RAH Saturday - a personal view
I left Sweden Friday Sept 24 about 10 a.m. and got to London three hours later.
After finding my hotel, just off of Earls Court Road I headed of to check out RAH, get my tickets and find out where the Goat Tavern (the rendezvous place for Purple-people posted on the newsgroup). As I walked along Kensington High street I came to think of the fact that my black Rock n' Roll hat needed a new scarf (the old one having been there 15 years). So I snuck in to Kensington market and found a beautiful silk one for just less than 3 pounds (what other colour than purple would have done it?).
Saturday morning I spent a few hours sightseeing, as this was my first real visit to London.
Four o clock was getting close and checking for my tickets about 10 times I set of to The Goat, wearing my new black, slinky, knee-long dress, the fringe-jacket with Jon Lord's and Ian Gillan's autographs and my fringed suede-boots, wondering slightly how I would find out who I was meeting.
It turned out not to be a major problem - walking in the door I looked around and there were about a dozen people in different tour T-shirts. I walked up to a table and introduced myself, and was welcome to sit down among a bunch of Swedes. After a while I changed to an other table and, BANG, that was it - The web-master of the official homepage, Svante, and friends, five Canadians, three Swedes, three Finns, One Norwegian, Doug, Steven and Mash etc. A blast! :-D
We sat around for a while happily gulping down beers and talking Purple - and other things until it was time to walk the half mile to RAH.
After a short discussion about where to meet after the show and where to go next we entered the famed building and were thrown into the fight over merchandise, for once reasonably prized - 10 pounds each for T-shirts and CDs, 15 pounds for videos. I had planned to by a CD and possibly a video the second night, at which time I would know how much money I had spent on the first night. But I got carried away and thrust into the crowd, money in hand. I bought the fans-only video and TA CD for myself and the Aussie single and fans-only video for Anders. I got a promise of a 20 quid hand-loan, in case I'd run out of cash during the night from Wolf, a guy I had met for the first time ever at the pub! He just said: "Bring it along tomorrow. You are going tomorrow too, aren't you?" (DP people are nice!)
After quick run to the ladies room I heard the announcer call: "Ladies and Gentlemen, please, got to your seats. The performance will start in one minute".
I entered the hall and was awed - the enormous circle was filled with people, multicoloured floodlights covered the stage, the organ, and the upper isles in red, purple, white and green. As I slipped into my seat, halfway up a little to the right. The orchestra entered the stage and the crowd went mad. Thunderous applause filled the hall. When it was finally quietened, Paul Mann the conductor turned towards us: "Where any of you here thirty years ago?" A few shouts of yes were heard, together with loud cheers. Then he mentioned that Sir Malcolm Arnold (conductor and co-adapter of the original concerto) unfortunately wasn't well enough to be present. Again standing ovations (as this was rather recurring I will hereafter just write "SO!", OK?). He then introduced Sir Malcolm's "Scottish dances" and they began to play.
A nice piece of classical music, not my favourite style but OK. After SO! Mr Mann introduced "A very nice and friendly man that I have had the privilege to get to know rather well the last few months. And he will perform one of the most beautiful pieces of music I have ever heard, "Pictured Within", Mr Jon Lord!" SO! (Of course, and about five minutes of it)
The singer Miller Anderson seemed a bit overawed and slightly nervous but got better as the song proceeded. Then "Wait a while" with Sam Brown, a moment of pure beauty, I hope I didn't disturb my neighbours by humming along to it? Mr Lord then introduced Roger Glover and friends, one of which turned out to be Ronnie James Dio, SO! at their appearance. (Did I mention that there where SO! after each number?) They did two songs from RG's "Butterfly Ball" one of which "Love is all", SO! Next, RG introduced "A good friend" and Ian Gillan entered the scene wearing red shoes with loose pants, a long white tunic and a golden jacket which made me think of Presley's Las Vegas-days, OOUCH!! (Can anybody please try to get this man's clothes sorted out?) But as he was also wearing a smug happy grin on his face and immediately got the crowd in his hands, who cares, after all?
He brought along guitarist Steve Morris and others, and did "Via Miami" and " That's why God's singin' the blues". First one great, second one a bit of a strange choice that fitted well with the clothes (Presley, who needs you, we've got Gillan?)
IG left the stage to Steve Morse and his band that did two songs, eerie, instrumentals with amazing skill. He then introduced Ian Paice and his "Impromptu Jazz Band". They played the normally (in the early seventies, that is) very guitar-dominated "Wring that neck", without guitar, but with electric-violin and a load of brass, I was ROTFLW-Joy at it, GREAT FUN!!! (Oh, and SO!)
Intermission. Rush for the ladies-room, short chat with others in audience, dash for the bar, rush back to my place.
Then follows THE CONCERTO FOR GROUP AND ORCHESTRA!!!
First movement starting out soft rising to a crescendo and back down again, Beautiful.
As they tried to start the second movement a scandal occurred.
If you do not know what kind of concert you are going to and do not like it - either grit your teeth and shut up, or get the h*** out of there and ask for your money back. DO NOT IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCES do what some dimwits did this night - Shout to the players to play Rock n'Roll at a classical concert until someone has to interrupt the gig and tell you off!!!!
I was almost crying when I saw Mr Lord's reaction to these idiots as he stepped up to the microphone, shaking with anger and despair:
"I can hear that you have had a nice time in the bar, but would you please be quiet so we can do what we are here for and play our music for the ones who like it!"
Then he sat back down on his chair white in the face and still shaking. A true gentleman, even when someone crushes his dream. A massive SO! met his words to show our support with him and our disgust over the hecklers.
(I still get tears in my eyes just thinking about it)
(I later heard that DPs manager [Charlie Lewis, production manager - Ed.] rushed up to the gallery, money in hand, handed each of them their 25 pounds ticket-money and threw them out saying it was the best spent 100 quid he ever used.)
As the slow second movement finally started Ian Gillan slid up to Mr Lord's side, put his hand on his shoulder and just stood there, to comfort him. Before taking centre stage to sing his part he leaned over and seemed to say "are you alright?", got a short positive nod back and stepped forward, singing his heart out, great work! The movement ended in the glory it deserves, SO! Cat-calls, bravos.
The Third movement worked itself up to the final crescendo, and it was over. And you guessed it SO!, and a long and sincere one at that, everybody trying to make JL happy again)
Then the DP-part started:
Ted the mechanic.
Sometimes I feel like going to the bar for a drink (real name = Sometimes I feel like screaming, But IG has got into the habit of constantly renaming it).
Watching the sky (that I still feel is a bit to much of a roller-coaster-ride from slow to extremely heavy).
Pictures of home (IG saying that this was a song he had always wanted to play with a full orchestra).
All of the above accompanied by LSO. POH with a very subtle orchestral intro before the thundering drums started the song.
And as a highlight - Smoke on the water - With full orchestra, ALL guests (2 bass players, 2 drum sets, 3-4 guitars, one piano, one Hammond, full brass group 4 chorus singers, Ronnie James Dio and IG singing one verse each, AND 5-6000 fans jumping, dancing screaming and singing along). I could feel the balcony I was standing on move in time with the dancing feet (actually got a bit worried for the old RAH's wellbeing for a while there!).
Then it was all over.
The crowd rose as a man and wouldn't stop clapping and calling for extra-numbers.
After 20 or so minutes Ian Gillan entered the stage and said in a joking voice:
-"Thank you very much! But I have to tell you that it's all over. Jon is out being sick in the toilet."
(I personally think it was really the truth - He has been working his ass of recreating this show, and to have it nearly ruined by some geeks shouting abuse must have nearly destroyed him, although it all turned into success at the end of the day)
As planned I met up with the THS/Amdp guys outside, but Wolf and Doug and Steven (who had suggested their hotel as a nice place to take a drink post-show) where nowhere to be seen. After a long wait Benny called them up, and it turned out they had somehow managed to get in backstage (a virtual impossibility, as there where more than 120 people on stage and a load of VIPs crowding the place already). So, the rest of us went around the building and hung out outside the backstage entrance for about an hour until they came out. (One of them had seen George Harrison in there but been to intimidated to even think of getting an autograph or saying a few words to him.)
10-15 of us then started to walk towards the hotel in question, The Hilton Olympia. After a short while Steven wondered where Mash was, and called him up. This was as we where just about to pass Wright's Lane on Kensington High Street. He turned out to be at his hotel, at the end of same said Lane! And that hotel had a bar that would be open another 10-15 min! A couple of quick phonecalls later we were inside that bar trying to order. As the bars computerised counter system had just gone on strike we could only order things they knew the prizes of, and preferably with even money as they couldn't open their cash-boxes to get at the small change. We got our beers sat down and tried to realise what we had seen - a marvellous performance with some of the best musicians in the world playing their hearts out. Also a lot was talked about what was going to be done the next day, and what was to be put on the web and when (let's just say that the sign saying that cameras where not allowed in the hall where slightly overlooked?). Thus ended that night's partying and people started to trickle off to their respective hotels. I asked Wolf where he was staying and it turned out to be about two blocks away from my hotel. It also turned out we where the only ones staying in that direction, so we quickly decided to walk there together. I left him at his hotel on Lexham and walked the last few blocks on my own, stopping to buy cigarettes and a sandwich at 24-hour shop on Earls Court Road. That's when I realised that there's a totally different kind of buying and selling going on in that street at night. And that my outfit could be misunderstood at that place and at that time, OOUPS! After nicely denying further friendship with a slightly confused man I quickly turned the corner to Penywern road and got into my hotel at 3 AM. ;-)
End of part one.
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