Hello Fans of Graham,
Sorry about the delay in getting out my review but I was "Lost In Hollywood" for
a couple of days. 1st off it was a 5 hour drive to the show but well worth it, just picked
out some choice Graham tunes & hit the road. We arrived at Paladino's about 4:00
to check out the place (it is a very nice club with an excellent sound system & great
looking waitresses) & then went to eat. We came back around 7:30 to get a table
up front & had to sit through a couple of opening acts. Graham showed up during a
Jethro Tull tribute band set (Glenn Cornick the original basest for Tull got up &
played about half the set with them, good band) & quickly went back stage.
Before Graham's set he came out & signed autographs, I got a couple of CD's signed
& a my picture taken with him, pretty cool! I mentioned I had the Marbles CD & I
think it caught Graham off guard a bit, he looked at me & said "THE MARBLES"
& then somebody stuck another CD in his face to sign so that was the end of that.
Graham
& his band opened with "God Blessed Video" the mix was excellent from the
start with Graham's voice coming through loud & clear. "Stand In Line" was
up next with guitar player Howie Simon being on the spot with Chris Impellitteri sitting
in the audience, & he pulled it off with ease. "Don't Look Down" from The
Day I Went Mad was next with keyboard/guitarist John Thomas doing his best Mick Ronson
solo (Vivian Campbell plays the solo on the CD) This song has a nice grove to it.
The band then played a smokin version of "S.O.S." from Line Up.
When Graham said "Back in a time when Dinosaurs roamed the land" we all knew it
was Rainbow time. "Love's No Friend" was the tune which gave Graham a chance to
sing the blues. An excellent version of "Island In The Sun" was followed
by a John Thomas /Bonnet song "Spiked" from The Day I went Mad CD, an up tempo
song that was probably wrote just for playing live, & it worked. It was now MSG time,
"Dancer" with the whole band helping out on vocals & Graham commenting on
how hard that song is to sing. Graham was using his vocal cheat sheet that was on the
floor but it did not distract from his singing & the song went over great! It was time
to slow things down a bit with Graham's tribute to James Dean "Will You Be Home
Tonight" (who died about 2 hours away out in the valley). & "Night Of The
Shooting Star" dedicated to Maurice Gibb who Graham called a dear friend. I do
not know if Graham has ever played this song live before, but to see Graham sing it
accompanied only by his acoustic guitar & not having to sing over a band gives you a
true idea of the power & range he possesses, awesome, scary, impressive I was in awe!
Now Back to one of my favorite LP's from the 80's "Assault Attack" & Desert
Song. Howie Simon nailed this song & the rhythm section of Glenn Sobel on drums &
Tim Luce on bass were dead on. The crowd was Rock'n big time on this song. "All Night
Long" was the last song of the set with the sing along section still intact, my
throat was bleeding after trying to sing along to Graham vocal lines. & then the band
was off.
Time for encores "Since You Been Gone" & "Lost In Hollywood" &
then Graham & the Band went off into the sun set. Great show! Great Crowd! Graham's
voice shined through all night long, & the band simply kicked ass!
PS: I went & talked to Chris Impellitteri after & he said he was working hard to
complete the next CD & was going to be playing some festival shows this summer
in Europe. I hope this involves Graham.
Take Care,
Rick
PS: I would have liked to have heard "Broken Promises" "Jet To Jet" "Underground" oh well, maybe next time.
Setlist:
1. God Blessed Video (Alcatrazz)
2. Stand In Line (Impellitteri)
3. Don't Look Down (Solo: The Day I Went Mad)
4. S.O.S. (Solo: Line Up)
5. Love's No Friend (Rainbow)
6. Island In The Sun (Alcatrazz)
7. Spiked (Solo: The Day I Went Mad)
8. Dancer (Michael Schenker Group)
9. Will You Be Home Tonight (Alcatrazz)
10. Night Of The Shooting Star (Alcatrazz)
11. Desert Song (Michael Schenker Group)
12. All Night Long (Rainbow)
(Encore)
13. Since You Been Gone (Rainbow)
14. Lost In Hollywood (Rainbow)
Graham & Howie
Tim Luce and Graham
John Thomas
Glenn Sobel
