From Sean Kingsley

The longer I try and form this review in my mind, the more futile the idea becomes. Lets face it; I’ve never hidden the fact that Bonnet has always been my hero and the inspiration throughout my career. Who amongst you who know me is going to believe that any review I write will come from an impartial footing? I wish I could furnish you with the thoughts of fresh unbiased eyes but I can’t. If Graham walked on stage and recreated the gaseous (yet strangely poignant) works of the great ‘Le Petomaine’, I would still be banging in the front row and trying to acquire the CD. In my defence I would say this; Graham Bonnet comes to England for the first time in decades to sing a selection of songs from my favourite album of all time with Don Airey and the original arrangements. This was never going to be a loser for me. Or as it turns out… for anyone else.

The Graham Bonnet & Don Airey Band. It caused a fair level of excitement here I can tell you and I know the band were pretty surprised with the response on the whole. “Thanks for the turn out ? f**k me!” As Graham commented after the opening song in Stourbridge. But you have to remember that Monsters of Rock was a legendary performance. Graham will often tell you that it’s one of the highlights of his career and a lot of people here wanted to relive that moment. Having seen three of the gigs, this is more of an overall review of the tour. Let me take you through it.

Having staked my claim in front of Grahams mike in good time and growled at any boundary infringement >;-) the house lights eventually dim. During the blackout we are treated to one of my favourite pieces ? the ballroom music from Procofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. This segues through a series of keyboard ‘swoops & whooshes’ into the familiar intro to ‘Eyes Of The World’. The heavy bass sound of the keyboard arpeggio is programmed but Don has taken his place on stage and joins in with the famous synth theme that initiates a wave of cheers. By far one of the most dramatic intros ever, it is worth pointing out now that sound wise you were listening to ‘Down To Earth’. We have heard various incarnations over the years but this was Don Airey with the original sounds and the original arrangement and you were at Donnington again! The theme builds and moments before the drums kick in Graham takes to the stage. The crowd go wild, Harry James whacks out four beats on the high hat, the lights explode and the whole band wallop it out. “I see the innocent victims…”

There is euphoria here. You know you’re getting a rare opportunity to see this and what makes it better is the band know it too and are obviously enjoying it. Graham holds no punches taking the high road to the melody on the first verse as opposed to the last verse on the album. This he did even though (as he later told me) he was recovering from borderline pneumonia that forced the cancellations during the tour. It’s fair to say though that eyes were on Senor Dario Mollo as a well-known solo was fast approaching. Don later pointed out that Dario was a little nervous at the prospect but he turned out to be a revelation of the tour. I say this not as a caustic clich· as it has already been said. But he was quite simply Ritchie Blackmore with technique. A superb display of control and restraint as he recreated those well known solos with ease and whilst he emulated the sound of Ritchie’s ‘Rainbow’ Strat he regularly injected his formidable ability with just enough subtlety so as not to distract but make you think ? ‘Jeez, where can I get this guy’s CD’?

Number over and formalities observed, Graham wastes no time in cracking out the next number… ‘Loves No Friend’ (I was thinking of you Adam). There was a funny incident at my first outing in Stourbridge when Graham forgot to come in after the guitar solo. The band had to go round again and Graham made a trip around the stage to make his apologies to everyone.

Then a bit of a treat. For those of you with ‘Final Vinyl’ you will have heard the track that didn’t make it on to ‘Down To Earth’ ? ‘Bad Girl’. Such a great groove to this number. More memorable to me because by this time I was singing at the top of my tits and Graham recognised me at the end of the number. I can’t tell you how warm you feel when someone you’ve followed religiously through the years, without ever having seen them live never mind met them, eventually gets to know you well enough to say “Hello Sean how are you mate?” in the middle of his act. That’s why this is not an impartial and removed review. It’s about me and a lovely guy I know who just happens to sing up a storm and I want to talk about it, so there! I’ve been there and worked with people who prefer to live the life of an enigmatic, unapproachable name. But Graham is a regular guy who doesn’t have to try and make the effort and it sets him apart.

Dario is up next with the lovely Instrumental ‘Maybe Next Time’, which builds from a well-pitched slide to a lightening fast solo. Graham always left the stage at this point. At one venue Don makes sure there is a warm round of applause for Dario and then says he would continue if he had a singer. Grahams head pokes out from a doorway at the top of some stairs leading to the stage. “Oh! …That would be me would it?” And the intro for ‘Night Games’ is counted in. “I’ll need some help with this,” he says once he’s found the mike he left on the stage. The front row at Southend is all singing along with him and the chorus approaches. ‘…It’s got to be if it gets you there’ and he kneels in front of me and shoves the mike in my face. I don’t need any encouragement.

SK: “Night Games”

GB: “They pay for their…”

SK: “Night Games”

GB: “They were two lovers they don’t…”

SK: “Use names, it says in the rules…”

We are face to face and he’s slipping the harmonies in. We reach the end and he throws his arms around me and plants a wet one on my cheek. Then the enormity of the experience kicks in. I’ve only ever wanted to sing with Graham Bonnet since I first heard him sing as a kid and went on to be a singer myself because of him. I’d just fulfilled a lifelong ambition. “Didn’t he do well?” says Don and some members of the crowd clap me on the back. I’ve got a schoolboy grin that finishes past my ears somewhere. You’re just going to have to put yourselves in my shoes otherwise I’ll end up writing an essay on how happy that experience made me.

Then another treat and a bone of contention amongst traditionalists. The Bonnet version of Stargazer. Now you can argue this one amongst yourselves but I met Dio fans at these gigs and even a few of them said “Bugger me, I never heard Dio sing it like that.” And there’s certainly no way he could sing it with those notes and that power today. Stunning. The song finishes with a dramatic guitar solo segue into ‘Difficult To Cure’ that gets people around me jumping up and down. In the middle of this Don gets his solo, which is a great thrill for me as a keyboard player. He really is fantastic and a great showman to boot. The solo includes Beethoven, Green onions, Black Night, Toccata and Fugue in Dm, Smoke on the Water and of course finishes with ? I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside. What else? Segue number two with the 12/8 tom tom pattern that takes us back in to ‘Difficult To Cure’. Massive applause at the end and Don introduces us to some new friends. It should be a daunting prospect filling Cozy’s shoes but Harry James is such a well-loved character and respected in the industry. He has cozy’s riffs to a fine art. We rarely see his face, only the top of his shaven head as he is constantly doubled over his snare forcing as much power as possible through his kit. Then Chris Childs on the five string Fender ‘Jazz’, another member of Thunder and a fine musician who has played with everybody at some stage. He, Harry and Don also provide backing vocals that we weren’t treated to in Rainbow.

Then Don introduces his “old friend” back to the stage and on walks Graham with his personalised Takamaine. G.BONNET is inlaid into the top of the fret board. “I play a bit of guitar,” he says. “This is a short song from a band I used to have called Alcatrazz” (Cheer) “you probably don’t know it.” (SK interrupting: “Yes we do!”) “Oh I knew you f**kin’ would!” And then follows a beautiful solo version of ‘Night of the Shooting Star’. One of my faves! In Stourbridge this was followed by Graham on guitar with the band singing ‘Eight Days A Week’ by the Beatles and “…a song that was around when dinosaurs walked the earth ? Only One Woman” on which they used the Alcatrazz arrangement. But it was announced on the morning of the Southend gig that George Harrison had died and the band jammed out a gentle version of ‘Something’ in memorandum. Graham, lyrics in hand, holds out till the end of the song but then covers his mouth with a hand and the tears roll down his face. “Gets me every time that song” he croaks. “Look at me, I’m a sentimental old bastard.” We were all very moved and he doesn’t recover until the chorus of the next number ? ‘All Night Long’.

We know we’re building up to the big finale here and the crowd are waiting for the sing a long. “I f**kin’ hate this bit!” says Graham and makes up any old bollocks, the sillier the better. Including his ‘Percy Edwards’ whistle-along from Donnington that he gets Dario to join in on. There is the standard “A-a-a-a-a-all Night!” which repeats and gets higher and more impossible to keep up with every time, but I’m not giving up! Graham shoots up the octave and offers us the mike and I unload both barrels to get up there. I was a bit louder than I’d planned and Chris Childs points me out and says, “Yeah, go for it”. Back comes Graham with the mike.

GB: “I wanna love ya…”

SK: “All night long.”

GB: I wanna be with ya…”

SK: “All night long.”

And so on. The song finishes and just as I think things can’t get any better Graham offers me his hand and pulls me up on stage. Now I’ve been singing professionally since I was fifteen and anyone who knows me will tell you that I’m never lost for words when I’ve got a mike and a captive audience. But Graham says “I want you to meet my friend Sean, he’s a f**kin’ great singer.” And I get another wet one on the cheek. And I just gibbered. I could kick myself now. I wish I could have used the opportunity to tell everyone what I think about this guy but I was lost. All I could muster was “This guy is my hero (giggle)” What a nob.

And so Harry launches into the intro to ‘Lost In Hollywood’ that we all practised for hours with our cutlery in 79. I loved watching Don during the classical interlude. He plays it all and really plays it that fast. There’s no programming here. Big finish, the band take a bow and shake hands with the front row and leave us to chant for more for a few minutes.

Then they’re on again and Don starts his piano bar intro to ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’ that I reported on at his Blues & Soul festival. This always goes down well as it’s the one everyone has been waiting for and the new intro just keeps people guessing for a while longer. Graham works his way along the front row giving everyone a chance to sing a line of the chorus and the whole room is jumping up and down apart from a few ‘industry’ types who had turned up for the last of the UK gigs and decided it was better to look cool. Graham leaves the stage at the end and we get one more instrumental from these great musicians ? ‘Spotlight In The Black’.

They leave the stage again and we still want more. Unlike the audience at Milton Keynes who were pretty dire throughout. I’ve played the place twice myself and they always seem to be up their own arses there. Because of that they missed out on a blinding jam to finish. ‘I’m Down’ which segues into ‘Lucille’ and back again with Graham singing the lead to ‘Lucille’ over the backing vocals of ‘I’m Down’.

And then they were gone. I didn’t hang around at Milton Keynes. It was a tough crowd; a tiny space to play and the guys obviously didn’t enjoy it. But Southend was a corking night and I had a feeling they might fancy a beer and a chat with some familiar faces that had turned up. I waited by the pass door where there was a queue to have requisitioned posters and set lists signed and while I did Chris Childs came over to have a chat and is a thoroughly nice guy. We talked at length and in detail about working with Bonnet. As I mentioned before, Chris has worked with some big names. I offered the opinion that Graham never holds any punches when performing live and he states unreservedly that he has never worked with anyone who has Graham’s ability. He goes on to discuss particular notes that GB hits during the set, for example in ‘Only One Woman’ and marvels at the D above top C that he can reach. Then at the risk of sounding too much like an anorak I tell him that the highest note I have heard Graham sing in his chest without screaming is at the end of ‘Is There A Way To Sing The Blues’. “…I write my feelings on the sky, In the sky…”. That my friends, is a G above top C and crystal clear.

The line outside the pass door has whittled down to a few weirdoes that always seem to be left at the end of the night but I enter the dressing room where Graham & Don are signing the last few copies of ‘Down To Earth’. I introduce myself to Don again and thank him for having me on the guest list and he gives me a coke from the band’s supply. I was going to ask for a formal interview but I don’t have the killer journalist instinct. I know what it’s like after a show and they didn’t need me prying for info. Besides which I learnt more by just chatting. Graham gives me a big hug and we start off talking about his chest problem that caused a few cancellations. It started in Milton Keynes, which is one of the reasons he didn’t look too happy and then developed into the early stages of pneumonia. We talked about my band and his project with Impellitteri. No definite tour dates yet but it’s all mixed and mastered. “Is it heavy?” I ask. “Very!” he replies. And then I remember a question/opinion from Kazutaka in Japan that I agree with wholeheartedly. “There are a few of us that would really like to hear you sing other styles, you know, some Blues & Soul etc.” And he lights up. “But that’s really more my thing you know, that’s how I started. Anyone can stand on stage and do that, [in reference to his performance] just scream and shout.” “Cheap tricks?” I suggest. “Exactly.” He says. “I want to try the more subtle stuff, something that’s more of a challenge for me.” And there is the reality. We are in awe of Grahams voice because it goes places that we wish ours did but for him it is the proverbial walk in the park. The irony is that he wants to push his voice into places that maybe come naturally to some of us here. How many singers reading have had someone say to him or her “Boy I wish I could do that.” It doesn’t matter how good you are, as an artist you are rarely happy unless you are pushing new boundaries of creativity and ability. But being as good at the ‘rock thing’ as Graham is people have unfairly pigeon holed the man. Themselves stuck within a genre of music with an adamant refusal to change and a fear of experimentation. By definition, Art is creativity and cannot survive under such restrictions. But when faced with doing something for art and passions sake or paying the bills, what do you choose?

We leave the dressing room so he can get a beer and I make my farewells to the rest of the band. In the main room I decide it’s time to leave and with genuine fondness I give him one last hug and make sure I plant a sloppy one on his face in return! There is a gentle and genuine nature to Graham, you feel that he appreciates your presence and doesn’t want to let you go. I’m sad to leave because I’m sure it will be a while before I see him again but as I walk out he says, “Keep in touch”. Think of your hero, dead or alive. Musician, poet, politician, actor… everyone has one. Then imagine yours saying ‘keep in touch’.

Much as I can rant about the man and the evening I stay on the right side of obsession. I have a joyous and healthy appreciation of Grahams music and as he would be the first to tell you, he eats, farts and cocks up like everyone else. But you are a lovely guy mate and you fulfilled my lifelong ambition by letting me sing with you that night. I’ve just got to get you on CD with me now, I’m laying down the tracks already!

It seems that kindness and gentleness rubs off on his fans too since I’ve made some good friends during my time on the www and I wish you all a happy and peaceful Christmas.

Sean
www.sugarlandslim.co.uk

Hi

I went to the 10th (Sat) Stourbridge / Rock Cafe 2000 gig.

It was great to hear the old rainbow songs again. The entire set was well received and the sound was great. Graham seemed to have a problem with his ear pieces, he said he was trying out. Dario on guitar what a talent, this was the first time I have come across him and I was well impressed. Don still sounds good and the boys from Thunder, well what can I say that has not been said before. That just leaves Graham, I did not know what to expect from him (maybe the voice had gone). The man was great, getting the crowd well involved. It was good to get so close to the band instead to the usual dots on the stage you can actual see them. A great night out 10 out 10.

That good I am going to try and get to the Crewe gig if I don't have to work.

I would like to order "The Day I Went Mad" if that is possible. I have had a look on the site but it is all $ and not ?. Can you send me details so I can order it please?

Is there and chance of a signed copy?

Regards

Mark Chambers

Subject : He certainly does !

Graham Bonnet

9th November Rock2000 Cafe Stourbridge

I only saw Rainbow once, while I was away at Leicester Poly, at Granby Halls, Leicester, in 1980, on the "Down To Earth" tour. Ritchie Blackmore always was a yampy git of the highest order, but he had an unerring great taste in vocalists ? Ian Gillan and David Coverdale in Deep Purple, Ronnie James Dio and Joe Lynn Turner in Rainbow ? and, on the "Down To Earth" lp and tour, the frankly splendid Graham Bonnet. in a faintly worrying "80’s Rock God plays lack Country Pub" fashion observed on many occasions in the "Robin Hood", Mr Bonnet played the Rock2000 Cafe a couple of months ago with the same line-up - himself, Dario Mollo (Voodoo Hill), Don Airey, and Chris Childs and Harry James from Thunder ? and they had already sold out when I found out. this time I made no such mistake and secured tickets for me, Bob, Shirley and Stewart, and Sylv and Mark : and as the gig approaches I am eager to see how much of Graham’s unbelievable voice is still there, 21 years after he made (and still remains in) my Top Five "Greatest Singers I’ve Seen Live" Table.

we meet in the Other "Robin Hood" for pre-gig beer, and after a "who was supposed to ring for the taxi" delay mix-up (it was me ? d’oh) we arrive at the Rock2000 Cafe to find the support band on and the place already packed. once again, although I’ve lived in Stourbridge 80% of my life, attended local gigs for half my life and worked in Stourbridge pubs for 20 years, I don’t recognise anybody there at all ! we get beer, thread our way through to the front to find a smallish corner stage with an overhead rollercoaster-track lighting gantry, and the creative, stage-space-saving use of pub tables in front of the stage to put monitors on. as we settle the support band start off with "Hard To Handle", which is just that little bit too slow, and they are sadly more than a bit arse. they proceed to kill "Your Time Is Gonna Come", followed by "Feel Like Making Love" : all lumpen and unenthusiastic, yet the band aren’t all that incompetent ? a solid drummer, a solid if totally disinterested bassist with a Telecaster-shaped bass, a jobbing, handy guitarist on an effect-less Les Paul (could have done with fuzz and stuff) ? but somehow their frontman, sporting a Darius-like goatee dances like your dad, crouches, squats and tambourines his way comically around the stage and deflates their effect completely. they announce the last one (hurray !) and then do another one (boo !) which at least showcases a good guitar solo and a pretty fine drum solo to finish, and then they’re off (hurray !). all the while, a laptop at the back of the stage has been set up with the screensaver running the phrase "www.dariomollo.com" on the screen. mmm… I go the bar for more lubrication and meet Sylv and Mark for chats.

The support break their kit down pretty quickly and before my skiff is empty, the door to the penthouse dressing room opens (it’s like a white portacabin bolted to the ceiling stage right !) and down the dangerously steep connecting steps lurch the main men. Don Airey is easily recognisable, though also with a Darius goatee and heavier set than the Rainbow days, Dario Mollo (as advertised) is another one with a goatee (stop it at once !) and the recognisable Thunder duo of Chris Childs (no goatee) and Harry James (no hair at all) follow. last on is the big G, and he looks very trim indeed for nearly 54 (yes, I was surprised too) and still holds to shortish, flat-top hair in despite of heavy metal convention. quickly plugged in etc, they bost off with "Down To Earth"s "Eyes Of The World" with a very Rainbowy sound indeed, and to my and the audience’s delight, Mr Bonnet hits the opening lines like he’s always done - flat out ! the sound isn’t right yet ? quality good but the balance is poor, with Don Airey so low down in the mix that it’s hard to tell he’s there behind Dario ? but somewhere in there you can hear Graham’s familiar all-out vocal style, and when we get to the chorus and hits the high notes he belts them out effortlessly ! Graham Bonnet comes over a comfortable, jolly frontman with the odd amusing bout of face-pulling, including a series of puzzled / comical gurnings towards the sound corner in requests for more monitor volume : but he’s still got the required range we’ve expected from him, and if anything he’s deepened a bit with age too, somewhat mellower. behind him, the Thunder guys of the rhythm section are tight, understated and impressive.

the song finished, Graham greets us with a cheery "Hello Stourbridge !" and kicks off another Rainbow "Down To Earth" number, "Love’s No Friend", played as a slow rock-blues. Mr Bonnet is straight back there, still singing with all the stops out and flexing his incredible range ? regularly hitting the C above middle C effortlessly. the difference, though, between GB and similarly powerful singers like Dio and Chris Cornell is that they save the really high notes for intermittent choice bursts throughout a set, to preserve the voice over a tour and minimise any wear and tear : no such namb-pambyness with Graham though ? he’s at full, brave, capable stretch all of the time and is always confident that he’ll hit the big notes time and again. there ain’t NOBODY who performs like this live, and it’s both fascinating and staggering to watch. meanwhile, poor old Don Airey is still very quiet behind his array of synths, the bass and drums remain great and Dario Mollo, though capable and often guilty of NWOBHM fretwank, is trying to keep very Blackmoreish in style where the song requires and is mostly pulling it off without taking the piss. one thing ? Graham Bonnet is often singing with his eyes lidded or looking down ? is he working from a cheat sheet, I wonder ?

still, the band’s efforts are rewarded with a huge cheer on completion, and they’re straight into "Bad Girl", with Don Airey’s sound finally sorted and in full glory. he’s another understated player most of the evening, yet flexible and demonstrably proficient when required ? it’s at this point (i.e. when you can hear him) that he begins to impress for the rest of the evening. Bonnet is mellower on this song, almost bluesey, and is chummy and joking with Dario : however at one point he seems puzzled, and, bending down suddenly, he picks up and flourishes a huge sheaf of lyric sheets from the floor with a tongue-in-cheek, mock-frustrated look of confusion before continuing with a cheeky grin ! well, I think, that’s sorted the question of any cheat sheets out then ! when old Don Airey finally gets to do the audible keyboard solo we’ve been waiting for three numbers for, Bonnet comes up beside him while he’s playing in a jokey, trying-to-put-him-off manner and though it’s all meant in fun, it happily doesn’t work : Airey’s solo is just the right amount of fiddly and is very fluent and melodic. next up is "Down To Earth"s "Danger Zone" which sees GB swigging from a bottle of Bud during Dario’s once again very Ritchie-like solo : no still water and throat-preserving sprays for the big G, mate !

after we’ve all suitably clapped the band, we get a mostly-instrumental "Maybe Next Time", in which Dario Mollo started to verge away from Blackmore’s sound and show his own style a bit more, followed by a thoroughly splendid, full-on "Night Games". my notes here say "Wow" and "Fantastic Voice", and for my money it was the most breathtaking Graham Bonnet bit of the evening ? all that power, range, emotion and control coming together in one whacking big vocal sound. stunning. there is a little hiatus after the last notes of the song die away ? just a little breath, as if the crowd are mentally shaking themselves back, and then the place erupts with a very appreciative and prolongued cheer. Graham and the band seem genuinely touched by the reception, and Graham is quick to deflate any self-conscious moment by introducing the next song as "Hymn Sheet no 34" ? it turns out to be a fine, rocking version of "Makin’ Love", another one from "Down To Earth", which they are certainly mining heavily tonight. then it’s Dario Mollo’s turn to shine, with an instrumental somehow revolving around the James Bond theme : pretty flash and not overly technical, all nicely played on what looked like a straight white Strat (unlike Ritchie, with a black scratchplate though) and what seems to be a double DiMarzio pickup in place of the neck-end pickup, and no middle one at all. we all give him a good clap, anyway, bless.

hello, what’s this ? baldy Harry on the drums is playing something rather familiar ! I feel the hairs on my neck go up as my thoughts are confirmed and the band begin to treat us to a pretty damn fine "Stargazer", with everybody pulling together on this old Rainbow pleaser. Mr Bonnet easily achieves Ronnie Dio’s range, which is a scary enough concept in itself, although his voice is not as resonant as the Pixie’s ; Don Airey’s sound is spot on and impressive throughout ; Harry James produces a tight, Cozy Powell groove which was entirely convincing if you shut your eyes ; Chris Childs’ relentless moving bassline was spot on ; and the soloing from Mr Mollo was top - Ritchie would have been proud. before the final verse, however, the song segues into Beethoven’s "Ode to Joy" and "Green Onions", which is quite clearly "Difficult To Cure", and it all ends in a big rock flourish to the Stourbridge crowd’s delight. following the audience applause, Graham Bonnet does the introductions and each member is duly celebrated.

Graham Bonnet straps on a Takemine acoustic now, and kicks off a mellower segment, starting with a song I couldn’t identify ("This Night Is Mine" ?), continuing with that silly but rather jolly and throat-testing yodeller, The Platters’ "Only You" which was good-naturedly joined in with by the punters. I’d say here that some of us tried ? I tried to do 3rd and 5th harmonies below Bonnet, and it was too high for me to sing… finally for this acoustically assisted section, Graham sings us "Only One Woman" and features a very ambitious Bonnet vocal ? he tries for a top D but doesn’t quite hit it (shock horror ? the majority of rock vocalists would be proud to have achieved a fraction of his set’s performance so far !). it’s bye-bye to the Takemine and "karaoke time" next as, Robbie Williams ballad-like, GB starts a slow lounge reading of "All Night Long", crooning through the first verse till it all starts again with the full album/single version of this most famous of Rainbow hits, complete with vocal histrionics, sing-along bit for the audience and full-on Blackmoresque solo from the parodying Mollo. when it’s finished I see that enough on-stage vibration must have been going on to wobble the laptop’s mouse ? the dariomollo.com screensaver has stopped and the laptop’s screen is just showing the desktop ! finally, Graham continues to transcend his amazing brief and goes for "Lost In Hollywood", loads faster than the original, with Airey frankly tremendous on keys, Chris Childs particularly punchy, and GB going for all of the original top notes all the time. one or two weren’t nailed this time ? "vocals maybe getting strained now ?" my notes tell me, but still outstanding all the same : any lesser vocalist would have popped a vocal chord by the middle of the set !! then they’re off up the steep stairs to the high altitude of their penthouse apartments stage right.

needless to say, the punters all bay for "more please !" and before long they all pile down, risking broken ankles, for the encore. GB thanks us all for coming ? our pleasure, mate - and reminisces briefly but forlornly about his long time collaborator Cozy Powell, sadly missing in action, and it’s a sentiment genuinely and demonstratively echoed by us lot in the crowd. it’s "Down To Earth" time again ? I reckon that’s 7 out of the 8 lp tracks performed for us tonight ? with "Since You’ve Been Gone" ? once again a fabulous, authentically sounding version ? stuck in my mind is the phrase "you don’t know what you mean to me" sung an octave up ? and apart from Don Airey’s super playing, Mollo’s continual hommageing to Blackmore’s sound, that excellent tight Thunder rhythm section and Graham’s still unbelievable reaching for notes he hit on vinyl twenty-one years ago (still predominately nailed despite an evident though entirely excusable tiring by now) ? to top it all, from somewhere GB retrieves and dons a furry Russian hat in the final chorus too ! we’ve barely time to clap before tonight’s awesome band launch straight into the fiendish "Light In The Black" from "Rising" and they certainly proceed to give it a damn good try. the descending riff is played with barre chords, not Ritchie’s classical style, so it’s less intricate (do I hear cries of "trainspotter ! trainspotter !" ?) (yes, probably) but Graham dispatches the vocal with consummate ease, and Don Airey performs us a phenomenal Moog keys solo, riffs are traded with the solid and dependable Mollo and sadly it all ends much too soon and the night is over.

but… the bar is still open ! we cadge an extra pint and indulge in some happy post-gig chatting, by which time sundry band members and leggy girlies wander into the bar area too. as we leave to hit the taxi rank, we all stop and shake Graham’s hand and give him the "the last time I saw you was in Leicester / Donnington" chat which he must get all the time. Stuart tells us as we leave that Dario Mollo sidled up for chats and handshaking too, and we didn’t notice and unintentionally cut him ! sorry, Dario ! it was taxi time and we were getting to the Blinded By Beer stage.

…and I wake up the next day, having attempted to sing harmonies with Graham Bonnet the night before, with the deepest, hoarsest Black Magic Chocolate voice ever. meanwhile, Mr Bonnet has to do it all again that night on the second Rock2000 date. I have no doubt that he will pull it off.

verdict time then. firstly, the set was predominately a Rainbow set, despite the fact that Bonnet was only their singer for one lp and a tour ? that was OK by me matey but if you’d come for Alcatrazz or Impellitteri stuff you would have been denied (I won’t say disappointed). Dario played faultlessly all night and where it was needed or expected, he switched to Blackmore’s style effortlessly, straddling the line between tribute and pisstake sometimes quite closely indeedy. in many ways the two Thunder guys were the unsung stars of the show ? tight, well-rehearsed, seasoned and unobtrusive ? and they held it together in the finest Rainbow tradition. Don Airey ? fabulous. so much more the complete keyboard player than the Rainbow days, sensitive, expressive, commanding, able and technical ? thoroughly splendid. and then there’s Graham Bonnet. I’ve only touched on this above, but throughout the night there was copious use of word sheets, sometimes so much so that he hardly looked at us, and I’ve had it said to me that it was obtrusive ? it did start to get on my nerves a bit too, but only peripherally. mainly, Mr Bonnet had done what I wanted and bought his unbelievable Voice along with him. it started to be "only" 95% effective towards the end of a set that would have torn the larynx from many of his contemporaries, but, Jesus, he could sing then in spades, and he’s still got it now. incredible range, power, confidence, recklessness and stamina, with, for my money, soul and emotion levels upgraded with the intervening years too. also, he always seemed genuinely, humbly pleased that we liked him ? an endearing, honest mixture of surprise, warmth, coyness, gratitude and friendliness. sometimes you return to an artist you were impressed with a long time ago and they justify the memories you’ve held all this time : Graham Bonnet certainly didn’t even come close to letting me down ! somewhere above, I said that Nobody Sings Like This Live : but Graham Bonnet still does. wow.

Malcolm Jeffery

xxx

(more Malcy fun can be found at http://freespace.virgin.net/malcolm.jeffrey/Malcolm.htm !)

By the way the small crowd was because the gig was badly advertised who cares I loved it. Hope grahams voice gets better....
Dave Chambers

From jon dea

Graham, it was nice to meet you and even nicer to hear you, but when can we see you without don? I was a little sad about the lack on bonnet track I would like to hear some of the great Alcatrazz tracks like God Bless Video and Painted Lover. Not to be to negative, I will say its great to see you still sing like a rock singer when many others have faded away.

P.S. Tell Don if he won't play Alcatrazz the next time you up I will open for you with God Bless Video

PP.S  The demon666 is not the devil its speed demon/my name is dea and steve vai is 666

Zaks - Milton Keynes

Of all the venues in all the world..........what ever made them pick this one?

It takes longer to say Zaks than to walk round it, but those of us lucky enough to be there didn't mind that.

The guys put on a great show, especially considering the limitations imposed by the size of the club. Opening with Eyes of the World, the 5 ran through a set that took us all back 20 years to the glory days of rock n roll. Stargazer, All Night Long, Since You Been Gone, Night Games - magical.

Graham was the only one of my three favourite vocalists - Phil Mogg and David Coverdale being the other 2 - I hadn't seen before this year. Seen him twice now and well worth the wait. Even stopped for autographs and a chat.

Smashing guy....good luck to him.

Paul Nathan

Just a quick line to say what a great gig last night's Waterfront show was on a cold wet, miserable Sunday night about 350(ish?) punters turned out for a great show from some of rock's finest. I hadn't seen Dario before and he was fantastic, Ritchie who...?

Graham was brilliant, is it me or is he genuinely surprised that he's still popular over here? The bloke is a fantastic front man and probably the reason I got into Rainbow in the first place. The clothes, the voice, the guy has got it all and live on stage his voice is bloody awesome. The band are all top quality. Don (I think....) has put together a great unit and this show will appeal to a lot of younger fans as well as old heads like myself.

I just really hope that magazines like Classic Rock at least review the gigs and maybe interview the band once again, if you've not made plans to catch these shows, get a ticket and give yourself a treat!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good to see the band taking time out afterwards to sign stuff and talk to the fans, true pros.

Andy Bolton

Cambridge

England

Graham thought the gig was fantastic even with your sore throat. I selfishly would of liked 'Night Games' to of been an encore. Thanks for the memories.

John

Thursday 29th November I went along to Bradford Penningtons to see Graham with Rainbow supported by Saxon. This was such an amazing gig. For years I've been waiting to see him live and after the gig he even came down to the bar area to meet his fan's, Graham had time to speak to the people who wanted to meet him. I'd like to take this opportunity to say thanks to Graham for having time to talk to me and signing my CD covers. Can't wait to see him and the band again on the next tour. Once again Absolutely fantastic gig.

All the best

Frank

Just a quick word to say how immensely we (wife and I) enjoyed your concert at B'frd last thursday night. Been wanting to see your goodself for many year since I got Down to Earth when it came out all those years ago - I was 18 at the time and now have just turned 40... :-(

Pass my regards on to everybody concerned!

Cheers,

Spam

Matthew Atkinson

From "Philip Catleugh"

Well what can I say.

Excellent show at Bradford Pennington's last night.

We are all a lot older, but the music still matters.

Well done Chaps.

PC

Firstly, Thank you to the team behind Rainbow @ Pennington's (Bradford, England) tonight.

Absolutely professional.

Every since my dad introduced me too the sound of Graham Bonnet & partners (i.e Marbles, Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group, Alcatrazz, Sorry about the spelling and many more) Graham and his music as been a massive influence.

Hope you can pass this on too Graham.

Shit hot gig, ya know where many of your fans are, hope you can gig around this area again (thanks for the signings). All the best
Michael and Family.

Hi all!!! I'm only writing here to let you know that I'm waiting impatiently for the next weekend to see you finally in concert. I'm from Madrid and I'm going to travel to Barcelona only to see Mr. Bonnet's show (8 hours on the roadl!!...I'd prefer you came to Madrid, but it doesn't matter!!! :-)). I guess that it'll be a very special night for you and for all your audience because you're very loved here in my country and spanish people are very very warm people.

Hope you enjoy the show.

Esther from Spain (Madrid).

P.S.: It would be possible to take a photo with you and the rest of the band?

From "Jordi"

Hello Graham:

I was last Saturday in Barcelona (Bikini's show, do you remember??) and I'm still knock out!!! What a "f__king" great concert!!!!!!!!!!!

I was in front of you from the third line and I sang every song so I've lost my voice yet. All the band were fantastic (Don Airey is great) and I've enjoyed a lot but I think you should play songs from all your bands like MSG, Alcatrazz (why not "Jet to Jet", "Samurai" or "Tonight I fly"??? Dario can play it!!!) and Impellitteri.

Cheers, Graham and thanks to God for your great voice!!!!!

From "JUAN FRANCISCO MARTINEZ MARTINEZ"

Subject : spanish tour

thank you for coming to barcelona. just wonderful concert. I'll never thought that I could hear again themes of rainbow with one of authentic vocals of the group. thanks to don airey and his band. tahnk you again graham and long life to your voice.

juan from barcelona if you remeber you sent me two months ago a photo dedicated to me at the same time I bouht your two last albums

bye.

From Dave Williamson

Hi Guys,

Just a quick note to say 'CHEERS YOU LOT!' we had a great time in Barcelona!

GIRLSCHOOL!

"Jam Session - Escola de Musics" <jamsessionmusic@terra.es>

Hellooo!!!! Webmaster!!!!! Thank you very much for your work!!!
Fantastic concert the last 1 December in Barcelona. Great and perfect voice of Graham Bonnet.
Desire the best thing for him.
When I was young I listened for many hours to the G.B. voice. Always dreamed about the moment of this photo.
Whenever I listen to its voice I learn something new. I have all the written interview. It is of much interest for all the students of voice of my school. If it wants to review or to rectify some answers, it can do it.
G.B., You already have a friend in Barcelona for always...forever.
They separate kilometros, years and languages but unite the love to us by the art of the voice.
Thank you very much Graham...I never forget...

Luis Blanco Patus

Director of music and teacher of singing in:

www.jamsessionescolademusics.com

( Sorry for my bad English ).