Celtic Legacy
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Jon Lord - National Concert Hall, Dublin 24 Sept 2009
Let me start this review with a quick rundown of concerts I've been to... Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, Michael Jackson, Thin Lizzy, Iron Maiden, War Of The Worlds, Black Sabbath etc etc. It's safe to say I've seen any number of amazing gigs in my time. Up until last night, the best gig I was at was one of the 1994 Pink Floyd Earl's Court shows. Spectacle aplenty! And the other bands I've seen had their fair share of theatre, pyrotechnics, OTT light shows too.
But they were ALL eclipsed by Jon Lord's Dublin performance last night. Why? Because the only thing that mattered to everyone in attendance was the music being performed. There were no props, no backdrops, no smoke machines, no back video projections, no laser light show, no gimmicks, theatrics, silly costumes, miming, slick dance moves...you get the picture. In essense there was nothing to distract from the sheer pleasure of the music.
And believe me, the music last night was simply sublime from start to finish. The RTE Concert Orchestra casually walked onstage to generous applause, tuned their respective instruments to a note from the grand piano stage left and waited for the maestro to appear. And when Jon walked onto the stage the audience greeted him like an old friend. He took a bow and started talking to the audience. Someone in the front row forgot to turn their phone off and perfectly on cue, a little ditty rang out to which Jon commented that 'there's a great sound off that'. A good chuckle from the audience and the tone was set for the night. Jon introduced the orchestra and conductor and without any delay the first notes of the Concerto For Group & Orchestra started up.
It's worth noting that this day marked the 40th anniversary of the original concerto performance. I had never seen the piece performed live although I have both Deep Purple albums so I'm well familiar with the entire piece. But listening to it on vinyl/CD or watching a filmed performance on DVD is no substitute for actually experiencing it two rows from the front of the stage. And from the start, the hair was standing up on my arms. It was like that for the rest of the night.
Kudos has to go to the RTE Concert Orchestra and their conductor David Brophy. Not only did they perform the piece flawlessly but they did it with a smile on their faces. It was clear that everyone was enjoying themselves. Jon and David had obviously put in some serious rehearsal and it paid off. If you've never gone to see and hear an orchestra playing I'd recommend you put it on your list of must do's. The ambience of the music is incredible.
After the First Movement there was a slight delay as some latecomers were allowed into the hall. The conductor whispered that they needed to pause because the second piece was so quiet. Onto the stage walked Steve Balsamo and Kasia Leska and the Second Movement began it's long build up. These two singers have amazing voices and complement each other very well. Another note perfect rendition before the Third Movement brought the end of the first half of the show to a close and the first of THREE standing ovations.
The second half of the show started in the same way as the first; the orchestra walked casually on to a round of applause, followed by Jon a minute or two later with Jon speaking softly into the mic introducing Pictures Of Home. I wasn't expecting this song so it was a nice surprise. For the rest of the evening Jon dipped into songs from all his solo works. The music was varied between more reflective material and upbeat works - everything played with entusiasm from all on the stage. Both vocalists were given songs to sing and both of them were fantastic. I saw Kasia actually had a tear in her eye while singing 'Wait A While', such was the feeling going into her performance.
The second standing ovation was followed by the biggest surprise of the night. Jon brought out an Uileann Pipes player and introduced a 'mish mash of a couple of things'. The first part of the mish mash was The Road from Lindisfarne which suddenly sequed into Soldier Of Fortune, Steve and Kasia singing the vocals in perfect harmony. Then the surprise came. Ritchies guitar solo melody was played note perfect on the Uileann Pipes. That is something that can't really be described, so I'll just have to leave it to your imagination, but take it from me, it sounded astonishing! It sent shivers up my spine.
Rounding the night off, Jon teased the assembled audience for a bit, talking about a song that meant so much to him that had been written in 1969. I think everyone in the auditorium knew what song he was referring to and Jon definitely knew they did. He paused for a while before playing and there wasn't a single sound to be heard. Breathless anticipation indeed! Then, three notes and the roof was raised. Child In Time closed out the evening with more magnificant vocal performances from Steve and Kasia, Steve taking the main vocal and Kasia harmonising with him on the screams. I say 'screams' but that only really applies to the native version by DP. Here the screams were sung... again note perfect. And you should hear this song played with an orchestral arrangement, especially the cellos under the vocals, it's immense!
After this song, there was one final standing ovation which went on for a long time and it was certainly well deserved. An incredible 2 1/2 hours!! I didn't detect any signs of relief on the face of anyone on the stage, more a look of 'job well done' and 'we really enjoyed that!'.
This was an event where the whole concert experience was distilled down to it's essence, what live concerts should be all about - the music! You want all the trimmings then go see any mainstream band or hyped 'pop sensation' and you'll get your wish. But you won't get half the enjoyment of something like this. If you want to come away with goosepimples, heightened emotions and a sense of sheer enjoyment, then I strongly recommend you catch Jon next time he's in your area. And if he's not, then hop on a plane and go see him. It will be well worth the trip and then some!
And did I mention that it was the best concert I've been to?
Last edited by Celtic Legacy, 25/9/2009, 14:35
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And another thing I won't discuss is RRRRRRRRRapture...
...It always causes fights!
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25/9/2009, 14:31
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David Meadows
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Re: Jon Lord - National Concert Hall, Dublin 24 Sept 2009
Great review... it almost feels like I was there 
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"A good idea will keep you awake during the morning, but a great idea will keep you awake during the night."
Marilyn vos Savant
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25/9/2009, 19:05
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Celtic Legacy
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Re: Jon Lord - National Concert Hall, Dublin 24 Sept 2009
Glad to see you got home ok mate. We drove past the bus stop only a couple of minute after we left you and you were gone, so glad you didn't have to wait there too long.
I'm still coming down after that concert  Did I miss anything? (Apart from not commenting on the band performance which I only realised after I'd posted it.)
Suffice to say, the band did a great job too. And I got a response from someone on Jon's Facebook page to say that neither the band or orchestra had heard or read the music until the day before the show. There was one single run through of the piece before it was performed. Sums up the quality of musicianship on display last night 
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And another thing I won't discuss is RRRRRRRRRapture...
...It always causes fights!
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25/9/2009, 21:12
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Apolllo
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Re: Jon Lord - National Concert Hall, Dublin 24 Sept 2009
Thanks for the review. I just can't wait till Siegen !
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26/9/2009, 11:33
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Celtic Legacy
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Re: Jon Lord - National Concert Hall, Dublin 24 Sept 2009
If it's even half as good as this gig you're in for a fantastic night mate. If it wasn't for the money situation I'd be jumping on a plane and heading to the Edinburgh show on Oct 5th. I'll be keeping an eye on Jon's website for any dates I can make it to next year.
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And another thing I won't discuss is RRRRRRRRRapture...
...It always causes fights!
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26/9/2009, 13:05
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Rezi
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Re: Jon Lord - National Concert Hall, Dublin 24 Sept 2009
Thanks CL!
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27/9/2009, 10:14
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David Meadows
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Re: Jon Lord - National Concert Hall, Dublin 24 Sept 2009
quote:
Celtic Legacy wrote:
Glad to see you got home ok mate. We drove past the bus stop only a couple of minute after we left you and you were gone, so glad you didn't have to wait there too long.
Not sure how long I stood waiting but less than 5 minutes. The 5 hours on the airport was the killer! Still, I'd do it again
quote:
I'm still coming down after that concert Did I miss anything?
I think you've covered everything I would have said!
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"A good idea will keep you awake during the morning, but a great idea will keep you awake during the night."
Marilyn vos Savant
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28/9/2009, 12:57
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Apolllo
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Re: Jon Lord - National Concert Hall, Dublin 24 Sept 2009
quote:
Celtic Legacy wrote:
If it's even half as good as this gig you're in for a fantastic night mate. If it wasn't for the money situation I'd be jumping on a plane and heading to the Edinburgh show on Oct 5th. I'll be keeping an eye on Jon's website for any dates I can make it to next year.
I know, I already seen him earlier this year ! That's why it's not hard at all for me to believe it was that good !!
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28/9/2009, 14:36
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Big J
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Re: Jon Lord - National Concert Hall, Dublin 24 Sept 2009
Dash - should have copyrighted that tag line!
http://jonlord.org
Catch you in Edinburgh.
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Video clips from various gigs -> http://youtube.com/weissheim
Diamond Head message board -> http://diamondhead.myfastforum.org/index.php
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29/9/2009, 19:25
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