MUSIC NEWS- What does a band do after selling 30-million records and DVDs, filled the 55,000-seat Tokyo Dome a record-breaking 18 times, and pioneered the "Visual-Kei" movement (the Japanese music movement that helped spark the current world-wide Anime craze), and their leader has been referred to as "the Bono of Japan"? X Japan's Answer- conquer America!
Yes, this Guns-N'-Roses-meets-Queen-meets-'The-Matrix' rock band is about to tour the USA starting September 25. Yep, X Japan will kick off a brief (seven-city) North American run, starting in Los Angerles at the Wiltern Theatre, with added stops in Oakland, Seattle, Vancouver, Chicago, Toronto, and New York City. Tickets are on sale now and most can be purchased through ticketmaster.com (etix.com for the Chi-town show) or at the venues' box office.
"We feel like a new band now, like we are going back to the beginning," said X Japan's leader/drummer/ pianist/composer Yoshiki about the upcoming USA concerts, "and it's very, very exciting. We are looking forward to playing smaller venues here in the U.S., something we haven't been able to do in Japan since the very early days."
In Asia, X Japan has the follow to enable them to play arenas and stadiums, with elaborate production including lasers, catwalks, and holograms. For their initial North American tour, it's "back to basics," with pyrotechnics and some production, but with the band focusing primarily on the music. As Yoshiki told one reporter, "You don't see good rock shows anymore. Rock doesn't have enough drama now, rap, R&B, and dance music have taken care of that. We want to be part of bringing the drama back to rock."
The band has played the USA before, recently making its American concert debut on August 8, 2010 on the Main Stage at Lollapalooza in Chicago, IL before 10,000 people. The Chicago Sun-Times called the band's set "a spectacular, almost operatic performance of big ballads and speed metal..." with new song "Jade," "...a rumbling guitar attack that would make Metallica take notice."
The members of X Japan have been writing and recording what will be their first North American album and will contain English lyrics. According to Yoshiki, about half of the album will feature some of the band's most popular songs from throughout their career, with all lyrics re-recorded in English, and the other half all brand-new songs. The album's first single will be "Jade," which was performed at Lollapalooza and will be on the North American dates' set list.
X Japan - Yoshiki (drums, piano), Toshi (vocals), Pata and Sugizo (guitars) and Heath (bass), has its roots in the life-long friendship of Yoshiki and Toshi who met when they were four years old. While still in high school, they formed the band, known at the time simply as "X," and over the next 13 years, X Japan released five studio albums as well as six live albums, 10 compilation albums and 15 video albums, and attained iconic status in Japan. With the late-90s breakdown of Yoshiki and Toshi's friendship, combined by the sudden death of then-guitarist Hide, the band called it quits. It wasn't until 2007 that Toshi and Yoshiki reunited, that X Japan was reformed, and that the band put America back in its sights.
"While we are confident about coming to America," Yoshiki added, "I don't know if we are going to end up being successful or not. But what I do know is that music breaks down barriers, and it doesn't matter what country the music comes from. Good music is universal."
X Japan's North American 2010 Tour Itinerary-
SEPTEMBER
25 Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
28 Fox Theatre, Oakland, CA
OCTOBER
1 Paramount Theatre, Seattle, WA
3 Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Vancouver, BC CANADA
6 Riviera, Chicago, IL
7 Massey Hall, Toronto, ON CANADA
10 Roseland Ballroom, New York City, NY
Today, the following news has been reported in the Japanese media.
[Taken from the Nikkan Sports newspaper, August 16, 2010]
Hide / X Japan Contract lawsuit
Hide to “leave” X Japan
Management to institute a lawsuit against YOSHIKI management for the unauthorized use of visual images
It has been made clear that, HEADWAX ORGANIZATION (HEADWAX), management office for the late X Japan guitarist, Hide (33 at the time of death), will be seeking lawsuit for the banning of the use of Hide’s images, as at August 15. According to the parties concerned, Hide’s side claims that “Hide’s images were used during the live performance without formal agreement in place” and that they will be filing suit with the Tokyo district court within a couple of days. The lawsuit may trigger the possible “walk-out” of Hide from X Japan.
[Absence of Contract]
According to multiple sources, Japan Music Agency (JMA), Yoshiki’s management office, signed a contract with Headwax, Hide’s management office, in 2000, regarding the use of visual images. When the Nissan Stadium Concerts on August 14, 15 were finalized, JMA offered to resign the contract, since the contract which was signed in 2000 was 10 year-old. However, just before the live concerts, JMA notified that Hide’s visual images were not to be used, and they dropped the whole matter. As it turned out, however, part of Hide’s performance scene was used with “Kurenai” and “X”.
[Also with Pachinko]
Trouble with regard to Hide’s visual images is impacting on the new Pachinko game, “CR Fever X Japan”, which Sankyo is planning to introduce in the market in September. Sources say that Hide’s management office claims that, although there was a signed memorandum regarding the use of Hide’s visual images, they used Hide’s visual images
without implementing an agreement.
It is also reported that Headwax is preparing a lawsuit against JMA, Yoshiki’s management office, as well as against Sankyo, Pachinko manufacturer, as to the alleged use of Hide’s visual images without authorization. Formal complaint is to be filed with Tokyo district court within a couple of days.
However, Hide has always been on stage ever since the reunion of X Japan in 2008. At the concerts at Tokyo Dome, members held up a “Hide doll”, with the leader Yoshiki proclaiming that “Hide will always be with us. We will take him overseas too!”
X Japan, which recently appeared at Lollapalooza before the 20,000 local rock fans in Chicago, will be on tour in North America from September 25. The lawsuit is under such circumstances and there is a possibility that Hide may “leave” the band just before the North American tour.
Posted by: JP1984DC | Aug 17, 2010 at 01:38 AM