Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Venue: Orto klub, Ljubljana
Concert date: 15.02.2009
Attendance: 80
Ticket price: 25 €
Maybe the greatest achievement of Poison, aside from the fact that its members single-handedly kept the hairspray industry afloat back in the day, is that after the departure of the utterly average C.C. DeVille, they launched two superb virtuosos into the orbit of world-famous guitarists: Richie Kotzen and Blues Saraceno. Blues joined the band after Kotzen left, when he moved over to Mr. Big and replaced the irreplaceable Gilbert there, and then DeVille came back to the most notorious representatives of American sleaze. Saraceno and Kotzen have plenty in common otherwise, too: besides both being technically brilliant, they’re true bluesmen who build their poetics on a fairly modest, unprocessed and minimalist sound, which is definitely not typical of the era the two guitarists owe their big names to.
It was no different at Orto. Kotzen is modest and reserved in every way. He hardly talks to the crowd at all, mostly gazing dreamily into the distance or focusing on his custom-built Japanese ash Telecaster. Unlike Sardinas, his comrade-in-arms from the Austrian Bluesiana, who isn’t exactly famous for being chatty either, Kotzen seems (at least at first glance) to lack charisma too, or at least that primal rocker authenticity that matters so much at live shows. During the performance the maestro is simply immune to all shouts of enthusiasm, applause and ovations, or rather he takes them in totally stoically, as if he were playing in his bedroom But apparently that’s part of his whole image.
So Kotzen’s trump cards are strictly the music and the performance, and on both counts the guy from Pennsylvania doesn’t disappoint in the least. His guitar style could be described as a mix of Gilbert’s perfectionism and the lively blues of Stevie Ray Vaughan, which shows mostly in his choice of chords, where sevenths, ninths and other “exotic” notes often sneak in. In his solos Kotzen sticks to the classics: basic pentatonic, spiced up with Gilbert’s “three note per string” patterns, which never clash with the laid-back spirit and refined message of the music. His vocals are a pleasant surprise too, and among guitar virtuosos who dare to step up to the mic, he’s without a doubt one of the better and more recognizable singers. With that velvety voice, Kotzen sang us a few of his live staples, such as I’m losing you, Remember, Change, So cold, Faith, Stand, which he contributed to Poison’s album Native Tongue, and Hendrix’s (or rather Dylan’s) All along the watchtower, which we got as an encore.
After the hour-and-a-half show and a quick introduction of the band members (Richie was accompanied, as always, by a bassist and a drummer), the crowd was more than satisfied. Among the most thrilled was Gudrun, the owner of Bluesiana (the bar on Lake Wörthersee that has lately become Richie’s second home), who has all but adopted Kotzen. Among the guests you could also spot members of Sepultura, who wandered around the hall and glanced sadly toward the stage, which is far more modest than the ones they’re used to playing. The Brazilians were supposed to take over Orto the following day, but due to numerous complicating circumstances they canceled the show at their manager’s request. Looks like, after the Cavalera brothers’ departure, they’ll have to get used to such unpleasantries too.
Photos: Hedvika Beras
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