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X JAPAN Announces European Concert Dates Plus Slot at "Summer Sonic" Festival

JAPANESE ROCK ICONS X JAPAN CONTINUE THEIR WORLDWIDE EXPANSION WITH FIRST-TIME EUROPEAN CONCERT DATES PLUS SPECIAL GUEST SLOT AT ³SUMMER SONIC² FESTIVAL


(FRIDAY, April 15, 2011) ­ They¹ve 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 rock¹n¹roll 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 <http://www.xjapanmusic.com/> for ticket info.

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

³We are all so excited to finally come and play in Europe,² said YOSHIKI, X Japan¹s leader/drummer/pianist/songwriter. ³This is something we¹ve wanted to do for many years, and we are ready to rock our European fans.²

In addition, X Japan has confirmed they will play a special guest slot at the two-day ³Summer Sonic² 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 ³Summer Sonic,² 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 year¹s 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 ³stadium-sensibility theatrics² to the more intimate venues, focusing primarily on its ³Queen-meets-Guns-N-Roses-meets-ŒThe-Matrix¹² rock assault.

³We had a wonderful time last fall on our first North American tour, playing theatres, something we hadn¹t been able to do in Japan since the early days,² YOSHIKI explained. ³We 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, we¹re looking forward to the same sort
of close-up-and-personal but intense experience on these dates.²

YOSHIKI and X Japan¹s 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 ³unplugged,² and had the entire audience singing the chorus to one of the band¹s most exquisite compositions, ³Endless Rain.²

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 YOSHIKI¹s own ³crystal² piano, a see-through, Plexiglas Kawai grand. The auction for YOSHIKI¹s ³crystal² piano begins April 17 and will run through April 24 through Yahoo! Japan. For more information, log onto http://www.yoshikifoundationamerica.org/?page_id=1252

With many more dates coming, X Japan¹s 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

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