIYAVI and Made in Asia on August 23 and then head for what is presumed to be their final CHUBBY GROOVE promotion: SUMMER SONIC SHANGHAI 2017.

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 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.

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.

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.

Feature

With the impending release of B’z COMPLETE SINGLE BOX and its massive 53-disc set on the horizon, it seemed only fitting that we take a look back at the very first time that B’z attempted such a collection, all the way back in 2005.

Apple’s iTunes service has long been known as the for-bearer and industry leader in the digital marketplace for music, television, and movies. The innovation of the iPod brought with it a revolution in how we listen to music and was undoubtedly the catalyst for many abandoning physical media in favor of the convenience and capacity allowed by digital. At the time, iTunes had already captured 80% of the U.S. and UK digital markets with 1.8 million songs being purchased per day. As one of the world’s most dependably successful music markets, rumors swirled as to when Japan would enter the fray—especially given the country had long solidified its reputation for being on the cutting edge of most types of technology. It seemed only natural they, too, would get a similar push as did the rest of the world. And on August 4, 2005, they did.

One of the hot topics leading into the event in Tokyo that August was song pricing. Convincing the Japanese record labels to adopt the standard pricing of roughly $1 USD per song had not been easy given the profit margins they enjoyed on physical sales. Indeed, Japan was and remains one of the few markets in which physical singles still move hundreds of thousands of copies every week. Jeopardizing that meant cutting into their marketing machines, so their trepidation was understandable. Despite its technologically-advanced reputation, most Japanese artists had not placed their back catalogues online in digital form just yet and there was no guarantee that many were exactly lining up to do so. After all, their physical albums and singles were still selling at a rate disproportionate with the rest of the world and changing that seemed unnecessarily risky. Thus, when Apple co-founder Steve Jobs took the stage that day, there was a great deal of curiosity in Japan about the long-term ramifications of such a prospect.

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