JOE LYNN TURNER @ The Chance, Poughkeepsie, NY - 5/13/05

Posted: 6/1/05

Reviewed by: Dirt

Category: Hard Rock

Score:

I was shocked when I found out that former Rainbow/Yngwie Malmsteen/Deep Purple vocalist Joe Lynn Turner was actually going to play some solo dates in the USA. Considering he's from New Jersey, I never understood why he didn't periodically do some New York and New Jersey club shows. While he has played in the US with the Voices Of Classic Rock and The Hit Squad, performing classic rock hits, he's avoided solo gigs. Granted, Joe is one busy guy, cranking out a solo album every one to two years, as well as recording and performing overseas with Hughes Turner Project (HTP) and Brazen Abbot, but many US fans have waited for the day that he'd do a full fledged JLT show.

If I wasn't thrilled enough that Joe was playing in New York, I was ecstatic to see that he was coming to my neck of the woods. Poughkeepsie's The Chance has hosted many great gigs over the years, so it was a real treat to see his name on their roster. The only other time that I had the opportunity to see Joe perform live was way back in July 1996, when he played several Rainbow songs at a tribute for Prophet keyboardist Joe Zujkowski.

The main question that I had was what would the setlist be like? Considering Joe has had many big songs with Rainbow, Yngwie, and Deep Purple, I was wondering how much solo and HTP material he would play. To my surprise, he basically stuck to his Rainbow tunes. Maybe that was the obvious choice, but I kind of expected him to push his solo stuff a bit. With a tight band that included underground 'Guitar God' Karl Cochrane, Joe tore through classics such as "I Surrender," "Spotlight Kid," "Can't Happen Here," "Street Of Dreams," "Stone Cold," and the surprise of the evening, "Jealous Lover." In between all the dead-on Rainbow material, Joe delivered three great tracks from his new solo venture The Usual Suspects - "Power Of Love," "Devil's Door," and "Jack Knife." We were also treated to "King Of Dreams" from his Purple days, which Cochrane changed up a bit. Just for fun Joe let Cochrane sing Purple's "Highway Star" and the bass player sing "Smoke On The Water."

Joe's voice was pitch perfect throughout the show, but that really is no surprise, as I would have not expected otherwise. Interestingly, he played a great deal of guitar throughout the show. While he concentrated on rhythm, he did do some dual leads with Karl. Additionally, the crowd was loud as hell, singing along with every Rainbow tune, and the mix was really good, except the keyboards were very low in the mix. Whether that was intentional or not, I do not know.

The Bloody Truth: I can only give accolades to Mr. Turner because he came and delivered. Hearing these classic Rainbow tunes again makes me only hope that Ritchie Blackmore gives Joe a call one day soon, and they reform the group. How awesome would that be? Karl Cochrane's power chord riffs and muted chugging on "Power Of Love" and "Devil's Door" was inspiring, and reminded me that there just isn't enough of that style in today's music. It's a lost art form. If I had to list a disappointment it would be that Joe ignored Rescue You and Slam, two of my favorites from his solo career. I was hoping to at least hear "Endlessly," which was a mild video hit on MTV back in 1985, but it didn't happen. Nevertheless, I recommend that all classic rock, hard rock, Rainbow, and Deep Purple fans catch Joe on his next two dates - June 9th at The Crazy Donkey in Farmingdale, New York, and June 16th at Dingbatz in Clifton, New Jersey. You'll have the time of your life!