Ritchie Blackmore has long been known as the
masterful guitarist of two of the most legendary bands in rock music
- Deep Purple and Rainbow. But close followers of the guitarist will
tell you that the work with his current band, Blackmore's Night,
is his most adventurous excursion yet. Blackmore,
singer Candice Night, and their merry band of minstrels have
been knocking out their unique brand of Renaissance music for over
10 years now. I recently had an opportunity to see the band at
House Of Blues in Chicago, and at the end of the show I remember
wishing I had a recording of some kind. Well, wishes do come true in
many different ways, as this spectacular DVD, "Paris Moon," captures
the band live in Paris, just as they were that night in Chicago
- at their very best.
Now, you would think that guitar legend Ritchie Blackmore would
be the focal point of the band's live shows. A funny thing seems to
happen at a Blackmore's Night concert though, and her name is
Candice Night. With the voice of an angel, and exquisite beauty to
match, Candice Night plays the most gracious of hostesses here, and
never once finds herself being overshadowed by the guitar god. You
get a true sense of comfort radiating from both Ritchie and Candice
as they gently interact here. You can clearly see the love and
respect that they have for each other, and the love and respect that
they have for the music.
The concert often plays like a raucous night at an English pub,
especially during the sing along tune, "Home Again." After Night
comically points out Blackmore's divorce history in
verse, keyboardist Bard David of Larchmont belts out a drinking
song. The crowd rises to its feet and claps and sings along with
great fervor, and it is then that the spirit of the music
really takes flight. Other great moments of stein
swinging crowd participation are "Renaissance Faire," "Under A
Violet Moon," and "Loreley." When the band isn't inciting the crowd,
they can be found doing songs like "World Of Stone" with an intense
ferocity. After watching the performance of the latter, you have to
ask if there has ever been a more well written song. It is just a
spine tingling moment.
The band does run through a couple of cover songs during the set,
but they might not be what you might expect. The Deep Purple song
that the band chooses to cover is one that comes from David
Coverdale's time in the band. It's the great ballad, "Soldier Of
Fortune," and Candice Night makes it her very own thing of beauty.
Jethro Tull's "Rainbow Blues" and the Joan Baez classic, "Diamonds
And Rust," go off just as perfectly. Look for a few
instrumentals that'll just rock your socks off, too. Besides an
amazing keyboard solo just past the middle of the set, you can find
an extremely impressive bass jam by Sir Robert of Normandie during
"Durch Den Wald Zum Bachaus."
Numerous times throughout the concert we see Night picking up
various Renaissance woodwind instruments and playing them with
perfection. Candice Night is someone you can't take your eyes off
of. She is also someone that melts your heart when she sings.
Perfect tone and incredible vocal strength are abound throughout
each and every track here. Gillan......Dio.......Joe Lynn
Turner......they were all a great fit for Blackmore, but Night just
might compliment Ritchie's playing better than anyone.
Toward the end of the set, which runs over 2 hours in length, we see
Blackmore trade in his acoustic classical guitars and opt for the
cream colored strat that he is so famous for. As he cranks out the
complex solo of "Ariel," and he hits the heavy chords of
"Saint Teresa" from their latest "Village Lanterne" release, it's a
real thrill to watch the man with the smoothest left hand in the
business do his thing. Blackmore's playing has only gotten better
over the years. Playing the diverse material of Blackmore's Night
affords the listener a very broad spectrum of style. Blackmore can
be seen and heard playing everything from classical to blues in this
show, and it's a real treat when it's done by the best in the
business.
The package itself defines elegance in every
way. Besides content, of which there is plenty, the box is designed
to open like an old and worn book. When you remove this "book" from
the outer sleeve, it unfolds to reveal a booklet with photos
and lyrics, as well as an 11-track audio CD in addition to the
DVD. It's really an elegant package to hold in your
hands.
AFTERWORD
It turns out that my Blackmore's Night concert experience is quite
an interesting one, and allow me to explain why that is. When I
arrived at House Of Blues that night, it seemed that Live Nation and
the venue themselves had both sold seats for the show. It was quite
a mess, which found me starting on a bar stool that surrounded the
main floor, and ended with my happy hiney planted in the front row
after all the dust had settled. And it just so happens that I was on
Ritchie's side of the stage, and he ended up serving me a beer in a
beautiful pewter stein that has the band logo emblazoned across the
front, and "Village Lanterne" engraved on the bottom. So, when I
talk of "stein swinging crowd participation," I am speaking quite
literally on my part. It truly was a night that will last forever in
my heart, as Ritchie has always been a hero of mine. And, with
this "Paris Moon" DVD, the wonderful spirit of that night can be
yours as well.
