rainbow tour 2016 lineup

RITCHIE BLACKMORE's RAINBOW: First Official Photo Of 2016 Lineup

The official 2016 promotional photo of the new lineup of Ritchie Blackmore 's RAINBOW can be seen on this page. Joining Ritchie in the group are LORDS OF BLACK singer Ronnie Romero , STRATOVARIUS keyboardist Jens Johansson , BLACKMORE'S NIGHT drummer David Keith and bassist Bob Nouveau (a.k.a. Robert "Bob" Curiano , ex- BLACKMORE'S NIGHT ).

Ritchie spoke to Dutch magazine Aardschok about his decision to enlist a new group of musicians to help him perform RAINBOW and DEEP PURPLE classics at three European shows this summer.

Asked why he chose not to hire a "more famous" vocalist, Blackmore said: "The whole idea was to find good musicians. Of course, there were many familiar names around, but this idea didn't appeal to me. Unlike many others, I prefer to discover new musicians who can add a fresh approach to my music. It's great to present new musicians to the public."

He continued: "The singer Ronnie Romero is complete unknown. He's 34 and I'm sure that he'll have a great career in this scene. He is orginally from Chile, but lives in Spain. Bassist Bob Nouveau is from Connecticut, and Jens is a known and respected keyboard player. It's very easy to work with him, because he's so experienced.

"With drummers, I always tend to be very selective. For instance, I do not like to work with showmen. On stage, I need a groove and a lot of these so-called 'famous' drummers often rely more on the show element than on feel. I know many guys who can make their sticks fly and use sixteen bass drums, but who are mediocre when it comes to music. David Keith , however, has a great feel for rhythm."

Blackmore also talked about the renewed interest in classic rock and the media hype surrounding his return to rock. He said: "I never think about how good or bad things are going in a group. I'm just trying to create music of a high-quality standard. My music never really got into the charts. I think the most important thing is to believe in yourself. I think that RAINBOW made some memorable albums, which aren't less appreciated than any DEEP PURPLE album. Both groups were advanced for their time.

"The nostalgia aspect certainly has a role in the upcoming shows. Some people will use this project to check if I can still do it, while others will probably see it as an opportunity to see me on a bigger stage once again."

He added: "I don't want to sound morbid, but I do believe that thoughts like these come with the age that I have. I turned 70 and that has its disadvantages. Having a sore back or stiff fingers on stage is no fun. However, all this comes totally from myself.

"There were moments, a few years ago, when I thought of how much fun it would be to play some of the old songs again. However, the longer I thought about it the less appealing it all became. It was not until I found out about Ronnie that the whole idea came back again and when I started realizing the idea. He has a great voice and his fresh input is what gave me the final push. I am quite demanding when it comes to singers, but with Ronnie is absolutely feels good. This guy has a great future in the scene. He sounds like a perfect fit for this job because he has a voice that reminds of [ Ronnie James ] Dio but is versatile enough to also handle the [ Ian ] Gillan songs well."

Regarding the song selection for the upcoming shows, Blackmore said: "The setlist will be RAINBOW songs for about 70 percent, including 'Stargazer' , because apparently that's a song everybody wants to hear. About 30 percent will be DEEP PURPLE songs. We will focus on the best-known songs. The Dio era will be a central part of the show, but we will also play songs from the Joe Lynn Turner and Graham Bonnet periods. As far as PURPLE is concerned; we will play the Gillan era but will also play something from the David Coverdale period."

Blackmore also addressed the possibility of further shows being announced if the upcoming dates go well. He said: "I deliberately chose to only give three concerts, to see if I'm still able to do this. Of course, there have been a lot of attractive offers, especially from Sweden and Finland. However, we must remember that I have already planned a German tour for BLACKMORE'S NIGHT in July. As you know, after I suspended the activities of RAINBOW , I became very interested in playing renaissance music. To move back to the electrics from the acoustics won't be easy. I've rarely played rock music in the last years, and before these shows I have to cut my nails short. Because when I play this other music, I need long nails. Five days after the last RAINBOW show, there'll already be the first BLACKMORE'S NIGHT show, so it's unclear if I will have enough time to grow my nails back. If it won't work so fast, I have to rely on false plastic nails. I never had this problem before, but I'm glad that I can [do something to] help me out."

He went on to say: "If we enjoy ourselves and the audience gives us a positive vibe back, then I won't rule out the possibility of continuing. However, the second round of dates will probably take place in 2017. But the crucial factor will be the chemistry between the musicians and the audience reaction. These shows will be recorded on video, so that we can release it later on. But my heart will always belong to renaissance music."

Blackmore will perform RAINBOW and DEEP PURPLE material at three shows this year in Europe. The U.K. concert will take place on Saturday, June 25 at the Genting Arena in Birmingham. The performance will be Blackmore 's first U.K. rock show in over 20 years. The two concerts in Germany will take place at the Monsters Of Rock festival on Friday, June 17 at Freilichtbühne in Loreley and on Saturday, June 18 at Festplatz am Viadukt in Bietigheim-Bissingen.

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REVIEW: Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow – Live in Birmingham 2016

Ronnie Romero has one of the toughest jobs in rock.  As the singer in Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, he must fill the shoes of many past vocal champions:  Ronnie James Dio, Graham Bonnet, Joe Lynn Turner, as well as Ian Gillan and David Coverdale from Deep Purple.  The really difficult thing about it is the main guy he’s compared to:  Dio.  Fortunately, this Ronnie is no Dio clone.

Blackmore’s newest incarnation of Rainbow has been doing light touring and recording new material.  From their 2016 show in Birmingham comes this live album, a welcome addition to the Rainbow catalogue.  20 years since their last tour with White, Rainbow has an all-new lineup including Jens Johansson, the top rated keyboard player who made his fame with Yngwie Malmsteen and Dio himself.  Also on board are members of Ritchie’s acoustic Renaissance project Blackmore’s Night:  David Keith and Bob Nouveau on drums and bass.  Backing them are singers Lady Lynn and Candice Night from the same project.

What everything really has to come down to is the lead vocalist.  Ronnie Romero cut his teeth with Chilean band Lords of Black, a power metal group with some minor Blackmore influences.  Ritchie obviously has a good ear.  One wouldn’t immediately think of Romero has the next singer for Rainbow, but the fit is good and snug.  Ronnie can sing the old Dio material and is an instantly likeable frontman.  He has the power and range available to do Dio material, but his rasp is actually reminiscent of another Rainbow singer, Graham Bonnet.  On this album, Romero does the hit single “Since You Been Gone”, originally performed with Graham.  It’s the most authentic version of the song since the original.

As online forums have discussed and debated, Rainbow have a very Purple-heavy set.  Nine songs are Purple classics, making up the majority, including an odd choice in “Child in Time”.  Have Rainbow ever performed that song before?  Perhaps it was put back in the set simply because Purple haven’t played it in 20 years either. “Burn” is no problem for Ronnie Romero though.  He’s very comfortable in David Coverdale’s range.

Could more Rainbow songs have been squeezed in at the expense of a Purple oldie like “Woman From Tokyo” or “Highway Star”?  Sure.  But it’s Ritchie’s ball game.  He wrote those songs, and if he wants to open his set with “Highway Star”, he sure can.  “Soldier of Fortune” originally from Stormbringer  is a surprise and all the more successful for it.  Whitesnake will sometimes play it live, but Purple do not, and Rainbow may never have before.  That leaves seven Rainbow songs, mostly Dio era.  “Stargazer”, “Catch the Rainbow” and “Long Live Rock ‘N’ Roll” are indispensable.

The only real issue with the recording lies with Ritchie.  The guitar should be louder.  It’s far too quiet.  You cannot hear enough of what he is doing.  Comparing to another live album, Black Masquerade recorded in 1995, the guitar was in your face and seemed more aggressive.  It seems strange that a guitar-dominated band like Rainbow would have the instrument toned down on the live album, but many listeners have said the same thing:  “Needs more guitar”.

All the new musicians are more than capable, and after hearing these songs done a million times, it’s nice to hear some new twists on solos and fills.  Romero’s native tongue is Spanish, and there are times he slips up on some old Deep Purple lyrics (particularly “Perfect Strangers”).  This never matters, because nobody screws up Deep Purple lyrics more than Ian Gillan himself!  The main thing is Romero has the right voice.  It’s unbelievable that he can sing a long set like this with such power throughout, seemingly with ease.

Long live rock ‘n’ roll, long live Rainbow, and long live Ronnie Romero.  It’s easy to be skeptical, but most doubters will be silenced by the newest incarnation of Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow.  This is a pleasant surprise and one of Rainbow’s most enjoyable live albums due to the charismatic Romero.

3.5/5 stars

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15 comments

Yes, you did it. Thank you. Need to read it too. At the moment I’m listening to that 2017 remaster of Stranger in Us all. If you hadn’t recommended it I would have missed it. So many thanks. Rainbow rules!

Like Liked by 1 person

Hey I’m glad you’re discovering some more Rainbow music through these reviews! Heavy Metal Overload reviewed the new Rainbow single, download only unfortunately. I would have liked a physical edition.

Friend of mine was at this gig and he came back raving about Romero.

I remember you mentioning that. I’m raving too. The man is awesome. I might have to get some Lords of Black.

Romero is great. I thought this was a more enjoyable set than the Germany set but not as good quality in the recording (is it a soundboard job?). The performance makes up for it though… I really got into this album!

Yes this is soundboard according to the back cover.

The Germany set is more expensive here. I’m not sure why. I haven’t got it yet for that reason.

Live albums really are a funny thing, aren’t they? A great set can be spoilt by shitty sound, while a mediocre set can have the best sound possible. No excuses for some too low guitar, though. Especially when the focal point is, well, the guitarist.

Right. And Blackmore has always been adamant about guitar being the dominant instrument. But maybe he feels different today.

Maybe he’s realising that there is a likely case of depreciating guitar chops as he gets older?

I saw Lords of Black opening for Axel Rudi Pell. A good singer, but I found the music just average. Lords of Black, that is. I wasn’t that familiar with Pell, but will be buying some of his stuff. If you like 1970s-style hard rock, Axel Rudi is for you! On drums was Bobby Rondinelli.

I was at the Loreley concert, and yesterday saw Blackmore with Blackmore’s Night in Hanau. As usual, enjoyable, and funny, as Ritchie does actually talk a lot, but away from the microphone, so Candice does “he told me to tell you”. Strange, really, as in interviews he is eloquent. He also speaks German (had a couple of German wives and a son who is my age, in addition to the young children with Candice), so personally addressing the crowd would have been a nice touch. On the other hand, the fact that he did introduce Romero at the Rainbow gig (while mentioning that he was just learning to talk) did make that introduction more special.

Thankfully, reserved seating, and we had good seats. The only annoying thing is that during one song (and it is always the same song!), a few dozen people got up and ran to the space in front of the stage, blocking the view completely for those, like my wife and myself, down at the front, and worsening it for those higher up. I’ve seen this before, but they went back to their seats after the one song. After three such songs, shouts of “sit down” from the crowd drove them away, resuming a semblance of civility. The same thing happened again when, for the last song, “Loreley”, he got out his famous white Stratocaster. People were getting hard-ons as soon as they saw the headstock sticking out from behind some stage decorations! As it was the last song, not much more was lost.

If there is reserved-seat seating, then people should be forced to stay in their seats. If you want a mosh pit, don’t sell tickets for numbered seats, with some (like ours) costing more which are worthless as soon as the view is blocked. It is also extremely inconsiderate to those who don’t or can’t rush to the front. (Only those standing in the front row can see anything anyway; those standing farther back can’t see anything and have a worse view than from their seats when these were not blocked by the idiot headbangers down the front.)

As usual, no encore, which I like, and is a practice also followed by Ringo Starr.

It reminds me of a stoner Rainbow. I really like it.

A little charisma can go a long way – especially when the new singer’s not trying to replicate someone else!

It’s hard to do! Everybody knows how Dio sings these songs. Copying him would have been unwise!

Hot damn! Sounds like the guy has the chops to be there so get in there and give ‘er!

He’s got the chops, and a new fan, in me. I checked out Lords of Black and while the music isn’t really my thing, the singer is.

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Monday, November 30, 2015

Ritchie blackmore releases first photo of 2016 rainbow lineup.

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Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow

First official photo of 2016 lineup.

From: www.blabbermouth.net

Official Line-Up 2016 - Photo Session.