The Greek audience, one might say, has developed a warm relationship with Joe Lynn Turner. His
performances in our country may not be accompanied by a big fanfare, and their promotion may not reach the scale of other events, but the turnout at Gagarin Club, even at the last minute, confirms my assertion above. Let’s also not forget that on Sunday night, the couch and the TV were both deterrents to soccer and basketball fans going to a concert.
The Athens-based band Birds Of Vale, who released their second album this year, proved to be an excellent choice for the opening act. I’d categorize them as Heavy / Blues / Alternative rock, though I also detected some hints of Southern Rock. I really enjoyed their performance, both musically and in terms of their stage presence. In the 30 minutes they had, they personally impressed me more than any other Greek band has in quite some time.
It took over half an hour before a short intro kicked in followed by “Death Alley Driver” and “Power”, perfect songs for what turned out to be a very powerful set. As expected, this set focused primarily on Turner’s days with Rainbow, and was rounded out with “King Of Dreams” and “The Cut Runs Deep” from “Slaves And Masters”, as well as “Perfect Strangers” and “Highway Star,” which he performed on that tour. “Rising Force,” from his time with Yngwie Malmsteen, was also performed.
I usually get bored listening to singers ramble on during a concert, it depends on what they’re saying, of course. Turner did talk a lot with the crowd, to be honest, though not so much about how amazing and incredible the audience was. He shared the stories behind almost every song before performing it, which I really enjoyed and think was well worth it. As for his voice… incredible! It sounded crystal clear, and it was perhaps the best performance I’ve seen from him so far; I’d even dare to say it came very close to the voice I heard back in 1991 in Athens!
As for his band… that was an excellent choice—none other than the Swedish band Dynazty, whom I was lucky enough to see live a few years ago and who made the best impression on me.
Η εμφάνιση του Joe Lynn Turner έκλεισε με το “Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll” στο οποίο παρενεβλήθησαν τα “Black Night” και “Lazy”, έπειτα από 105 λεπτά πραγματικής συγκίνησης.
Joe Lynn Turner’s performance concluded with “Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll,” into which he wove “Black Night” and “Lazy,” after 105 minutes of truly moving music.
It was a truly wonderful evening, filled with cherished moments from eras we’ll never experience again. The only “why?”, from my perspective, at least, was the reason all of Turner’s solo releases were overlooked, most of which are truly exceptional.
Maybe next time, he promised us that, after all, as he bid farewell to the audience.
Setlist: Death Alley Driver, Power, Jealous Lover, Stone Cold, Street Of Dreams, I Surrender, Difficult To Cure, Perfect Strangers, Highway Star, King Of Dreams, The Cut Runs Deep, Spotlight Kid, Rising Force, Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll / Black Night / Lazy.
Dimitris Kazantzis
photos: Peter Papapetros
