Aerosmith & B’z to Perform Together On 8/8 in Tokyo
B'z have announced that they are going to perform live on stage with Aerosmith on August 8th, 2013 in Tokyo. The event is called Aerosonic and will be held at the famous QVC Marine Field, which is located within the Stadium of the Chiba Lotte Marines, a Japanese baseball team. Tickets are going to be on sale June 9th. Fanclub tickets are also said to be available through B'z PARTY.
This is not the first time for B'z to team up with Aerosmith. 11 years ago, during the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Aerosmith was joined by B'z on stage to jam out to Train Kept A Rollin'. Check it out here if you missed it!
B'z & Aerosmith live! 「Aerosonic」
Date: August 8th, 2013
Doors: 16:00
Start: 17:30
Ticket price: 15,000 Yen (Arena standing & S seat); 12,000 Yen (A seat)
“Kakushin” Featured in NTV Drama “Kumo no Kaidan”
There have been rumors about a possible tie-in for one of the new songs on the B'z The Best XXV releases, but now it is official: Kakushin has been selected to be the theme song for the upcoming Nippon Television drama "Kumo no Kaidan". The series is set to air on April 17th, which will also be the first chance to hear a portion of Kakushin. Tak and Koshi have shared their thoughts on the song as well.
Tak Matsumoto
I had a look at the script before starting work on the song and had a lot of fun working on it from the melody to the arrangement. I really can't wait for it to be aired. I will be glad if you enjoy this song along with the drama.
Koshi Inaba
I have read Jun'ichi Watanabe's original novels and have also taken into account the drama's theme and script when I wrote the lyrics and melody for the song. We really like the song we have produced. Please enjoy it along with the drama.
Be With! Vol. 95 Interview Translation
Be With! Vol 95 Cover
After a short hiatus, we are now able to bring you the latest B'z interview to date! The interview was conducted right after their Pepsi PREMIUM LIVE in August last year. This issue covers a lot of behind the scenes information on the band's debut English album, the involvement of drummer Shane Gaalaas in its production, and the band's latest plans for their then-upcoming tour, B'z LIVE-GYM 2012 -Into Free-.
You can find the interview in our B'z wiki: http://bzwiki.offthelock.com/Be_With!_Vol._95_(September_2012)
The next issue, Be With! Vol. 96, is expected to ship in the upcoming weeks. The interview will most likely feature Tak and Koshi's impressions of their North American tour. Look forward to it!
Don't forget to stay hype.
2013 B’z Calendar
Just in time for the new year, I have received the new B'z calendar 2013 from B'z Party! As with previous editions of the calendar, there are two versions of it: a monthly one and a weekly one. The monthly one is the larger version which is hung on a wall. I ordered the monthly version just like the past years. But this time, they spiced up the calendar! Compared to the previous edition, the 2013 is much larger in size. Unfortunately, that means it won't fit into my scanner anymore and thus have to resort to taking pictures of it.
The cover of the 2013 calendar
The pictures for the 2013 calendar were shot in California during their 2012 North American tour. Also, for the first time, Shane and Barry have joined Tak and Koshi for the photoshoot. The four are on just one picture, though. Look forward to seeing it! I won't tell you which month. 
Size comparison: 2012 calendar vs. 2013 calendar
You can now take a look at the picture for January. We are starting out with a very cool picture! Enjoy!
Music Station Super Live 2012 Report
B'z during their first Music Station SUPER LIVE performance in 1992
Before B'z appeared on stage, a segment was shown in which the band's history of SUPER LIVE performances was detailed. B'z appeared on the first ever Music Station SUPER LIVE in 1992, during their 5th anniversary. They performed their million selling hit "ZERO" on stage. From there on out, the band can look back on countless Music Station SUPER LIVE performances:
- Music Station SUPER LIVE 1992 – ZERO
- Music Station SUPER LIVE 1996 – SNOW / Shoushin
- Music Station SUPER LIVE 1997 – Swimmer Yo! / Calling
- Music Station SUPER LIVE 2000 – Seventh Heaven / Konya Tsuki no Mieru Oka ni
- Music Station SUPER LIVE 2001 – GOLD / ultra soul
- Music Station SUPER LIVE 2002 – Mou Ichido Kiss Shitakatta / Atsuki Kodou no Hate
- Music Station SUPER LIVE 2003 – IT'S SHOWTIME!!
- Music Station SUPER LIVE 2004 – ARIGATO
- Music Station SUPER LIVE 2005 – Itsuka no Merry Christmas / OCEAN
- Music Station SUPER LIVE 2006 – Shoudou
- Music Station SUPER LIVE 2007 – SUPER LOVE SONG
- Music Station SUPER LIVE 2012 – Ichibu to Zenbu / Ai no Bakudan
Since 2007, B'z have not been present on television as they used to. In 2008, the band was busy celebrating their 20th anniversary and the only time they appeared on television was during the 20th anniversary NHK special. The following year, in 2009, the band didn't perform on television at all, except for a short comment recorded for their then latest single Ichibu to Zenbu. The last time B'z performed on television was last year, on April 1st, when they performed Sayonara Kizu Darake no Hibi yo and Brotherhood on a Music Station special. For the first time in 5 years, B'z is making an appearance on a Music Station SUPER LIVE.
B’z To Perform On Music Station SUPER LIVE 2012
For the first time in 5 years, B'z is going to perform on a Music Station SUPER LIVE. The Music Station SUPER LIVE is set to be broadcasted on December 21st, 2012 from 7PM to 11:10PM. It is still unclear which song(s) the band is going to perform on television, but one might think that this is a perfect occasion for a rendition of "Itsuka no Merry Christmas"?! Or perhaps B'z is going to perform an entirely new song? What do you think?
The last time B'z has appeared on a broadcast of a SUPER LIVE was in 2007, when they performed their then latest single SUPER LOVE SONG. But this isn't exactly the last time B'z has appeared on television. The band was performing on a Music Station special last year on April 1 to show their support for the earthquake victims. They performed Brotherhood and Sayonara Kizu Darake no Hibi yo.
Check out the full lineup for the 2012 SUPER LIVE here: http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/music/contents/m_lineup/cur/
Be With! Vol. 94 Interview Translation
Be With! Vol 94 Cover
We are sure it's been a while since you've read a full interview with B'z that was exclusive to fanclub members. Keen used to translate bits here and there which would also reveal funny bits about the band. We are striving to do the same. In Be With! Vol. 94 the band talks about their collaboration with Kim Hyun Joong, the release of the LIVE-GYM 2011 DVD and their ongoing collaboration with Pepsi!
You can find the interview in our B'z wiki: http://bzwiki.offthelock.com/Be_With!_Vol._94_(June_2012)
I have received Be With! Vol. 95 yesterday and will start translating the interview soon. The interview in this issue was conducted right after the Pepsi NEX PREMIUM LIVE, so they're also going to talk about that. Once I've done that, I will also translate music video shooting diaries, backstage reports and such. This depends on the issue. I'll start with volume 95 and work my way through all the older ones.
Stay tuned! And don't forget to keep the hype going!
25th Anniversary Merchandise on Sale
Looking to celebrate B'z 25th Anniversary? You can now purchase T-shirts with a special 25th Anniversary design. The 25th Anniversary logo contains spuds. Should you consider buying one of these, you should know that one of these shirts will set you back a whopping 5250 Yen. The merchandise(see below) is available at B'z The Store as well as Musing. You'll need a Japanese address and a credit card to be able to make a purchase. You can use a forwarding service such as Tenso to get a Japanese address.
Entering 25th Anniversary Year
It's already September 21st in Japan and that means it's B'z 24th anniversary day! Happy birthday! And with that, the band has entered their 25th year as a band. While B'z continues to tour North America as part of their LIVE-GYM 2012 -Into Free- tour, preparations are being made in Japan to celebrate 25 years of B'z.
On that occasion, B'z Official Website has been updated to feature the B'z 25th anniversary logo (seen above). In addition to that, from 12 PM Japan Time, you'll be able to buy 25th Anniversary merchandise at B'z The Store. As of now, it is unknown what kind of merchandise will be available. We'll update you as soon as the site goes live!
Also, we are sure that this is just the beginning. Stay tuned for more news!
LIVE-GYM 2012 Kicks Off in San Francisco
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B'z has kicked off their seven stop tour LIVE-GYM 2012 -Into Free- last night at the Warfield in San Francisco. During the show, they premiered songs found on their first English album「B'z」. In addition to that, the band performed a lot of classics from their catalog. One could say, that the set list has a certain PLEASURE Tour touch to it.
The audience was mainly comprised of Asian fans. If you're looking to catch one of Tak's guitar picks, we suggest you queue up early enough to get a spot close to the stage. Japanese fans tend to be at the venue very early. Also, if you're looking to buy merchandise, prepare to pay in cash just in case. Merchandise at the Warfield was cash-only.
Their next stop of the tour is tomorrow, September 19, at the Showbox SODO in Seattle. Followed by shows on September 20 in Vancouver, September 26 in Toronto, September 28 in Silver Spring, September 30 in New York with a final show on October 6 in Los Angeles at the Gibson Amphitheatre.
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