Over The Rainbow - Toyota Park, Bridgeview 7/3/09

This was the first performance of Over The Rainbow in the United States. Previously the band performed overseas only. The band consists of former Rainbow members, and the addition of Ritchie Blackmore’s son Jurgen on guitar.

The band opened up with Tarot Woman, a great song off Rainbow Raising album. This got the crowd going. Kill the King was followed. Joe Lynn Turner was in very fine vocal form. These particular tracks come from the Dio era of Rainbow, and we all know how difficult that is to reproduce. Turner had no problem nailing any of the songs. The band sounded very well rehearsed, and ready to play live. The professionalism was ever-present here. Bobby Rondinelli is a solid drummer; he was just doing what he does best. Greg Smith (bass) and Paul Morris (keyboards) come from the last incarnation of Rainbow. Both did an excellent job on stage, and played the songs with a lot of heart and conviction. The big question was the guitar abilities of Jurgen Blackmore. Can he do it? Is he the right man? Is his last name his only ticket into this band? Jurgen handled his parts just fine. He is a good guitar player; capable of playing classic Rainbow parts and solos. Comparing him to his father is useless and very unfair. Jurgen had a good stage presence, and put a lot of feel into his playing. He definitely passed the test and proved he is Rainbow material.

The band played songs from all eras of Rainbow. In an hour long set they were able to fit it all. The band was enthusiastic, and so was the crowd. It seemed like the two fed off each other nicely. The selection of songs was great. The Turner era songs obviously sounded best since he was the man who sang them originally. The versions of I Surrender, Stone Cold, and Street of Dreams were outstanding. Stargazer was probably the biggest surprise of the show. It’s one of those rarely performed classics even by the original group. The Bonnet era was represented by Since You’ve Been Gone, and All Night Long. Over The Rainbow ended their set with Long Live Rock’n’Roll. A very proper ending if you’d ask.

Over The Rainbow flew through their set. The songs were executed with a lot of passion and very true to the original versions. Every track was instantly recognizable, and appreciated by the audience. Joe Lynn Turner sang great, and appeared to have a lot of fun on stage. The rest of the band did too. Over The Rainbow is an outstanding tribute to how great the original band was. This is the closest it comes to the real thing; in fact it’s only one step away from the real thing. Great show by all means.

Mark Kadzielawa