Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Venue: Stadtsaal / Feldkirchen / Austria
Concert date: 26.05.2011
Attendance: 1300
Ticket price: 32,60€ / 40,50€
Manfred Mann’s Earth Band are one of those rock relics whose roots reach back to the very dawn of rock. Bandleader Manfred Mann spent the sixties building his name with the band of the same name, which was already well known back then for its interpretations of other artists’ work. But when he formed Manfred Mann’s Earth Band at the turn of the sixties into the seventies, the world got a true one-of-a-kind at a time when creative genius and original inspiration were properly rewarded and encouraged.
In recent years Manfred Mann’s Earth Band have been regulars on European concert stages. Their visits to German-speaking countries are always met with strong support from the crowd, who turn out to cheer the band on in hefty numbers. These are shows that, as a rule, fill halls with a capacity of a thousand or more.
Feldkirchen isn’t exactly a frequent stop on the RockLine crew’s European gig wanderings, but the town is wonderfully friendly and easy to reach, since the drive from Ljubljana takes just an hour and twenty minutes one way. Bojan and I were already getting properly soaked by the time we finally found ourselves near the municipal hall in the town center. It was one of those days when the clouds just split open without compromise. And a good thing too, so the earth could finally drink its fill and our heads, thoroughly boiled by all that May concert intensity, could cool down.
The raging downpour was in no way going to keep the loyal Austrian crowd from coming out to show their support for the legends. This May Manfred Mann’s Earth Band announced just three shows in Austria. The first took place in a package with Uriah Heep and Nazaerth on 13.05.2011 in Leoben (RockLine report HERE), Feldkirchen followed, and just a day later the guys had a gig lined up in a suburb of Vienna, on an open-air stage with free admission.
The packed hall was warmed up by local blues rock veterans Blues Breakers, led by the good-natured fellow – a walrus of a man, thanks to his lovable look – Dieter Themel. This is an extremely experienced band, seasoned and famous for its tightness on stage and the quality of its playing. That’s why they’re in great demand in Austrian Carinthia, and local promoters are happy to offer them the honorable opening slot ahead of renowned rock acts. Dieter Themel and his Blues Breakers pampered the crowd with a few famous classics from the annals of rock history, but above all he shone with his vocals, which have a thick, manly, juicy sheen with just the right amount of grit. That’s the prerequisite for making a performance stand firm, confident and competent. The quintet, which doesn’t hide the fact that it uses a harmonica, proved to be a more than welcome and fitting choice for the first three quarters of an hour of the concert day in Feldkirchen, and was accordingly sent off the stage amid thunderous ovations.
Manfred Mann’s Earh Band took the stage at nine o’clock sharp. The intimate vibe of the packed little Stadtsaal suited them perfectly. Accompanied by cabaret lighting from a few flickering spotlights, they opened the evening with the atmospheric Spirits In The Night, on which the seasoned gentlemen masterfully built up the mood, from soft instrumental interweaving all the way to a chorus “crescendo”.
What Leoben hinted at on 13.05.2011, Feldkirchen only confirmed. Manfred Mann’s Earth Band remain a fascinating stage attraction in 2011 too. Robert Hart is a worthy replacement for the irreplaceable Chris Thompson. He has that warm, thick vocal with a polished range that holds its authoritative stance in every register. Peter Cox, his predecessor, had trouble with the higher registers; Robert Hart defies them superbly. A man who was forged in Bad Company after Paul Rodgers’ departure proved he’s cut from the right cloth and that his voice and style are the right choice for today’s Manfred Mann’s Earth Band.
Otherwise, fascination all the way. The intimate space is tailor-made for events like this, a concert of refined, hair-splitting sonic perfectionists with a subtle, hard-working stage temperature. Jazz, ragtime, a dash of blues rhetoric, folk impulses and attacking rock riffs. All of it woven into some famous evergreens by well-known artists, from Bob Dylan to Bruce Springsteen, Hendrix, The Beatles, The Animals,…
Manfred Mann’s Earth Band played for almost two full hours. Infectious stretching of arrangements is their home turf. They’re masters at weaving a string of improvisational motifs into a sequence that stays melodic, tight and listenable. That form can handle dabbling in all sorts of musical genres.
A definite curiosity was the opening of Dancing In The Dark, which flowed through reworked lead melodies of House Of The Rising Sun (The Animals) and Lttle Wing (Jimi Hendrix) into the barely recognizable melody of Springsteen’s hit Dancing In The Dark. Mick Rodgers, an out-of-the-ordinary old-school guitar master and singular improviser who never runs out of tricks on the guitar, took quite a chunk of time for a solo weave that smelled strongly of ragtime fantasies, then suddenly arrived (still using finger picking) at the folk-turned-classic Shake Rattle And Roll, which once again got the crowd involved, clapping along to set the song’s tempo.
Father Of Day, Father Of Night is still one of the highlights of a Mandfred Mann’s Earth Band show. The song, led from head to toe by Mick Rodgers, both vocally and instrumentally, opens up in the outro when Manfred Mann comes bustling onstage with keyboards slung over his shoulders and enriches the closing section with a solo dialogue on the keys. Toward the end, as expected, the guys saved the biggest hits, taking the mood to a peak first with Springsteen’s Blinded By The Light and then with Davy’s On The Road Again. The little hall literally turned into a Finnish sauna, so much steam did it hold by the end of the regular set.
For the obligatory encore we got Mighty Quinn, the Dylan classic, which flowed out of a cheeky Hey Jude (The Beatles) intro and into which, as usual, somewhere in the final weave of solo escapades, the guys slipped the famous Smoke On The Water riff by Deep Purple.
The show was outstanding. No flaws to be found, the sound superb, Rodgers’ guitar delicate and organic-sounding, Manfred’s Moog sound, as always, distinctive and unshakable. The crowd was in a trance after the show. They simply wouldn’t leave the hall. The positive energy was extraordinary. After the show people camped right at the band’s merch table, where, for instance, the vinyl albums vanished in an instant.
If you come across an announced Manfred Mann’s Earth band show near your home, say within a 400 km radius, don’t hesitate to go. It will reward you richly. Seeing Manfred Mann’s Earth Band in Feldkirchen was a bullseye this time for all the devoted fans of this band and for all the sonic perfectionists who need to pick out every last detail of the picture a stage performance builds. Played, of course, entirely without a mistake. And that’s exactly how it was.
photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Setlist
1. Spirits In The Night 2. Castles Burning 3. Martha’s Madman 4. Captain Bobby Scout 5. For You 6. Dancing In The Dark 7. Shake, Rattle & Roll 8. Father Of Day, Father Of Night 9. Don’t Kill It Carol 10. Blinded By The Light 11. Davy’s On The Road Again —encore— 12. Mighty Quinn
Photo gallery
