Location: Orpheum Theater / Graz / Austria
Concert date: 24.04.2007
Attendance: 800
Ticket price: 33.00€ (standing), 36.00€ (seated)
Damn! The day before, the otherwise always-reliable Austrians finally send a “yes” (for the accreditation). By then you’ve pretty much wiped from your head that you ever sent a request at all. But for a hefty 36.00 €, this little gig had better not be a dud! And on top of that, the saga of the car at the repair shop. I was supposed to pick it up on the very day of the concert. Will it be ready? At 5:00 PM the phone rings! Yes! At 5:30 I pick up my battered old “jalopy,” and by 7:30 Peter and I are already in the Orpheum. Seats. Yum, yum…. A mature-looking crowd, the Orpheum packed to the last corner. 800 people! Al and company marched onto the stage at 8:30!
The opening was played at a higher tempo. Electric guitar, naturally, front and center. I’d already let out a big sigh of relief before the show, because at first I wasn’t totally sure whether AL Di Meola planned to play completely solo or have his band on stage. Either way, the sight of the musical arsenal glittering up there (drums, cymbals, percussion…) made me very happy. This is going to rip! And it did rip. The first track the band naturally needed to “tune in” and find the right balance, the sonic picture built from keyboards, bass, drums, percussion and, of course, Al Di Meola on guitar. Al needed very little time to warm up his supersonic fingers. By the second tune he was already that AL of the fiercest known caliber. Extremely fast, always dead-on, and, which is what sets this guitarist apart, the man is so smooth in tone and touch that when you watch him, playing guitar looks like the simplest thing in the world. Of course, it only looks that way!
The lineup: Al Di Meola (guitar), Al’s longtime keyboardist from Argentina Mario Parmisano, then a totally (still crispy) fresh member of the band (from Puerto Rico) Tony Escapa (drums), one of Al’s most loyal allies, who has been playing with him for 20 years, Gumbi Ortiz (percussion), and another newcomer who joined the band on John Patitucci’s recommendation, Mike Pope (bass). They ground it out so hard it took your breath away. On tour the guys presented Di Meola’s new album “Consequence Of Chaos” (2006).
In the first half Al proudly introduced the band members. He especially singled out newcomer Tony, stressing that this kid really brings something fresh to the music all the time and has plenty more to show the world.
Speed is the key. Anyone who wants to match Al’s speed has to be just as shamelessly, ruthlessly fast, smooth and never miss a note. That’s how it goes in the music business. Only the best survive! And we were witnesses to it. A bunch of musical virtuosos without equal! The band played the first part for an hour and 15 minutes. The first three tracks were for Al on electric guitar, then came the bigger chunk of the first part with Al on acoustic guitar, and the finish was electrified again. Then came a break. An unbelievable break! The guys treated themselves to a solid half hour for beer and sandwiches. I almost dozed off in my chair from the agonizing wait.
At 10:15 PM things finally got going again. At moments a downright furious assault on all those notes, then suddenly a sensual, soft continuation. Riding high on the waves. An extraordinary combination of everything perfectionists and pampered ears are looking for! The element of surprise and unpredictability was there the whole time. That’s always the famous charm of fusion that you just can’t resist. Of course Al is under heavy Latin rhythm influences all along, but that devilish perfection of blending the classical with jazz, spiced with Latin folk elements, which Al is so renowned for, once again took absolute supremacy over everything. Fluid and masterful, with extraordinary communication between the musicians! As a bonus, Al didn’t leave the admirers of his famous record “Elegant Gypsy” (1977) cold, and the band attacked the hall with the riff-heavy Race With Devil On Spanish Highway. One of the peaks, and the hall was on its feet!
In Ljubljana in December 1994 I was seriously disappointed, because the concert was barely an hour long, a good hour. Back then Di Meola didn’t keep any contact with the audience at all. I told myself then that I never wanted to see this musician live again. And never say never. Thank goodness I ate my words. This time I got a totally different experience. Di Meola kept the crowd on its toes the whole time, not just with wild soloing and a showcase of his unique musical self, but also with the playful humor he used to tie this Graz show together. This time, encore included, I clocked two hours and 5 minutes. Fair and square! Flawless tightness, power, punch and that speed, speed and nothing but speed at full throttle. Al Di Meola, a one-of-a-kind oddball, who was supposed to play Ljubljana last November, but the tour got pushed to this spring. Why on earth didn’t they invite him to Slovenia again? We’d have had a full MediaPark hall in Ljubljana, maybe we’d even have filled Križanke. Never mind, as long as the Orpheum stands in Graz – what a gem of a hall! And if the master of masters of guitar craft Al Di Meola visits it too, a trip like that becomes a must!
