(March 11, 2003: Quick note. Reading this report one month later, I am a little surprised at my desperate behavior exhibited at the shoot. I chalk it up to the excitement of the moment. B'z are very glamorous. Koshi, I'm sorry I had my hand on your ankle. :P)

It had been pouring all day, but thankfully the rain had stopped when I got to the Orpheum Theatre in downtown LA. The street was cordoned off for the shoot and only a few people were outside the theatre. (I was also glad to see police ~ downtown at night is not so great). I arrived at 8pm (1.5 hours early) because I remembered the huge line before the LA Cali Roll concert. The marquee said B�z and It�s Showtime!! which was really cool to see. Oh, and they didn�t bother with registration like the email said (the one you got when you signed up to be an extra at their site).

B�z are my favorite band in the world�they are musical oxygen to me and I love them. That is a big understatement. I didn�t think I�d get another chance to see them again after Cali Roll so I was excited to be there. But six hours of standing in the cold and the occasional downpour, with no sign of them in sight can dampen one�s spirits. There was a devoted crowd there though. At one point we went into the Orpheum, which is very nice, but B�z weren�t on the stage anymore (they had been rehearsing there all day too). We went to the back where there were carrot sticks and stood under the awning as it started raining again. A paid extra complained that there was bread and peanut butter of all things, but no water! As Tak would probably tell us, �Heii water is quite expensive for beverage type goods.�

An Asian girl was sitting down and she asked if we were having fun yet. Then she said she liked the Rock and Roll concert Ts my cohorts were wearing and they told her they were from the LA B�z concert. She didn�t know who B�z were (�So, are B�z a really big group or something?�) so we were explaining that they are the highest selling artists in the history of Japan and are really really famous. She turned to me, and said �Oh, so you�re actually here because you like them?� �Yes! They�re my favorite band!� And she asked if their songs are in English or Japanese! �Japanese!� But I added they�re fluent in English, especially Koshi. We chatted some more about Japanese music, but she�d only heard of Mr. Children. There is a point to why I�m writing about this Asian girl�be patient! Then we went back to the street and joined the crowd again to see if any progress had been made.

Apparently the crowd had been practicing looking surprised. Then we stood and waited for a very long time while they set up lights and equipment and brought speakers and a drum set onto a very big truck. Paid extras were wandering around and asking what B�z were. Some staff came out and announced on the megaphone, �People! You are shooting a music video!� Uhh ok. Then later, �This song is hot! I hadn�t heard it before but this song is hot!� They played it once for us. I really liked it and I know when I get the single I�ll love it. It�s very catchy, and the addictive New Message (from A Beautiful Reel) is the second beat!

They turned on the searchlights and we moved across the street (they had brought out coffee for us earlier). Standing on the sidewalk and cold and starved. Eventually we rehearsed the shot, which was facing the inside of the theatre, turning around and pretending to be shocked to see B�z on the truck, and swarming towards it when It�s Showtime!! started blasting on the speakers. Mind you, the part we were shooting was just for one scene, not the whole song. After the first practice run, the director gave us a 1 out of 10. He said we weren�t excited enough. Well, all he had to do was bring out B�z to produce all the excitement he wanted, right?

I was standing in the left half of the crowd. Around 1:30-2am , a white van pulled up to the truck and B�z came out. They had Shane Gaalaas with them!! Nanji desu ka Shane? ^^ He was so great in A Beautiful Reel. But where was Billy? No Billy on bass? No! They had a hot Asian bassist�none other than that girl we had been talking to behind the Orpheum!! She looked so cool up there with her bass guitar. Cowboy boots, tattoos, tulle skirt. Koshi wore the sleeveless red plaid shirt he wore in the B Pass Shian feature. It was really cold!

The first take I ran like mad to the truck when the music blasted and to my surprise got right up against it. People were crushing me against the metal, but I was right in front of Tak. Even closer than at Cali Roll when I was against the railing. Partly because my arm had nowhere else to go, I reached forward and I had my hand on Tak�s SHOE. It was right in front of my face. He was looking down and he looked very serious and authoritative! As soon as they finished the take, the staff started pulling people and shouting for everyone to re-assemble on the other side of the street for take 2. Tak reached down and slapped our hands. Tak touched my hand!! The hand that played Koi Uta and Go Further!

Anyway, the crowd got in place again for take 2. I waved at Shane. I didn�t get up to the truck this time I don�t think. I was being smashed from all sides, it was crazy. I'm sure I looked like I was dying. B�z looked just as usual to me and Koshi was graceful like he always is. He wasn�t as animated as usual, but I think he was tired. It was very late. I think Tak was tired too. He didn�t make his Osaka Diva pose, which he does in concerts all the time. It was funny because at the end of the take, a staff member held up an object and asked �Who lost their shoe??� Someone lost their shoe in the frenzy!

They set up the boom and another camera in a new position and my half of the crowd (the left side) was told we would have to be careful and run around it. But I don�t think it worked, so then they told the left side to cross the street and run towards the truck when It�s Showtime!! played but not to run into the camera. We ran, and this time I was right in front of Tak again. But I was too busy trying to keep my balance to jump or cheer. When he reached down at the end, I got a grip on Tak's hand for .5 seconds! I saw Koshi reaching down to touch hands too. People were refusing to leave the side of the truck. I saw some Japanese girls jumping up and down because they touched Koshi�s hand. Anyway, eventually we got back on the sidewalk. �People!� a guy on a megaphone boomed. �Listen! You don�t want to slip and die! I know you love them, but you don�t love them THAT much!� Hm, I don�t think that guy has had many dealings with B�z fans.

I guess people also ran into the boom and the staff was mad. So they warned us and we got in place again. Some people shouted �Mat-chan!!� and Tak gave us a thumbs-up to laughter from the crowd. I didn�t see what Koshi was doing. But he was really sweet at Cali Roll. When he sings, he always concentrates really hard and tends not to make too much eye contact, but when he�s not singing, he smiles and waves in the cutest way. Offstage, he�s quiet, polite, and very dear. Tak is nice too, but he sounds naughty. Haha.

The music blasted and I ran and this time I was right in front of Koshi. 1 feet, 2 feet away? I reached out and I had my hand on HIS shoe. It was black with rhinestones. He was wearing green pants. Now I knew from Cali Roll that being right in front of Koshi is very dangerous and this proved true at the pv shoot as well. I could feel the crowd surging forward desperately and I was being rammed against the truck. I think I started screaming �Koshi! Help!� But was my hand still on his shoe? Yes, I was the only one who could reach it from there I guess. I had my hand on his ankle too and then I was like what the hell and reached further up. If Koshi knew there was someone feeling his leg he was kind enough not to kick her or stomp on her.

We finished the take a little past 2am and B�z started getting off the truck and into the white van again. ;_; Today, the bruises started to show up on my arms. :P

Of course Koshi was gorgeous and Mat-chan was dear and seeing them is magical and their song rocked, but that�s just things as usual for B�z! :) I think this PV is going to be pretty cool!