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WTEAW Tour Reports 2
Home | Biography | Discography | Downloads | Equipment | Fan Club | FAQ | Gallery | Links | Merchandise | Music | News | Reviews | Tabs | Touring
WTEAW Tour Reports 2
July 16, 2001 - Tokyo, JapanFrom Yoko
Miyazaki: Unfortunately, when the new set list song "Blue" (replace of "Red House") has almost reached the final phase, it should be finish with Yngwie's great guitar sound, but the guitar went dead. Yngwie looked very sad with this accident. Mark's high-powered shout and great high, miraculous voice makes us realize that this combination of Yngwie and Mark is No.1 team in the world. Everybody hopes to keep this great relationship - we want to see them again, again , again. The fans never had such a perfect satisfaction before Yngwie and his band gave us this great music experience. A new generation of young kids has completely fallen in love with Yngwie's world; this Yngwie live performance and awesome music is completely above any others. The fans said they think they saw God on the stage that night. July 14, 2001 - Tokyo, JapanFrom Yoko
Miyazaki: July 13, 2001 - Yokohama, JapanFrom Yoko Miyazaki:
July 12, 2001 - Iwate, JapanFrom Yoko Miyazaki:
July 10, 2001 - Nigata, JapanFrom Yoko Miyazaki:
Let me summarize the audience feedback: Here in a small town of northern side of Japan, it was very exciting standing gig and also that was the first time to see Yngwie & his iron-hand band on stage for most of the young audience. The band sound was too loud but very exciting; band play was so tight, young fans were speechless at Yngwie's fantastic acrobatic, technical playing and Mark's godlike voice. We noticed that Yngwie changed the set list for Japan - he added the new WAR album speed tune "The Wizard," and finally we can see the live performance of his beautiful ballad "Miracle of Life." In the encore, " Smoke on the Water" (the well-known Deep Purple song) was a wonderful gift for longtime fans and young kids as well. Yngwie's playing was not only complete rendition of Mr. Blackmore, sometimes double or faster speed than the original. Fans are sending me many e-mails expressing big thanks to Yngwie for coming to such a small town and demonstrating the highest-level music - everything was beautiful and awesome. Click HERE for more tour reports and set lists from the Japanese shows, on the Mega-Fan Site.June 26, 2001 - Hong KongFrom Chan Yu
Kin: June 15, 2001 - Tokyo, JapanTo read about Yngwie's historic premiere performance of Concerto Suite, click HERE! June 9, 2001 - Nottingham, EnglandFrom Jim
Baker:
As well as the above, I managed to hear both sound checks (thanks to April and her mum - more about that later) and was treated to The Wizard, Miracle of Life, Woman from Tokyo, and many more improv songs including some Van Halen! Now, I mention hearing the soundcheck: well - in Dudley I spoke at some length to April's mum who was a very pleasant lady. We had a good chat about lots of things and she personally took me to meet Yngwie and the band pretty much straight after the show (backstage). Yngwie was in a great mood and was with April and Antonio. Everyone was really cool. The following day, I was in Nottingham and we were walking past the back of the venue (from where we parked up) and bumped into April. She instantly recognised me (you should have seem my friend's face) and invited us into the sound check. Yngwie and the band didn't make any fuss about us being there and it was very clear that they were all having a lot of fun. Yngwie didn't stop goofing about and they did a hilarious 'Les Dawson style' Rising Force (UK'ers might be the only ones to get that). Both performances were excellent and it was great to see and hear Mark singing with Yngwie again, although myself and a number of people around us thought it was a shame they didn't play anything from Trilogy. Maybe there was a reason for this? Anyway, on the other hand it was good to hear a fair chunk of WTEAW. I must also mention that I thought Tim Donahue was fantastic. Can't wait for Yngwie to bring his merry band of Vikings to these shores soon - no-one gets even close to Yngwie performing live - awesome ! ! ! From Nick
S.: And Yngwie......................played his butt off, posed, spun, threw, trashed his guitars, said he was very glad not to be in the small room, did everything expected of him. Awesome. Even if he did look like the Grinch under the green lights. And he is a bit chubby - one friend wondered whether he'd eaten his last vocalist. And at one point in Trilogy got his hair caught in the strings and had to drop out for a couple of bars. And April sat in the wings, her face lighting up in the gloom. Set list (I think): Rising Force, Crucify, Catch 22, Far Beyond the Sun + assorted showing off, Bad Reputation, Wild One, Trilogy + everyone's solo's, Red House, 7th Sign, (encore) Black Star, Smoke On The Water, I'll See the Light Tonight, With hints of Now Is the Time, Mistreated (which I WISH he'd done), Air on a G String.................. No vocal songs from Trilogy though, shame. Can't wait for him to come back, and he'd BETTER hang on to Mark!!! Nick (UK) From Ihsan Alnasrawi:
The set list (as far as I can remember, and not in this precise order) was:
It was really quite awesome and YJM's performance was even by his high standards really quite great! Mark Boals on vocals was tremendous and it was great to sing along with him and he was a funny guy, as was YJM, when they cracked a few jokes here and there. It was noticeable to me that YJM looked much healthier since the last time I saw him, probably due to him quitting smoking and drinking so much, and he seemed to be enjoying things much much more, smiling a lot and really getting a kick out of it, and the crowd really responded well to him. I thought everything was great, the drummer really was outstanding. It was all so great bearing in mind that this was the last show at the end of a gruelling schedule of touring around the US and Europe, and considering that YJM was about to fly out to Japan and play a couple of Concertos! I was really astonished at the high quality and high impact of the band's performance despite them surely being dead tired. After the show, Mark Boals was a commendable gentlemen as he was swamped by fans for autographs and photos, signing and smiling continuously, I was really impressed by his good manner and his nice personality which really shone through in such a short space of time that we spoke. I had bought another WAR CD because there was no other merchandise available (sold out the previous 2 days in England) and Mark signed it for me. I shook his hand and got a photo with him which my partner took and she also got her ticket signed. Soon after, YJM himself appeared with April and announced that in a short while he would be signing autographs for everybody and when he reappeared from out of his bus, everybody there got everything they wanted signed and many, many photos were taken. I congratulated him on the great performance, shook his hand, then I got my WAR CD signed and I took several photos with the Maestro himself! (which again my partner took, she's the best! - and she also got her ticket signed). What astounded me was his immense patience and his ever-present and truly genuine smile through the endless stream of fans, he just kept going and going for a very long long time until every person who was there got what they had waited for. He was a true gentleman and a great, pleasant personality, answering even some fans' dumb-sounding questions with admirable politeness. He really impressed me and I hold him in even higher regard (if that's possible!). We all went home happy having seen his show and met him, it was a truly great night! Ihsan Alnasrawi & Gaby Rose, England From Jim K.
: June 7, 2001 - London, EnglandFrom Jon Wilson -
St.Ives, Cambs: I must say that I thought every member of the band played superbly, and Mark's vocals totally blew me away! The CD's do not do his voice justice - he is a fantastic singer! Yngwie and Mark gave me a couple of 'High Fives' during the show and this really made my whole year. It took very little effort to catch both Mat's and Tim's attention during the show, and exchange a thumbs up of appreciation and a hearty smile. Nice people! (We met Randy before the show, and he is a really nice guy.) Remember fans, many thanks are due to Mark and Tim for making the continuation of the tour possible. It is obvious that an awful lot of work was done here, especially by Tim who unless I knew otherwise, looks as though he has been with the band for ages! Thanks Yngwie, I have seen yet again, what I already knew ten years ago - you are one of the greatest Rock guitarists in the Universe. Cheers! From Peter
Stillwell: I am still a bit unsure of the material he played that night and I know he had to get the band together quite quickly and was limited on the songs he had to play, but there was hardly anything off Magnum Opus & Trilogy. Yes , he did play a couple of WTEAW, the guitar playing was awesome. Mr Donahue's drumming was superb and Mats again played excellent, Randy Coven looks like he did in Guitar World 15 years ago and sounds it, but I had a lot of trouble hearing Mark Boals' vocals. I am not a great lover of Mark Boals, he doesn't come over strongly enough as a frontman as some of the others Yngwie has had, but that is my own personal view. I was annoyed at the price of the T-shirts ( £20.00 ) which works out to US$30.00, why so expensive ?? I know when you read this you might think I am having a bit of a moan , but I could watch Yngwie for ages and he still amazes me after all the years I have been listening to him. Thanks again, Yngwie. PLAY LOUD! Peter J Stillwell From Doug Gray:
I had a chat with the lady on the merchandise desk on the way in about the loss of the gear a couple of weeks ago - she had her own theories on that one. They just had t-shirts saying Yngwie who? on one side, and Yngwie fucking Malmsteen that's who! on the other. But for £20 I thought that it was taking the piss. The gig itself - well, the sound was pretty good, although he really needed a larger venue to do the sound justice (it sold out, the capacity being 600 or so), and he's stopped doing all the tedious wanky little solos between each song - which is great. Just song after song, with a guitar, bass, and drum solo (all too long IMHO). All the guys were in fine form - Randy Covens hair cracks me up - always has done! Mark Boals vocals were simple superb - he was on sweet form. I don't remember all the songs, but there was Rising Force, Crucify, Trilogy, Black Star, Blitzkreig, I'll see the Light Tonight, and the magnificent Seventh Sign. During Crucify, Yngwie decided not to use his first finger at all for the main riff - he just tucked it under the fretboard - now that really is just taking the piss! I don't think he dropped a note all night, and his bends were all perfect! The crowd were great and I think Yngwie was really quite impressed by how vocal we all were, especially as the band were off for 7-8 minutes before the encore, and the crowd did not let up at all. If he gets a reception like this everywhere he goes, it hopefully bodes well for the future. I wasn't planning on waiting around afterwards, but got chatting to a couple of guys, then noticed the guitarist from a fantastic power metal band Dragonheart (they supported Stratovarious in December in London check out their site and mp3's www.dragon-heart.net) who I had met before. So we spent some time reminiscing about Jason Becker, Cacophony, Ritchie Kotzen, Greg Howe and the like, and then (this is an hour and a half after the gig) Yngwie comes out and gets straight on the tour bus smiling as he goes. It's the "only one item" routine (there were only about twenty of us), and everyone duly gets their bits and pieces signed. I found myself last in the queue (with nothing for him to sign as I didn't even intend to do this!) and the person who is passing all the stuff to Yngwie to sign (out of sight) is the merchandising lady who recognised me. I just asked her to tell Yngwie "thanks for the continued inspiration for the last 14 years of my playing". She poked her head round the corner, told him, turned back and said "Thank you", and just behind her a smiley familiar face pokes round the corner gives me the thumbs up and says "cheers". I wished them as safe trip up to Birmingham, and then the bus door shuts and that is that. After tonight, I'll make sure that I don't wait eight years again! My God, that was quite a long rambling post - please forgive my indulgence, but is not every day Yngwie comes to town and reminds you why you picked up a guitar in the first place! Cheers, Doug From Peter Mair,
Richmond, Surrey: I watched the soundcheck from the balcony area of the club during the late afternoon. The band jammed round 'Red House' for a while (YM spitting out molten guitar licks right, left, and centre!), 'Crucify' and 'Rising Force' as well as portions of the VH tracks 'Running with the devil' and 'Unchained'. Mark Boals walking round the venue with a cordless mic checking the sound balance. The band came onstage I guess around 9:30 pm, blasting straight into 'Rising Force'. The crowd went mad and it was difficult to see much more than the heads and shoulders of the musicians for the first few numbers. Things calmed down during 'Icarus/Far Beyond the Sun'. I enjoyed the gig but to be honest, the venue was too small for the amount of people present; there was a lot of actual space but a lot of that space did not afford a good view of the stage. May I suggest the promoters book Yngwie into the larger Astoria venue next door for his next tour. Yngwie is playing with as much fire as ever, but I would like to have seen a few more old tracks, e.g., 'Fire', 'Marching Out' - perhaps instead of 'Far Beyond the Sun', instead of drum and bass solos. The 'Trilogy Suite' could also be due for a rest......... June 3, 2001 - Lisbon, PortugalFrom Beatriz T.
: Anyway, as speechless as I was then, I have a lot to say now. It's unbelievable the feeling you get when you're sitting there waiting for the big moment (especially when you've never seen him live), and suddenly, when it's still dark on stage, you see Malmsteen's figure appear on his magnificent and unmistakable pose! Of course, a few moments later, the audience that was closer to the stage was trying to reach Malmsteen and jumping around. But what about the rest of us? Well, I'm going to speak for myself and everyone that was on the seats next to me - we were in the centre, and every time we'd get up and start dancing, jumping, whatever, the security would make sure that we'd sit down, or else the lights wouldn't reach the stage! Now that was a frustrating feeling, Malmsteen would incite us to move and we just couldn't!! Sometimes a simple arm movement, and we could see the shadow down into the stage... Well, I just had to say that, especially when I could see Malmsteen's fruitless efforts to make us rise... But that was just a detail that couldn't suppress the excitement of it all. Each and every member of the band was untiring; Boals was incredible... those high notes and half-tone vibratos would shake the house! Really powerful voice, adding to his interaction with the audience. Oh, but he wouldn't limit himself to the singing; how about that agility with the drum cymbals? Yes, Boals would help out Donahue to muffle the cymbals with his hands! The drum solo was excellent, and so was the bass one, and not to forget the keyboards, that would actually keep everything on its place and all the music going around. All right, now we're getting to Mr. Malmsteen. I've never seen a guitar move so much...! Let me see if I can recall every movement... well, besides the regular position (which includes a never seen finger agility of course), he would play on his back, with his tongue, with the audience holding the guitar, and even on his bottom! Want more? Yeah, the usual rolling around the neck, and throwing the guitar on the air. A great moment was to come when Malmsteen, while listening to the singing audience, would play what we were singing, and start to improvise over it. It was something like - mi so, mi so mi so mi do, mi re, mi do - a song usually sang on football matches. We could also have the pleasure to listen to Malmsteen's voice, a very deep one in fact, with powerful low notes and a great vibrato too. I'm sure I'm leaving many details behind (like the thoughtful gesture of bringing a birthday cake for a crew member, and many other things) but I think the highlights were mentioned. After 18 years studying, playing, and singing (above all) classical music, and now turning into the hard rock music, nothing better for me then a bit of Yngwie Malmsteen's influences. I'm looking forward to his next visit to Portugal...! Rock on!! From Zeavy:
end: 00:12. It was a great show, Yngwie proves that He is "The God" of metal. This has shut up the voices of some people that don't understand Malmsteen: he loves the fans! He's the best! Malmsteen rules! PLAY LOUD! See ya! Zeavy May 31, 2001 - Madrid, SpainFrom Javier
Iglesias: May 29, 2001 - Barcelona, SpainFrom
Dani: From Marta:
May 27, 2001 - Pratteln, SwitzerlandFrom Bastian Marugg:
May 26, 2001 - Brescia, ItalyFrom Giulia:
I was at your concert in Brescia last night. That was simply GREAT! As I heard the news that not only you were coming to Italy, but directly to my hometown, I was astonished. That’s all incredible! How did you end up playing in Brescia ? I would like to thank you heartily for receiving me in your dressing room and autographing your postcard. You really made me happy ! I was so excited that I found myself completely paralyzed and I forget to ask you for one plectrum and to kiss your cheek. Never mind, I send you a big kiss now! One special kiss goes to your mother-in-law for helping me approaching you (she’s really kind) , another one to your wife and one to your beautiful son (he was sleeping on the sofa). Thank you Yngwie …hope to see you soon in Italy . Will you ever come to Brescia again??? If yes..I would like to meet you again. KISSES, GIULIA From
Sabry: From Matteo
Contessi: Before the start of the shows they passed by car near us while we were waiting (at five o'clock) but not Yngwie!! The songs: "Rising force", "Catch 22", "Crucify", "Bedroom Eyes" (with a Hendrix "Voodoo Child" break), "Far Beyond the Sun", "Bad Reputation" and "Trilogy Suite". At this point Yngwie disappeared and bass and drums played very good solos; the bass had a really cool design and a tremolo's lever. Another song was an improvisation blues ( maybe a Hendrix -Red House- but I'm not sure), then "Badinerie", "Wild One", "Masquerade", "7th Sign". With the acoustic He played "Prelude to April" (we were waiting for her standin' a little on the stage, not only in the back!!), some improvisation and "Black Star"; the last were "Smoke on the Water" and "I'll See the Light Tonight". Not a concert, but an event!! Yngwie talked about Italy as his preferred country...sayin': "Italy: Vivaldi, Paganini, Leonardo da Vinci, Albinoni and... Ferrari !!!" I was able to catch an Yngwie's pick and the B string pulled off his Strato during the Trilogy's feedback...quite well !!!! Anyway the sound was overload, but it must be so...especially the keyboards chords were often distorted!! Mark's voice was incredible, he's a great musician, his performance was really good and really high, so high even if he talked normally with the audience!! Anyway I think that the best Yngwie's singers were Goran Edman, but above all Mike Vescera which had a great plucky voice. As Matteo Cazzaniga said, I hope this line up will go on and I would say to Yngwie to not make cover songs on stage because his songs are the best ("Vengeance", "Deja vu","No Love Lost", "Cross the Line","Queen in Love"... and many more) !!!!!! YNGWIE RULES!!!!!!!!! From
Yann: May 24, 2001 - Rome, ItalyFrom
Adriano: From Valeria:
WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL !!!!!!!!!!! See ya & play loud !! * Valeria * From
Pino: May 22, 2001 - Milan, ItalyFrom Stefano:
From
Matteo: Set list: Rising Force, Catch 22, Crucify, Far Beyond the Sun, Bad Reputation, Trilogy+solos+Red House+Badinerie, Masquerade, Seventh Sign +Black Star, Smoke on the Water, I'll See the Light Tonight. He played 2 hours. I'm sure you will enjoy! I'm going to see the show in Switzerland, Sunday 27th. Randy Coven on bass is GREAT! They seem to have a lot of fun on stage...that's good. Yngwie is GOD! From Matteo
Cazzaniga: Thank you Yngwie, you're great! He thanked us a lot, saying he loves Italy, his preferred country! I hope this line-up will go on, but I think Mark Boals is not the right singer live, he lacks of any interpretation and the band had to run after him several times, because he didn't catch the rythm of the songs. Worst song: "Wild One" (great one but done awfully). Best Songs: all the others, above all "7th sign", "Crucify", "Bad Reputation" (the crowd liked 'em very much). Finally I can say it has been very good, the hall was almost sold out and the only suggestion is: let's play some more recent songs (from "Magnum Opus", "7th sign" and "Facing the animal") and take Mike Vescera back! Thank you Yngwie, you're a legend! May 21, 2001 - Sofia, BulgariaFrom Yasen Kazandjiev:
From Svetlin Gergov
[ICQ 96711734]: May 20, 2001 - Istanbul, TurkeyFrom Murat:
From Gurel Gursakal:
From Hakan:
Rest of the band was also great, and they showed incredible performance. After show we were ready at the exit door for see them greetings and autograph; my friends and i prepared several album covers for signing; we waited there 55 min and then they appeared at the door (we were waiting outside of the fence), Yngwie wasnt there but Mark, Mats, Randy, and Tim - i wanna say that they are really friendly and good people, they spoke with us and signed our items, they also looked little surprised for great attention given them, they deserved it all, then they left in cars. And we continued waiting for Yngwie - everybody was excited, laughing, shouting, and after 40 min more yngwie was there.. everbody cheerfully shouted and waved to him with papers and items.... i don't know why but he didn't look us ?? He immediately got on the car, passed through us , with broken hearts everyone shouted, called him but the car didn't stop and gone.......that was really a disappointment for us, as fans who love him and his music, we thought it will be a pleasure for him to meet with us .. Anyway i understand him, he was probably extremely tired and of course he has a schedule to fit and maybe has no time for us (*sniff*), lots of people waiting for him in other countries, and of course he don't have to speak or sign for us, he is a star - he always been a star and will be legend (he is already). I wish him brighter days for his career. So as i said, the show was great, Yngwie and rest of the band was really very good and we were all satisfied with the show. Yngwie is a guitar god !!!!! (sorry for bad english) Hakan May 18, 2001 - Athens, GreeceFrom Stelios
Stefanatos: But he wasn't alone up there. His bandmates gave a terrific show, giving their best in every song, making hard to believe that they weren't together for more than a month or so. Randy's solo on bass and Tim's solo on drums were amazing! So far I regarded Dream Theater as the best technical band, but the current lineup can take them anytime! Amazing musicians all of them! Furthermore I had the chance to meet the band after the show and I can tell you these guys not only are great players but wonderfull people too. Too bad I didn't get the chance to talk to Yngwie (or at least sign my ticket) but there are no hard feelings, he tried to please all of us but we were quite too many, and being tired and all he left gently the club after have signed many tickets and album covers. In a few words, I can say I had a great time that night and I wish this lineup stick together as is and produce a great album. Cheers! May 16, 2001 - Ludwigsburg, GermanyFrom Mathias Balz:
May 15, 2001 - Munich, GermanyFrom Kurt Schöberl:Here's my personal review of the concert in Munich: Facts: The rather small venue in Munich was quite full, Yngwie played for about 2 hrs The reaction of the audience at the beginning was a little reserved but it got more enthusiastic as the show went on. The Songs from the new album, e.g. Catch 22, Crucify, Bad Reputation, Masquerade, came on very strong. In my opinion the band performed these songs tighter than the classics like Rising Force or Seventh Sign. All band members had the opportunity for a solo performance, which everyone did with perfection. Mark Boals has a great voice and also handled the older songs with confidence. I couldn't believe that this band is only together for a few weeks now. A very special highlight for me was the Icarus Dream Suite (played perfectly by Yngwie). One additional comment to Yngwie: As fantastic as he plays, he should bear in mind that sometimes less is more. I think he overplays a little. His really fast runs up and down the neck (his trademark) can get a little boring for the listener if played in every song, in every solo for about 2 hours. But overall the concert was very good ! Best regards, Kurt Schöberl, Salzburg/Austria From Angelina:
AFTER THE CONCERT I GAVE HIM A BIG COMPLIMENT BECAUSE HE WAS SO GREAT! AND APRIL, YNGWIE`S WIFE IS A WONDERFUL WOMAN! YNGWIE CAN BE LUCKY FOR HAVING SUCH A BEAUTIFUL AND NICE WOMAN FOR WIFE! BUT I MOST WONDERED THAT YNGWIE CAN SPEAK GERMAN! WOW! I COULDN`T BELIEVE IT, BUT IT`S REAL! I AND MY HUSBAND WOULD TALK WITH YNGWIE AFTER THE CONCERT BUT I SAW THAT HE WAS VERY VERY SLEEPY! BUT I`M VERY PROUD FOR HIS HANDSHAKE! AND MY HUSBAND, TOO! I ENJOYED THIS CONCERT! I HOPE TO SEE YNGWIE AND HIS BAND SOON IN GERMANY! I`M VERY PROUD TO BE A FAN OF YNGWIE AND THANKS TO GOD FOR SUCH A GOOD GUITARIST! AND I MUST SAY THAT ALL OF THE BAND WERE NICE AND WONDERFUL! A BOY SAID THAT YNGWIE IS ARROGANT AND STUCK-UP - IT`S ABSOLUTELY FALSE! OK, WE MUST WAIT ABOUT 2 HOURS BUT WHEN HE CAME OUT HE WAS VERY FUNNY AND COURTEOUS! AND I WANNA SAY I SAW THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE JEALOUS, BECAUSE YNGWIE PLAYS VERY GOOD! ONE BOY BESIDE ME SAID THAT YNGWIE IS AN ASSHOLE! HE IS ONLY JEALOUS! I DON`T KNOW IF IT WAS MY LAST CONCERT IN MY LIFE, BUT WHEN YOU SEE YNGWIE TELL HIM ABOUT ME AND MY HUSBAND AND WE ARE VERY BIG FANS FROM HIM: AND I THINK WE WERE THE ONLY RIGHT FANS IN METROPOLIS! SINCERLY, ANGELINA AND SIMBO WITH DAUGHTER HENRIETTE May 14, 2001 - Vienna, AustriaFrom Christos
Gatzidis: Yngwie was in very good form; he sounded a bit sloppy in the first couple of songs ( the Rising Force keyboard / guitar duel wasn't exactly perfect by any means ) but once he got warmed up, there was no looking back. The showmanship was all there; the guitar twirls behind the back, throwing picks to the crowd, playing with his teeth, etc. He even broke his guitar neck at the end of his solo piece and tossed the neck into the audience! Sometimes he went into that auto-pilot mode as he does far too many times these days, i.e., playing the same harmonic minor lick over and over again, but when he really set his mind to it there was no doubt that he still is one of the all time greats. I'll See The Light Tonight had a scorching solo ( maybe it's those cool chord changes on it that inspire him ), definitely the highlight of the night for me. The setlist? 5 songs off the new one ( Bad Reputation, Masquerade, Crucify, Wild One, Catch 22 ), 2 off the debut, one off Marching Out, one off Trilogy ( albeit an instrumental one ), two off Odyssey ( including a truncated but very enjoyable Dreaming which Boals sang a verse of with his mike switched off for most of the time -doh!- ), one off Eclipse and one off Seventh Sign ( great choice, btw ). The WTEAW songs definitely sounded better than the CD, but can anyone seriously take Catch 22 or Bad Reputation over his old stuff? Give me You Don't Remember I'll Never Forget ( really wanted to hear that one! ) and I Am A Viking any day of the week and twice on Sundays! Still you can't have everything I suppose. The band was quite tight and Boals for me was, other than Yngwie himself, the highlight of the evening. Don't care too much for his frontman abilities ( his crowd banter was a bit embarassing ), but he is an amazing singer! He nailed all those high notes with such an ease it left you speechless! Funny, he said during the concert he had a cold, I would hate to think how he would perform had he been OK! All in all, it was an enjoyable concert and I was glad to see Yngwie has still got it. My humble suggestions for the next record? Keep Mark Boals ( along with Jeff Scott Soto the best singer Malmsteen's ever had ) and get a decent producer in. Preferably Jeff Glixman or Chris Tsangarides. Thanks, Christos Gatzidis May 12, 2001 - Prague, Czech RepublicFrom Lucia
Jelefyova: I succeeded to get to the first row to iron fence, Yngwie was 3 metres from me!!! God, it was just a dream! I caught 2 picks with sign. Rising Force started of course with song called Rising Force with incredible playing solo style in the middle of song. We have welcome Yngwie with a big applause and after the band started to play songs from War to End All Wars - Crucify, Catch 22, Masquerade, Bad Reputation. Then they turned the page and came back to year 1985 - with Nicolo Paganini, Icarus Dream Suite and Far Beyond the Sun. Then Randy Coven played solo on the bass - very very cool - extremely gifted and clever musician and showman. And of course, very funny guy. The drummer, very young boy, not man [webmaster's note: Tim is actually not that young!], started to play drum solo after Randy; I nearly forgot my name, it was so great, hard-to-play figures, with one word, he was amazing. Continuing with Trilogy and scream of the fans, which were killing each other for Yngwie´s picks;-))), I realised that it was a big fortune I could be here. Seventh Sign - what a surprise, nice surprise. One of my favourite albums. After I´ll See the Light Tonight - all crowd was singing this song with Yngwie. Later he said that we were fantastic. Thank you Yngwie, also for your Badinerie, Prelude to April, and for your great acoustic improvisation. God, it wasn´t just a dream!!!!!! Thank you, thank you thank you!!!! For Heaven tonight. Not only tonight - still. Lucia From Jan
Hirsch: May 10, 2001 - Frankfurt, GermanyFrom Ralph Cowle:
By chance I met Denise before the show, a really nice girl, and she very kindly took my 'wad' of CD and Video covers for Yngwie to autograph. She also very kindly took the trouble to introduce me to April and Yngwie after the show as the guy who'd come from England to see him! I work all over Europe now but for the past couple of years have never been in the right country at the right time, so I was very lucky to catch him this time round. There was so much I wanted to ask Yngwie, but I didn't want to take up too much of his time as they had a long trip to the Czech Republic ahead of them. I was very pleased to have the chance to meet April too, she is very nice and friendly. I said I hoped to be able to see them at the last show in England too, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed I can be home that weekend. p.s. No cameras allowed at the show, except a pro photographer. Looking forward to seeing those posted. I did get my photo taken with Yngwie and April after everyone else had gone home though, I hope it turns out, but in any case, it was worth missing the last train home and the 5 mile walk back to my flat at 3 in the morning!!! (not a taxi in sight when you want one!) Best Regards, Ralph May 9, 2001 - Bochum, GermanyFrom Simone (and
Lisa): May 8, 2001 - Cologne, GermanyFrom Philipp Bachem:
From Boris
Brawer: From Hendrik Wevers:
An Yngwie Malmsteen concert is quite different from any other rock or metal concert. You can't concentrate on the music as a whole, your attention is simply pulled towards Malmsteen and the guitar alone. I tried to focus on the other band members - and Randy Coven, Mats Olauson and especially the new drummer Donahue are excellent masters of their instruments! - but I could not, my eyes were always swivelling back to Yngwie and his guitar. It was as if the guitar filled the whole space. Yngwie played with feeling, sometimes aggressive, sometimes calm, and always perfectly expressive. Let me also comment on the band as a whole. It seemed they had a great time. They made jokes, made fun of themselves but never in a dull sense. I think they were enjoying themselves a lot - perhaps a motive for coming back to Cologne again ;-). I for my part could not understand, why so many left the show. I think they are used to different kind of concerts. But you have to face it: Yngwie's music is definitely written for his instrument, and that is done exceedingly well. Therefore you mustn't wonder if he and his instrument are the focus of the show, and though he is, it sure does not reduce the quality of the show but lifts it into realms that many guitarists try to enter - yet, alone Yngwie holds the keys. May 6, 2001 - Vosselaar, BelgiumFrom Eddy and Yngwie
Leenknegt: I want to thank also the nice lady who does the merchandising, she made it possible that Yngwie was invited by the maestro to see him. A big, big, big thank you to her again. It is a fulfillment of a young kid's dream, something to be proud of. We presented the photo of our son with his regard to the maestro and the maestro dedicated our photo on canvas to little Yngwie. Can you imagine how proud he is with that? We hope to see Yngwie and his band next year, the year after and so on.... we will be there! Play loud! May 5, 2001 - Hardenburg, HollandFrom Peter
Lammersma: Tim Donahue suprised me. He played just like he was in the band for years. Mats played very solid just like he always does. During the absence of Yngwie on the stage (some technical problems) Randy showed his skills on the bass and i can tell you this guy is pretty good. But there is only one Maestro and that is Yngwie. He played with his guitar like a madman - it's unbelieveble too see how good he is. Solos, riffs, electric, acoustic, Hendrix,.....Yngwie can handle all of this. When you have the ability to see him, just do it before you die. Yngwie Rules! P.S. Yngwie didn't have a session outside by the tour bus, but a session inside the building. I met Yngwie inside the building in a dressing room. It was a great experience to meet the Maestro himself. He was very open and pleasant to talk with. For me it was incredible that i was in one room with him, talk, shake hands, etcetera. Okay, My wedding was great, the birth of my two children... but this was also great. From Andreas
Helmus: From Henk Jan
Steenvoort: From Bert
Willemsen: Set-List: Rising Force, Catch 22, Crucify, Bedroom Eyes, Adagio-Far Beyond the Sun, Wild One, Bad Reputation, Trilogy Suite op.5, Red House/Instrumental Jam, Badinerie, Masquerade, The Seventh Sign. Encores: Acoustic Solo; Prelude to April Improvisation, Dreaming (acoustic, Yngwie let the crowd sing almost 2 verses !!!, no band on this one), Air, Acoustic intro of Black Star, Black Star (just before the main theme, Yngwie had to be cut lose from his guitarband, he almost choked himself, he really made fun of it afterwards, Randy played an improvised solo on Black Star while Yngwie was off stage to be cut loose.), I'll See the Light Tonight. Now for the band members: I've been listening to Jorn Lande with Yngwie, but what can I say, I'm glad he is no longer with the band. Mark is a better singer, he sang very well, he was (together with Yngwie of course) one of the best on stage. Every high note etc., it was all done with a lot of confidence, it sounded very good. Of course Mats and Randy played very well, it's nice to see Yngwie and Randy to play licks together in unison. Tim Donahue is new with the band, but he played very well. I read the concerts reviews of Sweden, and that the band wasn't quite together, but let me tell you this, in 7 years I haven't seen such a good show as yesterday. Tim didn't made a mistake; every now and then, Randy helped him through the songs, but what can one expect, the guy plays only for 5 days with Yngwie. But one couldn't hear that the band only played for 5 days together. It was a real shame that we weren't allowed to take pictures, even though I had asked 3 times up front. There was Maxiumum security, we all had to walk through a gate and all metal objects had to be shown to the security, so there was no way to take my camera inside, too bad. The last thing I want to say is that if you get the chance to see Yngwie and Rising Force play, go and see them, you won't be disappointed ! Forever Yngwie, Bert Willemsen From Jan-Kees
Logmans: When the band arrived , April took us to Yngwie so we could listen to the soundcheck . I heard they were having some sound problems the day before but the sound was perfect. The highlight , next to meeting Yngwie and April , was to meet Marc Boals who's best live ! Even during the soundcheck his voice was in perfect condition. He's still the best ! The new drummer , Tim Donahue , blew me away. I met him just before the soundcheck and he looked like a jazz drummer to me, but when he started playing with his double bass drum he really created a thunderstorm , this guy really rocks ! Later that night , Yngwie and the band gave the best live show I've seen of him in years ! The sound was great , the band was great and the atmosphere of the whole show was more than great ! The Meet-and-greet after the show was really cool too, a perfect ending of a perfect day. Thanks again Yngwie & April , see you on the next tour ! All the best, Jan-Kees Logmans From
Michiel: May 4, 2001 - Hamburg, GermanyFrom Stephan &
Oliver: May 3, 2001 - Malmö, SwedenFrom Anders -
Denmark From Magnus:
Yes, Boals said that Yngwie had had problems with the equipment at the Stockholm gig, and he said tonight it was his turn. "Here we spend thousands of dollars on the gear, and when about to use it, it doesn´t work". However, I didn´t notice (perhaps it was his återförstärkare). He is really a great singer (and also makes a very humble, pleasant impression.) There was an opening neo-classical band called Reptile, a local ability I believe, suprisingly good though (but for the singer), catchy tunes. Perhaps a promise for the continuum of this line of music Trevlig helg, Magnus May 1, 2001 - Stockholm, SwedenFrom Patrik
Johansson: From Joakim
Svartheden: Mats made another of his brilliant efforts. It's a shame he's always lost in the mixing though, because you can see he's doing a lot of cool arrangements but you can't hear them. Since Yngve temporarily had Marre on the bass and Anders on the drums last time in Sweden [short festival gigs in June 2000], I hadn't seen Randy in action before. He was very well heard though, and his fingerpicking makes him able to slap, to be wherever he wants to be for the moment and to have a really fleshy sound. A good team-player. Whatever fave-singer one may have, it is very obvious that Mark is a skillfull one. He sings whatever piece you put in his hand, metal, blues, ballads, Puccini, anything and tonight his voice sounded really fresh. And so the wild card, Tim Donahue. Since I know nothing about him except from that he plays with a 'swing/pop/rock-band', I thought that he (A.) wouldn't be able to make the constant hardrolling and (B.) would make the rhythm section smoother and more dynamic. I was wrong; he made the monotone double-kick champing like - and just as good as - any metal drummer. You could tell this was the first night with the band because he was always into counting and the bandmates made a very good effort in guiding him through the show. Just a few, minor lapses, nothing to be harmed at. What about Yngve himself? After all these years, all these bands, and all these shows Yngve takes them all out. Foremost he's got an engagement and a frenetic-ness that no one else has; after more than 15 years his vibrato is still inimmitable. His existence fills all the hall!! That makes him unique. Another thing that unfortenatelly makes Yngve unique is his propensity to be too soon on the beat, a tendency that seems to get stronger over the years. Tonight when the rythm section had to make its effort to keep tight and therefore kept the real beat instead of following Yngve's, not a single song ending was close to perfect. On Far Beyond the Sun, where Yngve actually skipped (!) a few bars (just like he did last year), it was really embarassing. A third thing that makes Yngve unique is his great presence and charisma. Except from Fish, I've never seen a musician so totally spellbinding to his audience; it's a lot of gimmicks and Stockholm jargon, but it's still honest in some way. However this is exactly what the rest of the band lack. Mats looks nice behind his equipment. Randy looks as if he's got his first school-performence, trying to ease things up with party trix such as pretending to touch Mats' synth under his keysolo. Tim wouldn't look at the audience even if he was payed for it. Mark sounds really nice when he finds something to say, but a singer can't constantly look into his bandmembers, his wig or his eye-lid while singing or making a presentation. His way of getting lost on stage is charming just to a certain point, when he at different times forgets the lyrics and misses his liners I think it's beyond that point. (Last time in Stockholm, he even forgot to enter the scene in the end of Child in Time, forcing the others to find a decent instrumental ending.) It was a great show, enjoyed from start to end. But I would really like to see - and it would take so little effort to make - Rising Force a tighter and fuller band, still allowing Yngve to do whatever he wants to do. More of everything, more of everyone. From Christer Norin:
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