X JAPAN
BLOWS AWAY COACHELLA CROWD WITH POWERFUL ROCK CONCERT
MARILYN MANSON JOINS AS SPECIAL GUEST
LEGENDARY JAPANESE ROCK GROUP PROVES ROCK IS NOT DEAD, DESPITE PERFORMING AT THE SAME TIME AS BEYONCÉ
Legendary Japanese rock group X JAPAN made a triumphant return to the Coachella Music & Arts Festival this past weekend (Saturday, April 21). As one of only a few rock artists performing at the festival, X JAPAN’s powerful rock performance and elaborate production thrilled the Coachella crowd with a rousing hard rock concert, pyrotechnics and special effects that delivered both surprises and guest stars. Mid set, YOSHIKI of X Japan welcomed Marilyn Manson on stage to perform “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” which the Los Angeles Times described as “…a haunting rendition” (4/22/18) of the Eurythmics’ classic. Guitarists Wes Borland (Limp Bizkit) and Richard Fortus (Guns N’ Roses) returned for Weekend Two along with holograms of X JAPAN’s two deceased members, Hide and Taiji. View the full X JAPAN set list, as well as critical soundbites from the show and more below.
“It was such an honor to be part of this amazing festival, playing with so many great artists,” says YOSHIKI of X JAPAN.
“Because of our time slot, I was sad I couldn’t see Beyoncé’s show, but
at the same time I was shocked so many people showed up to support us.
The mosh pits surprised me, too--the audience’s energy was unbelievable.
There were so many rock fans onsite, let’s bring back rock to the
mainstream, rock’s not dead. Thank you to our fans and Coachella from
the bottom of my heart.”
Marilyn Manson and YOSHIKI of X JAPAN perform at Coachella.
X JAPAN’s second Coachella performance capped off a frenzied media week which included a sold-out GRAMMY Museum event for the band’s award-winning documentary film WE ARE X (available on Hulu and iTunes) as well as YOSHIKI’s appearance with Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols on his show, “Jonesy’s Jukebox,” among others. Watch YOSHIKI’s interview with Steve Jones HERE.
X JAPAN-the most successful rock group in Japanese history-has sold over 30 million albums, singles and videos combined, and has sold out Japan’s 55,000-seat Tokyo dome a record 18 times captivating a wide range of admirers as Sir George Martin, KISS, Stan Lee, and the Japanese Emperor—all while pioneering a spectacle-driven style of fashion and visual rock called Visual Kei, a one-of-a-kind cultural phenomenon.
X JAPAN, led by composer, drummer, and pianist YOSHIKI, PATA (guitar), HEATH (bass), TOSHI (vocals) and SUGIZO (violin, guitar) are currently in the studio in Los Angeles completing their first full-length album in over 22 years, set for release in 2018.
X JAPAN performs with deceased members Taiji and Hide via hologram at Coachella 2018.
A mosh pit forms during X JAPAN at Coachella 2018.
YOSHIKI of X JAPAN greets the crowd at Coachella 2018.
Backstage at Coachella (L-R): Billy Idol, YOSHIKI of X JAPAN, Nile Rogers and David Byrne.
X JAPAN’s hour-long set list at Coachella (April 21, 2018) was as follows:
INTRO
“JADE”
“RUSTY NAIL”
“KISS THE SKY”
“I.V.”
“KURENAI”
“SWEET DREAMS”
“BORN TO BE FREE”
“X”
“TEARS”
Band photo: HERE
X JAPAN live videos:
Coachella Promo: HERE
X JAPAN:
Website: http://www.xjapan.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ XJapan
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ xjapanofficial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ xjapanofficial
YOSHIKI:
Website: http://www.yoshiki.net
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ yoshikiofficial
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ YoshikiOfficial
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ yoshikiofficial
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/ yoshikiofficial
About X JAPAN: X
Japan is the most successful rock group in Japanese history. Led by
composer, drummer, and pianist Yoshiki, the band has sold more than 30
million albums, singles, and videos combined, sold out Japan’s
55,000-seat Tokyo Dome 18 times, and played to millions of fans around
the world. In the band’s early days, their look and sound sparked a
global interest in the Japanese cultural rock phenomenon “Visual-Kei”, a
wild fashion and music movement X Japan pioneered that spread
worldwide. In 1997, at the height of their success, the band broke up. Four months later,
Hide, X Japan’s original lead guitarist, was found dead in his Tokyo
apartment. At his funeral, more than 50,000 fans came to mourn his
passing. In early 2007, Yoshiki and vocalist Toshi reunited, and later
that year X Japan officially reformed. The band launched its reunion in
2008 with 3 nights at the Tokyo Dome. In 2010, X Japan performed for the
first time at Lollapalooza in Chicago. Immediately following the
festival, X Japan played the biggest concert in its history, selling out
two consecutive shows at Japan’s Nissan Stadium, filling 140,000 seats.
The band then launched their first North American tour, selling out
across the U.S. and Canada. In June 2011, X Japan launched a 14-city
world tour across Europe, South America, and Asia. In 2012, X Japan was
the first Japanese band to win “Best International Band” at the Golden
Gods Awards. In 2014, X Japan headlined a colossal show at New York’s
famed Madison Square Garden. The documentary film We Are X, chronicling
the history of X Japan, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in
January 2016 and won the award for Best Editing. The film then won an
award at the SXSW Film Festival, followed by a worldwide release in over
20 countries and 27 international film festivals. In January 2017, band
leader Yoshiki held 2 sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hall, performing
original classical compositions and orchestral versions of X Japan’s
songs with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. The We Are X Original
Soundtrack was released on March 3, 2017, hitting #1 on the UK Rock
Chart and dominating music charts worldwide. The following day, X Japan
headlined a live concert at Wembley Arena in London. In May 2017, the
band’s future was threatened when Yoshiki was forced to undergo
emergency neck surgery, requiring artificial disc replacement after
years of intense drumming. In December 2017, the We Are X DVD, Blu-ray,
and vinyl soundtrack LP were released, topping sales charts worldwide. X
Japan recently announced the release of the band’s first new studio
album in over twenty years, which will be available worldwide in 2018.
Coachella 2018 marked not only X Japan’s return to the U.S., but
Yoshiki’s first concerts playing drums since his surgery. The current
line-up of X Japan is YOSHIKI (drums/piano/composer), TOSHI (vocals), PATA (guitar), HEATH (bass), SUGIZO (violin/guitar).
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