Pepsi NEX presents B’z PREMIUM LIVE Report
Feature 
Last night, B’z returned to Osaka Namba Hatch where the 2006 Network Live took place that was later released on DVD and Blu-ray as B’z Live in Namba. This was the first of two limited events available to people who collected enough points gathered from specially-branded Pepsi items. Those who entered were eligible for a chance to receive double tickets good at either venue.
Fifteen songs were played at the show, including all of the songs from the recent English album. Although Juice, Into Free -Dangan, Splash, and Ultra Soul had been played lived in English before, this marked the first time Love Bomb has been performed on stage. In addition, the most recent single, GO FOR IT, BABY -Kioku no Sanmyaku-, also saw its live debut. A number of old favorites were revived for this setlist, including some not played in several years now.
The biggest surprise of the night was a B’z version of the song HEAT that Tak and Koshi recently wrote for Korean artist Kim Hyung Joong’s latest Japanese single. Japanese fans have been clamoring for a B’z version since it was announced that they would be contributing to the song, and now they have it–in live form, at least. Whether or not this opens up the possibility to a future studio version as a potential B-side remains to be seen.
Since the setlist of songs played in this show may reflect a portion of those played during the upcoming tour in North America, we won’t be posting the full listing here to avoid spoiling anything for those attending.
The second of the two premium live concerts is scheduled to take place in Tokyo on Saturday at STUDIO COAST.
Opinion: Thoughts on B’z Promotion Strategy
Feature To fill the absence of news with something interesting (aside from our weekly project, of course), I thought I would share some thoughts concerning B’z current promotion strategy and why I think it doesn’t pay off.
Last year, B’z announced their first North American tour in 8 years, creating major hype among international B’z fans. Tickets for the 3 stop tour were sold out in a couple of days. But this time, it’s different. The band is playing on the East coast for the very first time with additional gigs in Toronto, Silver Spring and New York City. If you look at the ticket availability on ticketmaster, you’ll see that none of the shows haven’t been sold out yet — not by a long shot. Even the popular gig in Los Angeles isn’t sold out yet, although a whole lot of Japanese fans will be in attendance.
So, why do you think is that?
Well, B’z management has certainly miscalculated what kind of reception the band would receive in North America. The band has released a top notch EP with 5 songs in English on iTunes and yet they’re not promoting it well enough. Niche sites are picking up the press release but does that gain any exposure for B’z? Nope, not at all. They should try to get B’z into the main rock market. Go public. Where’s an article about the almighty Japanese rock group in the New York Times? Where’s an interview with Tak and Koshi on “Talk Asia” on CNN?
I personally think that they’re underestimating their fame. Even Ayumi Hamasaki and Anna Tsuchiya have made it on CNN. So why shouldn’t B’z? They’re huge in Japan and yet they promote themselves like some niche band in North America. I wouldn’t mind if they played Love Bomb on the radio – would you?
They should finally promote themselves for what they really are: The best selling Japanese rock band in Japanese history. They’re the first and so far only asian band to be inducted into the Hollywood Rockwalk of fame. Tak Matsumoto’s the first asian artist to receive his own signature Gibson. They mean big business, and they are big business. While I appreciate the fact that Slash and Mike Shinoda are promoting the release of the B’z EP, I don’t think it’ll get those fanbases to listen to B’z.
And of course… there’s another thing… why is B’z promoting themselves mostly in the Japanese community in North America? I do get that Japanese living in North America should get a chance to see the band, but really… if you’re doing promotion… do it the right way!
What do you guys think? What should B’z do? Fire away in the comments!
B’z Debut English Album Available NOW Worldwide on iTunes!
News 
B’z has unleashed their debut English album, and have done so on the world! The album that contains Love Bomb, Splash, Juice, Ultra Soul, and Into Free -Dangan- all in English is now available worldwide on iTunes, in over sixty countries! Click your country below to get it!
United States
United Kingdom
Australia
Japan
Canada
Germany
New Zealand
Philippines
Mexico
France
Czech Republic
Singapore
Argentina
Italy
Hungary
Vietnam
Brazil
Spain
Norway
Malaysia
Chile
Netherlands
Bulgaria
Hong Kong
Colombia
Ireland
Romania
Taiwan
Venezuela
Austria
Slovakia
Thailand
Costa Rica
Belgium
Malta
Laos
Dominican Rep.
Switzerland
Cyprus
Cambodia
Ecuador
Sweden
Estonia
Sri Lanka
Bolivia
Portugal
Luxembourg
Macau
Guatemala
Poland
Lithuania
Brunei
Peru
Denmark
Slovenia
Honduras
Finland
Latvia
Nicaragua
Greece
Panama
El Salvador
ParaguayB’z J-WAVE Radio Segment Translation
Feature | Koshi: | Good afternoon to everyone who tuned into J-WAVE HOLIDAY SPECIAL: PEPSI NEX presents ALL TOGETHER NOW. I’m Koshi Inaba. | |
| Tak: | And I’m Tak Matsumoto. | |
| Koshi: | So, today’s topic is what you could enjoy with somebody, what could get you excited. In other words: “Together!”. What we’ve been producing as B’z together with everyone else’s effort is the latest installment in our series of Pepsi NEX commercials. | |
| Tak: | Right. I’m sure you’ve seen it. It conveys a summer feeling and is really bright! | |
| Koshi: | Yeah. There was a concert scene in a country to the south and everybody was standing around. | |
| Tak: | The main point of the commercial was our live performance and a lot of people would just stream into the audience. | |
| Koshi: | It looked just like a normal live performance. Everyone was getting excited about it. We all created a “Together”, indeed. | |
| Tak: | That’s right. | |
| Koshi: | If you haven’t seen it yet, feel free to switch on the TV. You should see it if you zap through the channels a bit. | |
| Tak: | Yes. (laughs) | |
| Koshi: | Feel free to watch it. The song that’s playing in the commercial is one we’ve produced by the title of “Love Bomb”. It’s a song you’ve all probably heard already, because it’s the English version of a hit song we released in 2005, “Ai no Bakudan”. The song didn’t just receive an English version but has also been re-recorded. | |
| Tak: | Yeah. | |
| Koshi: | In other words, we’ve used a re-recorded song for this commercial. | |
| Tak: | Yeah, but I have to say I enjoyed re-recording an old song from years ago and seeing how it turned out. | |
| Koshi: | That’s true. Right when we were working on it, Pepsi approached us with their summer version of a commercial and I think they were a perfect match. Now, please have a listen to “Love Bomb”. | |
| 「Love Bomb」 Full version on air |
English Album B’z To Be Released Worldwide 7/25
News 
B’z is releasing their self-titled English debut album B’z on July 25th. The album will be available worldwide for purchase on iTunes. It will feature 5 tracks among which are the latest single Into Free -Dangan- as well as the new Pepsi NEX commercial song Love Bomb. Love Bomb is the English version of Ai no Bakudan, a B’z hit song released in 2005. All the songs have been re-recorded and rewritten in English to coincide with the upcoming North American tour, B’z LIVE-GYM 2012 -Into Free-.
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「B’z」Track Listing:1. Love Bomb (PEPSI NEX commercial theme song) Original Title: Ai no Bakudan(2005) 2. Splash 3. Juice 4. Ultra Soul 5. Into Free -Dangan- Release date: 2012.07.25 |
New Pepsi NEX Summer Commercial 7/14 On Air
B’z making guest appearance on J-WAVE on July 14th
It has been announced that B’z will make an appearance on the radio show J-WAVE HOLIDAY SPECIAL PEPSI NEX presents ALL TOGETHER NOW！on the radio station J-WAVE on July 14th. Their appearance is scheduled for 2PM Japan Standard Time.
Be up-to-date with B’z Google Calendar!
You can now stay up-to-date with the official B’z Google calendar. You can import the calendar into your own and never forget a deadline, a release, or a concert!
The calendar can be accessed here: http://www.bz-vermillion.com/schedule/index.html
“Love Bomb” To Be New Pepsi NEX Song
News The interview with B’z in the latest issue of the B’z official fanclub magazine Be With! reveals that “Love Bomb” will be the next Pepsi Nex title song. While it is not known that this is in fact an English version of Ai no Bakudan(=Love Bomb), it should be safe to assume that it is.
Koshi also mentions that “Love Bomb” came up while working on songs. It looks like B’z is indeed working on an English album.
There’s no word on a release date for “Love Bomb” so far… stay tuned!