BLACKMORE's NIGHT - European Tour July 2004

By Rainer Klos

Plasy - Czech Republic 17 July

For me the tour started in Plasy, Czeck Republic. It was a very hot day, but luckily the inner yard of the monastry (not really a proper cloister) was a little cooler. Thomas and Albert of the Geyers opened the show and at about 10 to 9 Blackmore's Night hit the stage, playing for only 1 hour 50 minutes. Some people in the audience were a bit noisy which made Ritchie asked if they actually wanted to hear him play....

All together a good show, but there were much better ones to follow. They did an acoustic version of Loreley, which Ritchie played on the strat from the Budapest show on.

Rainer Klos

Set list:

Intro - Cartouche
Loreley
Under a Violet Moon
Minstrel Hall
Past Times With Good Company
Soldier Of Fortune
Durch den Wald Zum Bach's Haus
Fires at Midnight
Once In A Million Years
Mr Peagram's Morris And Sword
Home Again
Mond Tanz
Child in Time
Renaissance Faire

Encores
All For One (with Geyers)
Keyboard Solo/Writing On The Wall
Blackmore Blues
Difficult To Cure/Self Portrait
16th Century Greensleeves
Rainbow Blues

Budapest - Hungary 18 July

Now on to sunny Budapest. Another extremely hot day, a very nice venue on an island on the Danube. The atmospere was a lot better that night, fantastic audience, which positively influenced the band. After the opening Cartouche I was given the guitar which I swapped for a beer before Fires (actually I offered to give Ritchie a beer for another guitar).

There was lots of dancing in the audience, especially one person in mendicant garb, carrying a suitcase with what seemed to be his complete possesions. Fires At Midnight was played superbly, that alone being better than the whole Plasy show. They played for 2 hours, but extremely well.

Rainer Klos

Set list:

Cartouche
Queen For A Day I & II
Minstrel Hall
Under a Violet Moon
Minstrel Hall
Past Times With Good Company
Soldier Of Fortune
Mr Peagram's Morris And Sword
Home Again
Durch den Wald Zum Bach's Haus
Once In A Million Years
Fires at Midnight
Ghost Of A Rose
Mond Tanz
Child in Time
Renaissance Faire
The Clock Ticks On
I Still Remember

Encores
Loreley
All For One
Mid Winter's Night
Dandelion Wine

Neuhaus - Germany 20 July

After a day of serious drinking in Vienna with the Geyers we arrived at the venue in Neuhaus. The show was filmed for the dvd, and it was an excellent one. I was once again given the guitar after Cartouche, so the dance for home again was once again a bit tricky, having the instrument strapped on (This time I was even offered a second one, which I declined).

After the show I was asked to get a few shows backstage for a little gathering, parts of which were filmed as well. Highly enjoyable... The show itself was about 2 and a half hours. Backstage songs like Hanging Tree and Still remember were played.

Rainer Klos

Set list:

Cartouche
Queen For A Day I & II
Under a Violet Moon
Minstrel Hall
Soldier Of Fortune
Durch den Wald Zum Bach's Haus
Once In A Million Years
Mr. Peagram's Morris And Sword
Home Again
Ghost Of A Rose
Mond Tanz
Child In Time

Wind In The Willows
Village On The Sand
Renaissance Faire
The Clock Ticks On

Encores
Loreley
All for one
Black Night
Midwinter's Night/Dandelion Wine

Dinkelsbühl - Germany 22 July

Dinkelsbühl - a town as beautiful as Rothenburg, but less touristy. Unfortunately lots of technical problems occured thus the show was nowhere near the quality of the two previous ones.

Rainer Klos

Set list:

Morning Star
Queen For A Day
Under a Violet Moon
Past Times With Good Company
Minstrel Hall
Soldier Of Fortune (intro: Avalon)
Mr. Peagram's Morris And Sword
Diamonds And Rust
Durch den Wald Zum Bach's Haus
Home Again

Wind In The Willows
I Still Remember
Renaissance Faire
Once In A Million Years
Mond Tanz/Child In Time

Encores
Loreley
All for one
Midwinter's Night/Dandelion Wine

St. Goar - Germany 23 July

23rd July, DVD pesentation and special show for 50 fans and press. A beautiful setting, just 4 kilometres from the Loreley, another very hot day (there are rumours that fans went swimming in the hotel pool... without towels of course).

Everything was set up in an enourmous vaulted chamber of the castle, a very hard job for the sound engineer with the massive echo. We were shown the bonus dvd of the forthcoming 'Beyond the sunset' release, had some drinks along with it. After a short break the band came to play their set - 90 minutes, longer than expected.

Acoustic only that night, and it was a fabulous show, great fun. During the set Ritchie told Frank to take everything except the vocals off the PA system to keep the echo down. Halfway through the set he surprised the Sisters of the Moon by asking them to do an a capella song - during which he came and sat down on my lap! Set list:

Cartouche
Queen For A Day
Avalon
Ocean Gypsy
Broken Windows (I Think It's Gonna Rain Today)
Temple Of The King
Past Times With Good Company
Fayre Thee Well
Fires At Midnight (Fabulous version)
Twins: Dome Pais

Durch den Wald Zum Bach's Haus
Once In A Million Years
Home Again
Renaissance Faire
Nur Eine Minute
Hanging Tree
Loreley

They had hired a helicopter for some footage and the first three songs were filed as well. Very nice atmosphere so far, good vibes... looking forward to the next shows. But first a TV appearance tomorrow morning again. More after the tour...

Cheers,
Rainer Klos