JOE LYNN TURNER – Bergen – Madam Felle
- Posted on 26-03-2017
Legendary vocalist Joe Lynn Turner (Rainbow, Deep Purple, Sunstorm, Rated X, etc.) laid siege to the city of Bergen on a rather dark and rainy night by means of a brilliant set of classic rock tunes. A buddy of mine and I arrived at Madam Felle around ten PM and the place was already packed by that time. Joe Lynn Turner and his kick-ass band went on stage a little after eleven and the whole place erupted into joy. You could tell that there were a lot of Rainbow and Deep Purple fans there and some of them went ape-shit and sang along to each and every word throughout the entire show. In general though, most people there knew a lot of the lyrics and sang along, which was great. It was also quite evident that the members of the band were thrilled with the response they received and a lot of energy was exchanged between the stage and the audience. Back and forth it went. The whole setting at Madam Felle was also very intimate and you felt really close to the band and the proceedings on stage.
The set-list was simply impeccable. I would not have changed a single thing about it. Everything rocked and I do mean ROCKED! The sound was pretty good where we were standing and the JLT band was superb all around. Their renditions of the classic Rainbow and Deep Purple material sounded authentic and full of passion. Opening the show with "Death Alley Driver" from one of my favorite records, more specifically "Straight Between the Eyes", was a stroke of genius. The audience was instantly sucked in and hooked on what was going on up there on the stage. "Jealous Lover" and "Can’t Let You Go" followed suit and sounded damn-near perfect. "The Cut Runs Deep" from the inhumanly underrated "Slaves and Masters" LP (by Deep Purple) was a dream come true for me. I love that album and have always wanted to witness some of those songs in a live setting. "Endlessly" was beautiful while the classic Purple tune "Highway Star" left everyone floored. The next five tracks, namely "Stone Cold", "MISS Mistreated", "Spotlight Kid", "Can’t Happen Here", and "I Surrender" were almost too much to take in. Yes, they were that good! There was just something about the performance and the way in which the band played them that felt right. "MISS Mistreated" was one of the very highlights of the evening for me while my friend was totally blown away by how thunderous and punchy "I Surrender" sounded. The Yngwie Malmsteen classic "Rising Force" closed the main set while "Dreaming (Tell Me)" and a great medley consisting of "Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll" and "Lazy" (with a few solo spots thrown in for good measure) figured as the encores. What a way to end a such a memorable and fun night! As to Mr. Turner, there are no words that can possibly describe or summarize just how sharp and excellent he sounded last night. How he does it is totally beyond me. The guy is 65 years old and yet he sounds just as brilliant and wicked as he did on "Difficult to Cure" in 1981. He still possesses one of the greatest voices in rock. Truly remarkable!
If you get the chance to catch Joe Lynn Turner live at a club, preferably with an intimate atmosphere to it, then by all means go. You will not regret it. Like I said, he remains one of the greatest voices in rock and JLT has to be experienced in a live setting That is simply a fact. Now go and find out if he is playing anywhere near you!
Joe Lynn Turner – vocals.
Jorge Salan – guitar.
Darby Todd – drums.
Samuel Olsson – keyboards.
Magnus Rosen – bass.