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December 7, 2000
- The Webster Theatre - Hartford, CT
Report by Henry
Bocanegra
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Doro
Pesch |
"It's gonna be crazy tonight!!" - were the
first words out of drummer John Macaluso's mouth moments
before getting on stage with legendary guitarist Yngwie
J. Malmsteen in front of a sold-out crowd at The Webster
Theatre in Hartford, CT. That statement set my standards
for the evening, and needless to say, my standards were
met.
The evening started of with Doro's powerful set
that featured mostly cuts from her latest album, Calling the Wild,
plus a couple of old Warlock classics like "All We Are." Doro's
voice is as powerful as ever and her stage presence and positive
energy were dominant as she connected with the audience. Her powerful
performance, although a bit short, set the tone for the evening's
fireworks. After the show, Doro promised to return with a full-fledged
U.S. tour "early next year."
Backstage, we were greeted by Yngwie Malmsteen's
lovely wife (and tour manager) April, who led us to the guitar
legend's dressing room where he was warming up. The mood in Yngwie's
dressing room was upbeat as band members and guitar techs came
in and out of the room. We had a great candid conversation, which
I will mostly keep to myself. And as much as I hear about Yngwie's
ego and bad reputation, here's my experience: he welcomed us with
open arms, was a great host, joked around with us, and was VERY
accessible to the fans taking the time to pose for pictures and
sign autographs in the bitter cold. Sounds like the actions of
a real egotistical asshole, doesn't it?
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From
left to right: Mats Olausson, Randy Coven, Yngwie,
Jorn Lande
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The
band mugs for the camera with guitar tech Jim Galocy
(sorry about the bad lighting!)
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Yngwie
makes Eddie jealous.
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The first chords of "Rising Force" began
as Yngwie took the stage and the sold-out crowd went nuts.
As I was watching from the side of the stage, a couple of
people begged for guitar picks. One guy even offered me $20
for one (no, I didn't take his money and yes, I gave him a
pick). Yngwie's performance was energetic and flawless as
he plowed through a set that included new songs like "Crucify"
and "Masquerade," mainstays like "I'll See The Light Tonight"
and "Far Beyond The Sun" as well as a few surprises, one of
them being a killer encore performance of "Evil Eye" (the
highlight of the evening for yours truly) that sent the crowd
into a frenzy. Vocalist Jorn Lande was impressive and Yngwie's
band was tight & solid. John Macaluso's precision power drumming
was also a highlight. Other highlights included Yngwie's solo,
and "Eruption" as performed by Yngwie's teeth.
Worthy of mention was the performance
by Yngwie's new guitar tech, Jim Galocy, who raced around
behind the scenes and made sure Yngwie sounded good. What
makes Galocy so different from other guitar techs? "Most
guitar techs want to be rock stars, I want to be a good
guitar tech, that's my job." Admirable words of wisdom from
one of the best guitar techs I've ever seen.
The atmosphere was still crazy as DIO took
the scene to the beat of Simon Wright's thunderous drums
(another highlight of the evening). Ronnie James Dio still
has one of the greatest voice in Metal and he proved it
on this night. Guitarist Craig Goldy sounded great as DIO
went through a set of old classics. Ronnie and company performed
most of his latest album "Magica", which quieted the crowd
a bit, but then came on full force with more classics like
"Heaven And Hell" and "Rainbow In The Dark". Doro Pesch
watched from the side of the stage and when Ronnie spotted
her, he pretended to "toss" her the microphone - I wish
he had. The night came to an end as thousands of fired-up
fans sang their way home.
And they say ROCK is dead - HA!!
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