 On June the 18th I made the 6 hour drive from my home in the Netherlands to just outside Stuttgart in Germany to attend the long and eagerly awaited return of Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow. It has been 19 years since Ritchie played with a rock band, preferring to concentrate on the very successful Blackmore’s Night, as is his right. The usual social media frenzy ensued when he announced this tour and until the band line up was revealed, many observers reckoned on a familiar list of protagonists. They were proved wrong, but more of that later! Of course before the main event, and because this was a festival, we had the rest of the bill to enjoy. First up was Thin Lizzy. Purists still argue that Lizzy have no relevance without Phil Lynott. However surely no one can argue the quality of the songs they have in their back catalogue; they must be heard by the latest generation of rock fan. Does this latest incarnation of the band do the music justice? Well in the main, yes they do. For their ‘Anniversary Shows’ (40 years since the release of ‘Jailbreak’ and 30 years since Phil departed) they have recruited a new rhythm section. From Aerosmith we got Tom Hamilton on bass and Judas Priest’s Scott Travis on drums. I have to say that although Scott does not ‘swing’ like Brian Downey, it was the best engine room the band have had since the original line up. Helped by a great sounding PA, the guys sounded big! The rest of the line up (for those who are not sure) is Scott Gorham (gtr), Damon Johnson (gtr), Darren Wharton (keys) and Ricky Warwick (vox and gtr). The set list was largely (and happily!) predictable except for a few gems such as ‘Killer on the Loose’ and the keyboard heavy ‘Angel of Death’ which were great to hear. The band bask in the late afternoon sunshine and hammer through many numbers from the classic ‘Live and Dangerous’ album and score well with the enthusiastic, expectant and thankfully, dry German audience which numbers around 12,000. I would happily see Thin Lizzy on every tour; the music is timeless, classic and as stated earlier, deserves a quality group of individuals to do it justice. The credibility of any Lizzy line up will be ever debated but this legacy must live on. Of course it is natural to compare front men and Ricky is an admirable understudy to the much missed Phil Lynott. I just wish he would be more measured in his in between song audience address. He does tend to shout rather a lot (am I getting old?). A small negative in what was a great show. After a short change over (during which time we had a man dressed as a woman singing oom-pah songs!?) we got Manfred Mann’s Earth Band. To most, this may seem like a strange choice for a support act on this bill. However, first consider that this band is massive in Germany and regularly sell out large venues as headliners and secondly, they are utterly sublime. From the opener ‘Captain Bobby Stout’ thru classics such as ‘Martha’s Madman’, ‘Father of Day, Father of Night’, ‘For You’ and the obligatory ‘Blinded by the Light’ and ‘Davy’s on the Road Again’ this band showed that class is permanent; each a true master of their instrument and non-more so than vocalist Robert Hart who was on fire. The crowd went from a ‘metal sign’ slinging mob (for Thin Lizzy) to an attentive, appreciative and regularly dancing sea of smiles. The only criticism is that the set was too short, but I guess that is just a minor complaint; a thoroughly enjoyable set from a great band. Just before 9pm and after a relatively short changeover a short classical interlude (Land of Hope & Glory) heralds the entrance from stage left of Mr Ritchie Blackmore. With trademark black attire and hat in place, the expectant crowd welcome an old friend. With the full seven piece band on stage we hear the immortal words "Toto, I have a feeling we are not in Kansas anymore". Those two seconds of audio track was enough to send the crowd crazy; Rainbow are back! Joining RB on stage are vocalist Ronnie Romero, keyboardist Jens Johansson, drummer David Keith and bassist Bob Nouveau. In addition we have 2 female backing singers, one of which was Mrs Blackmore. ‘Highway Star’ is preceded by a short singalong, and then the band kick into the first verse; it is like a train has just left the station with 12,000 people on board. We are off. The sound is tremendous and the band immediately sounds tight and rehearsed (this contradicts reports from the previous (first) night). We soon find ourselves at the guitar solo in ‘Highway Star’ and Ritchie is in great form. His playing is a return to the 70’s, his guitar sound is powerful without being overly distorted and hence sounds clear and defined. I could swear I heard a collective sigh from the crowd as if to say "yeah, he’s still got it"….like anyone should have ever doubted it. Next up we get ‘Spotlight Kid’ and it is apparent that, while this band may not have the power of previous Rainbow incarnations, the musicality remains and the songs sound fresh and more interesting. Bob Nouveau instantly adds an extra dimension and is far less straight up than a Glover or a Daisley. His approach to the music is quite fantastic. Next we are straight into ‘Mistreated’ which was, for me, one of the highlights. Played impeccably and vocalist Ronnie Romero delivers a brilliant performance and already has the crowd in the palm of his hand. He has been called ‘Adam Lambert in sneakers’ but this guy is a great singer and frontman. He will spend the evening more than ably singing the Deep Purple tracks (of which we get six) and absolutely nailing the Rainbow tunes. The comparison with Ronnie James Dio is unavoidable and one that any singer would appreciate. Honestly, this guy is great. ‘16th Century Greensleeves’ starts with a funky guitar/vocal intro before the rest of the band come in. It is a great version with some lovely extended soloing from Ritchie and if it was possible to put all of the collective audience smiles together at this point, they would have reached Luxembourg. A truncated version of ‘Since You Been Gone’ was both a surprising and welcome inclusion. It was slightly down tempo which (in my view) worked as it gave a little more breathing space for the band make it their own. From there we were into ‘Man on the Silver Mountain’ and that opening riff in the key of ‘G’ from Ritchie had the immediate familiarity of an old pair of shoes; fantastic. Again the soloing was Ritchie at his best and I am beginning to run out of superlatives. ‘Difficult to Cure’ encompassed drum and keyboard solos which I guess are obligatory and welcome especially at festivals where toilets are scarce! In all seriousness this is the ‘marmite’ part of the show. I enjoy it and would have enjoyed it more had the people around me not insisted on spending the whole of the keyboard solo talking! Anyway….. ‘Perfect Strangers’ was the weak song of the set and the only negative from the evening. The vocals were not up the high standard that Romero had already set for himself and it somehow it didn’t work. ‘Catch the Rainbow’, ‘Stargazer’ and ‘Long Live Rock and Roll’ were all delivered with intensity with some great playing from the whole band reinforcing (if it were needed) just how good the Rainbow back catalogue really is. ‘Child in Time’ must be every vocalist’s nightmare when it appears on a set list. To his credit Ronnie Romero did a great job and the up tempo middle part of the song was a joy to witness; again this is testament to a great band of musicians that had been assembled. I guess we all could have guessed that ‘Black Night’ and ‘Smoke on the Water’ would make up the show’s finale (the latter being accompanied by fireworks) and whilst long-time fans of Mr Blackmore may have ‘Smoke overload’ it is fair to say that there really is only one way to bring the proceedings to an end. So did it live up to the hype? Well I have to declare an interest here; I am a Blackmore fan and have been since I was a kid. In fact his influence on me goes further than my own guitar playing as my late mother swears I could frown before I could walk. That said, I did approach this gig without rose tinted glasses. I did, sadly, expect nothing but a lightweight nostalgia trip orchestrated by an old eccentric with only a passing historical interest in this genre music. I believed the doubters who could not see past the need for Ritchie to call up ex-members. I read too many opinions on social media. I even thought maybe, he was past it. In reality I got to see the best gig of my life; yes, really I just wrote that. It wasn’t nostalgic at all. I didn’t watch this gig and spend my time making direct comparisons to all band line ups that came before. I took it at face value. Ritchie was inspirational; the band was brilliant; the song choice was (95%) spot on and the sound was perfect. The other epiphany I had? Well the Rainbow material was far stronger than the Deep Purple songs…without question. Here’s to next year’s Rainbow tour. Well one lives in hope! © Ian Dunbar, Sound Clash © Photo: Clemens Mitscher  Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany June 18, 2016 Rainbow turn out to be true Monsters Of Rock in Bietigheim-Bissingen  With the latest line-up of Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow as headliner in outstanding form as well as the well-disposed Manfred Mann's Earth Band and Thin Lizzy, the Monsters Of Rock Festival is celebrating a successful new edition on the festival grounds at the viaduct in Bietigheim-Bissingen after a long absence. In the last two decades of the last century, the annual Monsters Of Rock festivals were a real institution in the rock and metal community. So what could be more natural than bringing back the very first headliner of the original in Castle Donington, England, to revive the event when Rainbow band leader Ritchie Blackmore seems to have finally regained his appetite for hard music after a long retreat into acoustic renaissance territory? The legendary 'Man in Black' and his new formation have brought along musical support from Thin Lizzy and Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The comedian Hans Werner Olm acts as a warm-up act and occasional moderator between the bands. In contrast to various other festivals this summer, the weather on the festival grounds at the viaduct in Bietigheim-Bissingen is playing along as the gates to the site, which is set in a picturesque setting, open. When the evening light slowly falls over Bietigheim-Bissingen and the tape intro finally announces Rainbow, the numerous fans in the audience are even more excited. How would the new formation handpicked by Ritchie Blackmore sell? Apart from Stratovarius keyboardist Jens Johansson, little is known about the remaining band members. Singer Ronnie Romero from Lords Of Black in particular was considered a big unknown in the new Rainbow line-up. 
After the band has entered the stage and has sung "Over The Rainbow" for a few bars, the 'Man in Black' in his distinctive Blackmore's Night hat takes the Stratocaster and the proceedings into his own hands. The first big surprise of the evening follows. Rainbow does not start with a song from their own band history, but with "Highway Star" by Deep Purple, a classic from the repertoire of the first big band in Blackmore's illustrious career.By the time Ronnie Romero belts out the first lines, any concerns about his vocal abilities prove to be unfounded. He seemingly effortlessly twirls around in the airy heights of the young Ian Gillan, while Blackmore and the three other musicians behind him are already running at full speed from the first second. The following "Spotlight Kid" from Rainbow's Joe Lynn Turner phase poses no problems for Romero and the band either. The third piece of the evening is one of Blackmore's beloved, extended blues pieces. "Mistreated", originally sung by David Coverdale for Deep Purple and later becoming very popular thanks to Rainbow's highly emotional live version on "On Stage" by Ronnie James Dio, offers the guitarist plenty of space for his famous, breathtaking skills as a soloist. Romero is more than up to this challenge, too. After this first excursion into quieter but moving regions, the time has come for three faster numbers. Blackmore and his men dig deep into the rainbow box and conjure up a first change compared to their performance on the Loreley the previous evening with “Sixteenth Century Greensleeves”, which is enthusiastically received by the audience. The obligatory “Since You Been Gone”, once the band's biggest hit, cannot be missed. The finale of the shorter, faster pieces is “Man On A Silver Mountain”, and here too Romero proves that he is a real Ronnie who has honestly earned the job as Rainbow singer. He hits every single note and has both the vocal range and volume of his predecessor with the same first name, if perhaps not the charisma. If you close your eyes, you sometimes have the feeling that Dio is standing in front of you in person. The piece also serves as a tribute to the band's original voice, who died in 2010. In the middle of the song, Romero suddenly shouts that Ronnie Dio is "the man on the mountain". It almost seems as if the formerly contentious Blackmore has now made his peace with the singer, who gave him a second creative spring after his first departure from Deep Purple and proved that the guitarist could achieve great things even without his old band. After this strenuous workload, the new man at the microphone gets his first breather. It's instrumental. In the guise of "Difficult To Cure", Blackmore and the Swede Jens Johansson on keyboards in particular indulge their love of classical music. The longest piece of the evening begins as a brilliant rock version of Beethoven's "Ninth Symphony", but soon mutates into a vehicle for the solo spots of the other band members. The first to go is drummer David Keith, who actually works for Blackmore's Night, who is allowed to pound away at his drums for about two minutes. Then the otherwise rather inconspicuous but rock-solid Bob Nouveau on bass shows with the help of the drummer that he doesn't cut a bad figure as a soloist either. Johansson then joins in on the Hammond organ, while Blackmore and Romero take a little break backstage. The Swede on the keys then gets the longest solo spot of the evening, during which he alternates between the church organ and the piano for minutes. In Johansson, the Rainbow leader has found the perfect keyboard player for his musical direction, as his Finnish main band Stratovarius are avowed big fans of Blackmore's previous work and have already released cover versions of Rainbow's "Kill The King" and "I Surrender". To relax everyone's mood, the big ballad of the evening, "Catch The Rainbow" from the band's first album, is played. The combination of the band's atmospheric performance and the larger-than-life LED rainbow above the stage creates an almost magical atmosphere that also makes the audience revel. Now and then, even the otherwise stoic and dogged 'Man in Black' lets a gentle smile cross his face. Romero then says that the audience and the band are no longer complete strangers. Appropriately, Rainbow start singing “Perfect Strangers”, perhaps the best Deep Purple song of the 1980s, on a stage completely covered in blue and pink. Everything fits perfectly with the headliner of the evening. Combined with a powerful, yet transparent and not too brutal sound, the atmospheric light show supports the band's consistently magnificent performance.  After that, it gets epic. “Stargazer” is probably the greatest piece in the entire Rainbow catalog and possibly even in rock history. This shows once again that Blackmore has found a congenial partner in Ronnie Romero for his entire hard rock repertoire to date. He sounds like a young, energetic mix of Ronnie James Dio and Ian Gillan, the two clearly best singers the 'Man in Black' has worked with so far. The performance of the new Rainbow on “Stargazer” leaves the audience in awe. Even though everyone present had certainly hoped for a performance of the piece, nobody expected to hear such a brilliant version of the classic. At this point, at the latest, everyone should be glad that Blackmore's wife and other musical partner Candice Night has temporarily moved back into the background as a background singer. The last Rainbow song of the evening is “Long Live Rock 'n' Roll”, because the band not only wants to impress musically, but also put on a show. The song is predestined for this, as it offers a first-class sing-along chorus. During the improvised middle section of the song, even Blackmore, who normally prefers to watch the proceedings passively, signals to the fans with hand signals that he would like to hear more of their voices. His wish is granted. The grand finale is a triumvirate of Deep Purple classics. “Child In Time” is Ronnie Romero's second big test, as he has to imitate the high screams of Ian Gillan in the original, which even the original singer hasn't been able to do for two decades. The new Rainbow line-up is also completely convincing in this number. Seldom since the heyday of Blackmore's first big band has the epic number sounded better live. As expected, the two most famous songs from the long career of the man in black are played at the end. “Black Night”, originally intended as a short, snappy single, is stretched into a minute-long sing-along orgy, while the audience in Bietigheim-Bissingen, hoarse and euphoric, sing every single word at the top of their lungs at a hellish volume during the final eternal classic “Smoke On The Water” with Romero. It seems only logical that a short firework display is set off over the area at the end of the show, as it symbolizes the performance of everyone involved on that day, especially the new Rainbow. The first drops of rain that fall on the audience during “Smoke On The Water” do not dampen the joy. The weather played along on that day, as did the three groups and the all-round convincing organization of the event. When Rainbow left the Monsters Of Rock stage after about two hours, the audience that was there that evening had an incredible experience. Ritchie Blackmore may no longer have the fire of his past at over seventy. But he hasn't forgotten how to play the guitar, nor has he lost his knack for great musicians. With these performances, he has only cemented his status as a living legend once again. Together with the two support acts, Rainbow put on an impressive show for all fans of hand-made rock music from the 1970s. As the audience leaves the venue, smiling faces can be seen everywhere. But there is still hope for those who missed the spectacle. There were cameras on site that recorded the entire evening. A live release can therefore be expected. © Torsten Reitz - Regio Active Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany June 18, 2016  "I thought I'd just get back to playing the old songs one more time." Hard to tell if he or his fans enjoyed the experience the most. Anyway, Ritchie Blackmore kept his word and, as he had told us in our last interview, he went back on stage proudly holding his Fender Stratocaster with a gigantic rainbow behind his shoulders. For those who have forgotten, the last Ritchie's Blackmore's Rainbow show dates back to almost 20 years ago. The band was then headliner at the Danish Esbjerg Rock Festival where the bill featured Jerhro Tull, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Sweet and Dirty Deeds. While Japan was excited by the first turns of Blackmore's Night carillon, Ritchie had to face the anger of a frustrated crowd whom was denied of the inviolable "Smoke On The Water" by an outrageous curfew inflicted by the festival management. Luckily this shortcoming was fixed in Stuttgart as soon as the first chords of "his monster" opened the one and only encore of the setlist. Second night of the German Monsters Of Rock, and second to last show of this tour, the Bietingheim-Bissingen concert was anticipated by the negative comments made on the Loreley show. Despite the doubts cruelly insinuated by the criticism on the previous show, the drive to attend The Man In Black performance, in his original frame, was not diminished. Once arrived at the venue, the traditional, and impeccable, German organization is more than welcoming. Free attended parking lots, just a few steps away from the arena, perfectly indicated itinerary, thorough safety checks at the entrance and multi-ethnic food stalls. There is no inconvenience to flag. The sound is perfect as well.  We are greeted by the Monsters Of Rock logo which dominates proud both the stage and the whole location. Although this time the only "monster of Rock" is Blackmore, such a symbol can still moves a hint of nostalgia. Let's start from the last tracks by Thin Lizzy, second act out of the four listed in the bill. We unfortunately missed the Hans Werner Olm performance but he was playing on his own field. The view is impressive: the show went sold-out. Thin Lizzy definitely offered a captivating and dynamic act. It was a real shame how most of the public lacked of reactiveness as it was more interested in beer than in what was happening on stage. Luckily, the first rows roar was enough to move Ricky Warwick all-star band. Then Manfred Mann's Earth Band stepped on stage cheered by the German audience, definitely more interest in them than in the previous act, as proved by the enthusiasm raised by Mick Rogers and the South-African keyboard player Manfred Mann. A triumph doubled by a perfect performance. It's 8:57pm when the time everybody was waiting for finally comes: Ritchie Blackmore and the new Rainbow line-up conquer the stage. To be honest, the start of "Highway Star" wasn't one of his best. The band was clearly out of time but a few notes sufficed for them to gain control of the situation. The scenic set-up is not stunning but it is still acceptable: two mega-screens at each side of the stage and a minimal modern-style rainbow made by colored LEDs part of an amazing light set-up. The first round of applause and positive comments are all dedicated to "the perfect stranger" Ronnie Romero. The young Chilean singer, discovered by Blackmore, left the audience speechless thanks to a great vocal and stage performance. Romero was more than capable at filling the illustrious absents shoes. To tell the truth, at the time being, the feeling is that he would be able to eat to Joe Lynn Turner, Doogie White and Graham Bonnet for dinner. Anyway Romero has nothing less to offer than Ronnie James Dio and Ian Gillian as well. Hearing is believing. The setlist is thrilling. We knew the show was going to last for two hours, not a minute more, and Blackmore selected his very best: six and eight songs from Deep Purple and Rainbow discography respectively. Nobody dares calling them covers: he owns the credit for this music, the tribute band is the other one.  Jens Johansson (Stratovarious) did very well at the keyboards too. More than once it seemed the scores he was given were even too simple for his amazing skills. Conversely, the performance of David Keith (Blackmore's Night) at the drums did not match the expectations. He seemed too constrained and unable to sustain the rhythm of a such fast concert, this risking to affect the performance of a bass guitarist as funky and expert as Bob Curiano. This would have never happened with Ian Paice or the departed Cozy Powell. And Ritchie would have never been forced to dictate the time for the whole show. Probably a more experienced drummer was required. As far as Blackmore is concerned, we must point out that he is 71 years old, he has been suffering from arthrosis at his hands and he is recovering from a surgery to a finger of his right hand aimed to remove an excess of uric acid which prevented him from playing for a month. All this considered, he returned on stage in front of a crowd which has been longing for his old-school rock for almost 20 years. He is not a robot, he was evidently touched. Despite a few wrong notes, his performance was magnificent. Perhaps somebody was expecting pyrotechnics or Ritchie rotating the Stratocaster above his head as in the good old days but this wasn't the case. Nowadays, the one Blackmore stepped on stage lingering on the right to stare at the audience at first and then to catch the gaze of his band mates. He plays for himself and then for everybody else. And he makes choices. For his Fender he prefers the soft sound of Engl instead of a rough Marshall amplification. His solos were neat, free from overdrive, just with a hint of distortion. But still his solos, mostly improvised as usual. He prefers the members of the chorus, his wife Candice and Christina Lynn Skleros (Blackmore's Night) to be marginal to the main show, they were absolutely relevant for "Child in Time". In 2016, he wants Rainbow to be more elegant and less crude. Is this something for him to be blamed? We must admit he was slightly stiff for the first half of the show but from "Catch The Rainbow" on he loosen up and returned to be the Ritchie Blackmore we all know. There is no reason to discuss each track individually: all the 14 songs selected are simply masterpieces of rock and the same amount was left out. In a few days Rainbow will play their last concert in Birmingham. And it may be the last one for good. The feeling is that with another ten shows played by this Rainbow line-up, the band could make history worldwide. And to the greatest guitarist of all time goes the credit for having found another marvelous singer. Today I'm confident that Rock'n'Roll still has a future thanks to Blackmore and Romero. We are looking forward to CD, DVD and Blue-Ray of this event because, I have almost forget to tell, video cameras were there to film the history of Rock. "I think they are recording the show so I am hoping we don't play too many wrong notes as I haven't played these songs in 20 years" - Ritchie Blackmore © Gaetano Loffredo / Costanza Colombo, Spazio Rock Italy © Photos: Roberto Villani Original Review in Italian Language: click here Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany June 18, 2016  More than thirty-six years have passed since my first close encounter with Rainbow in Grenoble and the then hardened metalhead, now a journalist, has already put on thousands of concerts, but the attraction towards Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow has remained practically unchanged, even though the precious creature of the divine Ritchie is now called Blackmore's Night, a pleasant Renaissance pop project in the company of his wife Candice active since 1998, which however is placed at a sideral distance from the scratchy sound of seminal albums such as "Rising" and "Down To Earth". This hit and run of just three dates of the legendary Blackmorian rainbow (the other two are in Loreley and Birmingham), celebrates the thirty-six years since the first edition of the Monsters Of Rock in Donnington Park where, even then, Rainbow were highly acclaimed headliners and it is certainly no coincidence that the event inside the park of Stuttgart-Bissingen, is branded with the brand of the most famous hard rock festival of all time. Surely a question of marketing, certainly a question of dollars, but after the good performance of Manfred Mann's Earth Band and the not exciting performance of Thin Lizzy, too far from their best quality standards, despite the presence of two sacred monsters like Tom Hamilton of Aerosmith on bass and Scott Travis of Judas Priest on drums, the expectation to see Blackmore again shooting his unmistakable and unrivaled riffs with the magical cream-colored Stratocaster, was palpable and tangible like the rivers of beer that flowed inside the Viadukt. And the wait, as was to be expected and partly expected, was amply rewarded by a performance that was nothing short of perfect from the new racing machine put on the track by Ritchie Blackmore. The new vocalist Ronnie Romero confirms the tradition of the great vocalists discovered and brought to the fore by the English guitarist, from David Coverdale to Ronnie James Dio, from Graham Bonnett to Joe Lynn Turner and Doogie White, interpreting in an absolutely personal manner and with a charismatic attitude as his role within the band requires, the great classics of Rainbow and Purple, also destroying the last resistance of the countless supporters of a return to Lynn Turner's roots. There were many surprises, starting with the concert's setlist that opened with a very tight version of "Highway Star", which has little or nothing of Rainbow, but so much of Blackmore from his best days, that it would make an undisputed talent like Steve Morse pale. And from here on, for almost two hours of concert, the ping-pong began between Rainbow and Deep Purple songs, "surgically" divided in equal measure, just as The Man in Black had announced at the time of his "temporary" return to rock and it is this massive intrusion of purple tracks that made the Rainbow purists turn up their noses. The choice of Blackmore may be debatable, but what is indisputable is the vocal talent of Ronnie Romero, a sprite with an overflowing personality, who did justice to historic songs such as "Stargazer", "Catch The Rainbow" and "Man On The Silver Mountain" with a dedication to Ronnie James Dio, in addition to having delighted the audience with an overflowing version of "Child In Time", so much so as to come close to Gillan in his golden days. The band put together for the occasion, among which the keyboards of Jens Johansson of Stratovarius and the presence of Candice Night on backing vocals stand out, travels well-oiled and is a pleasure, fully supporting the continuous dictates of the English guitarist, up to the apotheosis of "Long Live Rock'n Roll" and "Smoke On The Water", which, among various pyrotechnic effects and fireworks, close a concert of the highest level, to be remembered and handed down to posterity, also because, after the final concert in Birmingham, we will definitively return to Blackmore's Night. © Roberto Villani - Metal Hammer Italy Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany June 18, 2016  I was just in the German town of Bietigheim-Bissingen to witness the resurgence of Ritchie Blackmore as a rock guitarist. It was the second of three appearences, planned to culminate with a Birmingham concert on June 25th. The event took place as part of the Monsters Of Rock festival, under the arches of a long railroad bridge. Freight trains loaded with cars passed endlessly above us, as if to remind us that yes, Germany produces a lot of cars. I guess I knew already, but still I was quite impressed. A strange choice of venue, that Bietigheim viaduct, as this open air place is only quasi-famous for the so-called Bietigheim Horse Market, one of Oktoberfest's smaller-sibling beer festivals. It was as if Blackmore needed to do it somewhere out of the way to avoid publicity in case the concert proved to be a total disaster. Well, if that was his intention, he succeeded only too well. Our small company must have been the only ones crazy enough to dare the elements of nature and drive 700km away through rain and storm (sounds like a Dio lyric, but it's true nevertheless) to witness the new Rainbow. The muddy festival ground held a few thousand pretzel-munching beer-slugging aging rockers from the nearby villages. Maybe some had come all the way from the closest big city, Stuttgart. The place wasn't exactly suitable for a big rock festival either, and it reeked of a combination of dung and grilled bratwurst - so if you weren't there you haven't exactly missed much. Unless, that is, you're a Classic Rock fan who grew up listening to Deep Purple and Rainbow. In which case, you'll be glad -excited even- to learn that Ritchie is back! 20 years of absence from rock haven't diminished his ability to play the electric guitar! So what if he looks like an aging 16th century pilgrim? He's been playing lord of the castle for 20 years, the man doesn't have any normal clothes anymore, give him a break! To prove he's still the same old Ritchie he opened with Highway Star and his famous trademark solo. Then he went on with a perfectly executed mix of Deep Purple and Rainbow classics. New singer Ronnie Romero was a real revelation too, a spectacular talent reminiscent of Ronnie James Dio and, at times, Freddie Mercury. The rest of the players ranged from plain good (keyboards) to average (bass, drums) to non-existent (wifey Candice and the other back-up singer were barely audible). Despite that fact, they played Deep Purple songs with more urgency than the current touring version of Purple. As for the Rainbow material, it just hasn't sounded that good since Dio was in the band. A magical night for all involved, and the most perfect setlist: Highway Star/Spotlight Kid/Mistreated/16th Century Greensleeves/Since You Been Gone/Man on the Silver Mountain/Difficult to Cure/Catch the Rainbow/Perfect Strangers/Stargazer/Long Live Rock 'n' Roll/Child in Time/ Black Night/ Smoke on the Water. © Kostas, Blogspot Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany June 18, 2016  The first Monsters of Rock took place in 1980 in Donington. The headliner at the time: Rainbow. The last Monsters of Rock took place in Donington in 1996. The last in Germany in 1992 (on the Maimarkt grounds in Mannheim). On Saturday, June 18, 2016, the festival was revived in Bietigheim-Bissingen. The headliner was the same as at the first MOR: Rainbow. In addition to Rainbow, Thin Lizzy and Manfred Mann's Earthband also performed. These bands attracted 12,000 spectators to Bietigheim-Bissingen. After another break for set-up, at around 9 p.m., things got exciting. The headliner took the stage. Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. Exciting mainly in terms of...how is the singer Ronnie Romero doing. After a few sounds of "Over the Rainbow," his voice was heard for the first time on "Highway Star." Awesome, so fitting. The Deep Purple song "Mistreated" and the Russ Ballard cover "Since you’ve been gone" led to the song "Difficult to Cure". It was the longest song of the evening. This was due to the long drum solo and the even longer keyboard and Hammond organ playing by keyboardist Jens Johansson. Then came "Catch the Rainbow". The stage design also came into its own here. How could it be otherwise? A rainbow bathed the stage and the festival grounds in beautiful light. At the end of the show, there was a small fireworks display and the guests went home with big grins after "Smoke on the Water". All of the friends and colleagues I met that evening thought "Monsters of Rock 2016" was a more than successful event that will be remembered for a long time. © Martin Olbrich - Pics From Gigs Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany June 18, 2016  Hector has always said that, no matter where in the World, if Ritchie Blackmore reformed – Rainbow – he will be there. Bietigheim-Bissingen is twenty five minutes by S Bahn outside of Stuttgart. Land of Hope and Glory blared out of the impressive PA, the Locals may not have realised the significance. I was standing with Germans, Russians, Finns and a Chap who said he was an American, from the USA then? The Geography Teacher (retired) will always be pedantic, there is no such place as – America. The sound of Judy Garland accompanied The Musicians taking their places on stage, finally – The Man in Black. Cue the Power Chords – Somewhere over the rainbow... The set list from last night was already known to us, thirteen songs, a couple I would not have chosen, but The Hits have to be played, especially in an event such as this. Highway Star began with minimal Guitar, vocals leading. We all know the magnificent fretboard sounds at the start of Made in Japan, you either repeat this exactly or do something totally different. I walked out of a Deep Purple Gig once when Tommy Bolin made a total hash of this song. Accompanying The World’s Greatest Guitarist this evening were: Vocals – Ronnie Romero (Lords of Black), Keyboards – Jens Johansson (Stratovarius), Bass – Bob Nouveau (ex-Blackmore’s Night), Drums – David Keith (Blackmore’s Night), Backing Vocals – Candice Night (Blackmore’s Night) and presumably the other Lady from Blackmore’s Night. The setlist: Highway Star (Deep Purple), Spotlight Kid (Rainbow), Mistreated (Deep Purple), Sixteenth Century Greensleeves (Rainbow), Since You’ve been gone (Rainbow) . Man on the Silver Mountain (Rainbow), Difficult to Cure (Deep Purple), Catch the Rainbow (Rainbow), Perfect Strangers (Deep purple), Stargazer (Rainbow), Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll (Rainbow), Child in Time (Deep Purple), Black Night (Deep Purple), Smoke on the Water (Deep Purple), one song more than last night at the Loreley. It was dry tonight, apparently the crowd was soaked last night. We were prepared. Taking the stage in twilight, the 21st Century Rainbow lighting effects impressed immediately and only became better as darkness fell. The sound was perfect, the Hammond (?) organ and Fender Strat recreating the familiar grinding sounds that Deep Purple in particular, were noted for. One has to wonder if Jens Johansson had to work all this out for himself, or are all of the keyboard settings noted? The heaviest organ sound was during his keyboard solo, it was interesting when the camera closed into reveal it was the synthesiser which was creating this magnificent sound. Ronnie Romero looked the part. Hector had wondered about the lyrics, which version of the Rainbow songs would be sung. Ronnie James Dio added improvised vocals to the extended endings, thankfully this Ronnie was up for it. An hour into the set and Hector had a problem. Having stood in the Hector at a Rock Gig stance for approaching three hours, the legs had seized. When I wiggled my toes my head started to go. If The Hector did not get out of here, he would be carried out. Those around me looked mystified as I made my way to the tower. Behind the tower I realised I needed to go for a walk and get the circulation going. Those who I was notionally with this evening spotted the yellow polo shirt, I knew where to return to. Difficult to Cure had ironically just got underway, Coke, the great cure-all, not available. Bier, not required. Eis Cafe, this should have caffeine and sugar. Returning to Les Autres, Jim was horrified when I suggested I would have – to dance – for the rest of the Gig. By this it was keep the legs, feet and toes all moving. It was touch and go. Jonathan knew he would be suffering when it was time to walk back to the station. This was a good time for a timeout, the drum solo. Stargazer was played earlier than anticipated, a much slowed down version. Child in Time too felt slowed down. Ritchie loves to play quietly, at volume, mesmerising. Smoke on the Water was the inevitable encore, again starting without – the riff. Fireworks accompanied the chorus, then the first drops of rain, just a few. I first saw Ritchie Blackmore on Deep Purple’s Made in Japan Tour, and half a dozen times thereafter as Rainbow, then again Deep Purple, before Blackmore’s Night. If Rainbow tour properly, I hope I get a seat. © Hector - Curry Heute Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow Loreley - Bietigheim Bissingen - Birmingham  When last fall it was announced that Ritchie Blackmore would play three 'reunion shows' with Rainbow one thing was clear for the writer: the agenda in June would be fully adapted to these three shows. Here we had indeed been waiting for twenty years. Once it was announced on the various social media there was busy discussion or Joe Lynn Turner, whether Graham Bonnet or Doogie White would pop up behind the microphone. Blackmore came up with one Ronnie Romero, an unknown Chilean from the band Lords Of Black. The big questions previously was therefore: how would this Romero do and - above all - would Ritchie Blackmore still have it in the fingers? Superfan Ludy Wetzl was there. FRIDAY JUNE 17 The Freilichtbühne, a beautiful outdoor amphitheater, located on a hill. Because all traffic has to go up on one single road and it does not go faster than walking, we miss in the real Aardschok tradition Thin Lizzy. At the last moment, Mr Blackmore himself apparently decreed that Manfred Mann's Earth Band must be moved a place up on the bill at the expense of Thin Lizzy. The site of the Freilichtbühne is turned into one big mud puddle and our eastern neighbors have not thought to throw down ramps or at least wood chips. The prime location is changed into a mountain mud slide. About Manfred and his cronies I can be short: not Aardschok worthy. Moreover, the sound of the PA was so soft that it came barely above the clatter of raindrops. At half past ten finally it is so far: the intro tape of "Over The Rainbow" starts, the moment many have been waiting for twenty years. Opener "Highway Star" starts a bit more cautious rather than how we have the song in our memory. Also immediately noticeable drummer David Keith and bassist Bob Nouveau, both of the band Blackmore's Night, the two outsiders in our midst in this Rainbow lineup. Further there is Jens Johansson (Stratovarius) and two background singers, including Blackmore's wife Candice Night. Keith and Nouveau are quite out of place. Carefully expressed: I've seen better rhythm sections. The set that follows is a balanced mix of Rainbow- and Deep Purple songs. The first time there are goose bumps is in the form of "Mistreated". Remarkably positive is that the songs from the Dio era are written perfectly for Ronnie Romero. Much more than several Deep Purple songs. Especially "Perfect Strangers" and "Black Night" are in my opinion not very good. Absolute highlight of the first day is "Stargazer", perhaps maybe the best made hard rock song ever . I never thought that after Ronnie James Dio anyone could sing this song so convincingly. If there are still doubters, Romero is the right man in the right place. Halfway through the inevitable encore "Smoke On The Water" we slink off. The game of singing in this song I've heard and seen too many times. After all, we still have a long way to go down the valley of the Loreley again. SATURDAY - JUNE 18 With somewhat mixed feelings about the night before we drive on the German autobahn much further to the south to Bietigheim, near Stuttgart. The Loreley show, despite some goose bumps moments, still has not returned the feel as hoped. Is it because of the appalling weather conditions that we had to endure or was it the lesser good playing of Blackmore than expected - afterwards we heard from an informed source that he suffered a lot of cold fingers during the show. Most likely a combination of both. 
Beforehand I looked with frown eyebrows at the location of today - an overpass ?! - But on arrival it appears to be a revelation. The sun is faintly shining and there are plenty of eating and drinking places without long waiting times. And that overpass, projecting high above the stage and where occasionally a train goes past, this just makes a beautiful backdrop. Now we have plenty of time and the first thing you notice is that virtually all merchandise is already sold out. Thin Lizzy we miss this time not and although there are more Black Star Riders on stage than Thin Lizzy, it can be described as a very pleasant best-of-show, also because of the great vocal performance by Ricky Warwick.Manfred Mann accompanies us in the background while we are eating. At exactly nine o'clock there is what we have come for: Rainbow. Right after the opening salvo of "Highway Star" and "Spotlight Kid" we know this will be a very different evening than yesterday. Once again the sluggish rhythm section, we won't mention that again, but Jens Johanssen today is in top form and Blackmore himself, however, is much better than yesterday. but stealing the show is singer Ronnie Romero. An absolute world singer, especially like he shows in "Mistreated", "Catch The Rainbow" and Stargazer". Romero is not nervous, it seems, and his announcements sound much more confident. In the form of "Sixteenth Century Greensleeves" there is also an additional number in the set. Although it sound different than the live version that we know from the distant past, but who cares, this is also fine. Furthermore, the set list is no different to yesterday. The Rainbow songs "Man On The Silver Mountain", "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll", "Since You've Been Gone" and Deep Purple songs "Child In Time"," Perfect Strangers","Black Night" and "Smoke on the Water" all over again and also here Romero sings these songs much better than yesterday. The only sleep moment, it is totally unnecessary drums / keyboard duel in the middle of "Difficult to Cure". It does not disturb me though for years. Rather, nice bathroom break. This time we did not leave the site before the end of the show, but we enjoy all and we see how the band is cheered massive and long after the show. With a big smile on our face we walk back to the nearby hotel, assuming this was just the show of the year. SATURDAY 25 JUNE With the fantastic Bietigheim show still fresh in our memory we get on the plane for a quick visit to Birmingham, where today the third show is scheduled in the Genting Arena. This show was sold out in a matter of minutes, as opposed to the two German shows, for which ordinary tickets were still available at the box office. After mild irritation about having to wait almost an hour before it was proved to go inside we see to have gotten a perfect spot fortunately. Sight and sound leave nothing to be desired. About the setlist I will be brief. "Sixteenth Century Greensleeves" is removed again. Not a disaster, because in its place is "Soldier Of Fortune" which came one of the highlights this evening, and again an excelling Ronnie Romero. A certain David Coverdale can suck a very big point to this! Highlight this evening is however the entire venue is singing "Child In Time" along from beginning to end. Wonderful to see and hear! In the encore we get alongside the usual "Smoke On The Water" also "Burn". Told from the wildly enthusiastic response from the audience, no one is sorry about it. Was I last week still assuming likely to have seen the show of the year. Tonight I got that one seen clearly. Conclusion after the three shows: Ritchie Blackmore played well, but nothing more than that. As in the 'good old days' it certainly was not. No shame for someone who already has already seen 71 springs. His backing band he should have chosen more carefully. Not a bad word about Jens Johansson, but the rhythm section left it severely to be desired. Especially drummer David Keith lacked the power of, say, the late Cozy Powell. Only the way he destroyed the legendary drum intro of "Stargazer" each evening.... my goodness. Major surprise of these three shows was without any discussion singer Ronnie Romero. That boy is going to be a star, which Blackmore acknowledged again very well. Do yourself a favor and go see him when he goes on tour with his own band Lords Of Black and will play Weert The Netherlands) in September. In case there will be a continuation on this short adventure, I have a tip for my big idol: replace please some Deep Purple songs by a pair of Rainbow classics, so the set list is no longer in balance with both bands. The name Rainbow would do more justice to this. The Rainbow banner after all, was clearly on the posters for all three shows. Moreover, Deep Purple is itself yet around, so plenty of options to go and see these songs elsewhere. © Ludy Wetzl - Aardschok no 8/9, 2016  |