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X Japan Leader Yoshiki Will Perform at Baltimore's Otakon Convention

posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
Concert will be based on his recent YOSHIKI Classical World Tour, with something "special" for Otakon

Otakon announced on Thursday that YOSHIKI, the 48-year-old leader of the rock band X Japan, will hold a concert at the August 8-10 convention in Baltimore. YOSHIKI's concert will be based on his recent YOSHIKI Classical World Tour, with something "special" added for Otakon.

The musician most recently contributed the theme song for "Hero (YOSHIKI Classical Version)" for the Saint Seiya: Legend of Sanctuary CG film. Katie Fitzgerald, the female vocalist of the Violet UK unit that YOSHIKI leads, sang the ballad while YOSHIKI himself performed the piano work.

YOSHIKI attended Texas' South by Southwest (SXSW) interactive, film, and music event in March. YOSHIKI has appeared at numerous anime events in the United States, in addition to performing concerts on tour throughout the country. In 2011, YOSHIKI was involved in fundraising for relief efforts aimed at helping victims of March 11's Great Eastern Japan Earthquake (Higashi Nihon Daishinsai) disaster, including the auction of his custom "crystal" piano.

X Japan's most notable anime contributions were the songs in the music video collection and later X movie. The animation Studio Madhouse adapted both productions from CLAMP's X manga. The surviving band members — Toshimitsu "Toshi" Deyama, Yoshiki Hayashi, Tomoaki "Pata" Ishizuka, and Hiroshi "Heath" Morie — reunited in 2007, ten years after they first disbanded and nine years after the death of guitarist Hideto "Hide" Matsumoto.

Otakon's previously announced guests include anime director Sunao Katabuchi, video game director Jirō Ishii, musical group ALTIMA, Evangelion animation director Hidenori Matsubara, voice actress Saori Hayami, manga artist and character designer Yūsuke Kozaki (Donyatsu, Fire Emblem: Awakening) and Eminence Symphony Orchestra founder Hiroaki Yura.


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