Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow/Tokyo,Japan 11.12.1995

“HR Ritchie Blackmore” and “Japan”. If “MADE IN JAPAN” was the first great performance that resulted from that happy relationship, when was the “last” one? The answer is 10 people, 100 people, 100 people, but “one candidate” is “November 12, 1995: Yoyogi Olympic Pool Performance.” “STRANGER IN US ALL JAPAN TOUR 1995”, which was HR Richie’s last visit to Japan, is a night that has been hailed as the “best performance”. This work is an audience shot that allows you to experience such a “best night” on-site. From this tour, we just introduced the video title “YOKOHAMA 1995” the other day. First, let’s check the schedule for both. ・November 11: Yoyogi Olympic Pool ・November 12: Yoyogi Olympic Pool [This work] ・November 14: Kyoto Kaikan Hall 1 ・November 16: Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium ・November 17: Nagoya Century Halls ・November 19th: Osaka Festival Hall ・November 20th: Kyushu Welfare Pension Hall ・November 22nd: Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium “YOKOHAMA 1995” ・November 23rd: Tokyo Bay N.K. Hall “STRANGER IN” US ALL JAPAN TOUR 1995” will have 9 performances in total. If the other day’s “YOKOHAMA 1995” was the second to last performance, this work is the second to last performance. This work, which captures the second day of Yoyogi, is a stunning audience shot. This is an angle looking down from the second floor seats on the left side of the stage, and the heads and arms of those in the front row are completely absent. The entire stage with no obstructions fills your field of vision. And the sense of stability is also great. Although the camera work is a little choppy as it moves to capture the highlights, there is almost no trembling or shaking. Maybe he’s using a tripod. Of course, the sound of jumping in with zero obstructions is also first-class. The “ideal seat” for a live performance varies depending on your preference, but in the sense of “witnessing everything”, you can experience the best seat. Why is the second day of Yoyogi, which is depicted with such quality, called the “best performance”? First of all, the setlist. In fact, this day had the most songs during the performance in Japan. In addition to the basic set that was performed at the same nine performances, there were also songs such as “Spotlight Kid” and “Man On The Silver Mountain” that were not played on some days, “Street Of Dreams” and “Maybe Next Time” whose positions changed depending on the day, and 2. “Stone Cold” and “Smoke On The Water” were played at the /3 performance, “Love Hurts” and “Woman From Tokyo” were only played in a few performances… There are also trad songs that change daily, so I won’t say “all songs”. Although it is difficult, the repertoire is packed with songs that were performed in Japan in one show. Of course, if you just play the songs lazily, it won’t be a great performance. On this second day of Yoyogi, Richie had enough momentum to play that many songs. What caused this was a problem. Something went wrong with the equipment, and the guitar sound became choppy. The guitar does not sound from the opening song “Over The Rainbow”, and the guitar can be heard by the intro of “Spotlight Kid”, but it cuts out in the middle of the riff. Even after that, I thought the guitar had returned, but the sound remained unstable, with the sound becoming a little distant. Although his phrases are ferocious as he tries to shake off his troubles, it seems like Richie’s frustration is gradually building up. Even more decisive is after “Spotlight Kid”. A scratchy noise can be heard from the guitar amp, and even when Dougie White calls out the next song, “Too Late For Tears,” Richie’s guitar amps recoil and won’t start. Suddenly, Dougie sings “Rainbow Eyes” to connect the scene. This is a scene that I have heard in many live recordings, but you can witness such suspense. And then, after Richie returned, it was amazing. Shoot it down to get rid of your frustration! The day before the first day of the tour, he was playing melancholy, beautiful and comfortable solos endlessly, but on this day, he was playing really aggressively. An unexpected trouble ignited a fire in Richie’s heart, and he performed a masterpiece that led him to compose phrases and famous songs at a furious pace during the Japan performance. It is a video where you can fully witness a rock Ritchie Blackmore who turns frustration into explosive power, a different Ritchie from BLACKMORE’S NIGHT. Live at Yoyogi Olympic Pool, Tokyo, Japan 12th November 1995 AMAZING SHOT (121:27) 1. Over The Rainbow 2. Spotlight Kid 3. Rainbow Eyes 4. Too Late For Tears 5. Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll 6. Hunting Humans 7. Wolf To The Moon 8. Difficult To Cure 9. Keyboard Solo 10. Still I’m Sad 11. Drum Solo 12. Man On The Silver Mountain 13. Love Hurts 14. Temple Of The King 15. Black Masquerade 16. Guitar Solo 17. Ariel 18. Street Of Dreams 19. Since You Been Gone 20. Perfect Strangers 21. Waltzing Matilda 22. Hall Of The Mountain King 23. Stone Cold 24. Traditional Song 25. Burn 26. Member Introduction 27. Maybe Next Time 28. Woman From Tokyo 29. Smoke On The Water Ritchie Blackmore – Guitar Doogie White – Vocal Greg Smith – Bass Paul Morris – Keyboards Chuck Burgi – Drums COLOR NTSC Approx. 121min.