Location: Velden am Wörthersee / Bluesiana Rock Cafe / Austria
Concert date: July 6, 2013
Attendance: 170
Ticket price: €33.00 (advance) / €37.00 (day of show) / €27.00 (students) / €19.00 (under 20)
The summer air of July isn’t just for lazing around on the beach and cooling off in the shade by the sea. It’s also for going to gigs. This summer’s pickings are pretty varied too: if not in our little country, then there’s surely something interesting just across the border. Say, in Velden, Austria, at the small Bluesiana club, which keeps building its good name and reputation with every passing year. Mostly thanks to great shows, of course.
The stormy sky over the Karst plateau didn’t exactly promise a pleasant drive, and sure enough, the weather threw everything at us (except winter) the whole way. But as luck would have it, the sky over Velden cleared up, maybe in anticipation of a one-of-a-kind show, or maybe we caught a bit of sun between the rainbows and brought it along with us, who knows. Doesn’t really matter anyway.
In Velden the tourist season is in full swing. The streets are packed with strollers, and hotel terraces are groaning under the weight of the pleasure-seekers admiring the pretty, small, friendly lakeside town. But of course, that’s not why we came to Velden. A much better treat was waiting for us – the acoustic fantasy of a guitar virtuoso with a velvet voice, Richie Kotzen.
With his constant touring and frequent album releases, Richie Kotzen is becoming better and better known to wider audiences too. The blues fusion guitarist with an exceptional voice is best known for his work with Poison and Mr. Big, and he has also put out 19 solo albums, the latest (24 Hours) in 2011. Over the years of his solo career he has worked with plenty of other musicians, and his latest big project is with Billy Sheehan and Mike Portnoy under the name The Winery Dogs. Their album came out on May 15 this year, and in September you’ll be able to catch them live together in a few cities across Europe.
When we arrived a few minutes past eight in the evening, the blues hall was still pretty empty, so we had no trouble getting a table. While we were casually looking around this club we both love so much (we’d brought a few newcomers along with us), we spotted the great Kotzen walking past several times. He greeted any passersby and the regulars politely, but quickly retreated backstage. Then again, you don’t really expect over-the-top hospitality from Kotzen anyway. The club, on the other hand, works its magic on visitors with its warmth, its cozy decor and, of course, its owner Gudrun, who, despite all the work of organizing the concert and looking after the performers, always finds time for every single guest, at least a word or two. Enough to give visitors that feeling of home and welcome, again and again.
It was getting close to half past nine when the music from the speakers faded and a guitarist walked onto the stage. Despite Kotzen’s new look, with his currently short hair and stubbled face, it was clear right away that this was someone else. He brought an acoustic guitar, plugged in, sat down on a stool, pulled the mic toward him and started singing. He played a few of his own songs and a few covers, but the young performer never once hinted at who he was during the whole set. I found out later that he was a young Italian musician named Andrea Gargioni. The kid sang six songs and then, without any unnecessary chatter, soon cleared off the stage. The Bluesiana crowd is friendly, civilized and grateful to anyone who shows off a bit of their talent or skill on stage, and it rewarded the youngster with applause after every song. Late in the night, Andrea also threw a proper after party, first in front of the club and then on the Bluesiana stage as well.
It was well past ten in the evening when Richie Kotzen finally strolled onto the stage. A thunderous round of applause coaxed a smile out of the singer and guitarist as he sat down on the stool and strummed his acoustic. The metallic ring of the strings filled the room, and soon a gentle voice joined the guitar in I would. Richie handles his acoustic companion with the same incisive precision as his electric guitar. After the first song, he said he was glad to be back at Bluesiana, and that this time he’d be presenting his songs the way he hears them himself when they’re first taking shape – just strumming an acoustic guitar and singing. He also said he often hears complaints that he doesn’t talk enough between songs, so he’d use this time to play around 5 songs and talk the audience’s ears off about all sorts of topics in between. Anyone who knows Richie even a little could tell right away that it was a joke, since the guitar master isn’t exactly known for being chatty on stage, no matter how at home he feels there. But when it comes to music, Richie doesn’t joke around. His refinement and warm, affectionate lyricism came through even more in the acoustic setting, and so did his vocal leanings. Given the nature of the show, you couldn’t expect much punch, but Richie glided smoothly through a setlist of painful love experiences, which sank even deeper into the hearts of the crowd with the gentle sound of the guitar. During Everything good, Richie got a bit chatty again about the »sporty« origin of the name Wilson Hawk (his project with Richie Zito), and then dove back into his ballads. He woke the crowd up again with Until you sufer some (Fire and ice), a hit from his Poison days. The audience sang along loudly to the chorus, and Richie decided it was finally time to introduce the Bluesiana crowd to his current partner in life, Julia Lage, who has been accompanying him on bass throughout his European acoustic tour. Julia stepped onto the stage a bit timidly and joined Kotzen in playing. They made their way through the following songs together, and that loosened Richie up even more on stage. We rarely see Kotzen play seated, and it was clear the stool was running out of room for him to really express what he feels while playing. Unlike on the electric guitar, which he has lately been playing with just his fingers, here Richie used a pick. There was no fear that his innate feel for the instrument would get lost because of it, and the mellow tones carried Bluesiana off into a real guitar fairytale. One that, sadly, ended too quickly, as always. With the Mr. Big hit Shine, Julia and Richie left the stage for the first time, but came back after the roaring cheers. They granted a musical wish from the crowd and played Go faster, and finally said their goodbyes with Stand.
Despite waiting around patiently, we sadly never caught Julia and Richie in the club after the show. Evidently, after the last gig of a long tour, all they wanted was some rest. Even though having Julia along is a bit reminiscent of the Lennon – Yoko Ono pairing, both proved they’re real professionals on stage. With her endearing shyness, Julia won over the Bluesiana crowd right away, while Richie has been this crowd’s darling for quite a few years now. And of course we’re all dying to see when he hits the road again – maybe electric this time.
Setlist
1. I would
2. Rust
3. Lose again
4. Paint it on
5. What is
6. Everything good
7. Where did our love go
8. Until you sufer some (Fire and ice)
9. Doing what the devil says to do
10. Fear
11. Change
12. High
13. Don’t ask
14. Shine
—encore—
15. Go faster
16. Stand
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