Newsgroups: alt.music.deep-purple Subject: Rainbow in Zurich 27 Oct From: ikeda@axcrna.cern.ch (Makoto Ikeda) Date: Fri, 27 Oct 1995 09:08:00 GMT
The set list appears to be stable now. It is the same as Rotterdam with changes in the encores (except Mistreated was missing). A mix spanning DP Mk I to SIUA.
(Encore 1)
(Encore 2)
I do not have SIUA yet so I won't comment on those songs other than to say that I do not like what they did with Grieg! Much of the majesty is lost and not much is added.
The highlights for me were the slow numbers (Temple and Rainbow Eyes). Especially the latter as Doogie and bassist sang a very nice duet. Doogie tried to get the Zurich crowd to sing along, but they were either quiet or did not know the lyrics. At the end of the song he shouts out "Don't be shy Zurich!" Temple had the keyboardist prominent which is too bad because I'd rather hear Ritchie on this. Perhaps it was the mix.
He really surprised me. There were no abrupt cuts in the concert like in the 80's. He may be trying a bit too hard to change his reputation. He hands out beer as a matter of policy (the glasses were set up by a roadie beforehand to be given out by him using a stick). Still, better to have him in a good mood! He approaches the crowd more often now and the best was during SOTW when he switched with the bassist!!! The bassist could barely play the guitar, but Ritchie had a fine time playing Roger's line. Near the end he jumped out onto some equipment and pushed out the bass toward the audience so they can strum along. The crowd was going wild!
During Ariel which is a quiet number, a drunk guy was shouting at a security man. Since he was shouting during Ritchie's solo, I kept wondering if Zurich would end up like Hamburg with Ritchie cutting off the show. But no, both Ritchie and Doogie pointed and looked at him going "Shhh". Then Doogie announced the pub song "just for the drunk guy".
I saw Candy at the back singing during Too Late for Tears. She had a mike but was hidden from most of the crowd.
The keyboardist did not have any remarkable solos. He is no Airey or Carey and definitely he is not Lord! One solo is from the riff from "On the road again" by Canned Heat. Not too impressive.
The bassist was good, a bit of the heavy metal style of playing. His singing parts on the DP tunes (Burn and SOTW by Mk III) were Glenn's parts, but Glenn is better, not surprisingly.
Chuck Burgi was also very good, although I really miss hearing Paicey on the drum solo. Burgi is missing that touch of Gene Krupa that Paicey does so well.
The best was Doogie White though. There is no doubt that Doogie is a fantastic singer and I now understand what Ritchie means from the interview in Hard & Heavy. He has an excellent range and a clear almost classical voice. He is no JLT and I am almost tempted to say <flame suit on> he is better than RJD. He lacks the gritty edge in Ian's voice, but let's say that the two are just different singers. He sang some wonderful off-the-cuff ditties like "Switzerland is so clean, I love your chocolate, etc." I don't know if the Zurichers understood what he was singing though.
I got a pass, but they didn't let people in anyway. I hung around and Doogie showed up at the window. He started playing the part of the pope! "Yes no sex, no drinking..." He then threw out a couple of drinks (humph, I only got a Sprite), sprayed out some whip cream.
Burgi came out to sign some autographs. I asked him about Ritchie and Candy and he said that they travel separately from the rest of the band. When I mentioned Hamburg, he said that it was actually a good show, just short. Ritchie got pissed off at people at the front feigning that they were asleep. Also there were some "personal" reasons that he could not get into other than that Ritchie has family in Hamburg. So it appears the ex-wife and son may have affected him too.
I had to leave early because of a three-hour drive home, but they were cool, nice guys.
The DP tunes are real crowd-pleasers, but I find it strange that Ritchie criticized DP for being just a "reunion" thing and yet he plays a significant number of DP tunes. Perhaps in the future Rainbow will develop a character of its own.
Svante Pettersson 20 november 1995