TYPHOON NO.15 B'z 8th Video | Release date: February 25, 2004 Review by --- Tenzan

It was a awesome way to open the concert and after that, Pleasure 2003 ~ Jinsei No Kairaku ~ was performed. It was basically the Pleasure song, except that like the 95 and 98 versions, the second verse was modified. The classic hit, Blowin' was then performed, as clips of Koshi's past performance of that hit were played on the two giant screens, giving fans that nostalgic feeling as they view them. After that was Oh! Girl, which was pretty decent and then, famous Japanese actress Norika Fujiwara's favourite song, Wonderful Oppurtunity was performed, as Koshi did his patented dance to that song, with an old clip of him performing that dance playing on the screens. Yasei No Energy then was performed, as clips from the PV of that song (where Koshi was a schoolteacher, while Tak worked in a guitar shop) were played on the screens. After a solo from Tak, he kicked into the familiar intro of the hit TIME, as that song was performed next, which was a lovely performance as that song is one of my all-time favourites.

Koshi then conveyed a speech and got the fans to clap along with him, which then moved into the next song, Taiyou No Komachi Angel, as the crowd sang along to the chorus and pyros go off to the beat of the claps! This was then followed by Gimme Your Love ~ Fukutsu no Love Driver ~, as inflatable ballons of the devil versions of both Koshi and Tak appeared on both sides of the stage. The performance saw Koshi running up to one of the spotlights and playing around with it and in a hillarious moment, after the performance, Koshi was fiddling around with his "alter-ego" and was then "crushed" by it, as the performance ended. The next song being performed was a favourite among many B'z fans, as the theme song of the j-dorama, Beautiful Life, Konya Tsuki No Mieru Oka Ni was played. It was a wonderful performance and I really loved every bit of it and the golden pyros coming down from the stage in the background towards the end of the performance adds that certain grand feeling to the performance. Brotherhood was played, as I had emotions going through me listening to this song, as it made me think of my brother and friends back home in K.L. and how much they mean to me on a whole, so it really got to me as I watched the performance.

After that, the band came out in a convertible, as they drove to a smaller stage somewhere in the middle of the field. Koshi then conveyed another speech, before breaking into the famous "Na na na na na" line from the cool hit, Easy Come, Easy Go, as the band played a lovely rendition of the song. The torches on the scaffolding of the stage were then lit, as Koshi sung the touching romantic ballad, GEKKOU, which sounded marvelous. After that performance, Koshi then had everyone introduced each other and had them say a couple of things, which I believe, is a first in any of B'z's Live-Gyms. Masuda started off with his speech, then had a short conversation with Koshi. The bassist, a handsome young man by the name of Akihito Tokunaga said a few things, as he didn't have much to say except for introducing himself. XD XD XD Shane was then given a chance to show off his Japanese-speaking skills and it did well for him, as fans were impressed by his Japanese. Koshi then decided to joke around with him and asked him whether he had eaten unagi yet, to which a dumbfounded Shane replied that he is a bit hungry, as the crowd laughed it up. (Credit to Keen for this bit of info.) Tak then conveyed his speech and said a few things, while Koshi rounded up that session with his own speech. The band then performed Koi-Gokoro after that, as Koshi did his famous Koi-Gokoro dance. While the lack of trumpets in this performance was a bit dissapointing, the performance itself was superb enough to make up for it and it really sounded lovely and cutesy. ^_____^ After that performance, the band jumped back into the convertible and drove back to the main stage for the second segment of their concert.

1. Audience was full of energy even as icy wind and rain water mercilessly swept over the venue | 2. Shane Gaalaas (drums) and Tokunaga Akihito (bass) | 3. Takanobu Masuda (keyboard)

As the helicopter flew over the seas, the famous guitar riffs from Real Thing Shakes was played, as we were then brought back to the packed Nagisa-en field for this performance. Like what Keen mentioned in her review of this concert, Koshi did a better job with this performance compared to his Once Upon A Time In Yokohama concert and I agreed that despite some hiccups, Koshi sounded a lot better than his Yokohama performance. I then got goosebumps and chills running down my spine, as my all-time favourite B'z song, Love Phantom was performed! This was very similiar to the BUZZ Live-Gym performance, with Koshi dressed up as the Love Phantom with the hat, shades, cape, gloves and suspenders to go with the white dress shirt and black leather pants he wore. The mirror was decorated with two torches on both side, giving a creepy, yet cool feel to it. With Tak's Gibson being lit up with the laser he installed on it, Koshi then ascended to the top of the set, then threw his cape to the ground, as pyros blasted and sent him falling. He got back up, then did his daredevil dive from the scaffold, as pyros exploded from the scaffold and the crowd went wild! Definitely the best performance of the night cause even after that, I STILL had goosebumps!

ZERO was then performed after what was an amazing performance, followed by yet another kickass performance of JUICE. In this performance, Tak also installed pyro onto his Gibson and towards the end, he started blasting them out and in what was a wicked stunt, threw his Gibson into a stack of speakers where they exploded into sparks, as Tak dived outta the way! Ultra Soul was then played and much like the GREEN concert, everyone got into it with the jumping and stuff, then the familiar shot of the theatre used in the It's Showtime!! PV then played on the screen, as Tak then kicked off into the familiar guitar riffs, with pyro exploding in the background! Probably the second best performance of the night, as it really got the crowd into it seeing as to how this hit definitely suits any Live-Gym concert! Bad Communication was then performed, with plenty of interaction with the crowd, plenty of pyros and plenty of wicked guitar riffs by Tak himself! A much better performance then the BUZZ and Yokohama performances of that hit overall!

The familiar violin intro for Ai No Mama Ni, Wagamama Ni~ were then heard from the speakers, as the band then played the hit song that was chosen by Music Station viewers as the number one B'z single to ever be released! After a long speech by Koshi, Hadashi No Megami was then performed, as the crowd got into the performance by singing during the chorus and stuff. The lights dimmed after that performance, as the crowd lit up their green glowsticks and my god, it was a beautiful sight to behold. It was like another layer of grass was on top of the field and it looked gorgeous! The band performed RUN and you could tell that Koshi was getting very emotional during the performance, with teary eyes evident on his face, but decided to cover it up with his famous handsome smile to keep the ball rolling. The song itself was about the band and about everything that they have gone through together, not to mention the fans who have been supporting them ever since the mayde their debut in the industry. Pyros then exploded into the sky, as yet another historic B'z Live-Gym concert had finally come to an end. While the supporting members of the band left, both Koshi and Tak still stood onto the stage and acknowledged the fans. In an emotional moment, both men hugged on stage, as fans gave a huge ovation upon seeing that. Koshi and Tak are more than just best friends. They're brothers as well and that truly showed just how tight their friendship is and how hard they have worked to not only put on a wonderful concert, but how hard they have worked to stay on in the industry for 15 years.

1. SURPRISE!!! Tak and Koshi did not know that every single person in the audience was handed a green glowstick by the management, to be lightened on cue. Once RUN's intro was played, the light went out and the audience became an ocean of green light. Koshi said to the audience in the very end, "For as long as I live, I shall never forget that scenery. Saikou ni kirei deshita!" | 2. One of the many fabulous fireworks display that night | 3. Brotherhood hug ^0^

Overall Rating

Overall, it's hard to say. I love both Live-Gym concerts, but I think the Final Pleasure Live-Gym stood out as the better concert due to the emotions involved, the wonderful performances and the excellent interactions between B'z and the fans. Definitely a concert to pick up if you're a B'z fan and a j-rock fan in general. You will definitely love it. Trust me.

- Tenzan -

May 11, 2005 | Tenzan | Pictures byTenzan | Gathered by Keen for this website ©