It is with great regret that X Japan announces the cancellation of the band’s November 2 date in Beijing.
Chinese officials had issued a permit and were supportive.
The cancellation is due to a last-minute decision by the promoters that included technical and production issues.

The members of X Japan are devastated by not being able to play Beijing.

The band hopes to reschedule a show in Beijing in the near future.

All other shows on X Japan’s South East Asia tour itinerary will be performed as scheduled:
October 28 – Seoul, Olympic Park Gymnastics Stadium
October 30 – Shanghai, Shanghai Grand Stage
November 4 – Hong Kong, Asia World Expo
November 6 – Taipei, Nangang Exhibition Hall
November 8 – Bangkok, Impact Arena

Credits: XJapan

X JAPAN CONQUERS LATIN AMERICA
Five-City Concert Trek a Complete Success

X Japan's first concert tour of Latin America wrapped up Sunday night with a sold-out show in Mexico City that mirrored the frenzy the band brought to all five of their stops. In Santiago, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Lima, and Mexico City, fans, many of whom had waited years to see the band live in concert for the first time, camped out in long lines for up to three days to claim a prime spot in front of the stage.
At the concerts, in one way or another, Yoshiki and the band paid their respects to the countries they visited, and generated a great deal of national pride from their fans. In Santiago, Yoshiki wore the Chilean flag towards the end of the evening as a tribute to the difficult times there since the recent earthquake. Yoshiki welcomed the San Paulo crowd with "Thank you for coming to the show, we love you!" in their native Portuguese tongue. At the show in Mexico City, Yoshiki appeared on stage wearing a sombrero while wrapped in the Mexican flag, prompting the audience to proudly sing their national anthem.
And there was chaos ­ Buenos Aires had the wildest mosh pits, the level of excitement in Sao Paulo reached such an extreme, many in that audience were overcome with emotion and seen crying during the concert. The atmosphere was so intense at another tour stop, Yoshiki accidentally broke one of the keys on his beloved Crystal piano, and Sao Paulo fans showed their affection for X Japan by throwing items of clothing onto the stage. Yoshiki and the band were greeted by throngs of fans at a number of the tour stops' airports ­ fans were so hysterical at the Lima airport, they nearly flipped over the van that the band was riding in. Fans flooded X Japan's arrival gate at the Mexico City airport, forcing airport security to whisk the band out of the airport using a hidden exit door.
And the Latin American dates were full of surprises: Yoshiki heard that a number of Brazilian fans had waited in line for days to get into the show, so he had a supply of the local energy drink Guarana sent out to them. Later during that show, fans surprised the band by floating balloons withthe Brazilian flag emblazoned on them. And at the Mexico City date, Yoshiki surprised the audience by having a local Mariachi Band open the concert.
Spurred on by the intensity of the audiences at the Santiago, Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires shows, Yoshiki stage dove into the crowd numerous times. By the time X Japan reached Lima, Yoshiki was covered with cuts and scrapes and bruises from the diving, so he came out onstage for the encore dressed up a nurse.
The press interest in all of the Latin American countries was also intense ­ Yoshiki spent his days off doing interviews, there were press conferences at the venues following their grueling performances, and Yoshiki was interviewed for a segment on "Alta Horas," one of Brazil's most popular national TV programs.
But, according to Yoshiki, the one thing that stood out the most was that even as far away from Japan as Latin America is, "No matter where we played, fans were all doing the X jump. I was so happy to see that."

Credits: yoshikibg

X Japan has just completed its career-first run of Europe, achieving a years-long goal of playing to their European fans. The band sold out shows in London, the Netherlands and Germany (which had to be moved to a larger venue), and packed the near-6,000-seat Paris venue. According to Yoshiki, "The audience response was more than we ever could have imagined, the fans went crazy from the beginning of the shows, and it just got more and more intense as the nights went on. At the show in the Netherlands, the fans got so excited, the barricade in front of the stage was broken through. By the end of every concert, everyone ­ the band and the fans ­ were absolutely elated."

At the sold-out London show, the lines to get in went around the block, people stood in line to buy tickets in case any became available (none did), and X Japan broke all merchandise sales records for the venue, a feat they also accomplished last October when they headlined the sold out Roseland Ballroom in New York.

The press who came out to the London show were just as captivated by the show as were the fans. One journalist said it was "...one of the best shows we have ever been lucky enough to witness...truly magnificent," while a reporter from the BBC was jumping and crossing her forearms to make the "X" sign along with everyone else ­ an expected activity at all X Japan concerts during the band's signature song, "X."

Credits: yoshikinet

Setlist

 

Jade
Rusty Nail
Silent Jealousy
Drain
Kurenai
Born To Be Free
I.V.
X
-
Endless Rain
Art Of Life

X Japan are a household name in many countries and one of the most successful and influential bands in Japanese history. Following their American debut at Lollapalooza in 2010 the band played the biggest concert in the bands history selling out Japans 140,000 seat Nissan stadium for TWO consecutive nights. As if the bands acheivements weren't proof enough, Yoshiki alone can boast enormous personal success. Not only has he produced some of Japans biggest bands including Dir en grey and Glay, but at the request of the Japanese government, Yoshiki composed a piano concerto and perfromed it with a 77 piece orchestra at the celebration of Japans Emperors 10 year reign. Even great comic writer Stan Lee has announced that he's creating a superhero based on him. With such huge, worldwide accolade it came as no surprise to discover the bands first ever performance in the UK completely sold out at Londons 2000 capacity 'Shepherds Bush Empire'. 

 The queue outside the auditorium reaches far and wide around the streets of Shepherds Bush. The atmosphere even out here, an excited buzz as the thousands wait eagerly to be let in, including a multitude of fans dressed as their idols in highly detailed costumes for what was to become one of the best shows we personally have ever been lucky enough to witness.
After the lengthy process of getting the guests into the building and a brief set from 'Japanese Voyeurs', the audience in its entirety are screaming for the band. A multitude of glowsticks in the form of an 'X' shining brightly throughout the crowd until finally the band appear onstage. Yoshiki's stage presence oozes regality, as he stands at his drumkit observing the audience while the band prepare and the audience go wild
 After the orchestral opening, the band go straight into their newly released single 'JADE', the loud screams of the audience reaching the ceilings and beyond. Vocalist TOSHI's voice emanates elegance, which you wouldn't necessarily expect from first glance, while guitarists SUGIZO, (also of Luna Sea) & PATA, and bassist HEATH throw themselves full force into their performance, full of energy as the intensity builds with each second that passes.
One of the most astounding things that becomes increasingly apparent during the course of the evening is just how talented every musician in this band really are. There are many truly masterful displays of guitar prowess, backed by some truly impressive drumming and Toshi's powerful pipes. As if that wasn't enough, Yoshiki proves his skill doesn't end with drums. Classically trained in Piano, he impresses with beautiful interludes on a crystal grand piano throughout, not to mention an accomplished violin solo from the multi-talented SUGIZO, which even includes excerpts from‘The Godfather’ theme, playing with such an amazing skill, that touches the hearts of many.
With not only talent, it would appear that drummer YOSHIKI also has a great sense of humour, declaring his desire for some PG Tips causes a cheer of laughter before breaking into “Born To Be Free” on the piano, to which the audience to go wild. Toshi’s vocals are ethereal in splendor as the audience sing alongside him with all the energy they have.
The performance as a whole is filled with emotion for both fans and band alike. Glancing around it's always easy to spot at least one person in tears, or friends with hands gripped so tightly together in the air that their knucles are white; even the excited calls of the band members names come regularly at the end of each song.
After Yoshiki tells the audiuence that former X member, HIDE (Hideto Matsumoto) -who sadly passed away in 1998- is there playing with them tonight, the entire audience suddenly begin to chant ‘hide’, until the band break down in an emotional display. Yoshiki himself then admitting that the audience made him cry, before going into a truly heart rending version of ‘Endless Rain’. The entire crowd sings along at Toshi’s request, even when the band stop playing, overcome with emotion, the audience sing on softly, in unison. It was a true honour to be a part of such an experience. A moment where both band and audience felt truly bonded together.
In years to come there will probably be thousands upon thousands claiming to have attended this first monumental performance in the UK, but for all those actually lucky enough to attend I'm sure it will be something they'll never forget . With music that's not only masterful, but beautiful, and a performance filled with energy and emotion, it's not hard to see why X JAPAN have inspired so many of Japan's great bands today, and will probably continue to do so for years to come. If there's one thing each person should do in their lifetime, it's catch this band live. Truly Magnificent.


 

Video Transcribt
They're big in Japan - very big. X Japan have sold more than 30 million albums, singles and videos, and filled the 55,000-seat Tokyo Dome a record 18 times. Now they're set to take to the rest of the world by storm - and while they might not yet enjoy the same dizzying heights of fame overseas that they do in their homeland, breaking into the foreign market may not prove much of a challenge with the band discovering foreign fanbases they never knew existed. Last year X Japan made their North American debut with several high profile gigs to packed crowds - including a Lollapalooza appearance - and earlier this year they announced a three year deal with multinational music giant EMI. Their first ever London concert sold out almost immediately with fans queing up around the corner of the famed Shepherd's Bush Empire Band drummer, founder and leader, Yoshiki, said the London gig was a dream come true. SOUNDBITE Yoshiki, X Japan drummer, saying (English): "We grew up with a lot of famous, legendary artists from London. The Beatles, of course, Dave Bowie, the heavy stuff like Iron Maiden, Led Zeppelin. Anyway so last night we were like: 'Oh my God we are playing, you know, the venue our rock stars played. So it almost made me cry." The London concert came the same day as the release of the single "Jade" from the band's first English language album. Originally scheduled for a March launch, they decided to postpone the single's release after the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan. SOUNDBITE Yoshiki, X Japan drummer, saying (English): "Tsunami just took over everything that we just felt how vulnerable we are, how fragile we are. So I'm still just trying to digest what's going on in my head but instead of thinking about it I said lets just take a break from recording or whatever we are doing, lets concentrate on charity, at least a few months. We're still doing charity but slowing going back to recording again now tour has started." Following a series of European concerts X Japan will return home for several festival gigs before starting the South American leg of their world tour. Doug Maclaurin, Reuters.

Credits: uk.reuters

UK and Berlin Shows Sell Out in 30-minutes
Shows Moved to Bigger Venues

This year, for the first time ever, X Japan will bring its long-awaited, epic rock'n'roll to Europe, with four special concerts set to take place in London (June 28), Paris (July 1), Amsterdam (July 2), and Berlin (July 4). Go to www.xjapanmusic.com for ticket info.

The London show was originally scheduled for the O2 Academy, and the Berlin venue was Huxleys, but with both of those shows selling out in about 30-minutes, the shows' promoters have moved the concerts to larger venues (see below for specifics).

More X Japan concerts are currently being confirmed around the globe and will be announced shortly.

"We are all so excited to finally come and play in Europe," said Yoshiki, X Japan's leader/drummer/pianist/songwriter. "Because we've never played Europe before, we didn't know how many fans we had there, so we're so excited to have this kind of support."

With many more dates coming, X Japan's 2011 global concert schedule is as follows:

JUNE
28 Shepherd's Bush Empire, London, UK

JULY
1 Zenith de Paris, Paris, France
2 Tivoli, Utrecht, Netherlands (Amsterdam)
4 Columbiahalle, Berlin, Germany

AUGUST
13 Summer Sonic Festival, Osaka, Japan
14 Summer Sonic Festival, Tokyo, Japan

Credits: yoshikinet

JAPANESE ROCK ICONS X JAPAN CONTINUE THEIR WORLDWIDE EXPANSION
WITH FIRST-TIME EUROPEAN CONCERT DATES
PLUS SPECIAL GUEST SLOT AT "SUMMER SONIC" FESTIVAL

­ They've sold more than 30-million records and DVDs, filled the 55,000-seat Tokyo Dome a record-breaking 18 times, made their North American concert debut last summer at the Lollapalooza festival, and sold out their New York City debut at the famed Roseland Ballroom. And this year, for the first time ever, X Japan will bring its long-awaited, epic rock'n'roll to Europe, with three special concerts set to take place in London (June 28, Islington O2 Academy), Paris (July 1, Zenith de Paris) and Berlin (July 4, Huxleys). Tickets go on sale today, Friday, April 15. Go to www.xjapanmusic.com for ticket info.

More X Japan concerts are currently being confirmed around the globe and will be announced shortly.

"We are all so excited to finally come and play in Europe," said Yoshiki, X Japan's leader/drummer/pianist/songwriter. "This is something we've wanted to do for many years, and we are ready to rock our European fans."

In addition, X Japan has confirmed they will play a special guest slot at the two-day "Summer Sonic" festival set for August 13 in Osaka and August 14 in Tokyo. Although on its own, X Japan sells out Japanese venues twice the size of the "Summer Sonic," it is a big honor for the band to be part of this bill as the annual festival features the biggest and most-buzzed about international artists. This year's headliners also include the Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Strokes.

In Asia, X Japan - Toshi (vocals), Pata and Sugizo (guitars), Heath (bass), and Yoshiki (drums, piano) - plays arenas and stadiums, bringing in elaborate production including lasers, catwalks, and holograms. For these upcoming European dates, X Japan will tailor its "stadium-sensibility theatrics" to the more intimate venues, focusing primarily on its "Queen-meets-Guns-N-Roses-meets-ŒThe-Matrix'" rock assault.

"We had a wonderful time last fall on our first North American tour, playing theatres, something we hadn't been able to do in Japan since the early days," Yoshiki explained. "We were able to make a strong connection with our audiences because they were right there, just feet away from the stage. I even crowd-surfed a few times! So, we're looking forward to the same sort of close-up-and-personal but intense experience on these dates."

Yoshiki and X Japan's vocalist Toshi were in Paris last July, making a special appearance for more than 5,000 fans. The duo performed a handful of X Japan songs "unplugged," and had the entire audience singing the chorus to one of the band's most exquisite compositions, "Endless Rain."

The members of X Japan have been writing and recording what will be their first album to be released outside of Japan with English lyrics. According to Yoshiki, about half of the album will feature some of the band's most popular songs from throughout their career, with nearly all of the lyrics re-recorded in English, and the other half, brand new songs written specially for this album. The album's first single will be "Jade," and will be on the 2011 European set lists as well.

Yoshiki, who launched his Yoshiki Foundation America last year, has been focusing attention on his Japan Relief Fundraising Auction, a major celebrity auction to benefit the survivors of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The first item to go on the auction block is Yoshiki's own "crystal" piano, a see-through, Plexiglas Kawai grand. The auction for Yoshiki's "crystal" piano begins April 17 and will run through April 24 through Yahoo! Japan. For more information, log onto www.yoshikifoundationamerica.org

With many more dates coming, X Japan's 2011 global concert schedule is as follows:

JUNE
28 Islington O2 Academy, London, UK

JULY
1 Zenith de Paris, Paris, France
4 Huxleys, Berlin, Germany

AUGUST
13 Summer Sonic Festival, Osaka, Japan
14 Summer Sonic Festival, Tokyo, Japan

Credits: yoshikinet