News

Nearly two full years since the close of their last tour, B’z will soon embark on the as-yet untitled B’z LIVE-GYM 2017-2018! The tour will serve to promote the band’s upcoming twentieth studio album which is expected to be announced and released in late fall or early winter. The title for the 18-stop tour will likewise be announced alongside the album, and may come around August when the band are playing their currently scheduled music festival showings.

This is the third time the band have staged a cross-year tour, following LIVE-GYM ’90~’91 “RISKY” and LIVE-GYM ’91~’92 “IN THE LIFE”. It is also not unlikely the band will revive “Itsuka no Merry Christmas” for the first time since LIVE-GYM 2011 -C’mon- for the December showings.

The dates announced today are as follows:

Dec. 14/16/17 — Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center
Dec. 23/24 — Fukuoka Yahoo! JAPAN Dome
Dec. 30/31 — Nagoya Dome
Jan. 7/8 — Tokyo Dome
Jan. 13/14 — Saitama Super Arena (※Performed as a Dome showing)
Jan. 20/21 — Sun Dome Fukui
Jan. 27/28 — Sekisui Heim Super Arena
Feb. 1/3/4 — Kyocera Dome Osaka

The duration of LIVE-GYM 2017-2018 may not appear in line with comparatively massive undertakings like LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2013 -ENDLESS SUMMER- and LIVE-GYM 2015 -EPIC NIGHT- that toured smaller and larger venues alike. While there will certainly be a LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2018 that picks up where this leaves off next year, it’s worth noting that 2002’s “GREEN ~GO★FIGHT★WIN~” also spanned 18 shows, LIVE-GYM 2003 “BIG MACHINE” was just 12, “MONSTER’S GARAGE” in 2006 was only 17, and “Ain’t No Magic” from 2010 was played over 19 dates.

News

The first “Seimei”-themed version of the “Seimei/Still Alive” single hit airwaves today during Detective Conan and has been preserved below for those that wish to see it. The single will be released on June 14th and also includes the Detective Conan theme “Sekai wa Anata no Iro ni Naru“.

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

It has just been announced that upcoming single “Seimei/Still Alive” will be receiving another tie-in when “Still Alive” begins serving as the opening theme song to TBS’s entertainment news program Event GO! for the month of June. This is the second tie-in on the network for the song. From January to March of this year, it was utilized as the theme to the season’s 20th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix winner for Best Drama A LIFE from January to March.

UPDATE (6/1/2017): It has also been revealed that “Still Alive” will be heard as the ending theme to variety show Arita Generation as well as during anime-ranking program Rank Oukoku for both June and July.

News

The second variant of the “Still Alive” commercial for the upcoming “Seimei/Still Alive” double A-side single is now airing on Japanese television. The four track single will be released on June 14th and also includes digital singles “Sekai wa Anata no Iro ni Naru” and “Fukiarenasai“.