LIVE-GYM
LIVE-GYM refers to live concerts featuring B'z. Invented by the members as a combination of "live" and an abbreviation of the English word "gymnasium" due to the band wanting to perform with the high-energy that one would expect from a sports event, the word has become synonymous and interchangeable when referring to B'z concerts. The resulting shows featuring the band have been characterized by their consistent quality, cutting edge production value, and kinetic energy. LIVE-GYM concerts all over Japan are known to sell out no matter the size of the venue, with B'z routinely filling the nation's largest domes and stadiums in record time.
Since the band's first tours that carried the title "LIVE-GYM", most that followed have been labeled as such as well, with the only exceptions being special events and SHOWCASE concerts. SHOWCASE events allow the band to take a break from large-scale venues and venture out to see fans at smaller, more intimate venues, where the setlists typically include a great many scarcely-performed songs. Generally, these are often played as warm-ups to larger LIVE-GYM concerts as well as a means of still touring for fans even when a major album promotion isn't in order, especially in areas of Japan that the band have not visited previously or have not visited in some time.
In addition to sold-out shows all over their home country, B'z has also performed internationally in the United States, Canada, Taipei, and Hong Kong.
Information
Show Format
A LIVE-GYM usually contains roughly 20 songs and lasts around two and a half hours. At virtually every show, generally immediately prior to the third song of a given setlist, a skit is generally played out on stage leading up to Koshi announcing "Welcome to the B'z LIVE-GYM" (B'z no LIVE-GYM ni youkoso). For SHOWCASE events, this may be changed to "Welcome to the B'z SHOWCASE" (B'z no SHOWCASE ni youkoso). Throughout the setlist, at specific intervals, Koshi and Tak will engage in MC sessions related to specific songs prior to performing them. Lastly, at the end of each show, Koshi customarily leads the band into a heave with the crowd replying by shouting "Otsukare" (Well done), a customary parting in Japanese culture following business transactions. Afterward, an "Ending SE" as it is known in Japan is played to the crowd over the speakers as the support members leave and Tak and Koshi wave and bow to the audience while roaming the stage for its duration. The "Ending SE" has generally been that of an unreleased song or instrumental at the time of its inclusion, usually ensuring its release in the near future as a B-side or album song.
Support Members
When performing live, B'z always tours with a full band filling the positions not occupied by the two primary members of Tak Matsumoto on guitar and Koshi Inaba on vocals. Typically, those touring with the band at a given time are also those providing their respective parts on the most recent recording efforts. This formation of touring and recording with the same team began in 1993 with one of the band's best-regarded albums, RUN.
B'z have most often toured with a bassist, drummer, and keyboardist, but in recent years added a backing guitarist and vocalist when Shinichiro Ohta toured with the band beginning in 2003 through 2008. The role went absent from the band's 2009 and 2010 tours, but would be again filled in 2011 by a friend of Tak's, Yoshinobu Ohga, who was featured as one of the fellow guitarists on his concept album Theatre Of Strings in 2005.
Most recently, since 2011, drums have been provided by Canadian drummer Shane Gaalaas, bass by American Barry Sparks, backing guitar by Yoshinobu Ohga, and keyboards by Takanobu Masuda.
Apart from the aforementioned primary support members, others have also filled various performance roles for the band over time due to varying circumstances, with drummers such as Masato Yamaguchi occasionally providing drums during the band's TV performances when Shane Gaalaas is not in Japan.
Tickets & Merchandise
Tickets to B'z LIVE-GYM concerts are very in-demand in Japan. Until 2000, B'z tickets were all sold through general public ticket retailers, but due to this making it difficult for fans to acquire tickets in many cases, a new system was put into place that allows for priority purchases to fanclub members. While tickets to large LIVE-GYMs can be purchased with general ease with foresight, tickets to smaller offerings, such as SHOWCASE events, are extremely difficult to acquire due to the extremely high demand and limited availability. Tickets to said events are generally publicized only locally through newspaper advertisements and similar means.
At each show, fans are given the opportunity to acquire memorabilia specific to that tour and occasionally to that venue. Tour goods typically include a variety of T-shirts, wristbands, towels, keychains, a tour brochure, bags, and other tour-specific items. On offer are also all of the band's singles, albums, and home videos. Tour merchandise is routinely made available on the band's official store, B'z The Store, within a few weeks of the tour beginning.
Additionally, for each large-scale LIVE-GYM the band carries out, members of the fan-club B'z PARTY are given the opportunity to win exclusive passes to a very limited Meet & Greet with the band before the show. One such Meet & Greet event can be witnessed in the band's 2002 concert documentary film a BEAUTIFUL REEL. B'z LIVE-GYM 2002 GREEN ~GO★FIGHT★WIN~.
Setlists
A B'z setlist generally amounts to roughly 20 songs, with a spread of high-energy rock songs and a select few ballads filling the remaining slots. Generally, B'z ends shows with very high-energy numbers and reserves middle slots for ballads, as is often the case with popular choices such as "OCEAN" and "Konya Tsuki no Mieru Oka ni". Over the course of a tour, the setlists generally change a number of times, with certain slots changing throughout. At SHOWCASE concerts, B'z frequently take the opportunity to play obscure tracks and fan-favorites that are not generally suitable for their mainstream LIVE-GYM tours, where longtime fans and newcomers converge.
Additionally, while B'z have played a great many of their hundreds of songs live on multiple occasions, there are still a few dozen songs that have never been given the live treatment. On occasion, the band has returned to their older works that originally went unplayed and included them in a live setlist.
When touring overseas, B'z frequently include a large number of their English songs. The band's English-language tracks come both as reversions of their Japanese hits with all-new English lyrics as well as brand new songs that have no Japanese counterpart.
As of early 2018, the twenty-five most performed B'z songs during their concerts are:
- ZERO (497 SHOWS)
- Easy Come, Easy Go! (371 SHOWS)
- BAD COMMUNICATION (360 SHOWS)
- ultra soul (353 SHOWS)
- Hadashi no Megami (319 SHOWS)
- BLOWIN' (291 SHOWS)
- Samayoeru Aoi Dangan (278 SHOWS)
- GIMME YOUR LOVE -Fukutsu no LOVE DRIVER- (267 SHOWS)
- love me, I love you (261 SHOWS)
- juice (242 SHOWS)
- BE THERE (229 SHOWS)
- LOVE PHANTOM (222 SHOWS)
- girigiri chop (205 SHOWS)
- TIME (196 SHOWS)
- Konya Tsuki no Mieru Oka ni (193 SHOWS)
- Kodoku no Runaway (188 SHOWS)
- JAP THE RIPPER (186 SHOWS)
- Negai (183 SHOWS)
- Liar! Liar! (175 SHOWS)
- Taiyou no Komachi Angel (170 SHOWS)
- Ichibu to Zenbu (170 SHOWS)
- TONIGHT (Is The Night) (168 SHOWS)
- Koi-Gokoro (KOI-GOKORO) (167 SHOWS)
- RUN (166 SHOWS)
- Wonderful Opportunity (165 SHOWS)
Venues
Depending on the type of tour, B'z will perform in venues of both immense capacity and smaller, much more intimate and limited venues. Larger tours, such as album tours, have been split in recent years between hall and dome legs. The hall tours take place at various music halls around Japan, with seating capacities allowing for only a few thousand fans. Later, the tours expand to Japan's largest domes and stadiums, with the amount of seats generally ranging between 50,000 and 70,000. For SHOWCASE events and smaller shows of a similar vein, venues with capacities under 2,000 are often used and thus make gaining tickets extremely difficult.
Types of B'z Tours
After more than a quarter century of performing, B'z has amassed a varied history of live concerts that have come in a number of different types. These tours typically fall into one of three categories:
Album Tours
The most common LIVE-GYM tours by the band, carried out in support of their then-latest studio album, such as B'z LIVE-GYM 2006 "MONSTER'S GARAGE" and their 2006 studio album, MONSTER. These shows typically result in a setlist that blends about 75-80% of the titular album's songs with a selection of the band's past hits and gems. Additionally, such tours may feature extensions, such as:
- LIVE-GYM -Preview-: Shows that take place prior to a proper album tour, generally numbering between three and six performances.
- LIVE-GYM -Intermission-: Shows scheduled in the midst of large arena and dome tours in smaller venues during brief breaks.
- LIVE-GYM -Extra-: Shows that serve as extensions of the title tours, taking place after it has concluded and generally featuring a number of songs not performed on the earlier tour.
Pleasure Tours
Beginning in 1991 with B'z LIVE-GYM "Pleasure'91", B'z began touring occasional "Pleasure" LIVE-GYMs that were not tied to an album or similar source. The original concept behind the Pleasure tours was to focus on album songs and B-sides which haven't been performed live before. Initially there were no plans to start a separate series of non-album LIVE-GYMs, but due to the positive response from fans, the band decided to turn it into a tour which takes place every few years. Since its inception, the Pleasure series has gradually shifted from focusing on lesser known tracks to a celebration of the band's entire catalogue and as such can be seen as "greatest hits" shows instead.
In 2003, as part of their 15th anniversary, B'z embarked on the B'z LIVE-GYM The Final Pleasure "IT'S SHOWTIME!!" tour. It would become the last Pleasure tour before it returned 5 years later. The reasoning behind temporarily ending the Pleasure series was due to the fact that the band felt that half of the songs on album tours already consisted of singles, while the other half represented new album songs. In essence, they were comparable to "Pleasure" tours themselves. In 2008, the Pleasure tour was revived for the band's 20th anniversary, with B'z LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2008 -GLORY DAYS-. It was considered the right timing and opportunity to perform numerous popular songs from their catalogue which have not appeared for several years, with rare tracks such as "Mou Ichido Kiss Shitakatta", "NATIVE DANCE", "ONE" and their debut single Dakara Sono Te wo Hanashite being revived for this special occasion. In 2013, during an MC session in their 25th anniversary tour B'z LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2013 -ENDLESS SUMMER-, B'z stated that the Pleasure series would return every 5 years.
Since its debut, several B'z songs have become synonymous with Pleasure tours. This includes the "Pleasure ~Jinsei no Kairaku~" series of songs, as well as a number of well-known singles such as "ZERO, "BLOWIN'", "Hadashi no Megami", "LOVE PHANTOM" and "Taiyou no Komachi Angel". In addition, numerous album tracks and B-sides such as "OH! GIRL", "BAD COMMUNICATION", "RUN", "TIME" and "Koi-Gokoro (KOI-GOKORO)" are staples of such tours. As of 2015, the ballad "Gekkou" is also notable for appearing in Pleasure tours only once every 10 years (1993, 2003 and 2013). Singles and special songs released on albums contemporary with a given tour can usually be found in the setlist in question. For example, the bonus songs included on B'z The Best "ULTRA Treasure" in 2008 ("Glory Days" and "Itsuka Mata Koko de") were also performed during B'z LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2008 -GLORY DAYS- the same year.
SHOWCASE Tours
SHOWCASE events are generally one-off warm-ups that take place at smaller, more intimate settings in front of local crowds. Occasionally, these will feature a handful of performances at various dates that may or may not be tied to larger tours by the band. Often, B'z use SHOWCASE events to play obscure fan-favorites and crowd-pleasers from older albums and other releases that are rarely played live. The band describe a SHOWCASE as a show where "anything can happen".
Home Video Releases
Prior to the advent of DVD and the widespread adoption of the home video market, B'z were very selective about home video releases. Releases generally came once every two to three years, often covering major, hallmark tours. Although not every tour has been released in full, B'z is known to have amassed an archive of recordings for every tour they have undertaken. Over the years, these performances have been selectively sampled in various compilation releases and documentaries.
Beginning in 2006 with B'z LIVE-GYM 2006 "MONSTER'S GARAGE" , B'z have released all of their major tours on home video within a year of the tour's conclusion. With the introduction of Blu-ray technology in latter years, B'z began releasing all of their recent LIVE-GYMs on both DVD and Blu-ray simultaneously, with select older tours filmed in high definition also being re-issued on Blu-ray. To date, every B'z home video is available on DVD apart from the first two, FILM RISKY and JUST ANOTHER LIFE—the latter of which covers B'z LIVE-GYM "Pleasure'91"—which were available only on VHS and LaserDisc and are now considered out of print.
Although home video releases are typically of major LIVE-GYM events, there are occasions in which smaller, more intimate showings have received the full home video treatment as well, such as with B'z LIVE in Namba 2006 and B'z SHOWCASE 2007 -19- at Zepp Tokyo.
Compilation Videos
While very few of the oldest tours have been released in full on home video, excerpt footage can be found on a number of compilation releases. B'z LIVE-GYM Hidden Pleasure ~Typhoon No.20~ was a three-disc, three-hour home video compilation issued on DVD in 2008, the band's 20th anniversary year. The compilation features full performances and special bonuses from LIVE-GYM tours that had not been released in full on their own. Additionally, a companion disc much in the same vein was made available as part of the limited edition for B'z The Best "ULTRA Pleasure" the same year. Similarly, this Premium Live DVD featured ten assorted performances that had not previously been released.
Although the original was only on VHS and LaserDisc and is now out of print, the performances of "Easy Come, Easy Go!" and "Taiyou no Komachi Angel" originally featured on JUST ANOTHER LIFE were remastered and included as music video supplements on limited edition copies of 2013's B'z The Best XXV 1988-1998. The release also brought unreleased performances from a number of LIVE-GYMs, including the only home video performances from B'z LIVE-GYM '91~'92 "IN THE LIFE" and B'z LIVE-GYM '90~'91 "RISKY".
For tours not featured on the aforementioned compilation releases, most of them can be glimpsed on the two B'z PARTY fanclub home videos B'z OFFICIAL BOOTLEG and B'z Official Bootleg Hidden Treasure ~Typhoon No.20~, which contain performance excerpts as well as exclusive behind-the-scenes interviews and recording footage.
List of B'z LIVE-GYMs
Listed here are LIVE-GYM tours held by B'z. Preview shows and SHOWCASE events that were used as warm-ups and openings to larger tours are not highlighted here, instead being mentioned in the corresponding Concurrent Events section for each tour. Additionally, festival appearances and related events are included in the same vain outside of special exceptions. For a complete listing of SHOWCASE tours and Special Events, please see their designated sections below.
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The band's first winter tour since 2011's B'z LIVE-GYM 2011 -C'mon- in support of their twentieth studio album DINOSAUR. The eighteen-stop tour will see the band play a series of domes throughout December with a finale in Osaka in the first week of February. Concurrent Events: 7-Eleven presents B'z PREMIUM LIVE, FM802 ROCK FESTIVAL RADIO CRAZY 2017 |
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The first SHOWCASE not attached to a larger tour since 2009's tour of the same name that came one month after the release of return single "Seimei/Still Alive". The tour spanned one month with shows in smaller areas of Japan not previously frequented by the band. Concurrent Events: B'z SHOWCASE 2017 -Hissatsu Hiokinin-, ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL 2017, RISING SUN ROCK FESTIVAL 2017 in EZO |
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The 2015 tour in support of their nineteenth studio album EPIC DAY. The tour began in March and run through May in hall and arena venues before moving to domes for June and July, with the finale taking place at Nagoya Dome. Concurrent Events: B'z SHOWCASE 2015 -Shimonoseki Uchouten NIGHT-, B'z LIVE-GYM 2015 -epic night-, ROCKROCK 20th ANNIVERSARY LIVE "ROCK BEYOND ROCK", B'z SHOWCASE 2015 -Shinagawa Uchouten NIGHT-, TV Asahi Dream Festival 2015 |
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A special live event held by B'z to serve as the innagural performance for the EX THEATER ROPPONGI in Tokyo. The show took place two months after the close of B'z LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2013 -ENDLESS SUMMER- and featured a very eclectic setlist that included "Kuroi Seishun", "Yasei no ENERGY", "STAY GREEN", "ONE ON ONE", "Yami no Ame" and a memorial cover of the LOUDNESS song "Crazy Nights". Additionally, a new song entitled "Kimi wo Ki ni Shinai Hi Nado" was premiered near the end of the show. In 2015, nine songs from the show were featured on a bonus DVD for the band's fifty-first single "Uchouten". |
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The band's 25th anniversary tour that began shortly after the release of the B'z The Best XXV collections. New songs "Q&A", "Utopia" and "Kakushin" from the albums all received their LIVE-GYM debuts. Several obscure album songs were revived for the hall portion of the tour, with the dome leg featuring the likes of "LOVE PHANTOM", "C'mon", "Ichibu to Zenbu", a revival of "Aikawarazu na Bokura", classics such as "RUN", "ALONE", and "TIME", and the debut of a new song: "Endless Summer". Concurrent Events: B'z SHOWCASE 2013 -Pleasure75-, AEROSONIC |
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The band's fourth foray into North America and their largest international tour to date, with seven dates in the United States and Canada. For the first time, B'z toured both the east and west coasts of the U.S., where they had previously only journeyed into the west. The tour came in support of the band's debut English album, released worldwide the previous July. Highlights of the tour included a new English version of "Ai no Bakudan" titled "Love Bomb" and an English rendition of "ultra soul", the LIVE-GYM debut of "GO FOR IT, BABY -Kioku no Sanmyaku-", and "Easy Come, Easy Go!" receiving a special performance in New York City, where the song was recorded 22 years earlier in 1990. The tour finale in Los Angeles was streamed in full worldwide on the internet at no charge. Concurrent Events: Pepsi NEX presents B'z PREMIUM LIVE, B'z LIVE-GYM 2012 -Into Free- EXTRA |
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The band's 2011 Japanese tour in support of their then-latest studio album, C'mon. The tour was split into dome and hall portions, with the setlists remaining relatively the same throughout. For the dome portion, classic ballad "Itsuka no Merry Christmas" was added to the encore of the setlist, and later received its home video debut when the band's showing at Osaka Dome on December 18, 2011 was released the following May on both DVD and Blu-ray. The English version of "SPLASH!" premiered earlier in the summer during the band's 2011 North American tour was retained and performed on all dates of the tour and likewise received its home video debut. Concurrent Events: Pepsi NEX presents B'z 1DAY LIVE, TV Asahi Dream Festival 2011 |
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The third North American tour for B'z, coming eight years since their 2003 LIVE-GYM touring the continent. English versions of "Samayoeru Aoi Dangan", "juice", "SPLASH!", and "Brotherhood" were premiered on the tour, with the first three of which receiving official releases the next year on the band's debut English album and subsequent tour. The tour finale in Los Angeles was again streamed in full over the internet, as has been the case with previous North American tours. Concurrent Events: Music for Relief's Secret Show for Japan |
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The tour supporting the 2009 studio album MAGIC. Modern hits "OCEAN" and "ultra soul" were joined by revivals of 1994 The 7th Blues opener "LOVE IS DEAD" and 1996's "MOVE", along with a special performance of "Ichibu to Zenbu" that blended the ballad version of the song with the original. The show was released in full as B'z LIVE-GYM 2010 "Ain't No Magic" at TOKYO DOME on July 28, 2010. |
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The eight-date tour had B'z touring smaller areas all over Japan, with a great many scarcely-performed songs seeing all new revivals. These include album songs "Crazy Rendezvous", "VAMPIRE WOMAN", "MY SAD LOVE", "THE GAMBLER", and "Blue Sunshine", along with singles and "Calling" and "Shoudou". The tour was never released in full on home video, but it was selectively highlighted on the DVD included in limited edition copies of MAGIC, released later in the year. Concurrent Events: SUMMER SONIC 09 |
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The band's 20th anniversary tour, culminating with a 70,000 fan performance at Nissan Stadium on September 21st, 2008, the six shows served as a full exploration of the band's catalogue and work to date. The setlist contained 26 performances, which is among the most the band has ever performed in a single showing, and included both their best-regarded singles and many of their most beloved gems. The songs performed include singles "LOVE PHANTOM", "ZERO", "juice", "Ai no Bakudan", "ultra soul", "BANZAI", "BLOWIN', "Konya Tsuki no Mieru Oka ni", and "Hadashi no Megami", along with perennial classic "BAD COMMUNICATION", which was joined by gems "Koi-Gokoro (KOI-GOKORO), "ONE", "Mou Ichido Kiss Shitakatta", "Kodoku no Runaway", and "NATIVE DANCE". Additionally, the middle of the show was marked by a special retrospective featuring the band's earliest TV appearances, Koshi and Tak performing their first song "Dakara Sono Te wo Hanashite" for the crowd with just the two of them, and a cover of "Oh! Darling" by The Beatles, which was one of the songs the duo played together when they first met. The resulting home video release is considered by many as the best the band has released, receiving the DVD treatment in 2009 before being issued on Blu-ray in 2010. |
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The tour in favor of the 2008 studio album ACTION. The tour was much lengthier than most by B'z, lasting for eight months and over 50 shows. Shows were performed in hall venues early in the tour prior to spreading out to arenas for the latter leg. The setlist for the shows changed a great many times throughout the 50+ shows, with many scarcely-performed songs being included on various nights. The tour originally went entirely unreleased on home video prior to being issued on DVD and Blu-ray in January 2013 as part of the band's 25th anniversary celebration. Highlights of the release include B-side "New Message", an acoustic version of "Ai no Mama ni Wagamama ni...", special renditions of "GIMME YOUR LOVE", "SUPER LOVE SONG", and "FRICTION", as well as the only home video performance of "BURN -Fumetsu no Face-". Concurrent Events: B'z SHOWCASE 2008 -Kiyotake ACTION- |
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The band's second SHOWCASE of 2007, the tour was an attempt for B'z to play for local fans in areas they don't typically get the chance to tour in often. The setlist changed throughout the dates but retained the basic framework of the tour from the previous month, B'z SHOWCASE 2007 -19-. Scarcely-performed tracks "ROCK man", "The Loose", and "Magnolia" were all added to the setlist for various shows. Unlike with the aforementioned SHOWCASE, the tour has never been released on home video. |
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One of two SHOWCASE tours for 2007, the tour was carried out in honor of the band's 19th year on the music scene. The tour featured a great many obscure tracks such as "HOT FASHION", "Haru", "Naite Naite Nakiyandara", "Out Of Control", "Odekake Shimasho", and the only home video performance of single "ARIGATO". Additionally, it was the tour at which "SUPER LOVE SONG" was premiered and fellow single "Eien no Tsubasa" was also played. Several Brotherhood songs were also played, from "Gin no Tsubasa de Tobe" to "Nagai Ai" to fan-favorite "F・E・A・R". The performance of "SUPER LOVE SONG" was released in a limited edition copy of the single originally, but in 2008, the full show was included in a limited edition for B'z The Best "ULTRA Treasure". Later, in 2010, the show was issued on Blu-ray in a double package with B'z LIVE in Namba 2006. Concurrent Events: SUMMER SONIC 07 |
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Originally billed as "B'z Network LIVE IN JAPAN", the event was the band's first concert performed in Japan to be streamed live over the internet. The show took place shortly after LIVE-GYM 2006 "MONSTER'S GARAGE" and as such shared a similar setlist, but did feature a great deal of English language songs, including the premiere of an [[B'z (International EP)|English version of "HOME"]], "DEVIL", "Real Thing Shakes", and "Brighter Day" from the previous year's album that originally went unperformed live. The show was released on DVD two years later in 2008, and eventually made its way to Blu-ray coupled with SHOWCASE 2007. |
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The tour in support of the band's 2006 studio album MONSTER. In addition to featuring tracks from the album and all three of its singles—"Shoudou", "Yuruginai Mono Hitotsu", and "SPLASH!"—the setlist included a great deal of hits from their history, including "BAD COMMUNICATION", "ultra soul", "OCEAN", "Ai no Bakudan", and "LOVE PHANTOM", before ending the setlist with a special version of "RUN". Additionally, B'z also ventured out into the crowd onto a small stage situated in the middle of the arena to perform an acoustic version of "Happy Birthday", followed by rock encores of "Brotherhood" and "BLOWIN'. The full show was released on DVD and later Blu-ray, becoming one of the band's most well-regarded home video releases. Concurrent Events: B'z SHOWCASE 2006 "Yokosuka MONSTER" |
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The 2005 tour in support of the band's album of the same year, THE CIRCLE, the tour was unique for featuring a rotating circular stage at the center of the arena that the band performed on. In addition to album songs and singles "Ai no Bakudan", "ALONE", "Konya Tsuki no Mieru Oka ni", "IT'S SHOWTIME!!", "juice", and others, the band also included rarely-performed B-sides "Mannequin Village" and "Kanashiki dreamer" throughout. Originally, the tour was sampled in various compilation videos and had select performances used as bonuses for the "SPLASH!" single's limited editions. However, in 2013, the full tour was finally released on DVD as B'z LIVE-GYM 2005 -CIRCLE OF ROCK- as part of the band's 25th anniversary celebrations. Concurrent Events: B'z SHOWCASE 2005 "Abashiri Extra Edition" |
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The tour in favor of the band's 2003 album BIG MACHINE that took place months after their 15th anniversary showing at Nagisaen. The stage was unique, allowing for the addition of stunt motorcycles to cross the stage mid-air while the band performed songs such as "Arakure". The setlist featured a number of songs that aren't typically found in many setlists, including "Don't Leave Me", "MOTEL", "love me, I love you", "MOVE", "Himitsu na Futari" and "Itsuka no Merry Christmas". Although the full tour has not been released, select performances have been made available via compilation videos in the years since. Concurrent Events: B'z SHOWCASE 2003 "BIG MACHINE" |
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The band's second North American tour, following B'z LIVE-GYM 2002 "Rock n' California Roll" the previous year. As with that tour, the setlist included various songs from the most recently released studio album, with that being BIG MACHINE in this case. Other songs performed include "MOTEL", "Taiyou no Komachi Angel", "LOVE IS DEAD", "Konya Tsuki no Mieru Oka ni", "Brotherhood", "Easy Come, Easy Go!", and "girigiri chop". The tour itself served as the subject of a documentary that aired on Japanese television featuring behind-the-scenes footage and various performances. It would be the last performance in North America for the band for eight years, until B'z LIVE-GYM 2011 -long time no see-. |
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The band's 15th anniversary tour that was split between a 23-show hall tour with a two-night finale in the fields of Nagisaen, where just tens of thousands of fans once again gathered where B'z had previously performed their [[B'z LIVE-GYM Pleasure'93 "JAP THE RIPPER"|first outdoor show in 1993]]. The setlist for the hall portion of the tour changed frequently. By the time of the Nagisaen show, B'z had settled into an epic 24-song setlist that included special nostalgic recreations of "OH! GIRL" and "LOVE PHANTOM" from 1995's seminal "BUZZ!!" Pleasure tour, as well as performances of "Taiyou no Komachi Angel", "BLOWIN', "TIME", "GIMME YOUR LOVE", Brotherhood, "Real Thing Shakes", "IT'S SHOWTIME!!", "BAD COMMUNICATION", "Hadashi no Megami", and "RUN". Additionally, the band took to the rare feat of performing three songs in acoustic form, with those being "Easy Come, Easy Go!", "Gekkou", and "Koi-Gokoro (KOI-GOKORO). The full home video of the outdoor shows was released on DVD and VHS in February 2003. Concurrent Events: B'z SHOWCASE 2003 "IT'S SHOWCASE!!" |
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The band's second international tour and their first into North America. The setlist was similar to that of B'z LIVE-GYM 2002 "GREEN ~GO★FIGHT★WIN~" that wrapped just months earlier and featured English songs in the pair of "DEVIL" and "Logic". The tour was filmed and became a TV documentary, with backstage footage and many of the performances featured in full. Additionally, further documentary footage was also included on a bonus disc for a BEAUTIFUL REEL. B'z LIVE-GYM 2002 GREEN ~GO★FIGHT★WIN~. Concurrent Events: B'z LIVE-GYM 2002 "Rock n' California Roll in Tokyo" |
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The 2002 LIVE-GYM in support of the band's album of the same year, GREEN. The setlist included a number of songs from the album in addition to classics such as "ZERO", "love me, I love you", and "Taiyou no Komachi Angel", as well as newer hits like "Samayoeru Aoi Dangan", "ultra soul", and the only home video performance of "Atsuki Kodou no Hate". The full tour was released as a documentary concert film blending backstage footage with the band's performances under the title a BEAUTIFUL REEL. B'z LIVE-GYM 2002 GREEN ~GO★FIGHT★WIN~. Concurrent Events: 2002 FIFA World Cup International Day Concert, B'z SHOWCASE "SAPPORO DEVIL", B'z LIVE-GYM 2002 "GREEN ~GO★FIGHT★WIN~" -Preview- |
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The band's tour in promotion of their 2000 studio album, ELEVEN. The setlist included Brotherhood-era favorites "Gin no Tsubasa de Tobe" and "girigiri chop", as well as hard rock classic "JAP THE RIPPER" and singles "Samayoeru Aoi Dangan", "HOME", "GOLD", and "Konya Tsuki no Mieru Oka ni". While originally released only in pieces on compilation videos, the tour was released in its entirety on DVD in March 2013. Concurrent Events: B'z SHOWCASE "Kobushi wo Nigire" |
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The first international tour for B'z, with two sold-out performances each in both Taipei and Hong Kong. Though a LIVE-GYM in name, the setlist for the tour was very much akin to that of a Pleasure tour, being packed full of singles from all over the band's catalogue and even opening with a rendition of "Pleasure ~Jinsei no Kairaku~". Among those included were "ZERO", "Hadashi no Megami", "BAD COMMUNICATION", "LOVE PHANTOM", "Easy Come, Easy Go!", "GOLD", "Calling", and English song "Real Thing Shakes". As of 2013, it is the only international tour by B'z to not take place in the United States and Canada and has never been released on home video. |
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The band's 2000 "Pleasure" tour that toured throughout Japan throughout the summer. The titular "juice" was premiered live on the tour before being properly released in the midst of the tour schedule. The tour is also notable for being the only occasion in which singles "May" and "RING" were performed live, with the latter being premiered live during the latter half of the tour and also being released on DVD in the limited edition of B'z The Best "ULTRA Pleasure". This leaves "May" as one of the few B'z singles to not have a home video performance available. The tour itself has not been released in full, but select performances are available on compilation videos. Concurrent Events: B'z LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2000 "juice" -Preview-, "juice" PV Shoot Guerrilla Live |
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The 1999 tour in support of the first album following the band's 10th anniversary, Brotherhood. The tour itself took place primarily in domes, with Intermission and Extra portions of the tour taking place in halls. The dome finale at International Stadium Yokohama, now Nissan Stadium and the site of other large-scale B'z shows, was the inaugural concert performance for the venue. The main setlist is one of the band's most beloved, with much of the titular album covered as well as the previous year's "HOME", "Easy Come, Easy Go!", "Calling", "Real Thing Shakes", "LOVE PHANTOM", "ONE", "RUN", and "BAD COMMUNICATION". The tour finale for the Extra leg of the tour ended in Kyoto with a massive 27-song setlist that contained virtually every song the band had played on the tour, and became their biggest performance in their history. The dome finale in Yokohama was released on home video as once upon a time in Yokohama ~B'z LIVE GYM'99 "Brotherhood"~ the following year. Concurrent Events: B'z LIVE-GYM '99 -Brotherhood- SHOWCASE "B'zepp", B'z LIVE-GYM '99 "Brotherhood" -Intermission-, B'z LIVE-GYM '99 "Brotherhood" -Extra- |
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The band's tour in favor of their 1998 studio album, SURVIVE, that covered the entire first half of the year, from January to June. The tour included various singles, both recent and classic, including "ZERO", "Hadashi no Megami", "love me, I love you", "Calling", "FIREBALL", "Liar! Liar!", "LOVE PHANTOM", and "Samayoeru Aoi Dangan". B-sides "Hi" and "The Wild Wind" from the band's 1998 singles also received the live treatment during the course of the tour. The full tour has not yet been released on home video, although several performances are available as sampled on various compilation videos that the band has released to the public. Concurrent Events: B'z SHOWCASE "GO! GO! HEAVEN", B'z LIVE-GYM '98 "SURVIVE" -Preview- |
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The band's 1997 Pleasure tour with the namesake of their recent single "FIREBALL", which was used to open the show. The encore for the show featured a piano-driven version of "Calling", with Tak playing the piano as he did in the song's promotional video prior to switching to guitar. Other songs played include "RUN", "LOVE PHANTOM", "BE THERE", "Easy Come, Easy Go!", "SNOW", "NATIVE DANCE", "Mienai Chikara ~INVISIBLE ONE~", "Real Thing Shakes" and "GIMME YOUR LOVE". Although never released in full on home video, select performances have been made available in years since via various compilation videos. |
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The tour that came in support of the band's best-selling album in its history, LOOSE. Prior to the show beginning, fans were treated to a special action short film made in the U.S. featuring Tak and Koshi in the starring roles in a high-speed car chase. The setlist for the shows featured songs that were released after the album as well, such as non-album English single "Real Thing Shakes" being used to open the show and both tracks of the subsequent double A-side single "Mienai Chikara ~INVISIBLE ONE~" and "MOVE" being performed as well. The tour was never released in full but has been sampled on compilation videos in later years. Concurrent Events: B'z LIVE-GYM '96 "Spirit LOOSE" SHOWCASE |
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One of the landmark tours for the band, "BUZZ!!" saw B'z undertaking one of their largest tours to date that resulted in some of their most famous and recognizable moments. The special performance of "LOVE PHANTOM" featuring Koshi in costume and a death-defying leap on stage became one of the band's most clipped pieces of footage, which was later recreated for The Final Pleasure in 2003. Similarly, the performance of "OH! GIRL" at the event was also inspired by that of "BUZZ!!". The tour also included "BAD COMMUNICATION", "RUN", "ZERO", "JAP THE RIPPER", and a performance of "ALONE" with Koshi playing piano with Tak standing on its surface playing guitar. The tour was released on VHS and LaserDisc in 1996 before being issued on DVD in 2001. |
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B'z LIVE-GYM '94 |
The band's ninth major tour and named as such, The 9th Blues was a tour that saw B'z touring Japan for much of the year of 1994, with the tour being split into two distinct parts with completely different setlists between them. Nearly every song from the 20-track album The 7th Blues was played between the pair of tours, along with singles "ZERO" and "Hadashi no Megami" and a number of obscure songs, such as "SAVE ME!?" and "Mannequin Village". Although a popular tour, neither part has been released in full on home video to date. However, select performances from each part have been released on various compilation videos in the year since. Concurrent Events: Merry X'Mas ~ Mary Had a Little Lamb/Silent Night |
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The band's largest tour to date at the time and their third Pleasure tour. Consisting of only two dates, the venue was the fields of Nagisaen where B'z performed an open-air concert for the first time. The shows opened with the titular "JAP THE RIPPER" which had not yet been released at the time but would go on to be one of the fixtures for 1994's double album The 7th Blues. Other songs included in the setlist were "ZERO", "HOT FASHION", "RUN", "BLOWIN', "Kairaku no Heya", and "Sayonara Nanka wa Iwasenai". The concerts were later the subject of a home video under the title of LIVE RIPPER. B'z later returned to the site ten years later for B'z LIVE-GYM The Final Pleasure "IT'S SHOWTIME!!" for another pair of outdoor gigs at Nagisaen. |
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The band's 1993 tour in support of the album of the same name released in the same year, RUN. It is considered unique for being an album tour in which every song from the album was included in the setlist at some point. In addition to the album songs, a group acoustic version of "Easy Come, Easy Go!" was also performed, in addition to "ALONE", "ZERO", "BAD COMMUNICATION", "Hadashi no Megami" and a great many other of the band's best-recognized songs to that point. The full show has not yet been released on home video, although portions have been released on various compilation videos. |
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The band's second "Pleasure" tour that took place in the summer of 1992. Named for the B-side "TIME" that accompanied their likewise 1992 single "BLOWIN'", the tour offered an exploration of the band's catalogue to the time with album songs "HOT FASHION", "Kairaku no Heya", "OH! GIRL", "HURRY UP!", and "FRIDAY MIDNIGHT BLUE" being performed on all dates. The shows also featured an "Acoustic Corner" showcase that saw the band performing acoustic versions of B-side "Good-bye Holy Days" as well as covers of well-known rock classics, including "Don't Let Me Down" and "Let It Be" by The Beatles. The full show has never been released on home video, but various performances are available on compilation videos released since. |
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The band's tour in support of their 1991 album IN THE LIFE that began in December of 1991 and ended in April of 1992. The tour included performances of several classic songs, including "GIMME YOUR LOVE", "LADY NAVIGATION", "BE THERE", "Easy Come, Easy Go!", and "ALONE". The full tour has never been released in full on home video, but the performance of "ALONE" was released as part of the music video compilation included in copies of B'z The Best XXV 1988-1998. |
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The first Pleasure tour by the band, which toured not in support of any specific release but instead as a representation of their body of work to date. Songs from B'z, OFF THE LOCK, BREAK THROUGH, and RISKY were all on show. Others include a special rendition of "Easy Come, Easy Go!" featuring Koshi wielding a guitar, fellow singles "Taiyou no Komachi Angel", "Kimi no Naka de Odoritai", "Dakara Sono Te wo Hanashite" and "Itoshii Hito yo Good Night...", as well as "BAD COMMUNICATION" and even the English version of another early song, "Loving All Night ~Octopus Style~". As a result, it has become one of the few English performances to receive a home video release when the tour was released as JUST ANOTHER LIFE in 1991. As of 2013, the VHS and LaserDisc release has not been re-issued on DVD or any other medium. Concurrent Events: Z'b LIVE TOUR |
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The tour for the band's fourth studio album, 1990's RISKY. The tour ran from October of 1990 to February of 1991 and featured many of their early hits, including "Taiyou no Komachi Angel", "VAMPIRE WOMAN", "BE THERE", "GIMME YOUR LOVE", and most notably and rarely, "I Wanna Dance Wicked Beat Style", the English version of their second single, 1989's "Kimi no Naka de Odoritai". The full tour has never been released in full on home video, but the performance of "ALONE" was released as part of the music video compilation included in copies of B'z The Best XXV 1988-1998. |
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The tour in support of the band's third studio album, BREAK THROUGH. The setlist included songs from all three albums released to date at the time along with "BAD COMMUNICATION" and the band's first three singles, "Dakara Sono Te wo Hanashite", "Kimi no Naka de Odoritai", and "LADY-GO-ROUND". The tour has never been issued in full on home video, although it has been sampled on the band's official bootleg videos in 1998 and 2008. |
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The band's first wide tour, featuring tracks from their self-titled debut album and second album after which the tour is named, OFF THE LOCK. The tour was preceded by a shorter warm-up tour earlier in the year titled B'z LIVE-GYM #00 "OFF THE LOCK", which itself was preceded by their very first live performance at the "Thank You TM Network" event at SF Rock Station. The encore for the tour was the then recently-released "BAD COMMUNICATION" that would go on to become a staple of the band's LIVE-GYMs for many years to come. The tour has never been issued in full on home video, although it has been sampled on the band's official bootleg videos in 1998 and 2008. Concurrent Events: B'z LIVE-GYM #00 "OFF THE LOCK", B'z BAD-CLUB GYM, B'z CAMPUS-GYM "OFF THE LOCK", SF Rock Station Final Event "Thank You TM Network" |
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List of SHOWCASE Events
Beginning in 1996, B'z have periodically toured under the label of "SHOWCASE" as a means of allowing them to visit areas of Japan they do not typically reach on their larger tours as well as a means to warm up for their aforementioned large showings. Most often, these are one-off shows taking place immediately preceding the opening of an album tour.
- B'z LIVE-GYM '96 "Spirit LOOSE" SHOWCASE — March 10, 1996
- B'z SHOWCASE "GO! GO! HEAVEN" — December 29, 1997
- B'z LIVE-GYM '99 -Brotherhood- SHOWCASE "B'zepp" — June 30, 1999
- B'z SHOWCASE "Kobushi wo Nigire" — February 24, 2001
- B'z SHOWCASE "SAPPORO DEVIL" — June 17, 2002
- B'z SHOWCASE 2003 "IT'S SHOWCASE!!" — June 26, 2003
- B'z SHOWCASE 2003 "BIG MACHINE" — November 13, 2003
- B'z SHOWCASE 2005 "Abashiri Extra Edition" — April 15, 2005
- B'z SHOWCASE 2006 "Yokosuka MONSTER" — June 29, 2006
- B'z SHOWCASE 2007 -19- — June 18, 2007 ~ July 4, 2007 (6 Shows)
- B'z SHOWCASE 2007 -B'z In Your Town- — July 9, 2007 ~ August 8, 2007 (7 Shows)
- B'z SHOWCASE 2008 -Kiyotake ACTION- — January 25, 2008
- B'z SHOWCASE 2009 -B'z In Your Town- — July 20, 2009 ~ August 5, 2009 (8 Shows)
- B'z SHOWCASE 2013 -Pleasure75- — June 10, 2013
- B'z SHOWCASE 2015 -Shimonoseki Uchouten NIGHT- — March 9, 2015
- B'z SHOWCASE 2015 -Shinagawa Uchouten NIGHT- — November 19, 2015
- B'z SHOWCASE 2017 -Hissatsu Hiokinin- — July 11, 2017
- B'z SHOWCASE 2017 -B'z In Your Town- — July 13, 2017 ~ August 9, 2017 (11 Shows)
List of Special Events
Over the course of their career, B'z have participated in a number of special events not tied to their LIVE-GYM efforts. This includes music festivals and special partnership promotions with other artists, such as the band's co-headlining with Aerosmith in 2002 and 2013.
- The debut performance for B'z, with a total of five songs performed with only Tak and Koshi on stage.
- Z'b LIVE TOUR (1991)
- A brief early tour by the band in which they performed as "Z'b" in order to hone their live skills while playing covers of well-known English songs by the likes of Guns N' Roses, Van Halen, Whitesnake, Motley Crue, and The Beatles, while throwing in one of their own songs as well: "VAMPIRE WOMAN". The tour has not been released on home video, although bootlegs have made their way into the public in recent years.
- A special event that was played on Christmas Day in 1994, featuring B'z performing several of their at the time recent songs, including an acoustic version of "Itsuka no Merry Christmas". The band performed facetiously under adopted monikers and performed under the name "Melon de Melon".
- A special event organized as a means of shooting the promotional video for single "juice" live on the streets. Instead of filming on a sound stage or using concert footage, B'z organized a "guerrilla live" specifically for the occasion. The filming was done on the streets of Sapporo outside of the Chisun Hotel and was open to the public, attracting an extremely large number of spectators both on the ground and in nearby office buildings.
- 2002 FIFA World Cup International Day Concert with Aerosmith (2002)
- The official concert for the 2002 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by Japan and Korea. The event was co-headlined by full sets from B'z and Aerosmith, with the members of Aerosmith only agreeing to appear if B'z would play the show with them. The show culminated in the two bands performing rock classic "Train Kept A Rollin'" together.
- B'z LIVE in Namba (2006)
- Originally billed as "B'z Network LIVE IN JAPAN", the show was the first B'z concert to be streamed from Japan. The setlist to the show was similar to that of B'z LIVE-GYM 2006 "MONSTER'S GARAGE" with several songs from their 2006 studio album MONSTER, albeit with the inclusion of an unexpectedly large amount of English songs. Along with revivals of "Real Thing Shakes" from 1995 and 2002's "DEVIL", the previous year's "Brighter Day" from 2005 album THE CIRCLE saw its live debut and was joined by the world premiere of an all-new English version of the 1998 hit single "HOME".
- SUMMER SONIC 07 (2007)
- B'z appearance at the Japanese music festival SUMMER SONIC in 2007.
- SUMMER SONIC 09 (2009)
- B'z appearance at the Japanese music festival SUMMER SONIC in 2009.
- A special charity event organized by members of American rock band Linkin Park to aid tsunami victims, with B'z invited to perform as special guests. To gain a pair of tickets, fans had to raise $500 for relief efforts and would then be able to attend a secret show at a small venue.
- The event was held on September 28, 2011, in the midst of B'z LIVE-GYM 2011 -C'mon-. The 1,000-ticket show took place at Shibuya-AX only months after B'z had wrapped their then most recent foray into North America with B'z LIVE-GYM 2011 -long time no see-. To gain tickets to the event, attendees collected points associated with various Pepsi-themed promotions and redeemed them online in order to be entered into a lottery for a chance to win. A number of songs from C'mon would be included in the setlist along with a number of new and old singles, including "ZERO", "Liar! Liar!", "Ichibu to Zenbu", and "Sayonara Kizu Darake no Hibi yo".
- TV Asahi Dream Festival 2011 (2011)
- Music festival held by TV Asahi in 2011 at which B'z performed. Taking place during B'z LIVE-GYM 2011 -C'mon-, the setlists between the two are similar, including the English version of "Splash", "Ichibu to Zenbu", "Brotherhood", "Don't Wanna Lie", and "Sayonara Kizu Darake no Hibi yo".
- Tickets to the event were available exclusively through a promotion tied into the band's 50th single "GO FOR IT, BABY -Kioku no Sanmyaku-". Those that purchased the single were given the opportunity to redeem a card within that gave a chance at winning some of the very limited tickets to see B'z at two smaller venues: Namba Hatch in Osaka on August 30 and Studio Coast in Tokyo on September 1. Amongst the songs performed were all five tracks from the then-recently released self-titled English debut album that featured English versions of "Ai no Bakudan", "ultra soul", "juice", "SPLASH!", and "Samayoeru Aoi Dangan". Fellow singles "Shoudou" and "MOTEL" also made their return to the stage after several years of absence.
- AEROSONIC (2013)
- The band's third appearance at the SUMMER SONIC music festival in Japan, for a one-night-only co-headlining performance with American rock legends Aerosmith. This marked the second occasion in which the two bands joined forces, following their co-promotion at the 2002 FIFA World Cup International Day Concert. B'z would again take the stage alongside Aerosmith for a performance of the Aerosmith classic "Mama Kin" during their set.
- A special live concert organized to commemorate the opening of TV Asahi's EX THEATER ROPPONGI venue. Tickets were available as part of a lottery promotion tied to the pair of B'z The Best XXV compilations.
- A one-off collaboration show headlined by B'z and fellow Japanese rock unit LOUDNESS. The show took place in the midst of B'z LIVE-GYM 2015 -EPIC NIGHT- and features an abbreviated setlist from the tour with a few notable alterations. The show was closed with a performance by B'z and LOUDNESS of the latter's classic English song "Crazy Nights".
- TV Asahi Dream Festival 2015 (2015)
- Music festival held by TV Asahi in 2015 at which B'z performed. It took place several months after the close of B'z LIVE-GYM 2015 -EPIC NIGHT- and two days after B'z SHOWCASE 2015 -Shinagawa Uchouten NIGHT-.
- The first of two festival showings made by B'z in 2017. The setlist included all singles including their then-most recent single "Still Alive". The full show was soon thereafter released on home video, on both DVD and Blu-ray, in limited edition packages of twentieth studio album DINOSAUR.
- The second of two festival showings made by B'z in 2017. The setlist, comprised of all singles, was the same as the festival appearance above.
- A pair of two live concerts with entrance determined by lottery upon reserving the "Trailer Edition" of premium boxset B'z COMPLETE SINGLE BOX. The shows took place immediately prior to B'z LIVE-GYM 2017-2018 "LIVE DINOSAUR".