Rainbow/London,UK 2.29.1980 & more

After the release of “DOWN TO EARTH”, RAINBOW held a tour in Europe from the beginning of 1980, following an American tour that lasted until December 1979. Through a tour that lasted about a month, the newly formed RAINBOW won support from fans comparable to the Ronnie era. In particular, Graham Bonnet, who suddenly appeared from the pop music field, gained a lot of attention with his unique looks and strong performances. The European tour at this time was a great success, as the songs became more popular and led to the development of a new fan base. RAINBOW’s next tour destination was England. The 14-date tour will begin with two consecutive performances at Newcastle’s City Hall on February 19th and 20th. The lineup at this time ended up being the band’s only “all British” lineup, and in a sense it felt like a “triumphal return performance” (the highlights were February 29th and 3rd). This is a show held at London’s “Wembley Arena” on April 1st). In this work, from the UK tour, the first day of the Wembley Arena performance on February 29th mentioned above and the Brighton performance on March 4th, which was in the second half of the tour, are both recorded from top audience masters. . The Wembley Arena performance (first day) on February 29th, recorded on Disc 1, is an exciting show that is also known for the fans rioting after the show because Richie refused to encore. The early stages from the opening to “Eyes Of The World” have a slightly noisy impression, probably because the PA output was strong because of the large venue. However, the balance improved from around “Love’s No Friend”, where the sound in the venue became established. In addition to the visibility that was above the standard at the time, you will be able to enjoy big sound with the atmosphere and presence you would expect from an arena. The band’s energetic and powerful performance has even the fans in London excited. “Since You Been Gone”, which was a hit on the radio, had the audience singing along with Graham, and the chorus was a big chorus. “Man On The Silver Mountain”, which was replaced with “All Night Long” from the UK tour, also received a positive response, and the band’s performance gradually increased the excitement. Graham’s vocals are in good shape even in the show’s highlight “Lost In Hollywood”, and you will be overwhelmed by the volume of his voice that even surpasses Richie’s guitar. Not to be outdone, Richie explodes with a roaring sound in his solo, and he also shows off his typical play on “Beethoven 9th.” Cozy’s solo has been recorded with a particularly wonderful force, and the dynamic sound image is a masterpiece that is clearly different in dimension from what has already been released. After the song ended with “Lost In Hollywood” rhythm rhyme, there was a huge cheer that shook the venue. If there was no encore, it would certainly be frustrating for the audience. This is a record that contains an intense and unparalleled performance that even contains the power of an encore in the 72 minutes of the main set. The sound source included on Disc 2 is from the Brighton performance on March 4th. At that time, the performance was captured with ideal balance and brightness, and from “Eyes Of The World” and “Love’s No Friend”, the sound pops out with a sound that even pierces Cozy’s drums. Fans will also be happy that Graham’s vocals stand out very clearly. Throughout the recording, it is ideal that there is a good sense of distance between the taper and the stage, and that the audience’s voices do not get in the way, making it easy to listen and provide a sense of realism. Listeners can listen to live music without stress. On this day, whether there was a problem with Richie’s guitar or whether he himself was not in good condition, there are mistakes and scattered points in the play in some places. In “Love’s No Firend”, there are some scenes where the guitar is not played, and in “Over The Rainbow” performed by the band after “Since You Been Gone”, you can see that it is out of sync with Cozy’s drums. Also, in “Man On The Silver Mountain” there is a scene where the intro riff and chord are mistaken. Furthermore, in “Lost In Hollywood”, even in the scene where “Beethoven 9th” is originally featured following the guitar solo, Richie is playing “Brandenburg Concert” for the second time on this day for some reason, which is a major point of this day. (The band was probably surprised by this, but Don Enly was a great follower, as expected). Furthermore, Graham’s solo song “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?”, which had been featured on the 1980 tour as a “Ritchie request”, was not played on that day, and was replaced by “Blues” and “Long Live Rock”. It is also characteristic that it flows into “N’ Roll” and reaches the show end. It seems to have been another “live that Richie couldn’t get through” (according to overseas enthusiasts, Jeff Beck came to see this Brighton performance. His visit had something to do with Richie’s condition and mood. ). Many extremely excellent audience sources are known for RAINBOW’s ’80 tour (in addition to various sound sources from the Japan tour, there are also many press CD titles from the European tour). When compared to them, this work will give up one step in terms of sound quality. However, the content of the UK tour, which carefully cuts out the highlights, is essential for understanding the “DOWN TO EARTH” tour. R Wembley Arena, London, UK 29th February 1980 TRULY AMAZING SOUND Brighton Center, Brighton, UK 4th March 1980 TRULY AMAZING SOUND Disc 1 Live at Wembley Arena, London, UK 29th February 1980 1. The Land Of Hope And Glory 2. Countdown/ Over The Rainbow 3. Eyes Of The World 4. Love’s No Friend 5. Brandenburg Concert/Greensleeves 6. Since You Been Gone 7. Over The Rainbow 8. Man On The Silver Mountain 9. Catch The Rainbow 10. Keyboards Intro. 11. Lost In Hollywood 12. Guitar Solo 13. Beethoven 9th 14. Keyboards Solo 15. Drums Solo incl. 1812 Overture 16. Lost In Hollywood (reprise) Disc 2 Live at Brighton Center, Brighton, UK 4th March 1980 1. The Land Of Hope And Glory 2. Countdown/Over The Rainbow 3. Eyes Of The World 4. Love’s No Friend 5. Brandenburg Concert #1 6. Since You Been Gone 7. Over The Rainbow/Greensleeves 8. Man On The Silver Mountain 9. Catch The Rainbow 10. Keyboards Intro. 11. Lost In Hollywood 12. Brandenburg Concert #2 13. Keyboards Solo 14. Drums Solo incl. 1812 Overture 15. Lost In Hollywood (reprise) 16. Guitar Solo 17. Lazy Intro. 18. All Night Long 19. Blues 20. Long Live Rock ‘N’ Roll 21. Over The Rainbow Ritchie Blackmore – Guitar Graham Bonnet – Vocals Cozy Powell – Drums Roger Glover – Bass Don Airey – Keyboards