Oslo, Norway Pix & Reports

  • :p

    Glenn Hughes suddenly passed me on the pavement while I was waiting for the doors to open outside Smuget last night. I was paralyzed when he came. I have never been that close to the guy. I sent a message on my mobile phone to my wife to tell her about it, but she went "u-hu, so what?". I keep forgetting how childish we can get when it comes to our heroes.

    Back to the pavement: My mouth was locked and there was no words coming out. In a few seconds Glenn and his manager (is that Carl?) was gone into the bulding. I know Glenn had been sleeping in his hotel room this day after coming from Russia.

    I was at the HTP concert in Hell Blues Festival a few years ago, and that was my only Glenn-show so far. Yesterday was my first time experiencing Glenn live with his solo material. So you can imagine I was excited. A shame that "Freak Flag Flyin'" was sold out, but I bought a red t-shirt before the concert started.

    Then Glenn and the band got on stage. He was smiling an laughing throughout the whole set, and he was really giving the audience a lot of Glenn Hughes, and not only the musician Glenn Hughes. He really was that funny guy and among many other things he took the time to salute some of the t-shirts in the audience. "I like the one with Tommy Bolin best", he said.

    "I am building an audience in Norway now", Glenn said, and then he told us he was coming back to Norway in the springtime. According to Glenn this was the start of an 8 months' tour. Is that new information? I was talking to his manager after the concert and he said that there would we four more gigs in Norway in March, but he couldn't recall the places. Oslo is one of them, though.

    Glenn had the same setlist in Oslo as on the other concerts. The band was tight, and I was thrilled about Glenn and his drummer Mark Mondesir's interplay. I can understand that Glenn is very satisfied with Mark. Especially on You Got Soul they took the world. I also enjoyed Soul Mover, Orion, Don't Let Me Bleed and Steppin' On. Well, I enjoyed everything, but this concert told me more than anything else that Glenn can do his concerts now without filling the setlists with old Purple-songs. His new material is more than good enough to build an audience.

    And what a voice! (Have you ever heard that one before?) After the concert everyone in the audience was talking about Glenn's voice. And all of us are wondering how this man is able to maintain this amazing voice. Several from the audience compared Glenn with David (Coverdale) and there is no doubt that David has lost more power than Glenn. Glenn's singing was incredible in Oslo, and I feel that his good mood was giving him extra power this night. By the way, Glenn mentioned David when he introduced You Keep On Moving. "I now call him my Little Brother", Glenn said.

    I have to say that this was a splendid version of YKOM! The best one I have ever heard.

    Glenn told us that "Black Light" was written in the memory of the actress and his good friend Lana Clarkson that was shot by the famous music producer Phil Spector. "This is for you, Lana", Glenn said as he started the song. In this song Glenn is talking to Phil: "You've taken the life of my friend" and I think I know who Glenn wants to go into the black light! Some of you may allready know all this...

    He also asked everyone in the audience if they ever had been dumped by a boyfriend or a girlfriend. Glenn told about himself being dumped many years ago. He said that this was one of the factors that led to his drug abuse, but he underlined that he was the only one to blame. Some time ago he called up this ex-girlfriend and thanking her. Being dumped and what it led to, made him realize what a bad life he was living at that time.

    In between the songs there was this guy in the audience singing opera. Several times Glenn was interupted, but he laughed and said "This is incredible. You should be up her on the stage doing that!". Later this opera guy inspired Glenn to do some opera tunes. He sang some lines of Amazing Graze and everybody went laughing. I don't know if Glenn grew tired of the opera, because he suddenly shouted to the opera guy: "You better stop now. You turn me on. And it may turn out that I am a Super Gay". But Glenn was just laughing and smiling, and I felt that he enjoyed this scene.

    "You can call me Papa", he kept telling us, and in a way I felt he was a papa yesterday night. He had a lot of love to give us and that was what he did.

    It was a shame that Glenn could not meet the audience after the gig. His manager had to cope with a lot of fans that wanted to have their CDs and t-shirts signed. I was so lucky that I got Glenn's signature on my Japanese edition of Music For The Divine, but I did not meet Glenn. Tha band was leaving for Sweden the same night, so Glenn did not have the time for sessions with the fans this time. His manager also told us that they were careful with all this shaking hands in the winter time. A flue could knock Glenn out with the consequence that they had to cancel some shows.

    I met Mark and Jeff Kollmann though. They were really nice guys, and they signed my CD as well.

    Now I am back in Trondheim again, but I am sure that i will fall asleep tonight with the echo of Steppin' On or You Got Soul in my ears. In March I will be there, no matter where it will be!

    Krister



  • WOW! Thanks for this report.
    The best version of "You Keep On Moving" you've ever heard?
    It looks like my evil plan for a "Hughes ~ Coverdale Part II" is working.

    And "Amazing Grace" too?
    Gee, Glenn must really be scared of me. Heh, heh, heh.

    axmuremoticon.gif

  • When you said that about seeing glenn on the street thats what i felt like as I saw Glenn in the astra that my dad was on about, i neally fainted :lol: i really felt bad because we were talking to a bloke near Glenns coach and as i saw him i just trailed off what i was saying to him :rolleyes: and i think dad did aswell ! he didnt talk to us after that :clapper:

  • When glenn came on the stage at Northampton i was so shocked to see that it was actually him! :eek: Glad to see that Oslo was a sold out show! :thumbup:

  • I agree wholeheartedly with NotVoll's comments about last nights Oslo show. I've been fortunate enough to see Glenn perform on every tour bar one since '89 and have never seen him looking happier (or singing better :bow:) on a stage than here in Oslo. I think the musicians and technicians he has with him on the road should take a great deal of credit for this - everyone is thoroughly professional and ensured that everything went according to plan - excellent sound, no technical glitches, no delays.

    I have read some of the comments voicing concern over the recent line-up change, and i must admit that prior to seeing the band i wasn't 100% convinced that wholesale changes were necessary - but after listening to the soundcheck and gig last night I can honestly say that these guys are the grooviest, funkiest and tightest band Glenn has toured with for at least 30 years!

    Whatever direction Glenn wants to take these guys they are more than good enough to follow - Mark especially shone for me - he nailed it big time! :claphands

    The setlist was as previously. I have long hoped that Glenn would take the plunge and update his setlist - something he has now done with such a bias towards the last two solo albums - but with a band as good as the one he now has, it would be a real treat to throw in a few numbers off "Play me Out". Maybe on the next leg of the tour?!?!

    Thanks for a cracking show Glenn - and good luck for the remaining dates :thumbup:

    PJ

    Picture was taken a few hours after the show - Mark, Jeff and Anders later joined a few local musicians and had a fun jam around a couple of standards.

  • Great report! Fantastic pics!
    :thumbup:
    I love the pavement story, especially since the very same thing has happened to me too:
    After the HTP2 show here in Vienna a couple of years back, I realized that the local crew led the band out through the stage exit. I reached the pavement upstairs through the front doors only a couple of seconds before the band appeared through the stage doors eager to say hello, but the only words I managed to say were "hey Big Daddy" :lol: and Glenn replied "hey guys".
    And that was all.
    You should have seen the grin of JJ's face.
    Oh, the humanity - you are suddenly unable to speak when you're standing in front of your biggest idols.......
    But it gets better with the age...
    :D

    Cheers,
    Christian


    MEDUSA

        

  • Review of the gig (in Norwegian) here: http://www.puls.no/14430.html

    Some excellent pics here:
    http://www.smuget.no/?showg=1&Path=…Hughes_13.11.06

    I won't translate the whole review but it is very positive..a quick quotes:

    - For those who came expecting just "Deep Purple" songs there was maybe not a lot on offer, but seldom has an audience been so exposed (in a positive manner) to new material they were unfamiliar with.

    - Few, if any, could have been disappointed. Whereas rock's other "great son's" stay in well known territory, Glenn is an artist who continues to experiment and travel up new roads as he has done throughout his career.

    - "The show had many highlights, but just to show everyone who was best he blew new life into a rock classic. Both Coverdale (in Purple and Whitesnake) and Dio (in Rainbow and Dio) have contributed to "mistreated" being one of the most overused and tired songs in rock history, but at Smuget Glenn gave us the definitive version for the 21st century. Neither of the aforementioned vocalists have a chance of getting close to Glenn. His performance (re)wrote rock history!"

    - Glenn promised to comeback in March and create more magic on the stage of the best intimate venue in town. It might, if possible, be even more packed next time.

    PJ

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