X-Japan to start world tour in Los Angeles

[k]

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-02-27/x-japan-to-move-to-l.a-hold-simple-concert-there

X Japan to Move to L.A., Hold 'Simple' Concert There
posted on 2010-02-27 14:05 EST
Rock band intends to hold concert in Los Angeles venue before Lollapalooza

X Japan leader Yoshiki revealed on Friday that the entire rock group plans to relocate to Los Angeles and hold a concert there as its first official American performance. Yoshiki revealed the plans during the unveiling of his Yoshiki Jewelry brand's new collection in collaboration with Kuwayama. Guitarist Sugizo made a surprise onstage guest appearance at Friday's event before about 120 invitees, and then Yoshiki made the announcement that all of X Japan will be moving to Los Angeles.

Yoshiki had already revealed at the Grammy Awards' red carpet earlier this month that his band agreed to appear at the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago from August 6 to August 8. However, he said on Friday that the group intends to hold a concert in a "simple" live venue in Los Angeles as its first American performance. Yoshiki has been living in Southern California for well over a decade, and X Japan already held a Saturday evening music video shoot at the heart of Hollywood last month.

X Japan's most notable anime contributions were the songs in the X² music video collection and later X movie. The animation studio Madhouse adapted both productions from CLAMP's X manga. The surviving band members — Toshimitsu "Toshi" Deyama, Yoshiki Hayashi, Tomoaki "Pata" Ishizuka, and Hiroshi "Heath" Morie — reunited in 2007, ten years after they first disbanded and nine years after the death of guitarist Hideto "Hide" Matsumoto.

Source: Sankei Sports via Tokyograph

Image © YSK Entertainment, Inc. 2010. All rights reserved. Photographer A. Delphine.

[obi325]

thanks for the news, glad to see they'll do some lives before lolla
hope yoshiki is fine and this isn't just one of his declaration in overexcitment

lol that surviving part sound's like they had a plane crash and 90% of the band is gone
and they contributed to anime? why is that even imortant?

[shane140]

This is great and all, but what about Europe? They still have the Paris gig to make up for.

[Neru]

That post in ANN is a bit directed to anime viewers that had little contact with X I think, that is why the Clamp's X is stated, since Forever Love appeared in the credits.

On Topic: It's great that X are planning a World tour, hope they come to Europe!

Thanks for the Info K.

[rafaelo]

Thanks

[peso]

It's a good thing that Yoshiki understood that to conquer the USA (and rest of the world), they need to start from small gigs. At least "simple" gig, to me, refers to a club or other small gig and I believe I read from another web site that it's a club/livehouse gig.

Let's just hope that it's not as "short" as the Akasaka gig. I doubt the western audience will like if the band only plays a couple of songs
And probably they shouldn't waste time on talking too much, drum solos and other crap. Thank god Heath hasn't made any solo things (not counting the small bass solo) during the last gigs.

And let's hope they will finally remove the hide playbacks. New audience will be like "what the fuck" seeing some person with a pink hair on a screen all the time and hearing guitar solos but seeing both guitar players are playing the rhythm

I wonder if Richard Fortus or Wes Borland will join again. If I remember right, Richard wrote on his website after the Tokyo Dome shows that he'd like to do it again one day.

[TG]

Good news! I hope the next piece of news will be some sort of schedule.

[Ulquiorra]

And probably they shouldn't waste time on talking too much, drum solos and other crap. Thank god Heath hasn't made any solo things (not counting the small bass solo) during the last gigs.

Actually U.S audiences of rock/metal bands like X (think about their style of metal songs) love long solos, a long bass or guitar solo would go down really well, but Yoshiki's drum solo? Absolutly not.

[Ann1958]

Let them please do what they want!!! Unbelievable 
I think that for European fans this is also great news.
Getting Cd's and dvd's hopely will be easier for us when they have conquered US market.
After that, it will surely be Old Europe's time   
The latest are the best!!!
And as real fans, we have real patience 

[Matthias]

I wonder if Richard Fortus or Wes Borland will join again. If I remember right, Richard wrote on his website after the Tokyo Dome shows that he'd like to do it again one day.

Doubt it. Think that was a one-time-only (or two times in their case) thing, and with Sugizo on board I don't see why they should include more guitarplayers on stage. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't mind seeing Wes or Richard joining them on stage, but I doubt it.

[NanniGong]

It seems they're planning to perform in small places like livehouses
This is good news to me - glad to see them considering "simple" concert just like a return to their starting point. I remember that in a earlier interview where SUGIZO talked about his impression towards X as "a huge band", for their concerts, projects and other activities (and the time delayed before concerts) are all huge (and complicated) . Glad to see them trying to do something simple
Still I'd like to see the band going further with the world tour... not only LA...

[Ashura Shadow]

From BXtE: http://www.bxte.info/English/News/BXtE-News-YOSHIKI-Jewelry-Secret-Party.html

There were no clear announcements made, regarding either YOSHIKI's solo activities, nor X JAPAN activities. However, when fans asked him to do something in Japan, he said the next thing they might do might be some performances in clubs (live house style) in LA, but also that they would do things in Japan as well. He did add that it would be nice if everybody went to LA. He then spent some time reminiscing X JAPAN's first attempt to break it into the US market, in 1992/1993 and implied that they might be trying again now. However, what he definitely did NOT say is that X JAPAN would be US focused from now on. While we wouldn't ever say not to take YOSHIKI seriously, at this point of time, from the way he was talking, it seems his comments were more about what he'd like to do than any concrete plans yet.

Funny to see how one statement can lead to two different reports... I think we should be careful with those news, nothing seems to have been decided yet!
(I would love to see X perform in LA livehouses though  )

[Menacia]

I guess it's really about time that they start performing outside of Asia.oh, and I'm very very curious about their "simple" shows. I want to see X Japan without the aura of sadness surrounding them. Don't get me wrong, I loved their shows after reunion, but I want to see them the good old rockin way ^_^

[peso]

I wonder if Richard Fortus or Wes Borland will join again. If I remember right, Richard wrote on his website after the Tokyo Dome shows that he'd like to do it again one day.

Doubt it. Think that was a one-time-only (or two times in their case) thing, and with Sugizo on board I don't see why they should include more guitarplayers on stage. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't mind seeing Wes or Richard joining them on stage, but I doubt it.

Probably you're right. I was just wondering would it appeal more to the US audience, if someone already famous there would join "unknown" band on the stage. And I have to say that in my opinion the coolest version of Orgasm was when Richard, Wes and Sugizo joined the band in 2008

[peso]

And probably they shouldn't waste time on talking too much, drum solos and other crap. Thank god Heath hasn't made any solo things (not counting the small bass solo) during the last gigs.

Actually U.S audiences of rock/metal bands like X (think about their style of metal songs) love long solos, a long bass or guitar solo would go down really well, but Yoshiki's drum solo? Absolutly not.

Yeah, I also like good guitar solos and bass solos. I haven't seen many bass solos but like Taiji's solo in Budokan in 1990 is really cool. I was more referring to the hide's and heath's solos in 1992-1996, when they were more like solo performances than guitar/bass solos. I dunno how well they would go down on Western audiences. At least I have never liked them, though 1994 hide had nice solo thingys.

[Menacia]

I don't mind YOSHIKI doing a drum solo, but it should be a fairly short one. Bass solo ain't really need, so Heath could perform one of his old solo songs in a shorten form.
On the contrary I think guitar solo are always great. Pata should shred a bit and Sugizo could pull of some of his stuff. Not for too long oc course, but it'd be better than talking too much.
What I'm more curious about is the piano solo. YOSHIKI shouldn't do to much piano bashing and stick to something classical instead. This always is great and I think will even be approved by interested X Japan newbs.

[Wearex316]

sweet im so there

[Menacia]

I hope so too. As long as they dont do it over emo, they actually might. As we all know they have enough cool songs that might get them lots of new fans.

[mC]

It is actually quite an interesting time for the band. If their entrance to the US market and, effectively the western market, goes as well as we all hope, then, I think, the band will go through another transformation. To what, I don't know, but I think they might start adjusting their music and appearance to suit in more with the western world. We have already seen this in its first stages, with both I.V. and Jade being written in English.

With the filming of the PVs in Hollywood, (both I.V. and Jade, along with Rusty Nail, Kurenai and Endless Rain - songs that will be more accessible to western rock fans, even if they aren't in English), it seems to me that they are getting ready for state side releases, perhaps the "Best of" album that we all have been waiting for, with an bonus DVD with the recently recorded clips?

Just my thoughts.

[marvelaugusts]

This would be most rocking tour for this band.
All the best to this band !