NASHVILLE |FROM: TODD BRODGINSKI/MITCH SCHNEIDER
B’z
SIX NORTH AMERICAN CONCERTS SET FOR OCTOBER;
JAPAN’S BIGGEST-SELLING GROUP PASSES
THE 70,000,000 SALES MARK AS THEY GET SET TO
EMBARK ON 15TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR
Japan’s biggest musical act—B’z—are celebrating their 15th anniversary with an international tour which will bring the group back to North America for six October performances dubbed as “B’z LIVE-GYM 2003 BANZAI IN NORTH AMERICA.” The massively popular rock duo–TAK MATSUMOTO and KOSHI INABA–have sold over 40,000,000 albums and 30,000,000 singles in Japan and have landed 31 consecutive #1 singles there beginning with “Taiyo no Komachi Angel” in 1990.
In a statement, guitarist/songwriter Tak Matsumoto and singer/lyricist Koshi Inaba said, “We are very excited to be able to perform in North America again. For those who are not familiar with B’z or our music, we extend our welcome to you to see a powerful performance you will never forget. We look forward to seeing all our fans and friends and are ready to give you our ALL! See you soon!!”
B’z released their self-titled debut album September 21, 1988 and they tour relentlessly around the world (one 14-date tour of Japan drew 700,000 fans). The group has been embraced for blending hard-driving guitar (Matsumoto is one of few guitarists, including Jimmy Page, Slash, Joe Perry and Ace Frehley, to have his own Gibson guitar model) with pop hooks. Although the group sings primarily in Japanese, several songs are in English or incorporate English catch-phrases.
Below are the U.S. tour dates. Their official website is www.bz-vermillion.com.
Date: City: Venue:
October 12 Las Vegas, NV House of Blues
October 14 Los Angeles, CA House of Blues
October 15 Los Angeles, CA House of Blues
October 18 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
October 21 Seattle, WA The Showbox
October 23 Vancouver, Canada Commodore Ballroom
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