Japanese rock band L'Arc-en-Ciel performs at Shanghai Grand Stage in September, 2005. The band is staging a comeback show in Shanghai to kick off its first world tour. [File Photo: yule.sohu.com]

Popular Japanese rock band L'Arc-en-Ciel, who played a sold-out show in Shanghai in 2005, is staging a comeback show in the eastern Chinese city to kick off its first world tour.

The four-member band will begin its "Kiss" tour with a concert at Shanghai's Yuanshen Stadium on April 19, the local Oriental Morning Post reported on Thursday.

L'Arc-en-Ciel, founded in 1991, is characterized by high-energy live shows. Their Chinese mainland debut at the Shanghai Grand Stage in 2005 drew a packed house, though tickets sold for as much as 5,000 yuan (US$698).

A representative of the Shanghai International Culture and Art Exchange Company, the organizer of the upcoming show, told the Oriental Morning Post that L'Arc-en-Ciel chose to begin their world tour in Shanghai because the group was very impressed during their last visit.

"However, despite the success of the 2005 show, the band thinks the indoor Shanghai Grand Stage is not the best venue for their style of rock," the representative said. The band picked Yuanshen Stadium after a long search, so fans can expect an even more explosive show this time around, he added.

Around 16,000 tickets will go on sale on Friday, with prices ranging from 150 to 3,000 yuan (US$21 - 419).

The organizer is already swamped with ticket inquiries, including many from Japan, the report says.

Following the Shanghai show, L'Arc-en-Ciel is set to play in Paris, Seoul and Hong Kong. They will return to Japan in late May for shows in Tokyo and Osaka.

(CRI February 29, 2008)