Yngwie Concert Review - Baltimore 12/3/2005
Ikaros
(Concert Review by Steve Mavronis)
Greta and I arrived at the Baltimore Rams Head before 6:30pm to
meet our friends Pam and Tina for dinner before we all went to the show. The
parking garage was right above the venue so that made it very convenient. In
the hallway outside the concert hall, we could hear Razor Eater played
loudly. At first, we thought they were just playing the Attack CD over the
PA, but then realized Yngwie and his band were in there doing sound checks
before the show!
We went around the corner into the Rams Head Tavern attached to
the concert hall. Inside the restaurant, we could still hear the band doing
warm-ups playing Razor Eater and a few other neoclassical bits. We sat right
next to the concert hall but the doors and windows had curtains drawn. An
Yngwie fan in the restaurant came over trying to peek through the curtain
gaps to see the stage. He looked very excited, and exclaimed he was really
psyched for the show! Greta and I enjoyed the beer battered shrimp and crab
cake sandwiches. The menu was cool because it featured dinner specials with
names like Fire & Ice Mahi, Rising Force Steak Diane, and Odyssey Chicken!
The concert hall doors opened up at 8pm so we went inside after dinner.
The Baltimore Rams Head venue layout was very nice and clean.
They had a nice "Stuff" counter where they sold Yngwie memorabilia such as
tour shirts, DVD/CD's, guitar picks, and yes - the official "Unleash The
Fury" thong! The UTF shirt had big print on the front like the CD cover, and
a small "Unleash The Fury Tour 2005" banner on the back. I actually bought
the other shirt they had with the Rising Force flaming guitar album design
on the front. I put it on immediately over the shirt I was wearing! We got
our drinks and claimed our spots right against the front of the stage on the
right hand side since the full crowd had not yet arrived for the scheduled
9:30 show.
Orange Sky was the opening band and said they were from Trinidad
in the Caribbean. They put on a real nice show with their interesting
Reggae/Metal style. They actually rocked and got a good crowd reaction. The
bandleader thanked and praised Yngwie several times during their set for
giving them exposure on the tour.
Around 10:55pm, we could hear Yngwie somewhere offstage soloing
and playing Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. Then the band came onstage and
opened the show with Rising Force! You could really feel the excitement from
the fans. Everyone was rocking to the beat of every Yngwie song. I brought a
pen to write down every song title as they were played making up the set
list. According to my notes, this was the song order: Rising Force - Demon
Driver - Locked & Loaded - Cracking the Whip - echo delay solo and classical
bits - Icarus Dream Suite intro - Far Beyond the Sun - Star Spangled
Banner - acoustic piece and violin interlude from Cry No More - Dreaming -
Never Die - Winds of War - Baroque & Roll - Exile - Rise Up - Trilogy
Suite/Krakatau/guitar solo - Redhouse (with Yngwie on vocals) - Fugue -
Bedroom Eyes - Hendrix song - You Don't Remember I'll Never Forget. The
encore songs were Black Star and I'll See the Light Tonight. I was surprised
he did not do Cherokee Warrior since he had a "dream catcher" hanging from
his microphone stand. Even so, Yngwie and his Rising Force band played for
almost two hours by the time they finished! I got two guitar picks this time
and the second page of the set list, which by the way did not list Bedroom
Eyes that he had played.
Doogie White did a great job singing and interacting with the
audience. He has such a versatile voice and hope he sticks around for a
while. He sounded great on Razor Eater during the earlier sound check so it
was sad that it was not included in the show. I have really enjoyed him on
the past two albums and live shows. Patrik Johansson is a great drummer and
keeps a strong beat. Thank him for Yngwie looking better than ever lately,
due in part by being his tennis partner! Mick Cervino was great on bass. It
was too bad they did not do Bogeyman though. Many fans would have liked to
hear that one from UTF. Nick Marinovich was good on keyboards too. I wonder
what happened to Joakim Svalberg?
Yngwie was amazing the whole time! This is the fifth time that I
have been to an Yngwie show and it was the only time that I ever got right
up to the stage and the view there was simply great. Yngwie worked the
audience well and when he comes over and looks you in the eyes as he plays,
you feel an almost personal connection to the maestro. I can understand now
why the women seem to melt in his presence. But for me, he makes me feel his
guitar God energy or something. It is a completely different experience when
you are that up close and personal. A great moment came towards the end of
the show when Yngwie knelt down at the edge of the stage (just a few feet
away) and got the fans over there to hold his guitar horizontally in the air
so he could play over it. I imagine it must have felt as if you were one
with his guitar as you could feel him fingering the notes as he played!
Yngwie is simply awe-inspiring. It is hard to state it any other way.
Yngwie Malmsteen Websites:
The Official Yngwie Malmsteen Website and Fan Club
Yngwie Malmsteen 100% (my page)
http://yngwie100.home.comcast.net