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X Japan Streams Cancelled Concert Amid Typhoon Warnings
posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
Natural disasters have plagued Japan this year and the country is currently in the midst of yet another typhoon. Typhoon Trami made landfall over the weekend, knocking out power for 750,000 in Japan and killing at least two citizens. The typhoon follows the destructive Typhoon Jebi by only a matter of weeks. Japan's entertainment industry took precautions as Trami approached by cancelling anime programming, concerts, and halting some train services.
The rock band X Japan cancelled the third of its sold out concert series on September 30 due to the approaching typhoon. The 33,000 attendees went home to safety. Fans, some flying in from overseas, had hoped to see their favorite band live in what was to be one of X Japan's largest live concerts in eight years. The band heard its fans disappointed pleas and decided to meet them half way. The show went on inside an empty Makuhari Messe, complete with stage effects, for the scheduled live broadcast on WOWOW that night. Attendees could tune in to the television channel or stream the concert on on Nico Video's YOSHIKI CHANNEL.
Besides Trami and Jebi, Japan has weathered hits from a magnitude-6.6 quake in Hokkaido in September, flooding in the Hiroshima in early July, Typhoon 12 that same month, and a heatwave across Tokyo.
X Japan frontman YOSHIKI donated 10 million yen (US$88,000) to the areas affected by the Hokkaido Eastern Iburi earthquake on September 12.
Source: X JAPAN press release via ANN e-mail
