| BURNS
BLUE
Is it just my
imagination or does Vinnie Burns look so much happier now he has his own
band and isn’t in Ten anymore? Burns Blue had a hard job ahead of them
as they took to the stage. This being for two reasons really. One, they
followed on right after Danny Vaughn who had quite a few of his die-hard
fans here at the festival today. Secondly their setlist comprised almost
completely new material from their forthcoming album ‘What If’.
Lead singer Sam Blue has a canny little voice on him but did he really
have to wear a shirt that screamed louder than he sang? I guess it’s
whatever you feel comfortable in that counts but it was a bit wicked on
the old eyes. Although we weren’t familiar with the songs they were
pleasantly surprising. A number of them gently hinted towards the glory
days of Thunder, although it was only a hint and should not be taken as
the theme that ran through their overall performance.
All told the band gave a very workman like performance but seemed to
lack a bit when it came to stage presence. Come on guys you looked happy
enough but for a large part you seemed to be glued to the spot. Live a
little and learn to move about a bit. Your music rocked and so should
you! Lol.
Setlist included:
Cool Me Down, Don’t Wanna Know, Deadly Sin, Straight, She Wrote,
Superstar
KEN
TAMPLIN
One of the highlights of the day, and cutest moments of the whole
weekend, was when Ken Tamplin’s two kids took to the stage to
introduce their dad and his band. Looking hugely familiar to many, we
soon recognised their cheeky faces as the two little rockers from the
cover of his latest release ‘Wake The Nations’. Indeed they were so
adorable they not only made the whole room sit up and take note, but
they also showed just how an introduction should be done.
Ken has worked with
so many big names over the years and so it was with little surprise to
find him backed by Howie Simon on lead guitar, and Glen Sobel on bass.
If this guy looked familiar as he peaked out from behind the drum kit
then that’s because we’re more used to seeing him with the glam
rockers Beautiful Creatures.
Although we weren’t
familiar with Ken’s work it soon became apparent that it spanned
material old and new. Not only that but a lot of the punters here today
did know his material and were more than eager to sing along to all the
words with him.
The set was littered
with nice touches here and there. Not only did he bring his kids with
him and let them introduce the band, but he also took the time out to
hand flowers out to the crowd quite early on in his set. This wasn’t
tacky in the least, although if most bands had done the same it would
have appeared that way. It was a genuine gesture of gratitude to the
people who had come to see the band perform and who were more than happy
to accept such a touching gift from Ken.
One really cool thing about Ken’s set, and there were many things that
make this LA rock icon super cool, was that a lot of members from the
other bands came out in their droves to watch his performance. Indeed
during the lively rocker ‘Story Of Love’ we spotted the lovely
Patricia from Nexx in the crowd giving it the horns and rocking like a
woman possessed! Right on there sister!
As the set continued the sheer quality and professionalism of Ken’s
performance shone through for all to see. His voice isn’t a million
miles away from that of David Coverdale and I guess that’s one of the
reasons it’s so easy to get into the songs.
Not content at merely handing out flowers to the crowd, Ken proceeded to
throw out a few handfuls of CD’s of his new album. After that he
decided he wanted to get even closer to his fans and went walk about
while still playing the guitar, shaking hands and pecking the cheeks of
adoring females as passed by.
The set was heavily guitar led and I think that was largely down to
Howie Simon of Talisman fame and his shredding on more than a few songs.
Together with Ken’s lively vocals it kept the set fresh and the fans
awake.
The performance was nicely topped off with the meaty rocked up version
of Toto’s hit Rosanna. Brilliant end to what was a very energetic and
classy performance by this well seasoned performer and his band. Looking
around the room it was easy to see the songs had been thoroughly enjoyed
and appreciated by Ken’s fans old and new.
Setlist included:
War Zone, Falling Houses, Dream For Sale, Dancing On A Volcano, Radio
Bikini, The Story Of Love, Dreams For Sale, Wake The Nations, Rosanna
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