Osaka-born musician Takamasa Ishihara, better known as the samurai guitarist Miyavi, says there¡¯s one moment that stands out in his two-decade career. It was when he played the U.S. national anthem at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles last year.
Even though he has performed his unique style of ¡°slapping¡± the guitar in more than 350 live shows in 30 different countries across five continents, and has done eight world tours, being asked to play ¡°The Star-Spangled Banner¡± in his adoptive home was special.
¡°That was a great opportunity,¡± says Miyavi, 39. ¡°As a Japanese (person), I wanted to play Japan¡¯s national anthem, but they already had a local Japanese traditional choir for that, so they asked me to play the American national anthem.
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