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Good show, Ariel was superb, Fires was brilliant. Sometimes the show dipped, other times it soared. Diamonds was a bit subdued, Soldier was really, really good. Very good audience, really joined in.
Well worth it for the solo in Ariel, and the solo in Fires.
(Kev Dixon)
I have seen Blackmore's Night perform in one or even two gears higher than this performance but there were peaks in this show that made the hairs stand on end! For example, the lengthy electric guitar solo in Ariel
(I was too mesmerised to time it) was absolutely brilliant. I would go as far to say that on this evidence, Ritchie's electric work has taken another evolutionary step. His playing was very inventive and his vibrato was simply awesome. Its just a pity we only see a rare glimpse now and then.
I expected more material to be drawn from 'The Village Lanterne' album but as this was a 10th anniversary tour of sorts
I suppose it is to be expected. I must say that Candice's voice is superb and what a difference from her first nervous performances in 1997!
Blackmore seemed in fine fettle throughout,
regularly handing out drinks and chattering away but his presence in the context of the performance of the band was very much as an equal member. The show was good, lively and entertaining but nothing more. Perhaps this is to be expected as it was the first date of the tour but having read the reviews of the following 2 gigs, in particular, Reading, perhaps it points to something more pronounced. I was sitting in front of some old Purple fans who had clearly not seen Blackmore in this guise and they seemed relatively pleased with the show. With the sound good, the audience was receptive and totally involved. For me, having seen the band at
every tour (including the first European dates back in 1997)
I didn't feel the magic that I know Mr B is capable of. There is enough there to
make me take on the trip another tour but unless the man in black finds some new inspiration,
I can see an end to my travelling days... (Karl Simpson)
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Glenrothes
10th June 2007
Set List
Past Time With Good Company
Rainbow Blues
Play Minstrel Play
Under A Violet Moon
Soldier Of Fortune
Durch den wald zum Bachhaus
Keyboard/bass solo
World Of Stone
Diamonds And Rust
Home Again
Keyboard solo
Ariel
Loreley
I Still Remember
Wind In The Willows
Fires At Midnight
Clock Ticks On
Cartouche
Mid Winters Night
Dandelion Wine
Now And Then |
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York
12th June 2007
Set List
Past Time With Good Company
Rainbow Blues
Play Minstrel Play
Under A Violet Moon
Soldier Of Fortune
Durch den wald zum Bachhaus
Keyboard/bass solo
World Of Stone
Mond Tanz/Child in Time
Diamonds And Rust
Keyboard solo
Ariel
All For One
Wind In The Willows
Home Again
Fires At Midnight
Renaissance Faire
I Still Remember
Clock Ticks On
Difficult To Cure
St Theresa
Blues
Black Night
Smoke On The Water |
As Candice pointed out, it's ten years since Blackmore's Night was launched. In that time there is no doubt there has been a shift in the type of audience Blackmore now attracts. Many are there for the total experience of a Blackmore’s Night concert, and all that entails. Some of the older fans I would hazard a guess see things slightly differently. I for one attend the shows first and foremost because of the guitar talents of Ritchie Blackmore. Unlike his work with Purple and Rainbow, very few of the other musicians that have been in BN draw the same type of reactions that the likes of Jon Lord, Cozy Powell or indeed
the majority of others who worked alongside Blackmore in Purple and Rainbow.
If Blackmore performs well and dazzles me with some fine solos then I’m in no doubt I’ve got my money’s worth. At York, he did that on two notable occasions with his excellent improvised solos on Ariel (played on the Strat) and Fires At Midnight. But are two bits of guitar playing enough to satisfy a Ritchie Blackmore fan? In truth would Blackmore’s Night still be around ten years later if it wasn’t for Ritchie Blackmore’s name? The answer is probably no. The band was at its peak during the 2001 tour, which was the last time Blackmore had any real interaction on stage with another musician, namely the excellent violinist Chris Divine. Now
that this tour is minus one musician following the departure of the previous violinist, Tina Chancey (AKA Tudor Rose), there is at least an opportunity for Blackmore to command the stage again, in the way he consistently did throughout the rest of his career.
Sadly he seems content to play the bare minimum for much of the show; handing the limelight over to the other musicians (2 piano solos,
1 bass solo) or to refrain from embellishing tunes to the extent that we know he can. Over the years Blackmore has regularly stressed in interviews that he is lazy, but while in the past he has disciplined his self to push the limits of his ability, now in his sixties, he is definitely taking a more relaxed approach to his stage performances. When he does work out, as in the aforementioned songs, he shows that he is still as dexterous as ever, but for the majority of the show, it’s a case of waiting for the odd bit of magic, and leaving too many empty sounding moments when he chooses to wander to the side for a drink or content to stick to the basic chord structures.
On a different note, given that four Deep Purple songs were played, my own personal experience of the show couldn’t have been more bizarre. Blackmore’s manager had instructed a venue staff member to sit behind me in the ‘dress circle box’ for the entire show. Evidently this was in case I shouted out for Deep Purple songs, whereupon his duty would have been to stop me from doing so! As it was, I seriously considered shouting for them to play the entire ‘Winter Carrots’ album, as I’m sure that would have garnered a far more fascinating response! Maybe in hindsight I should have just shouted for Ritchie to play more solos, but
in truth I couldn’t be bothered to shout anything.
(JB)
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