Re: Rainbow - Berlin, Germany - 18th April 2018 So they totally dropped Catch the Rainbow and Temple of the King for this tour, and played 16th Century Greensleeves only once...That's a shame, especially if it's to keep Perfect Strangers and Black Night.
--- "Did you know you have hairs up your nostrils?"
So they totally dropped Catch the Rainbow and Temple of the King for this tour, and played 16th Century Greensleeves only once...That's a shame, especially if it's to keep Perfect Strangers and Black Night.
Perfect Strangers and Black Night were improved from previous tours. Romero came in late for the vocal on Perfect Strangers but apart from that they were solid versions. But, yes, shame that CTR has been dropped.
Re: Rainbow - Berlin, Germany - 18th April 2018 Some more thoughts...
Gig was great. Support band was The Lords - German band formed in 1959(!). You've probably seen better bands down your local pub! They were pub band standard. Came on about 7:25. Played a few of their own songs - really basic rock stuff. None of them were great musicians. We were almost at the front, Ritchie's side. About half way through The Lords set a roadie walked along in front of the stage holding up an A4 sheet to show the band. They looked at it a bit bewildered. Apparently it was instructions to them to play until 8:15! They didn't get the message anyway and after a half-baked "rock n roll medley" - Route 66, Be Bop A Lu La, Bye By Johnny, that kind of stuff - they went off at about 8 o'clock. They actually seemed to have a bit of a following in the crowd and went down quite well, but I thought they were really poor. Anyway, 2 minutes later they came back onstage (someone obviously told them to go back on) and played for another 20 minutes or so. The first of their "encore" tunes was "Michael, row the boat ashore" !!
Re: Rainbow - Berlin, Germany - 18th April 2018 There was quite a long wait until Rainbow came on at 9:10. The audience was getting a bit restless. Land of Hope and Glory (BN version) then Over The Rainbow then Spotlight Kid. Ritchie sounding better than previous couple of tours. Quite fluid on solos and riffs tighter. I Surrender was a good version but no extended solo. Mistreated was the highlight for me the last two years but didn't really catch fire tonight. Bob overplays during the solo section. Good version of Since You Been Gone and Man On The Silver Mountain/Woman From Tokyo (Bob doing a bit of singing before WFT - pretty good voice). Perfect Strangers still with the slightly odd keyboard intro but generally much improved. A short bit of acoustic doodling (including the Woman From Tokyo riff again) before Soldier Of Fortune. Gig starts to pick up the pace with an excellent Difficult To Cure with short (5 minute) keys solo. Ritchie consulted the large setlist board at the side of the stage before launching unexpectedly into Black Night (encore on previous few gigs). Again, much improved version and really enjoyable. Ritchie encouraged the audience to sing along and then put his guitar down and walked off. The band looked a bit confused but followed him offstage. They were back on about a minute later and ran through the last verse of Black Night again! I don't know what was going on. Good version of All Night Long (Romero was excellent on it), but they still can't end it properly. Child In Time follows and is an extended version (14 1/2 minutes) incorporating a guitar solo, bass solo and keys solo. RB encourages Jens to continue and amusingly ignores Jens musical prompting for the fast triplets bit before the last section, standing behind the keyboards and watching Jens extended soloing. Eventually he joins in with some crashing chords and then the triplets. A few great moments. Stargazer is next, with the fake drum intro. Long Live Rock 'n' Roll and Smoke to finish, before returning to play a slightly slow Burn, RB obviously struggling with the riff but pulling off a good solo. All in all a good night, band a lot tighter, Ritchie in a good mood and on good form. A few missed cues, a duff ending (All Night Long), an extended Child In Time. Great to be amongst a German crowd listening to Ode to Joy
It's a normal medieval shirt. He just doesn't wear a belt over it as usually. Nothing new. But I guess people always find something new to bitc* about.