Date: Mon, 23 Oct 1995 00:41:03 -0400 From: BGervais@aol.com Subject: Bobby's German tour with Ritchie
Hello everyone! I have finally returned from my nine fabulous days in Germany and the Netherlands following Ritchie and Rainbow on tour. I had the absolute best time of my life. I wanted to share a few of my experiences with you all about my trip and say a little about the gigs I went to.
I flew into Frankfurt and then took the train to Berlin. After nine hours on airplane and five hours on the train with no sleep, I arrived in Berlin about two hours before I was supposed to meet Axel from the Net and go to the gig. My fatigue disappeared as soon as I met Axel and he told me about the prior gigs in Hannover and Dusseldorf he saw. It appears that in Hannover, Ritchie actually spoke over the microphone and introduced Doogie!! He also turned the lights back off after they had come on and came out to do another encore!!! Dusseldorf, as most probably know by now, was shot by Rockpalast and will be broadcast on German television next week (60 mins or so) and the whole thing being broadcast next January. Both gigs were supposed to have been super.
Needless to say I was immediately psyched up for the Berlin gig. I had not seen RB since the Texas Jam in 1985. Berlin is an absolute fantastic city. We arrived at the gig and amazingly the front door was wide open. We walked on in and up the stairs. As Axel and I made a quick pit stop at the restroom, we came out and was told by his girlfriend that the singer had just walked by!!! We asked where and went in that direction. Lo and behold when we walked over to the floor of the concert hall, there was Doogie standing right next to the soundboard!! Now I spent most of my life growing up in Dundee, Scotland and when I speak to someone from Scotland, the old accent comes back readily and most Americans have no idea what I am saying. I went up to Doogie and introduced myself. He was quite impressed I had come from America to go on tour with the band and was pleased to meet a fellow "countryman" who had moved to Texas. He introduced me to the roadie running sound who was also from Scotland. The talk immediately turned to football (Doogie supports Motherwell). I asked Doogie if he knew anything about the internet. He replied he is so nontechnical, when the roadies told him he was getting a radio controlled mic (cordless mic) he "had visions of them controlling the mic like a remote controlled car-where I (Doogie) would be hollding on to the mic and they would be controlling his movements like a car" . The roadies all laughed. We also talked about his time in the Tygers of Pan Tang, the tour so far, the album, and how he got to meet Ritchie and sing with the band. Doogie said they recorded more tracks for the album but Ritchie did not finish them on purpose because he didnt want them to end up on a "Powerhouse" album ten years from now!! Doogie also can't do All Night Long because it is right out of his range. Doogie is the most sincere and nicest guy you would ever want to meet and very very funny. He signed an autograph on the back of one of his bills and signed me up for 2 free tickets and backstage passes for the Rotterdam gig. Then security kicked us out so the band could do a soundcheck. We went out side and caught Chuck Burgi on the way in. Also a nice guy- he signed a few autographs and walked on in to the venue. He stopped when I told him I was from Texas and had come over to see a few gigs. He asked if this was the first gig I had attended. I said yes. He gave me an autograph and a hearty handshake before leaving to go on in.
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