Be With! Vol. 96 (December 2012)

B'z Interview

Interviewer:		First of all, I would like to ask you about the various places you have been to during the North American tour. The tour started in San Francisco. When did you arrive in San Francisco?
Tak:		The day just before the show.
Koshi:		We’ve been rehearsing in LA.
Interviewer:		Did you have the time to take a look around San Francisco?
Tak:		I didn’t go anywhere this time.
Koshi:		We’ve also been to SF last year, right?
Interviewer:		How was the climate?
Koshi:		It was colder than anywhere else here. I felt it very strongly. It’s always cloudy and gives off a cool image, but this time it was really cold, too.
Interviewer:		You were conducting the photoshoot for the desktop calendar, and apparently the hotel you were staying in had a very unique bathrobe?
Koshi:		It appeared to be a very fancy hotel, although it wasn’t exactly one of the biggest ones. I wonder if there’s a “fancy hotel” genre (laughs) I think it’s just one of the small, but well-established hotels you come across very often.
Tak:		From the outside it looked like it had already aged quite a bit, but it looks very new and modern on the inside.
Interviewer:		Among all the hotels you have stayed at so far, were there any unique ones?
Koshi:		While we were touring Japan, there was a hotel where I’d find Umeboshi prepared for me in the room. But we didn’t have a live performance near that place. We were just making a quick stop, resting for the night, and then went back on the road. What was that place called? It was a place that was very convenient for hikers... I didn’t eat them, but everyone said that they also had Umeboshi in their rooms. I’m sure you’ll find it if you search for “Hotel Umeboshi” (laughs)
Interviewer:		We will search for it. (laughs) The next stop of the tour was Seattle. It’s been a while since you’ve been there, right? The last time was during the 2003 North American tour.
Tak:		Yeah. When we were there in 2003, it was raining all day and I didn’t have a very bright image of the city. But this time, we were staying at a nice hotel at the coast. I was having dinner in a seafood restaurant near the ocean. It was very delicious. The weather was great, too. This time, I thought it is a really nice city.
Interviewer:		Did you do any other excursions?
Tak:		Before we went back on the road, I was exploring the vicinity of the hotel we were staying at. There was a market where I was taking a look around. I was also taking a souvenir photo of the first ever Starbucks. (laughs) On the day before the show, we were all going to the Jimi Hendrix memorial.
Interviewer:		It is unusual for you to do such an excursion with the band members on a day off. Did you gather everybody to go there?
Tak:		Nah, it’s not like I gathered everybody. I was there the last time and was planning on going there this time around as well. And then suddenly everybody wanted to go, too.
Koshi:		There were a lot of people!
Tak:		That’s because September 18th was his memorial day.
Interviewer:		Is it just Jimi Hendrix’ grave or is there more to it?
Tak:		There’s more. It’s like a graveyard and it’s fairly big, too. The weather was great this time, so we brought flowers. The last time I brought flowers, the wind was so strong, that they would always be blown away by the wind.
Interviewer:		Was this your first time, Koshi?
Koshi:		Yeah, this was my first time.
Interviewer:		You told us that you’ve been eating seafood. Do you get a craving for Japanese food when you’re abroad for a long time?
Koshi:		We can get Japanese food here.
Tak:		No matter where you go in North America, there’s always a Japanese restaurant somewhere.
Koshi:		It doesn’t matter, though. Even if there weren’t any Japanese restaurants, I wouldn’t mind. I would rather go to an American seafood restaurant than the only Japanese restaurant in the area, which is said to serve bad food.
Interviewer:		What kind of food did the catering serve?
Koshi:		They serve local specialties. Very delicious.
Tak:		The food they served in San Francisco was really good, right?
Koshi:		The Mexican food they served in New York was delicious, too.
Interviewer:		Does eating have an impact on your (body) condition?
Koshi:		I usually don’t eat on the day of live performances.
Tak:		You don’t even have breakfast and lunch?
Koshi:		I’ll eat only a little bit. In the morning, I usually eat bread and/or cereals. Just a little bit, though. Just before the performance, I eat a bit of carb food.
Interviewer:		Seattle and Vancouver aren’t that far apart distance-wise. How was the transfer?
Koshi:		We went there by car!
Interviewer:		How did it go at the border crossing?
Koshi:		We handed our passports to a staff member who was gathering them all. It was very smooth.
Interviewer:		You didn’t have to get out of the car?
Koshi:		No. They were checking out our car, though.
Interviewer:		During the last tour, a lot of planes were running late, and you had to spend a lot of time at airports. How was it this time?
Tak:		They were all on time. But, after we came to Toronto and New York, we had to change locations a lot.
Koshi:		That’s because we were staying just for a day, before getting on our next flight. Airports are really tiresome, right?
Tak:		That’s because all that paperwork takes so much time.
Koshi:		We also went to Canada, so we had to cross the border, too. AIR CANADA was really cold! Not Canada itself, but inside the plane! I was like “How much more are they going to cool us down?” (laughs) The air conditioning was turned off, but there was a small gap between the window and the air conditioning, where the wind would keep blowing! I wondered why nobody complained about it. Everybody around us was like “It’s cold! It’s so cold!” (laughs)
Tak:		It was pretty cold, for me, too!
Interviewer:		The flight attendants wouldn’t do anything about it?
Koshi:		They couldn’t because it wasn’t coming from the air conditioning. They apologized that it was very cold, but said, that they couldn’t do anything about it. But, there were even people on the plane with short pants... (laughs)
Interviewer:		Even such people are... (laughs)
Koshi:		The perception of temperature is different for other people, after all? They’re wearing light clothing over there.
Interviewer:		There has been some free time between the Vancouver and Toronto show. What did you do during that time?
Koshi:		We went back to LA. The band members chose to stay, though.
Tak:		I went golfing for a day.
Interviewer:		Having a place to return to, were you able to replenish your energy?
Tak:		I’m really able to calm down. It’s almost the same as returning back home. I didn’t have a lot going on, so I was able to relax.
Interviewer:		During that time, Koshi also celebrated his birthday, right?
Koshi:		I invited everybody to dinner in Vancouver. I didn’t know that there was such a nice Italian restaurant in Vancouver.
Tak:		That was a really great place.
Koshi:		I’ve been to Vancouver a several times, but this one was the best so far. I was told that there weren’t any more places. That’s why I didn’t think there was a place like this.
Interviewer:		In one of the pictures in the desktop calendar, you’re embracing a pair of shoes.
Koshi:		Tak gave them to me.
Interviewer:		You prepared the present in Japan?
Tak:		Yeah. I prepared it in Japan and brought it with me.
Koshi:		I see! Thank you very much.
Interviewer:		You also got a coupon for an iPhone 5, right?
Koshi:		I wonder when I’ll receive it? I hope it’s not an iPhone scam?! (laughs)
Tak:		A coupon?
Koshi:		I get an international version of the iPhone 5 in exchange for it. The band members gave it to me. But after that, they said there is nothing new about it...
Everyone:		(laughs)
Interviewer:		There are already rumors about the release of an iPhone 5S.
Koshi:		Really?!
Tak:		What?! iPhone 5S? (laughs)
Koshi:		Well, the next one is going to come out soon enough anyway. Generally speaking, new models aren’t really that different from their predecessor.
Interviewer:		Was there a change in climate when you went from L.A. to Toronto?
Tak:		It was surprisingly cold in Toronto.
Koshi:		I didn’t go outside, so I didn’t know, but I didn’t feel that this place was very cold. It was very hot in L.A. though! It was freakting hot all the time.
Interviewer:		What about the time difference?
Tak:		The 3 hour time difference was a huge change for me. I wasn’t used to the timezone L.A. is located in, so I used to get up at 2 in the night very often when I got back to L.A..
Koshi:		You were always asking “Could you sleep last night?” in the cloak room.(laughs) Thanks to the time difference, I was always sleeping until noon. I didn’t know I could sleep that long! (laughs)
Interviewer:		You usually don’t sleep that long?
Koshi:		No!
Tak:		I can’t sleep that long, either.
Koshi:		When I woke up and looked at the clock, I thought “Wow! I slept that long!” (laughs)
Interviewer:		Looks like that’s because of the time difference (laughs) What did you think of Toronto as a city?
Tak:		I was going to the same restaurant for two days... Oh yeah, I also went to Niagara Falls. On the day of the show, in the morning.
Interviewer:		Were the Niagara Falls close to the venue?
Tak:		No no, it was a two hour drive.
Interviewer:		On the day of the show?!
Tak:		I had no other chance to go there? I was thinking of going to see it just for a bit (laughs) It was amazing! You’ll be surprised about nature’s power. I sent a post card from there just lika a normal tourist. (laughs)
Interviewer:		(laughs) You could also get closer to it in the basin nearby, right?
Tak:		There were boats! I didn’t get on them, though.
Koshi:		Won’t you get soaking wet there?
Interviewer:		They give you rain coats to wear, but it’s almost useless.
Koshi:		How close can you get in the basin?
Tak:		Up to the point where the water comes down from the waterfall.
Koshi:		Isn’t that dangerous? (laughs)
Interviewer:		The froth is also very intense.
Koshi:		You’ll get wet, won’t you!
Tak:		I don’t want that~.
Interviewer:		You won’t be able to take any pictures.
Tak:		Of course not. (laughs) Your camera will break.
Interviewer:		Did you go see any other sights near Niagara Falls?
Tak:		We went past them in the car on the way back. It looked like Atami.
Interviewer:		Did you go anywhere, Koshi?
Koshi:		During the two days we were staying in Toronto, I was ordering the same food via room service and didn’t even set one foot outside of my room.
Interviewer:		Not even one foot?! Well, that’s OK I guess. (laughs)
Everyone:		(laughs)
Koshi:		Thank you! (laughs)
Interviewer:		You were in Silver Spring for the first time. How was it?
Tak:		I always thought we were going to Washington DC when we were talking about Silver Spring. When we arrived at the airport, we got into the car and were driving through Washington DC on our way to the hotel. Driving through Washington, I thought, “Wow, we’re going to perform in such a beautiful place?”. But when we arrived at the actual place, it was completely different. A very small town.
Koshi:		It was quite a long ride.
Tak:		But for me personally, this place is the one I’ll remember the most during our tour. I walked around the city on the day we arrived, but with the show being next day, and us being tired from the time difference and all, we decided to have dinner at the hotel. While the others were out buying dinner for us, Barry joined me for a drink at the hotel bar and we started talking. After that, I had a cocktail in my room. It was delicious. After the show on the next day, I went to the bar again and suddenly staff members kept joining us until we were a whole lot of people!
Koshi:		They had nowhere else to go, after all. (laughs)
Tak:		We ended up drinking in a staff member’s room, and they told me that I was clearing out his suitcase and slept in it.
Interviewer:		Huh?! You don’t remember?
Tak:		No. Looked like it was quite a lot of fun. (laughs)
Koshi:		They said you were walking around in your underwear and boots? (laughs)
Interviewer:		It was also mentioned that you were wearing a tightly wrapped scarf.
Koshi:		Where did you wear that scarf?! You’re in your underwear!! (laughs)
Interviewer:		They said he was wearing it around his hip to hide his underwear... (laughs)
Tak:		You know, it was fun doing this once in a while. Drinking with staff members in a room. The bartender was also kind enough to extend his opening hours since he usually doesn’t have that many customers.
Koshi:		He had good business, huh?!
Tak:		There’s no day during the year where you’d make such profit. I had fun that day.
Interviewer:		You were enjoying a wonderful night, right? You had a bit of free time between the New York and L.A. shows. What did you do in the meantime?
Tak:		I went back to L.A. after the show. I went to Ground Zero on the day of the show, though. I wanted to go there since I’m already in the area. I didn’t want to go there on the day before the show, though. On the day before the show, I went to The Dakota (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dakota) and just when I was in Central Park, there were a lot of people because of some kind of Foo Fighters event.
Koshi:		On the day after of the show, I went to see a baseball match. New York Yankees vs. Red Sox.
Interviewer:		Did you see Ichiro playing for the Yankees on the field?
Koshi:		I saw him. The Yankee stadium really has a great baseball field!
Interviewer:		So you enjoyed New York?
Koshi:		It wasn’t like that. I don’t watch a lot of baseball at home. But I enjoyed being in the stadium. It was like baseball’s Disneyland. So many superstars playing on one field. Before the match starts, they introduce the number and names of every player, it was so cool. When Derek Jeter’s name was called out, you could see him crouch and do the cross across his chest. “So cool!” I thought. (laughs) I had a lot of fun! After two innings, the Yankees had scored 9 points. When I looked at my watch, I realized that 1 hour had already passed! I didn’t think it’d be such a long time (laughs) It was just about to turn into a pitching game! People of all ages and gender came to the match. When it got dark outside, they switched on the stadium lights and it was a very nice atmosphere. During the break, they were showing a lot of different things on the screens. Like, they were showing a childhood picture of a picture and were asking “What’s this player’s name?” Legends were also honored. It was also a natural lawn. It was wonderful!
Interviewer:		Was it any different from Japanese baseball?
Koshi:		Each baseball is interesting in its own way.
Tak:		The atmosphere is really great, right? I went to the WBC twice. It was in California, though. But you can also see major league matches there. I wonder what the WBC will be like next year?
Koshi:		The players in the MLB are not playing there, right?
Interviewer:		I’m sorry for changing the subject, but among the venues you played in, do you remember any that stood out due to their special interior?
Koshi:		Every venue has their own charm, basically. The hall venues in Japan and such, too. The atmosphere is the same everywhere, though. There are old and new places. Everything’s different overseas.
Interviewer:		Did you enjoy playing at venues like San Francisco’s Warfield or Vancouver’s Orpheum Theatre?
Tak:		They have the atmosphere of an opera house. That’s because the performers are in the focus. I also liked the venue in New York which was different.
Koshi:		It was fun playing in different venues with different interiors every time.
Interviewer:		The “IT’S SHOWTIME!!” music video was shot in the Orpheum Theatre in LA. Was the atmosphere different there?
Koshi:		It was the same. There are a lot of places like that one.
Interviewer:		What was the interior of the wardrobe like?
Tak:		Very colorful. There were red and also purple walls.
Koshi:		Yeah, the paint.
Tak:		But the overall lighting was rather dark.
Interviewer:		Were the other venues like that, too?
Tak:		All of them. They’re not like Japanese venues where all the walls are white.
Interviewer:		Does that calm you down?
Tak:		Actually, I prefer bright rooms with white walls. That’s why I like Japanese venues. But you get used to it.
Interviewer:		During the performance at the Gibson Amphitheatre in LA, your guitars were on display in the entrance hall. Was this event planned by Gibson?
Tak:		I guess so. I didn’t get to see it, though.
Koshi:		All my friends who came told me they were taking a look.
Interviewer:		Fans were also talking pictures with their phones. The stage in the Gibson Amphitheatre is a semi circle and thus a little more open to the audience. Could you see the audience better from the stage?
Tak:		Due to the semi circle design, you could really see how it opened up to the audience.
Koshi:		It was a very different atmosphere from all the other venues. We could really see the front.
Koshi:		All my friends who came told me they were taking a look.
Interviewer:		Only the front rows were standing only, though. Among all the venues you have performed at, was there a venues that made it easy to perform due to its interior and such?
Koshi:		Well, actually there was a place where it was really hard to perform. In Hokkaido, there was a venue that had an orchestra pit.
Tak:		There was also such a hall in Osaka.
Koshi:		There was a huge gap between the stage and the audience due to the orchestra pit. It was difficult to perform there.
Interviewer:		Because it was difficult to convey the feeling?
Koshi:		Because the first row was very far away from the stage.
Interviewer:		You were performing in Toronto, Silver Spring and New York for the first time. Did you like it?
Tak:		I got the impression that rock music is very popular in New York. I liked it.
Koshi:		It was really great from Toronto onwards.
Tak:		I also really liked the time we spent in Silver Spring.
Interviewer:		What would you think is the charming point of performing overseas?
Koshi:		Just like I said before, the atmosphere changes with every venue. It was really hard getting around from venue to venue, but overall it’s really fun.
Tak:		I am really glad that we could do this tour.
Interviewer:		Ah, so there’s a change with every performance. In addition to the venues, was there also a change in the response from the audience?
Tak:		It’s the same as in Japan. It depends on what kind of people come to our show that day.
Interviewer:		You also performed “Ultra Soul” in English. Did you like the audience’s response?
Koshi:		It had a great impact on those who would hear it for the first time, but it’s not the same response we get in Japan. But that was a fresh experience.
Interviewer:		Did you prepare anything special for your overseas performances?
Tak:		Not really. It’s all about the songs and the performance, so It’s just normal that we played English songs.
Koshi:		Basically, it was all about the arrangement and that also has a certain charm. It was also different for us to play a Led Zeppelin song in the US.
Tak:		That’s true!
Koshi:		Who would’ve thought that so many people would go crazy about that bass line. (laughs)
Tak:		That was a moment where you could really feel the difference.
Koshi:		Everybody was going like “Yeah!!”, after all. (laughs)
Tak:		When I was performing, I thought “Huh? You like it?!” (laughs)
Interviewer:		It’s a reaction you won’t come across in Japan.
Tak:		Yeah, that’s where the fact that these people are really following rock music really stands out.
Koshi:		Awesome, right! That immersive feeling. It’s really fun to get the audience to respond that way.
Interviewer:		During “Negai”, you were doing a quick jam session, changing the atmosphere for a bit. Did you decide on a specific theme for the jam session?
Tak:		Not an actual theme, but we decided on a phrase and then everybody should convey their own feelings through their performance.