blackmoresnight

I was lucky enough to be invited to a very special and intimate performance of Blackmore's Night at the Normandie Inn in Bohemia, New York. By some stroke of good fortune, I was one of the first 50 people to respond to an e-mail sent by Ritchie's "people."

The concert was held at the Normandie Inn, which is a small German restaurant in Long Island. There were a total of about 70 people in the audience, almost all dressed up in Rennaisance garb. I sat in the front row directly in front of Candice & slightly to the left of Ritchie. People flew in from all over the country and all over the world to be at this performance -- the longest trip was taken by two people who flew in from Albania to be there! I had a short 4 hour drive from Philadelphia, with a lot of it spent sitting in traffic on the Long Island Expressway - a/k/a "the worlds longest parking lot."

It was really amazing to be literally ten feet away from Ritchie while he was playing; he was a really amazing acoustic guitar player. Throughout the show, he was cracking jokes (including the obligatory ones about Ronnie Dio) and really appeared to enjoy being there and to enjoy playing for the audience. He even smiled - a lot! He also smiled when Chris, the violin player, accidently set his puffy shirt on fire...

The band played for about 3 hours, with one fifteen minute break, and the whole time there was a relaxed and laid back atmosphere with Ritchie asking the audience for requests and the audience obliging. All in all, it was an amazing show. There was something really unique about this band that I don't think I've ever experienced with any other - first, the musicianship & especially the guitar and violin playing was impeccable and, often, moving. Ritchie's guitar was at the front of the mix, and you could hear every note he played perfectly. Although this was a quiet band, the playing was truly powerful. Second, the music seemed to *flow*, almost as if the music was playing the band rather than the band playing the music. Maybe this is the way these guys sound all the time, or maybe it was the fact that they were playing to a small audience in a restaurant with no set list and no pressure.

Off the top of my head, some of the songs they played were: Under a Violet Moon, Shadow of the Moon, No Second Chances, Home Again, Hanging Tree, Mid Winter's Night, Crowning of the King, Wish you Were Here, The Times They are a Changing, a Christmas song that I didn't recognize, Avalon, Soldier of Fortune, Fires at Mignight; three or four instrumental songs with incredible solos from Ritchie, Rennaisance Faire, Play Minstrel Play, I Think It's Going to Rain (by Randy Newman, according to Candice), Catherine Howard's Fate, Past Times With Good Company, and Morning Star. There may be more, but I can't remember...

The highlite of the whole experience (and probably one of the top of my life) was getting to meet Ritchie! After the show, Ritchie and the rest of the band went into the dining room area of the restaurant which had been blocked off to use as a dressing room. The audience lined up in front of the door with their guitars for Ritchie to sign. I was first in line, and one of Ritchie's roadies called me in. Ritchie & Candice were sitting at a table. I walked in, and Ritchie said "Hi!" I said, "Hi Ritchie, it's really great to meet you," and shook his hand. I was really nervous, and since I hadn't said anything remotely intelligent or interesting, I decided to continue on that path. "Will you sign my guitar?" I asked. "Sure, what have you got for me there? What kind of guitar is this?" I pulled out my old crummy Ibanez and said, predictably, "It's an Ibanez. Don't laugh" He asked me my name, and he signed the guitar "To Lev, all the best, Ritchie Blackmore." I said "thanks very much. This is the first time I've seen you play live. I thought it was terrific." Ritchie thanked me, and I asked if I could take a picture. He obliged, and I have a great shot of me, Ritchie & Candice. I left, shaking his hand one more time, saying "It was great to meet you!" he replied, "it was great to meet you too!" Overall, I cracked under the pressure and had nothing good to say. But I really don't care -- I got to meet and chat with a hero of mine, and he turned out to be a really freindly, down to earth and humble guy.

This was truly the most unique and special event that I've ever been to -- it also fulfilled my years-long goal to see Ritchie play. I met a lot of really friendly people, and will always remember the experience.