B'z Live-Gym 2003
"BANZAI IN NORTH AMERICA"
The Showbox, Seattle, October 21, 2003

Report by Boyd

can I follow a post like that? I'm terrible at collecting my memories, so Dave, thanks for doing it for me! there's very little I can add to what you've already said. but here's some stuff anyway.

right after the show got started, I thought I smelled pot...which was nuts. but minutes later, I saw this buff asian guy put a chokehold on someone! the "victim," or so I thought, was removed from the floor the hard way (over the guard rail). it turns out he was the one attempting to get high, getting voilent at the same time, and pissing off a member of the US military (the buff guy). so the next time you're considering smoking pot at a B'z concert, make sure you don't do it in front of a really tough asian guy, cause he'll take you OUT. and he also took our picture after the show. what a great guy!

this was probably the best-sounding concert I've ever been to. I didn't really notice it until afterwards when I realized my ears were barely ringing and didn't feel as if they were stuffed with cotton. every instrument was loud and clear! no ringy drums, no overwhelming bass. Tak and Koshi could always be heard simultaneously, and even dear Takanobu's playing was audible for the most part. Barry did quite a good job, and I must say his solo in Giri Giri Chop is right up there with Billy's. the only hang-up was when Tak's sound cut out right at the solo of Yasei. and if it wasn't such a short solo, we wouldn't have missed all of it!

in case it hasn't been answered yet, horn duties in Love is Dead were taken care of by Takanobu, and they sounded pretty good. the first bit in the horn interlude was played by Tak and Barry simultaneously, though! keyboards took over for the rest of it, though. Takanobu also harmonized with Tak for the melody of Easy come, which I haven't heard them do before.

I'm sure several of us here have been to many concerts, so I'd like to know...have you been to any others like this at all? I mean, this was just so amazingly packed together! when everyone jumps up and down together, it's like going for a ride; you hardly have to try to jump since everyone else lifts you! the big concertes I've attended were nothing like this at all. I think it's a combination of everyone's urge to be as close to TAK (ok, maybe Koshi too...) as possible, and that B'z fans are just naturally comfortable around each other. ok, again I think it's because of Tak. but really, at most concerts you barely want to talk to other audience memebers, let alone smash yourself into them and sweat all over each other! so to everyone I shared this B'z-enduced sweat with, it was my pleasure and I hope we get to do it again. and according to Koshi, we will. so it's his head if he's lying!

(that last comment was not meant to frigten fangrils. it would be selfish of me to keep his head for myself, and I would gladly put it on display for all fangrils to marvel at.)

jeez, I hope that's it.