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Only the drummer remained
The Aquarian has a report from the October 30 Blackmore’s Night gig at the Sony Hall in New York. And it was a disaster.
Many things went wrong at the concert, some very evident to the audience. A few songs into the performance, a fire alarm interrupted the performance several times. The musicians repeatedly asked for the blinding stage lights to be dimmed. No one from the venue’s production crew solved the problems.
Less than an hour into the performance, with the issues not corrected, Blackmore left the stage. Night followed. The remaining musicians continued playing, eventually walking off the stage one by one, until only the drummer remained, and then he left also. After a few minutes of silence, a representative from the venue announced that the concert ended.
Read more in The Aquarian, including a statement from the band.
Thanks to Orhun Yakin for the heads up.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
In the shadow of the wobbly … I wonder what Candice said to him backstage.
See for yourself, in all fairness to the old badger, it seems like he started out wishing to be able to give a good performance, but you can watch him tense up as the gig progresses. The lighting was harsh indeed. And over an hour or so, it can start to bug you standing on stage squinting. The fire beep is an unprofessional situation as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZuemxrAblA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apVygaVf0H8
The band try to take it in good humor, but Ritchie makes his first escape attempt already at 41:21 (in the last vid) and returns – probably after taking some people to task backstage – at 42:37.
November 4th, 2022 at 23:12Yo, I guess that’s why castles are better places to have gigs…Just sayin’ lol !
I hope a refund or at least an apology was offered to the audience…
Peace !
November 5th, 2022 at 01:02@ 1 -possibly this ‘Oh Ritchie, why oh why do you still do that, after all the discipline I have subjected you to & now you revert back to the bad old days! Now GET BACK OUT THERE. Ritchie ‘ok’!
November 5th, 2022 at 01:03Uwe @1 & MacGregor @3
November 6th, 2022 at 08:30I have a classified information that Ian Gillan did a prank on Ritchie by turning the Air Con to freezing temp and dimming the light to bare minimum.
It’s pay back time.
Peace ✌️
; – ) Belated revenge for the spaghetti incident you mean?
November 6th, 2022 at 20:08I have tickets to the upcoming BN show at the Borgata in Atlantic City. I hope that venue has got it together better than this!
November 7th, 2022 at 14:09Events unfolded in a rather strange manner at the Sony Hall in the Broadway district of New York City on Sunday, October 30, 2022. After witnessing the bizarre experience, I told myself to try to forget about it. However, after reading Blackmore’s Night’s statement on the debacle, I feel that it would be a good idea to reflect on the shows that I have been to in the last six months, including Blackmore’s Night.
In inverse chronological order and from memory:
JOE SATRIANI – November 3, 2022, Ridgefield Playhouse, Ridgefield, CT.
The show was advertised with a start time of 7:30 PM and Satch went on at 7:35 PM sharp. It was a great evening of music that spanned and blended different styles like rock, blues, jazz, neoclassic, etc. Not counting intermission, Satch played for a least 2 hours and delivered big.
BLACKMORE’S NIGHT – October 30, 2022, Sony Hall, New York, NY.
Will come back to this one…
STEVE VAI – October 27, 2022, Capitol Theater, Port Chester, NY.
Show was scheduled for 8 PM, Vai kicked things off around 8:30 PM and delivered a 2-hour plus high-octane performance full of energy and showmanship. People were probably there to witness the maestro display his virtuoso technique and sound effects. He excelled.
ROGER WATERS – August 31, Madison Square Garden, New York NY.
I saw Waters at the XL Arena in Hartford, CT, in September 2017 when he was touring The Wall, and I still consider it one of the most cohesive, theatrical, and mesmerizing shows I have ever seen. Thus, I went to the August 31, 2022, show with high expectations. The music was great, and the fans got what they came for, albeit the show being too political at times.
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE – August 11, 2022, Madison Square Garden, New York NY.
I have seen many shows at the Garden, including the Van Halen reunion tour, AC/DC, The Smashing Pumpkins, and The Brothers (surviving members of the Allman Brothers, relatives and friends), which, being on March 10, 2020, turned out to be the absolute last show in New York, NY, before the city’s COVID shutdown. It would be an understatement to write that Rage were loud and intense. Suffering from a torn Achilles tendon, Zach la Rocha was carried onstage by roadcrew and placed on a speaker from where for two full hours he commanded and controlled the crowd of 20,000 in a way that I had never seen before, whether at MSG or other big venues.
KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD – May 19, 2022, Wall Street Theater, Norwalk, CT.
Absolutely incredible show anchored deeply in electric blues and with strong references to SRV (obviously), Hendrix, Johnny Winter, Buddy Guy. One of the best shows, especially this year.
YNGWIE MALMSTEEN – May 6, 2022, Wall Street Theater, Norwalk, CT.
I went to this show with some reservation, hesitant that Malmsteen could be too eccentric, and the performance could contain too much technique and not enough substance. I was wrong. He was charismatic and played his heart out. There is a fine line between arrogance and confidence, and Malmsteen did not cross it. Fifty-two Marshall speakers stacked up on top of each other created a unique wall of sound and the maestro did great. No signing, except for SOTW, of course, LOL.
And now, on to the Blackmore’s Night… I referenced the other shows from the last six months because all of them, except for October 30, 2022, had one common thread: the artists seemed genuine, humble, and grateful. Blackmore’s Night, on the other hand, was a disaster. Every other artist I listed above went above and beyond to ensure that the fans got what they came for. Not Blackmore’s Night…Ritchie played maybe 5-6 songs and then disappeared, leaving the audience in complete confusion, disappointment, shock and, in some cases, anger. This was my third Balckmore’s Night show. Obviously, I was not expecting Ritchie to show up clad in leather, Strat in hand, and play Gates of Babylon. Neither was I expecting an elaborate, awe-inspiring Broadway production in the vein of Phantom of the Opera. But I was expecting a complete show.
November 7th, 2022 at 17:57Yes, a beeping sound came on after the start of the show. We waited patiently and at some point, the keyboard player decided to briefly improvise around the sound, with the rest of the band joining in, prompting the 500 or so people there to give a standing ovation for what seemed like an effort by the band to carry on and finish the show. Then, suddenly, either after the fifth or sixth song, Ritchie took off for good leaving his wife and other band members on stage with shrugging shoulders and looks of confusion.
Eventually, the other musicians started to disappear one by one. All this occurring without a single word of explanation as to what was happening. Ironically, earlier in the show while introducing Soldier of Fortune, Candice stated that Ritchie wrote the song a long time ago when he had a reputation for being moody and difficult, as if to imply that those days were behind him…
The venue was set up as cabaret style, with most people finishing up dinner and working through desert when Blackmore’s Night finally took the stage. Given the delayed start, it was clear something was off. According to the statement, it seems like the band was dealing with other issues, like cold temperatures, prior to the beeping sound. In the audience, however, the temperature seemed completely normal, and nobody complained. The beeping sound eventually ended and, with the audience having waited as patiently as they did, it felt very strange when we realized that Ritchie had simply taken off and was not returning.
Storming offstage, without any explanation from any of the band members, did not have to be the only solution. A great opportunity was missed to rise to the occasion and power through the show even if technical conditions were not perfect. Think about the sacrifices that many people made to get to the show, including some families with children in tow. Think about the additional expenses and logistics involved, such as interstate trains, cabs, parking, dinners, etc. And, in the end, in addition to the many hours needed to and from the venue, a lot of time and resources were wasted on a “show” that lasted less than an hour and that included lots of talking by Candice and maybe 5-6 songs.
Technical issues are beyond artists’ control, I get it. I have witnessed Jeff Beck lose power in the middle of a song, but he got back on stage when power was restored, apologized, and then finished the set. Power to the sound system went out for a long time during Iron Maiden’s June 15, 2008, show at Madison Square Garden. The band’s solution, while the techs work on the issue, keep the 18,000 fans entertained by bringing out a soccer ball and playing soccer on stage. It was great, and the crowd went wild. Power to the sound system was eventually restored and Maiden finished the show, garnering much praise from the fans.
Perhaps the sudden and mysterious cancellation “at the request of the artist” of the November 3, 2022, Blackmore’s Night show at Terrytown Music Hall in Terrytown, NY, should have served as a warning. Ritchie is neither the first, nor the last to experience technical issues during a set; abandoning the show abruptly and arbitrarily is hardly the answer. The October 30, 2022, show was an awful artistic experience. I felt embarrassed for Ritchie, for his wife and for his band. And I felt sorry for the fans who sacrificed much to be there on a Sunday night, on Halloween’s Eve.
I find it puzzling that someone of Ritchie’s caliber, innovative/influential style, and significant contribution to hard rock would allow his legacy to potentially be defined by these kinds of episodes. There is no excuse for abandoning the show and for the lack of communication. If there are issues with the venue, there is no reason to take it out on the audience. We were robbed on October 30, 2022. Ritchie, you owe us a proper show.
Ouch, you were there, what you say has obvious credence.
Admittedly, I’ve been to gigs where artists faced great odds – a Wishbone Ash gig comes to mind where Andy Powell’s rig had an unpleasant electronic buzz throughout, even cutting out at times, he carried on though you could see that it was tasking for him, the man is a guitar sound obsessive. I’ve seen Jon Lord nonchalantly only play piano at a DP gig when his Hammond broke down in the middle of the set or Rob Halford at Priest gigs where he had such a bad cold/sore throat, he was unable to speak even a word between songs, but just sang. Another Priest gig where Glenn Tipton was so feverish and pale, sweat breaking from him, yet he pulled it through. I saw Gillan at a DP gig shortly after his mother had died, he explained to the audience that he wouldn’t be very funny between songs that night (and he hardly spoke), but he sang. Billy Idol finishing a gig under obvious vocal strain and pain only to be rushed off to the hospital afterwards because of severe pneumonia (with the tour then being called off).
Sometimes you just have to knuckle down. Sting once said that the best Police gig ever actually took place early in the band’s career in the middle of (Midwestern) nowhere in the US when a blizzard had cut off everyone from seing the band except for three early bar guests who could not leave because of the snow to which the band then proceeded to play.
November 7th, 2022 at 19:36Uwe
are we taking the level of FIRE ON THE BASEMENT or even worse KAYBD(1) here?
1 Am I the only male left thats not into it?
November 7th, 2022 at 21:04You and your one-track dirty mind, RV!
November 8th, 2022 at 13:22It sounds like the venue’s fault. I can understand why everyone on stage thought ‘nuts to this’.
I feel bad for the audience. It must have been frustrating for Blackmore and co.
November 9th, 2022 at 12:09Alas!, don’t we all know that the frustration tolerance of our beloved minstrel has never been that high. It’s his way or the highway (star).
November 9th, 2022 at 14:10I downloaded the complete show, I think tru PERFECTPURPLE ir was….
I do feel for the dissappointed fans who were there . Also I kinda enjoyed the recording incl the improvisations.
Btw, the firealarm or beeps went on and on, not just at the start.
Cold?
Reminds me of Deep Purple in Amsterdam 1973 when the band was frustrated as well, left the stage after a short set and all hell broke loose from the audience, trashing equipment et all
I assume the audience in NY did not have the inclination to repeat this.
November 10th, 2022 at 14:35Those Niederländers are always unruly. And they spit at football games.
https://j.gifs.com/L9rlpw.gif
November 10th, 2022 at 18:46@ Uwe
I m glad I dont gave a toss about football.
To each their own but the whole thing is infested with hooliganism, racism and corruption.
Ofcourse this did never helped socializing with my peers.
At the age of 10 I already found a sense of wit provoking them saying I was pro AJAX, not FEYENOORD.
Together with a passion for music that was seen as antique in 1977 I had talent for becoming an Einzelganger.
November 11th, 2022 at 20:32Venue to blame not Blackmore.
November 13th, 2022 at 13:33!Together with a passion for music that was seen as antique in 1977 I had talent for becoming an Einzelganger.”
I’ve noticed RV! But so am I and my interest for football (or any type of sport) is pretty much non-existent.
November 14th, 2022 at 13:42A lot of Blackmore haters, comedians and manginas here…i´m leaving bye bye.
November 19th, 2022 at 12:36@ 18
Not sure what you mean.
Btw, I d never get a foot in the door if I d love to socialise with TMIB, considering his love for football, or should I say soccer?
But maybe the man does not do it anymore and only walks through the woods?
November 23rd, 2022 at 19:41