0
Ah, the heady days of when I was but a mere boy came flooding back at The Liverpool O2 Academy; the days when Graham Bonnet was performing with Ritchie Blackmore, Cozy Powell and Roger Glover back in the very late 70s and early 80s; memories of air guitaring in the bedroom, tennis racket in hand, to some of the most influential Rock classics.
So, does the reality of some 36 years passing live up to expectations in 2016? Well, yes, for the most part, with the added layers of Beth-Ami Heavenstone’s immaculate Bass, Conrad Pesinato’s exemplary guitar work and the powerhouse that is Mark Zonder on Drums driving the entire gig forward from behind.
Two from the exquisite Rainbow album, Down To Earth, get things off to a fine start with Eyes of the World getting things going nicely before Bonnet’s gravel filled vocals rip into All Night Long and so gets the surprisingly sparse gathering suitably animated.
Of course Graham Bonnet hasn’t only fronted Rainbow. Michael Schenker asked him on board with his own eponymous band too, until an unfortunate incident the singer’s put down to a wardrobe malfunction while the rest of the world disagrees, which instantly saw his tenure cut short. Nevertheless, his performance of Dancer truly rocks, with Bonnet clearly feeling energised and up for proceedings.
It is a little mystifying then that, despite their best efforts, everything falls a little flat and sounds somewhat tired and forced, with a weird ennui seeping through to the audience midway through; particularly during the Alcatraz ballad, Suffer Me, which is so out of tune / touch with reality it can easily be sub-titled Suffer Ing.
Thankfully, Desert Song – again from MSG – and a truly rocking Mirror Lies are on hand to rescue things, before the highlight of Since You’ve Been Gone sets the seal on a what is a memorable evening, although possibly more for the igniting of fond memories of youth than for anything else.
Graham Bonnet Band
O2 Academy, Liverpool
PR Rating: *** Mixed Bag of Tricks