The dream is finally realized. 18 years after X Japan held a press conference in New York to announce their U.S. concert debut, it finally happened as the band took to the stage at the Lollapalooza rock festival in Chicago yesterday. They stuck to their hard rock/speed metal numbers for a 5-song set that included English language versions of the classics "Rusty Nail" and "Kuranai," the more recent "Jade" and "I.V." and ended with the fan favorite, "X."
The front rows of the audience were dominated by Japanese faces, some with the elaborate fashion, makeup and hair that X Japan and their fans established as the dress code of visual kei rock. And unlike many of the locals, they certainly didn't need any encouragement to sing along or make the traditional X symbol with their forearms. Many were reduced to tears, especially when slow motion images of the band's late guitarist Hide were projected on a screen during an interval.
X Japan return home for two shows at the Yokohama Nissan Stadium next week, before returning to the U.S. for a full North American concert tour. The tour was scheduled to start in October but the date for the opening show has been announced as September 25 in Los Angeles, where drummer and band leader Yoshiki is based. Plans to go on a European tour from January were also revealed yesterday.
X-Japan held their one-man live at Yokohama Stadium yesterday. They held a press conference with special guest, ex-member TAIJI.
Toshi stated that he, “can still feel the curtain rising for their world tour,” and that “they are preparing to take on the world.” TAIJI who hasn’t been with the band for 18 years said, “Even if HIDE is only in name, it wouldn’t have been possible without these two [Yoshiki and Toshi]. I am honored to be here. I will do what I can from this point on.”
“This doesn’t mean we’ll be on stage together….but when stuff like this happens in music, that this happens. It reminds me of when we first debut,” said Yoshiki.
TAIJI commented, “Even after 18 years, this is like we’re childhood friends and like flowers, we bloomed. While our health may not be good we still keep a positive vibe going. (citing Yoshiki)”
Two days ago when they (X Japan) had their live, TAIJI was there and said “You guys played songs that I haven’t heard yet huh?” Yoshiki and Toshi both replied, “What? The songs were already decided weren’t they?… Our communication really sucks doesn’t it?” all the while laughing.
Moving on to the topic of their show at Lollapalooza, Yoshiki said that it was like a “debut battle, much like our debut in Japan, ‘what ever happens, bring it on!’” were his feelings on the event. Right before the show, Yoshiki took out his iPhone to commemorate the event. “Yoshiki really is the type who likes to do stuff like that,” said Toshi.
Coming this fall will be their North America tour. Yoshiki said, “On the 16th, we’ll release the official information simultanously in America [and Japan].”
From September 25 to October the band is scheduled to make stops in L.A., Oakland, Seattle, Vancouver, Chicago, Toronto and New York.
Since their U.S. debut at one of America’s biggest events, Lollapalloza, X Japan has been making headlines across the North American territory with Yoshiki at the helms.
When you own your own race car team, jewelry line, clothing line, credit card brand, be the only person to have a Hello Kitty doll (Yoshikitty) made after you, have a manager that co-created Lollapalooza and buy out an entire studio that Metallica booked for a year just because you want to record there, why can’t you headline in America too?
Featured in the L.A. Times Arts&Book section [pre-Lollapalooza], headlined “America, Meet YOSHIKI,” with a sub title “The heavy metal drummer-pianist is huge in Japan. But he wants more.” The article starts with X Japan’s music video shot that happend earlier in January in Hollywood and quoted Yoshiki, “It almost made me cry,” and “It was a touching moment. It gave us confidence to go foraward, to tour in America and want to release an album in the U.S.”
The writer also goes into saying how many other Asian pop acts have failed to cross over, but that X Japan plans to “no simply as world music performers but as a legitimate pop act in the vein of Slipknot or Metallica.” While the article was more into what all fans already know (i.e. X Japan/Yoshiki’s background), Chris Lee (the writer) is hoping to enlist Yoshiki in his own show “like Cirque de Soleil.”
X Japan was also featured on “Time Out Chicago,” interviewed on ABC News, Phoenix New Times and Chicago Sun-Times. Chicago Sun-Times headlined the band as “Lollapalooza: X Japan makes U.S. debut, winds converts.”
There was another article in the LA Times post Lollapalooza, with a title, “After Lollapalooza, club scene will suit the band just fine.”
While they have many fans and supporters, there are many in Japan that think otherwise. “‘Japanese management, a lot of people said, “You’re not going to make it in America or outside Japan,” said Yoshiki. “That makes me want to do it even more.” He continued to say, “People say, ‘You cannot get to the moon.’ I want to get to the moon! The moon being the American market.” (cited LA Times)
While it’s not just Japanese management there are quite some ex-X Japan fans that don’t see the band making it any further than they already have. Some think it’s a little too late for the band seeing as how their disbandment in 1997 was the end of their era. You have to admit, if Yoshiki didn’t have his manager, would X Japan have even made it to the main stage at Lollapalooza? That I can’t answer, but I can say this, Yoshiki, while many rockers your age are just doing reality TV shows, you are just being re-born, as an American this time. Good luck! Hope your master grand plan works out.
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For the first time in the long history of X Japan, the country's premier rock band performed a solo show outdoors and they did it with "seven members." Of course, one of those members was the late guitarist Hide, who died in 1998 but is still given honorary band membership. But during their shows at the weekend the five current members were joined for the encore by bassist Taiji, who last played with the band 18 years ago.
The two shows at the Nissan Yokohama Stadium drew 130,000 fans, who were treated to a 12-minute drum solo by band leader Yoshiki. It was the first time for him to perform the hyper-speed solo (he is said to play at 800 beats per minute) since he underwent surgery for a hernia last year. So it was made all the more dramatic by the 10m-high revolving drum stage and the neck brace he wears since the surgery. With the song "Tears" playing in the background, Yoshiki tearfully thanked his fans, saying, "Each and every one of you is the wind beneath our wings."
The band performed 11 songs, including the new track "Jade." And as they got ready to play "X" for an encore, vocalist Toshi called an old friend onto the stage to join them. Taiji was a member of the band for its first three albums and was the man behind the extravagant stage costumes and hairstyles that largely defined the visual kei rock image. he left the band in 1992 due to "musical differences" and went on to perform with Loudness and D.T.R.
The stadium shows, which cost an estimated ¥1 billion, were the Japan leg of a world tour that hits North America on September 25 and is said to be heading to Europe early in 2011.
X Japan vocalist ToshI (44) recently stated in an interview that he will be resuming his solo activities later with a new single next month. He also mentioned that he will team up with Yoshiki to start a new project next year.
Earlier this year, ToshI revealed that he was divorcing his wife Kaori after more than 12 years of marriage. He also finally severed ties with the Home of Heart group (labeled by many as a cult), though he had to declare personal bankruptcy as most of his money has gone to that organization. In February, he held a "sayonara concert" to symbolize his break away from his past.
Now, with the help of his friend and bandmate Yoshiki, ToshI is getting back on his feet. In May, ToshI finished a piano and violin ballad titled "Crystal Piano no Kimi" and recorded it at Yoshiki's studio in Los Angeles. The song will be released as a single in late September.
In addition, the two of them are launching a project in January called "ToshI feat. YOSHIKI," though it will start off as just a solo project by ToshI. They are still determining how it will develop, though they seem to be planning to release CDs and hold concerts domestically and overseas, while still being involved with X Japan.
Post time 11-8-2010 12:47 AM
