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Photo
by B&D
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CONCERT
REVIEW
TEN
YEARS AFTER LIVE IN VECHTA, GERMANY
FRIDAY
APRIL 13, 2007
The
Journey:
Started
out much later than we intended or expected 6:00 on
a beautiful spring day.
Headed
to Osnabruck to pick up our friend and travelling
confidant Reinhard who offered to drive us from his
house to the concert. It’s little over an hour on
the autobahn, but locating the venue turned out to
be more of a challenge as we kept passing the street
that leads right to the place. After a few circles
around the area, and driving in a holding pattern,
we finally came to roost in a parking lot just a few
short steps away from the main entrance.
Capacity:
The
main room holds not a soul more than 400 and it was
now at 450 human sardines all lined up in a row
anticipating a rock n´ roll show. No place to sit,
even standing so tight elbow to elbow wasn’t very
pleasant, but we managed to work our way from the
left side of the room to the right, where we were
now promptly stuck at an improvised table counter
(bar) that serves beer. From here, my two concert
colleagues slithered into the next available corner
for shelter. I was stuck lugging our bags, which
were now wrapped around two different fans feet and
legs, Brigitte came to the rescue and lead me into
the promised (land) corner – thankful but still
stuck and uncomfortable…I decided to carve out a
little space right on the corner of the stage.
From
this vantage point I got to watch the opening band
in action – YOUNG & GREY
The
Opening Act:
“Young
and Grey” opened with the Georgia Satellites song
“Keep Your Hands To Yourself” – some John
Fogerty “Hurricane” and a few other now classic
tunes designed to warm up an already hot and
sweltering audience. The guitarist did some
bottleneck slide, the singer was high energy and the
drummer kept everyone honest, pushing everything
right along at break-neck speed, the bass player was
to my far left, so his contribution could be heard
more than seen. Their entire set was a good preface
for what was to follow.
Break
Down / Set Em´ Up Again:
Every
time there’s an opening act, there’s problems
getting the headliner on the bill up and running.
Every thing has to be reconnected, readjusted,
re-tuned and recalibrated all over again. Tom Lyons
was all over the stage along with Wolfie trying to
get Ten Years After ready for take off and into
their stellar flight groove position.
As
I sat there watching this stage activity, all of the
sudden a black cloud passed overhead and it was
getting darker by the second……I now had a roof
over my head, Chick’s keyboard had arrived. Cords
and cables all over the place – half on the carpet
and half on the wooden stage floor, I could see that
Chick would be having a difficult time with his
pedal foot-work, and sure enough that proved to be
the case.
Sound
problems – Wolfie jumped right on it and got
everything up and running in short order.
All
in all – it really came together rather quickly,
all things being considered.
TYA
In Concert Once Again:
Worshiping at Mr. Churchill’s feet.
The
room is darkened, pre-recorded music starts coming
from the P.A. system and here comes the members of
TYA walking languidly. Chick steps over to take up
his position and starts kicking the loose cables
under his feet right away and adjusting his foot
pedal. He hasn’t seen me taking up residence under
his trusted Roland Keyboard yet so I decided to give
him a little tug on his blue jeans just to make him
aware of my presence, but he thinks it’s some over
zealous fan who’s going to make his life a living
hell throughout the entire show, as he quickly snips
back “What's going on here?” –
I raise my hand to shake his and flash him a
smile from down under!
The
rest of the concert for me was viewed from that
vantage point, Chick’s knees and subtle foot work
– looking up at Joe who now looks like a massive
figure to me wailing that axe over head,
to Leo who spots me when the bright lights
come up and shoots me a big happy Leo smile and a
nod of approval. Ric is blinded between lights and
equipment, so that I can see him perfectly but
he’s unable to catch my presence around Chick’s
ankles.
50,000
miles opens up the set, Hear Me Callin´ King Of The
Blues, Big Black 45, Love Like A Man, Can’t Keep
From Cryin´ Sometimes, Angry Voices and Time To
Kill puts everything into motion. But as the band is
in perfect balance it’s the audience who’s the
real stars – standing for a two hour show, all
eyes focused towards the stage, and their attention
rotating in colourful splendour from one fantastic
musician to another, in systematic succession.
Brigitte
and Reinhard moved to take up positions in the
narrow upper loft area, far better for picture
taking as is evident from Brigitte’s photos that
complement this review.
The
concert was in TYA’s
upper 90 percentile, for passion, energy and
overall presentation. As they kept the audience
entertained and enthralled throughout the entire
proceedings.
As
many times as we’ve witnessed the magic of Ten
Years After I’m still fascinated to see it in
action, the charisma and their interaction with the
fans. On stage and off, what you see is what you get
– the best of everything.
Backstage
Area:
After
the show and following their meet and greet session,
Ric invites us backstage. A nice size room for a
change, and we can see that the promoters have
supplied them with enough drinks and food to satisfy
their needs – and hungry and thirsty they are. Joe
and Chick make a quick get away in about ten minutes,
but before that I get the chance to personally tell
Chick just how sorry we are about the recent passing
of his mother. We never had the chance to meet the
woman, but she was kind enough to allow us access to
her personal collection of her sons music history,
for use on our website…and through Chick had the
chance to thank her very much indeed. Her passing is
so recent (just a week or two before) that Chick is
still very emotional, saddened and still in mourning.
He told us, “she has been ill and fading for a
long time”. While it may have been expected it’s
still a shock to loose a loved one, and as I told
Chick – mothers can’t be replaced, we only get
one special woman in our life, the ones who come
later, carry on as surrogate substitutes.
It’s
my opinion that his mother was his biggest supporter,
and constant thread throughout his life and career.
Peace be to your mother Chick and may
your sorrow pass quickly in understanding and
knowing.
As
Chick returns to the hotel, Leo and I have a chance
to chat a little – it was sunny and warm in
Nashville he says, then the temperature bottomed out
and ice entered, while a noreaster was now hitting
my folks back home and this hasn’t happened in
April since 1992….while I explain to Leo that
I’m already on my second lawn cutting here in
Germany – and as I’m writing this we’re in the
mist of a 80 to 90 degree heat wave reminiscent or
July or August. Winter in New York, ice in Nashville
and springtime in Deutschland – what a concept.
Leo
and I then switch to the ugly power poles back in
the states that are so damn vulnerable to power
outages – I point out that here the power supply
runs under ground and just how smart is that I ask
him – brilliant idea I say. His reply is typical
Leo, straight and factual – America is a very
young country while Europe is century’s ahead and
ancient…about a half dozen centuries more and
America will catch up.
This
led us into fibber-optics and eventually back into
the history of Ten Years After…we do cover a lot
of ground in a short amount of time.
I
really love listening to Leo, Ric and Chick talk
about the history of the band, meaning their
experiences on stage, on the road, as friends and
band-mates – along with the people they’ve met
over the years, people who are now legendary
figures to us common mortals but
contemporaries to them, who lived through the
1960’s and 1970’s and survived to tell their
tale.
In
the past few years and our chance to get to know the
guys on a personal level, I’m enthralled to just
listen to them banter back and forth on different
topics.
For example: A
topic of something or other will begin, such as
I’ll ask a question about say Keith Moon, Graham
Bond, Jimi Hendrix, Jack Bruce …. Then, if
they’re all standing within ear-shot they all join
into the conversation with memories galore to offer
into the mix.
Then
the fun starts when their memories collide in
different forms, and the stories have different
facts (lost, misplaced or re-adjusted by time and
over the years – there’s no malice of
forethought here, Christ, it was a life time ago now,
I’m surprised that they can remember as much as
they do). But, while one memory may differ from another and another, in
the end they reach a workable solution and factual
time-line, and to me that’s magic.
On
this night I inquire about Leo’s book, only to be
reminded that he has a great many irons in the fire
at any given time. Leo is a workaholic, he looks for
different ways to vent his artistic nature and his
gift of artistic perfection. He looks for solutions
to problems and he sticks with it until resolved.
Talking
with Leo, you can see just how fast his thought
process is, how deep his knowledge goes (really
unfathomable) and his ability to be precise and
factual – shifting gears from sharp witty humour
– slightly sarcastic when needs be, and intense
and serious as hell underneath
that smiling cowboy alter ego façade
of his.
Band
Books:
If
all five members of Ten Years After each wrote a
book, you’d have a shit-load of incredible stories.
You could compare them, dissect them individually
and then put them back together again….each one
would represent a different aspect of the person and
the band as a whole entity. Although I’d love the
idea of this total aspect concept – in the end
I’d draw the same conclusion – “Let The Music
Do The Talking”.
Ric
Lee is trying to eat and drink while answering
questions from all around the room. He’s as quick
as Leo but besides having the same band experiences
he also carries the burden / responsibility of TYA
NOW with him at all times. Teacher, Drummer,
Manager, Husband Father and general cook and bottle
washer, he does it all.
Back
to Leo, we continue our chat for a another ten
minutes or so, and in between Reinhardt is talking
with Ric , asking questions and comparing notes
about different drummers, concerts and festivals.
When a nice looking woman enters and thanks the band
for coming and a job well done, introduces herself
to Brigitte and I and then exits just as fast as she
came.
Then
Wolfie says “time to go” and this little rap
session has ended just as fast as it started.
As
always, our thanks to TYA for another great concert
and for allowing us into their world.
We
will see them again tomorrow night.
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NACHRICHTEN LOKALTEIL
OLDENBURGISCHE
VOLKSZEITUNG |
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Ein
perfekter Abend auch ohne Alvin Lee
Woodstock-Legende
Ten Years After begeistert 400 Zuhörer im Vechtaer
Gulfhaus / Handgemachter Bluesrock
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Den Blues im Blut: Bassist und Gründungsmitglied
Leo Lyons und der neue Gitarrist und Sänger von
Ten Years After, Joe Gooch, begeisterten das
Publikum im Gulfhaus. Foto: Suffner
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Von Ulrich Suffner, Vechta
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Ten Years After ohne Alvin Lee?
Ist das nicht so etwas wie die Stones ohne Mick Jagger?
400 Rockfans stellen sich diese Frage, als sie am
Freitagabend zu den Klängen der sehr ordentlichen
Vechtaer Vorband „Young & Grey“ das Gulfhaus
betreten. Die Zweifel der Fans verfliegen schon nach den
ersten Gitarrenriffs. Joe Gooch, der erst 29-jährige
neue Bandleader ist weit mehr als ein Ersatz für
Woodstock-Legende Lee. Ten Years After, Kultband der frühen
70er, ist auch im Jahr 2007 jeden Cent Eintritt wert.
Gooch drückt der vor 40 Jahren gegründeten
Bluesrockband einen modernen Stempel auf. Das merken
auch die in Würde ergrauten Rockveteranen im Publikum,
die vor dem unverhofften Woodstock-Revival im heimischen
Jugendzentrum noch schnell einmal die alten
Schallplatten durchgehört haben. Goochs Finger sind
vielleicht nicht ganz so flink wie die des
„schnellsten Rockgitarristen aller Zeiten“, aber die
Soli des Londoners sind wunderbar flüssig, seine
Instrumental-Duelle mit Organist Chick Churchill oder
Bassist Leo Lyons sind mehr als aufregend und seine
Stimme ist, wenn auch weicher als jene von Lee, ganz
sicher nicht weniger leidenschaftlich. Vor der Bühne
wird vom ersten bis zum letzten Song durchgezappelt und
so mancher Altrocker auf der Galerie des Gulfhauses hat
Pipi in den Augen.
Knapp zwei Stunden wird handgemachter Bluesrock
zelebriert, ohne technischen Schnickschnack, so dass
einem die berühmte Feststellung von
Jethro-Tull-Frontman Ian Anderson wieder in den Sinn
kommt: Rockmusik sei im Grunde genommen nichts anderes
als elektrisch verstärkte Energie. Die TYA-Gründungsmitglieder
Ric Lee, Chick Churchill und der stets freundlich
grinsende Leo Lyons sehen das genauso. Lee bearbeitet
sein Schlagzeug wie am jüngsten Tag, insbesondere bei
einem fulminaten Solo. Gemeinsam mit Bassist Lyons
zimmert er ein unumstößliches Fundament für Goochs
nicht nur technisch atemberaubende Soli. Etwas abseits
bearbeitet Chick Churchill seine Orgel, wie es ein
Rocker tun sollte, rhythmisch, hart, vorantreibend.
Die Engländer spielen die alten Klassiker mit
jugendlicher Frische: „Good morning, little school
girl“, „I'd love to change the world“ oder „Love
like a man“. Aber auch die neuen Songs des
Comeback-Albums „Now“ aus 2004 bejubelt das
Publikum. Diese Wiederbelebung ist gelungen. Bleibt noch
das unvermeidliche Finale. „Goin’ Home“, der größte
Hit der Band, der auf dem Woodstock-Film verewigt den
Ruhm von Ten Years After begründete. Rasant und souverän
wechselt der klassische Bluesrock-Vierer für die
letzten Minuten auf die Überholspur, gefolgt vom
berauschten Publikum.
Alvin Lee soll sich derzeit an spanischen Stränden mit
Fusion-Projekten und afrikanischen Trommlern die Zeit
vertreiben. Dort soll er bleiben. TYA aber sollen
wiederkommen. Vielleicht schauen auch andere Legenden
mal auf der Zitadelle vorbei. Die 400 Leute von Freitag
wären erneut dabei, wenn das Gulfhaus rockt wie in
besten Zeiten.
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