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[uwe]

I am. But I shall return!!!



You wanna know how it was? Here is what I posted at The Highway Star:

1. uwe hornung says:
"He did well for someone of his age, who doesn't play this music anymore & hasn't for 2 decades or more!"

Agreed, but is that our new standard for Blackmore gigs?

"It was a nice evening at Bietigheim, but Ritchie was not on fire."

Indeed.

First some statistics: I've seen the pre-DP-reunion Rainbow five times (including the legendary 1977 Munich gig with an incarceration-motivated Ritchie), the Doogie-led one twice, Blackmore's Night more often than I would dream of revealing here (I still faithfully go, but never make it to the first row for lack of sartorial elegance) and DP (lamentably only from the reunion onwards) several dozens of times. I consider myself a DP family fan and appreciate all three banjo-players: Ritchie, Tommy and Steve, everyone of them can do something or other especially well (and better than the other two).

I saw both German Monster of Rock gigs. Loreley just scraped away from being a disaster, Stuttgart was ok to – in all benevolence – goodish in places.

Let's devote some time to the band:

– The Mohawk Kid was the strongest instrumentalist on stage and seemed genuinely into it. I don't know what the size of his kit should have to do with his abilities, so let' not go there. He provided what the music needed, neither over- nor underplaying.

– Sir John of Normandy: Always the best Blackmore's Night bass player, he – I hate to write this as a busy bass player myself – consistently overplayed and, at Loreley especially, had this honkish, midrange-dominant sound that had him sounding like John Gustafson of the Ian Gillan Band. Now don't get me wrong: I love the IGB and especially John Gustafson's playing and sound IN THAT SETTING, but Rainbow needs a meat and potatoes approach on bass and a similar bass sound. In the old days, Ritchie wouldn't have allowed Bob to get anywhere near a Rainbow line up, he simply doesn't have the force of Bain (punkish), Daisley (technically exquisite) or Roger (relaxed, but a pumpin'). The mixer had a heart in Stuttgart and darkened and de-midded his sound considerably there, but the man from the D-Day beaches still overplayed (plus a lovely bum note during Stargazer which took him a couple of seconds to realize, but that was cute, shit happens).

– Riff Raff on keyboards: A disaster, he made even a real stiffer like David Stone sound like Fats Domino. Poor ole Jens knows so little what to do with Rainbow's music, he sounded awkward (and as grooving as an IKEA shelf mis-built without a manual) throughout, his keyboard solos a nadir of not knowing what to do and switching around sounds aimlessly. You could also tell he was unhappy at both gigs. He couldn't even deliver Child in Time with authority. By far the worst keyboarder I have ever seen on stage together with Blackers, he couldn't even play the short intro to Perfect Strangers without sounding lost and angular.

– The other Ronnie: He can sing very well (if not with a lot of dynamics, it's pretty much full frontal onslaught all the way). Sort of a very young (pre-Rainbow even) Dio with a Bonnet-type turbo charger in his voice. Heeze command of zee Eengleesh langwitch whezzer eet eeze lyrics or stage raps left desgraciadamente much to be desired, no?! Well, at least we now know that Bob plays "bus", I was wondering about that sound already! Young Ronnie's enthusiasm is addictive, but he could not really (yet) fill a stage as a frontman, neither Dio's natural authority nor Bonnet's happy-go-lucky outrageousness. Senor Romero came across like a top candidate of "Britain's Got Talent", which in a way I guess he is. He reminded me of Ripper Owens really who had too big shoes to fill too though he was technically a very athletic and pitch-perfect singer.

Did we forget someone? The lead guitarist, yes ... Ritchie was on both evenings: "hardly any diamonds, but a lot of rust". It has nothing to do with speed, I like it when he plays slow, but he seemed listless for much of the time. That said, he perked up for the second night without reaching heights of inspiration. Sorry, I've seen him do that too often – even within a few minutes of picking up a Strat with the outfit of his Missus – to say anything more about those two Monster gigs. Loreley suffered especially from him taking on songs too slow – this from the man who in the late 70ies and 80ies would play too many Rainbow and DP songs much too fast bordering on the hectic – Highway Star was slower than the studio version, MOTSM, LLRnR, Black Night and SOTW plodded as well.

Standout moments? Child in Time (with nice sing along parts from the audience), Catch the Rainbow and Stargazer.

Oh, by the way the PA mix at Loreley was terrible (it had been fine with TL – who sounded like Nickelback covering Lynott, heavy-handed, but committed as they were – and MMEB, who were perfectly in synch as a band and whose keyboarder could play more fluid with one finger than Mr Johansson could with 10) and improved only slowly. Mix in Stuttgart was good, but could not mask keyboard inabilities. Candice and her backing vocals sidekick from BN were largely inaudible at both gigs.

All you who dislike the current DP line up: The two Monster gigs amply showed that that mighty DP sound, rumbling, but always rolling and grooving cannot be easily replicated. Not even by Herr Blackmore (but then the old Rainbow line-ups could never swing as well).

Now before some of you accuse me of "What kind of a fan are you?!", I'll reply: "A tough and stern one, just like Ritchie used to be!". ; – p

I'll be seeing Blackmore's Night again next month. And I would have gone to both Monster gigs even had I known of the lacklustre performances beforehand. Try to match that for loyalty. ; – )

2. uwe hornung says:
Those guys had more than half a year to get ready for gigs they knew would be very important. Even with Blackmore's finger out of action, the other four – you can rehearse without a lead guitarist you know or they could have gotten someone in to dep for Ritchie's parts in rehearsals, Yngwie isn't all that busy these days : – ) and Jens surely has his phone number – should have been shit-tight (like MMEB and even Thin Lizzy with two new guys were) from rehearsals, they weren't. That is especially true of Johannsen – I think being used to more complicated music he totally underestimated the demands of the job and was visibly disconcerted for it too.

Rehearsals are a matter of discipline, I have never ever seen a rusty Judas Priest for instance, even at first gigs of a tour after a lengthy hibernation.

And the truth is: Ritchie doesn't have the practice and endurance anymore for an evening full of lengthy inspiring solos.


3. uwe hornung says:
"It occured to me that the more bluesy and groovy Purple songs just don't fit very well with the grandeur and majesty of most Rainbow songs."

Rainbow (all incarnations except the first studio line-up, the Elf guys had a nice American groove) and "groove" are from different planets!!!

Gillan (the band) didn't groove either, it was all punkish energy. Early Whitesnake grooved (later versions didn't) and I can tell you two reasons for it: Little Ian & Jon.


4. Uwe Hornung says:
Let's put it this way: If Jens had set his sights to become for Rainbow 2016 in the keyboard department what Axl Rose became to that former Rainbow opening act from Australia in 2016 in the vocal department, then he failed abysmally. And an excellent keyboard player is key (pun by coincidence) in a DP type line up band. Jon Lord, Don Airey, Tony Carey and Colin Towns all were. And the Stones and Rosenthals of this world were at least decent, Mickey Lee Soule a great piano (but not really organ) player. You don't even have to be a great technician as long as you have some soul and grit in your playing, think of Ken Hensley who never put himself in an Emerson, Wakeman & Lord league, but he could certainly rock the keys.

I don't doubt that Jens can play, but he seemed to be frozen both nights. Sometimes instrumentally very good people just don't work out for certain kinds of music – Colin Hodkinson's failure to gel with Whitesnake comes to mind. Did someone mention Steve Vai?! ; – )

[Basvarken]

Okay. That pretty much sums up what the YouTube vids already revealed indeed.