I just saw him in concert a week or two ago. And yup, the wig has been refreshed. It was an undisciplined, spontaneous concert (with band huddles and long pauses: "what are we gonna play now ...") which had his missus gasping for air (you know how yanks don't really buy into the improvisational nature of things, Candice likes things neatly rehearsed but went with her hubby's whimsical mood though she rolled her eyes more than once, she didn't sweep the stage with a witches broom as she has done in the past when Rirchies solos passed the five minute mark ...) and he played lots of electric lead guitar, hammering away over his trademark descending chords with a roaring hammond backing ... it was Rainbow midseventies all over again. Left some of the audience slightly bewildered, there is a demographic shift in the Blackmore's Night audience in Germany according to which there are more and more people at those concerts not for his Rainbow/Deep Purple pedigree. And they did a version of Joanie Baez' Diamonds & Rust after which you could hear a pin drop, it was so musical and apt. It's always a good thing when Blackmore has had one drink too many - he escapes predictability then.
