Blackmore's Night - 12/06/07

When Honk and myself went to see Deep Purple in 2005, they sucked big time! Mainly due to the lack of one Ritchie Blackmore, who of course left in 1993. Ritchie, one of the world's greatest ever guitar riffmeisters retired into his castle and decided to make "Renaissance Music" with his new girlfriend Candice Night. Hence the formation of Blackmore's Night!


These day ol'Ritchie only plays places like castles and towns and cities with great history - So York Grand Opera house was right up his street! His support band were a group of traditional musicians from the Czech Republic, who were not very well versed in English, but they were amusing and fun to clap along with!

As usual at a Blackmore's Night gig the first 4 or 5 rows, were full of people dressed in medieval garb! Jesters, and serfs and fat friars and some guys who all looked like Sir Walter Raleigh! Hugely amusing!


Blackmore's Night played songs from all 5 albums, plus a few folkified versions of old Deep Purple numbers. He was on top comedy form all night berating members of his band and passing Mead in silver goblets down into the audience! His guitar playing, as ever was superb! Candice is a pretty good vocalist too! But most people seemed to be there for Ritchie!

After 2 hours of Folk rock, (Fans of Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull would have loved it!) He wandered of stage and the enitre audience went mental, all singing the main riff to Deep Purple's "Black Night"!


There was then a huge cheer as Ritchie came back on stage with his signature white Fender Strat! And played the opening riff to Black Night. Everyone went nuts as he then played the whole song and then played Rainbow's version of Beethoven's 9th in a squealy super solo, then went into the opening riff of the Purp's "Woman (From Tokyo".

Just as we thought it couldn't get any better, the opening and NEVER equalled riff to "Smoke On The Water" broke out and everyone went crazy! but it was to be the last song as the stage manager had to come on stage and try and make everyone leave, saying the band had already played 15 minutes past a strict curfew of 11pm!

To sum it up it was an incredible gig! Next one is the legendary Ozzy Osbourne!