Location: Graz (Austria), Orpheum
Concert date: 03.06.2004
Attendance: 100
Ticket price: 30,00€
And for the first time, I hit the road to a gig solo, just me and my car. Here’s how it went. Sleepy and slightly grumpy, I sailed out of Ljubljana. It was a moody, drowsy day, a bit of drizzle, a bit of downpour, clouds swirling the whole time, gray and cold for June. Give it a little longer and we’ll all be growing rudimentary gills (regressive evolution). At Šentilj the smile came back to my face, after an urgent, expeditious visit to the restroom at the local Petrol station. In the Orpheum’s café I ran into familiar, friendly faces again, Orpheum regulars and fellow rock fans. We each downed an “Ein Weißbier!” together and were ready to roll into the hall.
The crowd was as sleepy as the weather (barely 100 people all told). Blind Petition came on at eight and warmed things up as much as anyone could be warmed up, with two band members visibly staggering and swaying around the stage in every direction, clearly wrecked from the sheer abundance of alcohol they’d put away. Three guitars, hard rock. The Austrians, such as there were, suddenly got wound up to 100 an hour, Austro-Purple (?), w.t.f (?), and so 40 “morbid” minutes dragged by. The locals were totally into it. What kind of movie had I wandered into?
UFO! Mogg greets the audience: “Good evening and welcome to show of light entertainment!” Surprise opener with Midnight Train (“Covenant”, 2000). Mogg leans on a songbook, comes in late on the singing and skips the 3rd and 4th verses. Way, with a pink bass bearing the FC Aston Villa crest, is the rowdiest one on stage. Mogg stays a bit in the background until Let It Roll. Moore is excellent in the Schenker role. Let It Roll gets the small crowd on their feet for the first time, and the band shifts up a gear too and creates real magic for the first time. Mid-show Mogg addresses Moore: “Nice shoes! Looks like a kind of those industrial boots!” The second peak comes with Only You Can Rock Me. The magic was extraordinary through Love To Love, which brought tears to my eyes. Mogg was outstanding, completely immersed, a classic in the vein of Uriah Heep’s July Morning, and then the finish at an even higher level with Too Hot To Handle and Lights Out (the crowd got livelier for both). Everyone was open and unguarded with the fans, except Paul Raymond, who kept his distance from the audience the whole time. Raymond had a Gibson Les Paul strapped on throughout and helped Moore with the riffing, and the keyboard lines were nicely audible, especially magical on I’m Loser, This Kids and Love To Love. On When Daylight Comes To Town Bonham helps Mogg out with a beastly vocal in the chorus, otherwise Raymond was in charge of the duets with Mogg (Midnight Train, I’m A Loser,….). Mogg was visibly stiff from a glass or two too many, but sang full-throated like 25 years ago, fully immersed, and the magic was enchanting and one of a kind. These are legends who set the framework for the N.W.O.B.H.M, not just stylistically but also as musicians. Pete Way was in fact one of the main inspirations for Steve Harris himself. Live, you could see why. The moves, the playing style, the bass slung a bit lower at the hip, unforgettable stuff, a pure-blooded lesson in rock that blends punch through expressive, searing riffs with a fantastic feel for building big melodies. It was also nice that the band didn’t include any solo spots, which often aren’t needed, and folks would rather hear one more classic than another otherwise excellent five-minute noodle. Ufo served up nothing but classics and the dynamics were on an outstanding level.
In the encore they wreck the place with Rock Bottom, the crowd in delirium, Way lying on his back on the floor playing bass. Moore is an incredible addition on guitar. Fantastic. Straight on to Doctor Doctor, immersed and at full tilt. Back on stage once more for Shoot Shoot. With Moore, UFO hit the jackpot. You can definitely tell Schenker isn’t there, but you’d be hard pressed to find a better cushion for such an important changeover in the guitar slot (sadly, Schenker is irreplaceable, though luckily his troublesome personality is gone along with him). All the embellishments and bigger chunks of the solos are played under the baton of the great Michael Schenker. UFO got a much-needed freshness and drive with Bonham and Moore. So no worries for UFO, they’re breathing full-lung again, and I can look forward to new tours.
The sound wasn’t the best, though, with the bass and drums punching through the mix a bit too much all night.
Setlist
Blind Petition:
1.)Man O’Spirit
2.)The Last Act
3.)Orchestra
4.)Academy
5.)Jenkin James
6.)Cheerleaders
7.)Highway’s Sidewalk
8.)Rich Young Hot
9.)Good Soul
10.)Routine
ended at 8:40 PM
UFO:
1.)Midnight Train
2.)Mother Mary
3.)When Daylight Comes To Town
4.)Let It Roll
5.)I’m A Loser
6.)This Kids
7.)The Wild One
8.)Fighting Man
9.)Only You Can Rock Me
10.)Baby Blue
11.)Jello Man
12.)Love To Love
13.)Too Hot To Handle
14.)Lights Out
first encore
15.) Rock Bottom
16.) Doctor Doctor
second encore
17.) Shoot Shoot
