B'z LIVE-GYM 2008 "ACTION"

B'z LIVE-GYM 2008 "ACTION"
LIVE-GYM by B'z
Start Date	January 28, 2008
End Date	August 17, 2008
Country	Japan
Songs	20-21
Home Video	B'z LIVE-GYM 2008 -ACTION-
Shows	18 (Hall Tour); 35 (Arena Tour)

B'z LIVE-GYM 2008 "ACTION" was a LIVE-GYM tour held by B'z in 2008. The tour ran from January 28, 2008 to August 17, 2008. The shows supporting the band's sixteenth album, ACTION, toured the entirety of Japan, with eighteen hall performances and thirty-five reserved for arenas. To kick off the band's 25th anniversary celebration, the tour was finally announced for DVD and Blu-ray as B'z LIVE-GYM 2008 -ACTION- and given a release date of January 30, 2012.

The stage design for the tour included a "magic carpet" LED screen by the design specialists at Barco. Known as the MiStrip, the ultra thin screen was given the "magic carpet" moniker due to its floating upward and downward appearance and cascading movement. The design was the brainchild of Mark Fisher and his Stufish production company, who had previously designed the titular "monster" from B'z LIVE-GYM 2006 "MONSTER'S GARAGE" and has worked with other rock acts such as U2 and the Rolling Stones.

The setlist changed frequently during the tour, with several songs coming and going a number of times throughout. Classic B'z singles "Kimi no Naka de Odoritai" and "LADY-GO-ROUND"—the band's second and third singles—were performed for the first time in seventeen and eighteen years, respectively. Album song "FRIDAY MIDNIGHT BLUE" from RISKY also saw a return, which would mark the first occasion since 1992 it had been played live by the band. Perhaps even more notable were the inclusions of IN THE LIFE and GREEN album songs "Sore Demo Kimi ni wa Modorenai" and "FOREVER MINE", which saw their live debuts during the hall portion of the tour. Other highlights included an acoustic version of "Ai no Mama ni Wagamama ni Boku wa Kimi Dake wo Kizutsukenai", performances of "HURRY UP!" and "Hi" for the first time in sixteen and ten years, as well as "SNOW" making its return to the live stage after ten years of absence.

The touring members included Shane Gaalaas on drums, Barry Sparks on bass, and Takanobu Masuda on keyboards, with Shinichiro Ohta serving as backup guitarist and backup vocalist. All four would reprise their roles for the proceeding GLORY DAYS tour.

Touring Band

B'z: Tak Matsumoto (GUITAR), Koshi Inaba (VOCALS)
Support Members: Shane Gaalaas (DRUMS), Barry Sparks (BASS), Takanobu Masuda (KEYBOARDS), Shinichiro Ohta (BACKUP GUITAR & VOCALS/Arena Tour)