The flashing message of the marquis atop the Best Buy Theater read “Coming to New York City. B’z live.” Times Square. The most wondrous place on Earth. Electric lights, street meat, scammers, clashers, and tourists. It’s where the rich gather for Broadway and where a man can lose his shirt in a street game of three card monty. Hardly a place where a prestigious band like B’z would ever perform. Street performers, a Naked Cowboy, and live television tapings all add to the daily chaos of New York City. Nestled under MTV Networks the Best Buy Theater hosts some of the biggest names in music including Rusted Root, Queensryche, and even Richie Sambora, but the animation morphing on the colored screen clearly broadcasted, “B’z LIVE.” This monumental concert woudl be B’z first concert ever in New York City. An average New Yorker’s exposure to Japanese culture and music are non-existent. With the exception of a few dedicated Japanophiles and loyal Japanese fans the only education American’s understand about Japanese music and culture are a few good scenes from the Godzilla movies, the lyrics to “Mr. Roboto” by Styx and “Turning Japanese” by The Vapors. Ok, toss in the cute (Kawaii in Japanese) duo of Puffy Amiyumi from Cartoon Network.
“I learned about the show in a Japanese news paper. I have been following B’z ever since junior high school and high school. I am so excited and I want to see them play Madison Square Garden. I came to New York City last Saturday just for this show. There are people in this line from Boston, Tokyo, California, and Washington D.C. just to see the show. It’s a big moment for B’z and for Japanese music. Some of them have been sleeping on line for two days now.” Machiko of Tokyo, Japan explains while sitting on the sidewalk on Broadway along with a few hundred B’z fans
Inaba-san is known to the world as Koshi Inaba - Lead singer of the Japanese music group B’z. Born September 23, 1964 in Okayama, Japan a very young Koshi stood in his room flaring his arms pretending to play concerts in front of audiences he imagined cheering for him with his air guitar in hand, which in fact was a dilapidated acoustic guitar in which Koshi’s brother knocked out of commission with a single punch possibly over the fact that Koshi was borrowing his brother’s western world music his brother kept away on vinyl records. Across the table in an interview Koshi laughs about his early memories of his rockstar fascination. “Maybe that was something. In my brain there was an audience in front of me. I would strum the most intense guitar solos to the songs I listened on my broken acoustic guitar. I couldn't play it but I would hold it in my arms and play it like a guitarist on stage in front of a huge audience.”
Koshi’s brother initiated Koshi’s interest in music. Ufo, Rainbow, and Iron Maiden played through out the Inaba home exposing Koshi his first recollection of Western World music and giving Koshi his first taste of Rock ‘n’ Roll. The music struck the loudest cord in him beginning a long road to discovery and realizations of who he was deep down inside. “I always listened to Japanese pop and folk music. I never had a big dream about being a musician. There was no clear vision and I was just having fun every day. I remember my first taste of European music especially from England at an early age when my brother would play groups such as Deep Purple and The Beatles. My brother wouldn't let me listen to his stuff because the records were his so, when he was out I would steal his music and listen to them before he would come home because music was fun and I was a fan. That is my secret.”
Koshi continued to speak about his memory of growing up with his new musical appreciation for Western World music. It’s difficult to believe that the childhood fantasy wasn’t significant given Koshi’s current status in the music world as a rock icon. “I never thought back then I would be a rock star. I would just listen to the music. I never took lessons and I was never more than a music guy growing up a fan of the bands I listened to. I still remember blasting my music in my room and acting like a drummer or a guitar player just by myself.” Across the table in this interview he remained calm softly translating his thoughts from Japanese into English dialog.
While the young Koshi Inaba imagined rocking his guitar to screaming fans from his imaginary stage the Inaba family was creating their own history with their family owned business. The Inaba family cosmetic store. It still stands today and provides cosmetics to the Okayama town the same as it has been doing so for over twenty years. The store’s visitors pack in each day to buy cosmetics and to see a piece of their home town rock star hero. Koshi’s mother has collected and shared in her son’s glory as a rock star by showcasing his belongings and personal concert pieces in glass cases inside the store converting the cosmetic filled store into a museum-like shrine to her son. Mrs. Inaba still takes the time to pose for photos with the B’z fans who trek far and wide to visit. She also takes time to share stories and to listen to the fan’s stories about her sons musical journey. Perhaps this is her longing to have her son home more often and she is able to suffice that yearning through the fans who visit and tell their stories. In one case she invited a young American fan to join her for a bite at Kasyou Kuraya, Koshi’s brother’s sweet shop, where sweet red beans and mochi are the house favorites. B’z fans post pictures and stories to their blogs regularly and the testimony of these fans speak loudly to the connection B’z fans share with their favorite band.
Koshi’s brother initiated Kohi’s interest in music when he played the western world music of such bands as Ufo, Rainbow, and Iron Butterfly at home. “I always listened to Japanese pop and folk music. I never had a big dream of being a rock star. There was no clear vision and I was just having fun every day. I remember my first taste of European music especially from England at an early age when my brother would play groups such as Deep Purple and The Beatles. My brother wouldn't let me listen to his stuff because the records were his so, when he was out I would steal his music and listen to them before he would come home because music was fun and I was a fan. That is my secret.” The rockstar fantasy would resurface again in high school when Koshi’s good high school friend wished to start his own band.
An upcoming school festival would give Koshi his first real taste of being in a band along side his friend who Koshi refers to as a young Eddie Van Halen. Koshi fused his passion and excitement to share the stage with his talented friend. “Actually my friend didn't care about the how good the other members were and he just wanted to show off his own skills. So, he asked me to sing and it sounded like it would be fun. I jumped in energized and ready to sing. Our performances were pretty good and I would be on stage with him humming into the mic while he played his guitar. This was my first band experience.” Hidden treasures remain hidden until the person who is seeking it discovers it for himself. Koshi’s discovered something in himself when he first joined his high school friend’s band. He had enough talent and courage to face an audience who may or may not like him. Fear of failure can prevent a person from trying, so can the fear of succeeding. “My next move in music was singing for my friends around Tokyo who would meet up and play music together each week. We did maybe two or three shows and that was it. It was all just for fun for me a this point. Before I knew it graduated and went off to Yokahama for college to become a mathematics teacher, or so I thought I would be and so did my family. That was it for my high school band”
College would challenge Koshi to make difficult decisions that would steer him away from a focused direction as an education major to an unpredictable high risk path at a vocal performance school. Music called again to Koshi and he answered back affirming desire to follow his musical calling. What came to fruition would be his first professional advancement into rock star history. “There was an advertisement I saw for vocal schools. I went to one and registered and took my first vocal lesson. The company was connected to a management company which would sometimes hire me for background and harmony vocal jobs two or three times a year. So I would sing for bands and collect my background performances to keep as a demo just in case.” This was no easy task for Koshi to hide from his family who thought he was focused and gearing up for a long secure future as a teacher. “After my friends and I graduated my friends found jobs, started new lives, but I didn't have any jobs and I didn't know where to find a job for public teaching. That made my family nervous for me. One year later I received a letter from my mother that I should come back to my home. At that time I had no singing jobs coming up but I didn't want to give up.”
Koshi chose to work through his doubts and with his extended network of contacts aligned himself with important music business figures who provided a blueprint for Koshi to execute so that a career in music was possible. He took on part time jobs as a tutor and held on tightly to the little hope he had left of being a back ground singer. Opportunities to join temporary bands came and went showcasing Koshi’s vocal talent. A long due phone call from the vocal school Koshi was enrolled in regarding auditions for an established artist who heard Koshi’s demo and wanted to meet him in the artist’s studio. “Tak Matsumoto was already a famous Japanese musician playing with very famous music groups and artists such as Mari Hamada. Of course I knew his name and I learned that Tak wanted to make his own band. In short, he was looking for a singer and he just happened to listen to my demo. Maybe, he was a little interested in me and he wanted to see me. Then we saw each other for the first time. I had no idea what to think. He already knew so much about the professional world and he had a really clear to create his own band world famous with in three albums. I couldn’t even imagine being popular in Japan let alone the world, but it was going to be fun to be a part of the creation. Maybe he wanted to meet me because he wanted to make sure I could really sing. We got into the small studio and played some Beatles songs and after two songs the amplifier broke and we stopped jamming. He decided at that point he would start recording with me. It didn’t hit me yet what was happening and we immediately began recording the first B’z album.”
Japanese music magazines pinned Tak Matsumoto as one of Japan’s best guitarists of all time. Tak was not very vocal about Koshi being selected. There was no new headline, no website update, and no formal announcement to the public. “I was just told by Tak Matsumoto to come to the studio and I said ok. There was no dramatic scene.” Word spread quickly among Tak Matsumoto fans that a new frontman was found for Tak’s new group B’z. The Inaba family couldn’t believe it either and the idea of Koshi becoming a singer for a new rock band was beyond their comprehension. “My Mom was skeptical and so were my family until the first album came out. The first CD came out with my picture on it. My family knew this was serious and that I was happy. I had no time to think. Once the recording started I became fixated to produce the best music I could think of. I had no experience writing lyrics so that was very hard for me. I kept trying to write a new song about this, write a new song about that and the management company asked me to rewrite then songs. That was my first time as a singer singing and writer. Everything was really huge to me.“ Koshi continued writing and singing for groups. “I felt really good when I heard my voice being played back after the recordings. I had no idea if the songs would be a big hit or not. Tak had been on many tours and his vision was very insightful. I was just a fresh singer at the time singing for the first time on a larger than life level. I had no idea of the band’s future so I was very hopeful that my part would add to the band’s longevity and success.”
Concert dates quickly scheduled and the venues rapidly increased from small 50 person venues to over 5000 people venues though out Japan. There was no real moment when Koshi had a major realization and his fame grew steadily over time. Koshi’s work ethics are diligent, motivational and truly bold. He still works now as he did back in 1988, to write his best songs to perform live and when he isn’t on the road he is working on solo projects as well as catching up with friends and family at his home town. At an age where an average person is counting the days to wind down and retire from the workforce, Koshi and Tak continue to build up steam and power through their concerts. Just one week after his birthday Koshi will yell out for the first time ever, “Good evening New York City!”
B’z recently embarked on a U.S. tour that would bring them from California to their first ever show in New York City. In route on possibly his biggest and his most historical concert date yet Koshi celebrated his 48th birthday doing what he has done best for the last 25 years of his music career. Having fun. “Coming to the states is totally different. This tour is totally a new experience for me. The New York City show is sold out and I saw the line outside. B’z fans in New York City? I am moved and I’m excited to play. I can see fans sitting on the sidewalk and heard they have been online in the rain for two days. It’s hard for me to understand my impact sometimes and I’m very thankful of all of my fans world wide. For the people I don’t know I try to sing to them because it motivates me as a singer to show the world who B’z. I’m in New York City for my first New York City concert. I’m just really excited and I’m having fun.” Koshi and Tak have succeeded further than any other rock music group to come out of Japan on this level. Both Tak and Koshi hold great power in their music both together as B’z or on their own solo projects. Their impact on the music world is evident. Take and Koshi left their prints on the Hollywood Rockwalk of Fame. Tak Matsumoto and legendary award wining guitarist Larry Carlton collaborated and released a Grammy award winning CD in s2011 which won Best Pop Instrumental. They have worked and befriended rock legends Slash (Guns n’ Roses), Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai and other major icons in the music world.
Back on Broadway, another B’z fan sat with his friends on a blanket complete with food and a friendly game of cards. “I came from San Francisco, California to see B’z play New York City with my friends on. I heard about the B’z concert back in June back in San Francisco and I decided I had to attend. I bought my tickets and here I am. B’z live from New York. This is not only their first concert here but it is a greta moment I will cherish forever as a fan of B’z. I imagine this is also huge for fans back in Japan to see their music artists recognized here in the U.S. The band just recorded five of their number hits in English and I’m excited to hear that.”
Rock stardom comes with a heavy sacrifice in privacy and being highly sought after by fans. As a public figure you take on many responsibilities and represent may voices who admire and look up to you for leadership whether you are writing songs, playing guitar, playing sports or leading a nation. Koshi leads by example and is highly respected by those around him. He keeps his private life out of public knowledge outside of a few trustworthy people and the public fully respects that. His story is colorful and filled with overcoming the odds all the while facing his challenges head on with great success. The Koshi Inaba story is not sensationalized and it did not start with with famous connections. His story is simple in which the good guy doesn’t finish last. He continues to rise above. It’s about a modest man, who never planned on being a rock star and who would turn the world upside down with the passion he shares for the music he willingly shares.
46 consecutive No. 1 singles, 24 No.1 albums and more than 80 million records sold in Japan alone. Their 2012 B’z Live - Gym Tour marks 25 years since the band’s creation with a very over due appearance in New York City. This historical performance unifies two cultures once separated in war, now unified in music, gaming, comics, fashion and animation cartoons. The performances and staging theatrics were scaled down compared to the Japanese venues this group plays, but the energy was larger than ever. The drive of each US performance would break barriers and set new records in comparison to impact and affect. New York City’s show raised B’z to an all new level of stardom and Koshi Inaba and Tak Matsumoto led that well earned climb to the top with raw vocal power and a fury of guitar assaults.
Iuta Kuboyuma from Tokyo, Japan followed B’z is one fan not missing out on a single show. He has traveled to Washington, DC show and California prior to arriving in New York City. “The new music and the old music was great. I was more amazed how Koshi Inaba-san clearly sung in both Japanese and in English. It was all part of the great show. I went to their show in LA and San Fran show as well as one in Japan. It was a bigger crowd in Japan and with a longer set list and I really liked the smaller venues here because you get an up close experience with the band. You get to the front and the band is right there.”
Sarah came from the Ohio area and also followed B’z from Washington D.C. to New York City. “I like Japanese things and I AM a Japanophile. My Japanese friends online exposed me to the actual music and not just the so-so stuff like Puffy Amiyumi. B’z are a mix between sounds which is why I like them because. They have a Japanese sound and I can hear that. They also have a lot of elements tied to western world music and i think that’s what makes defines them as unique. I have only seen them once before in San Francisco, and I expect to see high energy in their performance tonight. The show should have a pretty good rush, and ’m excited to hear Koshi sing in English.
Koshi’s time was winding down with sound check coming up a few blocks away from his hotel. The limo just arrived outside the hotel entrance a few blocks away from the hundreds of fans who loyally waited to enter the theater. They remained sitting, singing, dancing, and comparing each other’s B’z swag. Koshi Inaba-san is a living breathing testimony as to when you have a destiny to fulfill no matter how unclear or undefined it may be at first that destiny always has a way of striking a cord in you just enough to keep you on path. Koshi’s achievements have surpassed his known aspirations and his reality is an example which exemplifies a firm determination to achieve and succeed in one of the toughest career paths.
Before Koshi left a thought and question was posed to him. It went something like this. We all have an inner child and if we could tell that inner child anything to change its course of history you have to wonder what you would say to him or her. Koshi pondered the question of his inner child and what he would say if he could give advise knowing the journey he has been on from the days of air guitar to the first ever performance ialmost half a world away from home in New York City as a rock icon. “If you have the tiniest of hope to do what you want you should do that. That’s the best way to find your life. If I could connect with my inner child he would probably tell me that I did pretty good at being a music artist.”
Best Buy Theater. 8:15PM. Crowd chanting, “B’z, B’z, B’z.” Anticipation and excitement electrifying the air. The photography pit runs around like an unstable atom positioning their cameras and bodies to catch the first images of Tak Matsumoto and Koshi Inaba walking onto their first New York City stage, ever. An American classic fills the room. (song title here). The lights go down and the roar of the crowd shakes the ground followed by a frenzy of hands reaching out into the black void. Blast of red lights. A cue from the stage and out pours the band members of B’z. Drums: Shane Gaalaas - Bass: Barry Sparks - Rhythm Guitar: Ohta Shinichirou - Keyboards: Masuda Takanobu. The band members take their place. Girls are crying in an image that reflects back to the night the Beatles took stage on the Ed Sullivan Show. Red spot blasts the corner of stage left. From the void comes Tak Matsumoto. Tense, confident, and ready to Rock ‘n’ Roll with his fist raised high. A split second of silence and then an explosive entrance for Koshi Inaba as the band breaks into the first song of their 17 track set. Love Bomb.
The set showcased the best of songs B’z recorded over their 25 year career and included five songs recently rerecorded in English. Splash, Ultra Soul, Juice, and Into Free. Each song triggered the B’z fans to toss their hands and arms up in what appeared to be a choreographed dance. Fans screamed out to Koshi and Tak in between song breaks adding a sense of humanity to the evening. Koshi responded back with smiles and answers to the fans.
Koshi has no signs of slowing down and Tak has no signs of giving up. Their energy on stage fed the energy of the audience and you could feel just how huge this nights was for everyone who attended and were involved in making tonight possible. The management team to the stage crew. The fans to the reporters. Each person was meant to be there and each person made this night one of the most important nights for music.
Outside the New York City venue music fans were still up and strong about Neil Young and Jay-z playing the day before but music had more impact and meaning at Best Buy Theater. The music and culture of Japan made its biggest connection this night as two men represented, persevered, and brought everything they had to New York City in an unprecedented performance in which carried a much more historical impact levels above what any American music artist is doing today in America.
The performance began to wind down. Fans were not ready to leave. The set list showered the evening with flavorful songs such as “Easy Come, Easy Go!, Mou Ichido Kiss Shitakatta, Mienai Chikara, and Shodo.” The set was solid, the music selection was perfect and the cherry on top served the fans well. This meal of music was not over and after the band left the stage an encore persued. Just as the night began. Best Buy Theater. 10:30PM. Crowd chanting, “B’z, B’z, B’z.” Anticipation and excitement electrifying the air again. The band returned and treated the B’z fans to two more songs before putting a exclamation point on the end. “Home” and the final song “Blowin’” each had significant meaning to the night. B’z were a long way from home and yet the reception in New York City wasn’t anything less than home coming. They came to New York City dancing on the same feet they traveled on for the last 25 years. All the challenges, all the tests, and all the successes brought them to their first New York City show which created the final link that now bridges culture and music together between Japan and the US.
This is living testimony to how two cultures that once clashed can find love, peace, light and unity through the rubble that once separated them. Now that the door has been opened who walks through its opportunity is to be seen. As one fan said, “B’z planted a seed for other Japanese groups to come to the US. There are so many groups I would like to see come to the city. This proves it is possible. I want to thank B’z for taking the chance to come here because if they didn’t come to New York City this tour would not have been so meaningful. I hope they come back and sell out the Garden just like they did tonight. That would be awesome.” Said David of Hartsdale, NY who walked away in the New York City street with a concert t-shirt in one hand, a poster and CD in the other singing “Blowin’” He disappeared into the crowd of tourists and the song faded into the drowning sounds of taxi horns, loud laughter, and the sound scape of New York City.
