Pair of X JAPAN European Concert Tickets and Backstage Passes to be Auctioned for Japan Relief

Pair of X JAPAN European Concert Tickets and a Backstage Meet-n-Greet with the Band to be Auctioned for Japan Relief

(June 8, 2011) - X Japan, who will bring its epic yet edgy rock-n-roll to Europe for the first time with four special concerts, will auction off a pair of tickets to any one of the band's dates. The auction package will also include a special backstage meet-n-greet with all members of X Japan, and the highest bidder can chose the show to attend.* The trek kicks off with a sold-out show at Shepherd's Bush Empire in London on June 28. The auction will begin on Monday, June 13 and will run through Sunday, June 19. Bids can be placed at http://bit.ly/hkRchn

Proceeds from this auction will be funneled through the Japanese Red Cross to benefit Japan Relief. Since shortly after the Japan earthquake and tsunami struck in March, YOSHIKI, X Japan's leader, has spearheaded a number of charitable auctions through his non-profit YOSHIKI Foundation America. He has already raised funds from the sale of items such as a Red Hot Chili Peppers MTV European "Album of the Year Award," a Clint Eastwood DVD collection, t-shirts autographed by Johnny Depp, Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson, and YOSHIKI's own "crystal piano," that raised more than $150,000 on its own. This celebrity auction is on-going with items from comic book legend Stan Lee, rockers Marilyn Manson, Wes Borland and Ministry's Al Jourgensen, Chelsea Handler and more, going up for bid on a regular basis. One of the next items to be auctioned will be an autographed neck brace that YOSHIKI used during X Japan's 2010 North American tour.

X Japan is one of the most successful rock bands in Japanese history, having sold more than 30-million albums, singles and videos, and filled the 55,000-seat Tokyo Dome a record 18 times with its classic "Queen meets Guns and Roses meets The Matrix" sound. The band's "Scarlet Love Song," the main theme from the Japanese animated feature film "Buddha," currently sits at Number One on the Japanese iTunes chart. X Japan made its North American debut last summer at the Lollapalooza festival, and sold out their New York City debut at the famed Roseland Ballroom as part of its first American tour last fall. X Japan is touring Europe and Latin America this summer for the first time.

X Japan's European dates are as follows:

JUNE
28 Shepherd's Bush Empire ­ London, UK

JULY
1 Zenith de Paris, Paris, France
2 Tivoli, Utrecht, Netherlands
4 Columbiahalle, Berlin, Germany

* the winner will be responsible for his or her travel and accommodations