Updated: 8/30/98

Players:   The Ventures(Don, Bob, Gerry, Leon), Nokie Edwards, Yuzo Kayama
Date:      August 19, 1998
Place:     Akasaka Blitz, Tokyo Japan
Report:    K.Mochizuki from Japan

The pictures below were taken after the show.


Above: Yuzo Kayama is making a "Kanpai" (toast) speech.
Below: Don is shaking hands with Kayama.


Nokie & Judy Edwards


Concert Title: Guitar Kids Forever
                     Yuzo Kayama  with Nokie Edwards
Place: Akasaka Blitz, Tokyo Japan
Date: August 19, 1998
Show Starts: 19:00
Special Guest:        The Ventures
Other Guests:
   Dr.K and his Project
       Song writer and Guitarist, also the Ventures fan
   Tasuro Yamashita
       Singer song writer, and Guitarist also the Ventures fan
   Shigewo Naka
       Young Guitarist

+++++ Prologue +++++
Yuzo Kayama is a very big star in Japan, a singer song writer and a guitarist. He wrote many songs by a pen name of "Dun, Kosaku" or "Kosaku Dun".
The ventures played some of his songs, Black Sand Beach, Kimito-itsumademo, Yozora-no-hoshi.

In early 60s the Ventures were not popular in Japan, but Kayama as a Ventures fan often selected the Ventures songs on his DJ radio program. Then the Ventures shook the Japan Island in 1965. So the Ventures and Kayama have been friends since 1965 and it made this joint concert possible.
On August 4 1993, Kayama invited Nokie to his yacht "Koshin-maru" and they played their Mosrite guitars as seen at my other page. At this yacht session, they agreed that this kind of session would be better to be performed on the stage rather than such a private space.

+++++ Concert Report +++++
Though the show starts at 19:00, I got there at 15:30 to see Nokie and the Ventures off stage. There were already a few young fans outside and they said the guards were too tough to get close to the Ventures and Nokie. So I gave up to see them.

The show started 19:00 with about 800 audiences and continued for 2 and half hours without intermission. This stage was videoed and will be broadcasted from BS 9 TV station in this fall.

  Sept. 25,  6:45p.m.
  October 2,  12:45a.m.? p.m.? 
All the players looked so happy to play together, and especially Yuzo Kayama was the ever happiest. Nokie was always smiling and seemed to be so satisfied with the show and the audience response.
The players came in and out the stage and total of 35 songs were played.
It was my first time to see Nokie to play Fugitive of the chicken picking and I best appreciated it but could not see his technique from the twelfth row sheet.
The following is the song list and my notes.

    ***** Yuzo Kayama and His Hyper Launchers *****
  1. Crazy Driving (Kayama's Original)
  2. Running Donky (Kayama's Original)
  3. Let's Go
  4. Rap City
  5. Ten Seconds To Heaven
  6. Nutty

    ***** Nokie joined Kayama *****
    Nokie walked with a cane, and sat to play.
  7. Burger and Noodle (written by Nokie and Kayama)
  8. Wanna be Chet (written by Nokie and Kayama?)
  9. And I Love You So (Vocal by Kayama)

    ***** Dr.K joined Nokie and Kayama *****
  10. Surf Rider
  11. Apache
  12. House Of The Rising Sun
  13. Secret Agent Man
  14. Fugitive
  15. I got a Woman

    ***** The Ventures (Don, Bob, Gerry, Leon) took over the stage *****
  16. Bob's Medley
    (WDR,,,Tequila,,, Besame Mucho,,,Rap City,,,Bumble Bee,,,Perfidiea, Blue Moon)
  17. Manchurian Beat
    Don broke a string of his Jazz Master and changed the guitar during the song.
  18. Walk Dont Run '64
  19. Slaughter on 10 th Avenue
  20. Kyoto Doll (Kyoto-no-koi)
  21. Paint It Black
  22. Hawaii Five-O
  23. Diamond Head, Pipeline (Medley)

    ***** Kayama joined the Ventures *****
  24. Black Sand Beach (written by Kayama)
  25. Driving Guitars

    ***** Nokie joined The Ventures and Kayama
    From this part, Nokie didn't sit and played standing.
  26. Yellow Jacket

    ***** Kayama left the stage *****
  27. Bumble Bee Twist

    ***** the Ventures and Nokie left and Shigeo Naka came in ****
  28. Miserloo (not sure the spelling)

    ***** Kayama joined *****
  29. Yozora-no-hoshi (Vocal by Kayama)

    ***** Tatsuro Yamashita joined *****
  30. Boomerang Baby (Vocal by Kayama and Yamashita)
  31. Utuskusi Venus (Vocal by Kayama and Yamashita)

    ***** Nokie joined and Yamashita left *****
  32. Shonan Boogie
  33. Kimi-to-itsumademo (Vocal by Kayama)

    ***** All joined the session *****
  34. Wipe Out
  35. Caravan

    +++++ EPILOGUE +++++
    After the show I could visit the backstage and took the photos of the players. The Ventures recognized my UF T-shirt which "Underground Fire" Ventures Mailing List sent me before.

    Jump to "Mosrite & the Ventures Page"
    モズライト&ベンチャーズページへジャンプ

    Jump to "Mosrite Owner List"
    “モズライト・オーナリスト“へジャンプ