B’z SHOWCASE 2018 -The Wall Of Rock- Scheduled for July 2, 2018!
News 
It has just been announced that B’z SHOWCASE 2018 -The Wall Of Rock- will serve as the warmup to the upcoming thirtieth anniversary tour! The show will take place on the island of Ishigaki at Ishigaki City Hall and, as is typically the case with SHOWCASE events, is an area not frequented by the band given its population of less than 50,000 people. As is the stated mission of a SHOWCASE, the show scheduled for July 2 will be both a warmup and a means of playing for fans that otherwise don’t have ready access to B’z shows.
B’z will embark on B’z LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2018 -HINOTORI- five days later on July 7 at the Okinawa Convention Center and run through September 21 and 22 at Ajinomoto Stadium. A home video release should reasonably follow in January or February of 2019.
First Preview of New Song “HINOTORI” & Exhibition Thank You!
News B’z have just posted a video entitled “Thank you all for coming to B’z 30th Year Exhibition” which features a preview of new song “HINOTORI”! The song, whose title serves as the basis to B’z LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2018 -HINOTORI-, is being unveiled in the video for the first time.
As part of the exhibit dubbed “SCENES”, preliminary lyrics and the first sheet of music were on display. In the audio guided tour, the band revealed the song is actually a sequel to 1995 single “LOVE PHANTOM“—thus explaining it being referred to as the song’s second opus on the sheet of music in Tak’s handwriting. The opening in the video when played backwards should sound appropriately familiar as a result. Too, the font used in the tour logo should appear similar when compared to the original single’s cover. Lastly, in the audio guide, it was mentioned that the song will be framed from the original female character’s point of view.
The committee in charge of the exhibition also posted on the official website a statement as part of the exhibition’s closing, which ended by concluding that while “SCENES” as an event has ended:
“Of course, this is not the end. B’z will continue into the future, in search of new scenery no one has yet seen.”
B’z will embark on their thirtieth anniversary tour B’z LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2018 -HINOTORI- on July 7 at the Okinawa Convention Center and run through September 21 and 22 at Ajinomoto Stadium. A home video release should reasonably follow in January or February of 2019.
Ranking Every B’z Song’s Chances for Pleasure 2018
Feature 
B’z LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2018 -HINOTORI- will serve to commemorate the band’s thirtieth anniversary on the music scene and will culminate with a pair of performances to mark the exact date, on September 21 and 22. This is their tenth Pleasure outing in all—a moniker given to non-album tours that essentially serve the purpose of playing their best output without regard for a single era or recent release.
As part of a series of articles discussing the band’s catalogue to date, we are looking at which signature tracks we expect to hear on the live stage this year as well as those we think are probably not going to make an appearance. Additionally, we’ve taken guesses as to which lesser-heard songs may or may not make their way onto the setlist as well. Several different factors were weighed in judging each song’s chances, including how recently they’ve been performed, how recently they’ve made their way to home video, and the general unlikelihood certain songs would appear.
Naturally, this list is ultimately all conjecture. B’z always pack surprises into their setlists and we expect this year will be no different. Be sure to read beyond the break to see our Pleasure 2018 rankings for every song in the B’z catalogue!
B’z LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2018 -HINOTORI- Tour Logo Unveiled
News 
B’z have just released the logo proper for the upcoming thirtieth anniversary tour B’z LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2018 -HINOTORI-. As expected due to its translation of “Phoenix”, the motif of the song is present in the image that will form the tone of the show and its tour goods which will be unveiled within the week prior to the first show. The tour begins on July 7 at the Okinawa Convention Center and runs through September 21 and 22 at Ajinomoto Stadium. A home video release should reasonably follow in January or February of 2019.
B’z Double Feature Screening in Japanese Theaters This Summer
News 
As part of the band’s 30th anniversary exhibition, “SCENES“, fans were given the opportunity to attend screenings of two presentations: B’z SHOWCASE 2017 -B’z In Home Town- and Behind the Scene: The 29th Year. The former tracks Tak and Koshi as they perform in both of their hometowns as part of B’z SHOWCASE 2017 -B’z In Your Town-. The latter recounts the recording of DINOSAUR and acts as a backstage pass to their time during B’z LIVE-GYM 2017-2018 “LIVE DINOSAUR”.
Each feature was set to be available only as part of the exhibit but due to its pre-sale tickets for screenings selling out long before it opened, the band has decided to do a double feature in Japanese theaters, nationwide, from June 15 to September 22. Participating theaters and screening dates can be viewed on the official website.
Though no announcement has yet been made, we expect a home video release that likely will combine the two and possibly arrive in November or December. Upcoming 30th anniversary tour B’z LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2018 -HINOTORI- should likewise receive a home release in January or February of 2019. Naturally, it is possible all three could be collected into a single package around the same time instead.
Ten Years On: B’z as Guinness World Record Holders
News 
On March 12, 2008, coinciding with their twentieth anniversary year, B’z were awarded a Guinness World Record for “Best selling album act in Japan” bearing the commendation:
The best selling album act in Japan is a hard rock duo B’z (Japan) who has sold more than 42 million albums by 2008. They have also sold more than 34 million singles which makes them the best selling music act in Japan overall.
Presently, with the release of late 2017 effort DINOSAUR, the band have sold over 46,000,000 albums. As noted in the Guinness record, this makes them the best sold act in Japanese history when combined with single sales. The album record is set to stand for some time as most contemporary acts combined are not within contention.
Other sales records held by B’z at this time include the most number one singles (49), most consecutive number one singles (49), longest streak of number one singles (49), total weeks singles were at number one (66), longest consecutive period with a single at number one (20 Years), most singles in the top 10 concurrently (9), the most million-selling albums (19), most number-one albums (26), total CD shipments (100,000,000), total CD sales (81,500,000), and the only artist in history to lead all six major categories tracked by Oricon. On November 19, 2007, B’z also became the first Asian artists to be inducted to Hollywood’s RockWalk.