TEN YEARS AFTER "Live At Fiesta City" DVD

TYA dedicates this DVD to Herb Staehr    

           The Complete Concert – Recorded at Fiesta City Festival
From August 30^th 2008 – Verviers Belgium
1h 20 - A Raw Powerhouse of Professional Musicianship Captured  -  Live

Stunning Full Length Live Concert / with Interactive Menus / Special Features / Colour

Band Interviews done by Tom Lyons

DVD -  All Region   

Liner Notes By Ric Lee:

We finally made it! Having promised a DVD for nearly five years, we’ve finally done it. What you see and hear is exactly as recorded on the night, no overdubs or technical doctoring, just TYA’s music played from the heart.

It was our honour and pleasure to be invited by Francis Geron, manager of the “Spirit of 66” club in Verviers to play at the “Fiesta City Festival” on 30^th August 2008. What a great gig it turned out to be with a large, enthusiastic audience. Thanks for inviting us, Francis.

Included on this DVD as added bonuses are fifty minutes of interviews with each band member, biographies, plus a photo montage synchronised to “I Think It’s Gonna Rain All Night”, a track from our latest studio album “Evolution”.

We hope you enjoy “Ten Years After Live at Fiesta City” as much as we enjoyed making it.

Ric Lee July 2009

Set List:

1. Working On The Road
2. King Of The Blues
3. Hear Me Calling
4. Big Black 45
5. The Hobbit
6. Love Like A Man
7. Good Morning Little School Girl
8. I Can’t Keep From Crying Sometimes
9. I’m Going Home
10. Choo-Choo – Mama 

DVD & INTERVIEW REVIEW

by Dave

Old Fans Stand in Total Amazement viewing their favourite Band  - While New Fans Stand Spellbound at Joe Gooch’s Guitar Wizardry.  Put these components together and you have the one and only: “Ten Years After”…… Doing what they do best … surviving and beating the odds!

The Concert was an outside affair thus the festival  atmosphere and with five thousand people in attendance, an outstanding  vibe for any recording, be it visual or audio and this dvd contains it all. From beginning to end it’s the most complete and faithful representation of the band to date. The Marquee Club was from 1983 – Live Legends was from 1990 released on Lazar Disk and on Video Tape but not on dvd. This is the first full length Ten Years After concert on dvd, with original members and the “Guitar Wizard” Joe Gooch himself. 

My personal recommendation is to watch the bonus interviews and the following song “I Think It’s Gonna Rain All Night” photo montage first, and not after the concert footage, to set the mood for what you’re about to enjoy.

The Band Plays On:

In the interview Leo Lyons says, “It’s the best of both worlds” when asked about Ten Years After then and now. The audience today has the same enthusiasm, energy and spirit as always. The difference now is everyone is affected by the music, three generations of Ten Years After fans come out to witness the magic that these four men create on stage. People in their 60’s and 70’s, people in our age range - 45 to 60 and an entirely new generation that is providing the brand new backbone, that is vital to the bands very existence.

Leo has it exactly right, and imagine an over 50 year career in music that Leo has, and still being able to look out from the stage into every age group and a band that pleases them all.

Ric and Chick in this performance give their all. Chick on keyboard and Ric doing his drum solo “The Hobbit” kept the audience enthralled throughout. 

Joe Gooch:

In his interview segments, he is just Joe – unassuming hero – and just as we know him, because he can be no other way. We’ve never heard a negative thing said or written about him, as a musician or as a man. He’s just normal, perfect for the band and totally professional.

Chick Churchill:

Having seen and talked with Chick many times over the last years, he will answer questions straight and honest always. About the Ten Years After name controversy he said, in a very matter of fact response “I AM TEN YEARS AFTER”. That my friends is the truth of the matter, and how dare anyone question Leo or Ric’s  qualifications  or rights to the name!

Besides this, Chick in the interview is Mr. Ten Years After, he’s proud, honest and engaging.

He has a music history securely tucked under his belt, no one, and I mean no one is going to con him about anything, because with his worldly experience he’ll cut you to the quick and give you no quarter (no mercy). In the interview Chick is happy, stands his ground and explains exactly what he thinks and feels.

Leo Lyons:

After many conversations with Leo I know his feeling, his style and his humour. On this interview you’ll know exactly why Leo will never waste any time mincing words. He’s straight and accurate, and you’ll get to hear him speak out on a variety of topics.

Ric Lee:

In the interview Ric’s answers come out unguarded and factual. Like the others, he pulls no punches, he has no malice or axe to grind. Ric is Ric.

Which makes you wish that he had time to give more details, tell more stories, and elaborate on the bands history and his feelings then and now. He does talk about how touring is harder as you get older – America – his children and his time away from home.  

Tom Lyons:

Is the chosen interviewer, by choice, by vote or by chance – he does an excellent job.

I myself was wondering why the band members were so relaxed and not on guard answering these questions, and in the credits I found out why. The long interview alone is worth the price of the dvd in my opinion anyways. To finally have them recorded speaking their minds is refreshing and long overdue. Now you have your chance to see the chemistry and band's interaction for yourself.

As for Tom, he is a man of a hundred hats and always on the move. In the dvd he’s the man / shadow running around behind the equipment, trying to keep it all together. You have to look quick though, he moves like greased lightning.

Note from Dave:

For some reason I always thought of Ten Years After as a huge ship. With Leo as the “Rudder”, Ric as the “Anchor”, Chick as the “Navigator” and Joe as the “Captain”.  

I just watched the entire DVD for the second time, here’s my impression:

It’s an excellent concert. The vibe is in the air. The audience is great. On a beautiful August night.

It starts off slowly, the songs start to pick up the pace – by the time it gets to “I Can’t Keep From Crying Sometimes” – “I’m Going Home” and  “Choo Choo Mama”   you’re rocking right along with the band, and what you see is what the band is all about now and has been from their start so long ago. It continues rolling on!

The band is strapped for time, there’s a time limit and at first they are a little more intense, in their playing and you can sense it in Joe’s vocals. So much to get across in so little time.

Right after “Big Black 45” the band is settled in, on track and ready to find that famous Ten Years After groove. This is the point where the band excels beyond all others.

“The Hobbit” is the real starting point and Ric Lee never disappoints in his drum solo. He’s on fire tonight and gives it his all. Seeing is believing.

This is followed up by “Love Like A Man”  and the classic “Good Morning Little School Girl” where the band interaction gets even more intense and emotional. Whick leads perfectly into: “I Can’t Keep From Crying Sometimes”. As a loyal veteran this is where I come in to really enjoy the rest of this concert. The song is performed differently every time its played,  its in that unpredictable spontaneity, as to where the bands magic resides! This version this evening top shelf sheer perfection from this viewers point of view. Start to finish just watch the entire band working, performing and enjoying themselves. This for me is the most fantastic and exciting time on this DVD and also in concert when we see them. It’s important to watch, listen and observe how this song hits all the human senses. You’ll be as drained as the band if you really get into it.

I’m Going Home: The Obligatory TYA Woodstock Song. Here given new life by Joe in places that you’d never expect, surprises and even the band doesn’t know where Joe is going or how far he’ll take it, but it’s a ride never the less – for everyone in attendance.  

Choo-Choo-Mama:  unleashed all the spare talent and energy that the band may have had left. Chick for one gave every last once of it to the song, Ric as well. Leo is Leo always ready for a go at it. Joe, was on fire and never let up for one minute, all the way through the show!