Why did Ritchie Blackmore revive Rainbow?
The second half of the last century gave the world dozens of amazing bands whose records you want to listen to again and again... But, unfortunately, sooner or later all these big names and favourite names dissolve into time... Bands break up, and legendary musicians either get tired of stage activity, or unceremoniously leave us, leaving only a priceless legacy... But not so long ago Ritchie Blackmore made a loud announcement about the revival of the once great and beautiful rock band Rainbow!
The world could expect anything from this "darkest" object of the nation's affection! However, the announcement of Rainbow's resumption of concert activity sent fans into a frenzy of excitement. At first - Ritchie Blackmore's idea (which, by the way, he had been nurturing for more than a year) made rock fans very excited! It would seem: for about 20 years one of the world's most virtuoso musicians had not picked up an electric guitar, giving himself entirely to the Renaissance... Many people thought that Blackmore had closed the steel bolts of rock'n'roll forever. And here is such a statement! But... very soon the fans were saddened.
Alas, after so many years, the old line-up could not be reunited. Blackmore recruited new members, with whom he performed on 17 June 2016 at the Monsters of Rock festival. The set list of the "new old" band was full of great hits such as "Stargazer", "Catch the Rainbow", "Man on the Silver Mountain", "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll"... A lot of things from Deep Purple's repertoire were played too! However, the audience could not be deceived... Many of those present noted that "this is not the same Rainbow...".
If the performance in Germany was weak, a week later New-Rainbow rocked Birmingham! After the second concert Ritchie Blackmore got to talking and told the journalists many interesting things! For example - his main idea:
"The idea of reviving the band was not to invite famous musicians, but just good and capable musicians. I have a slightly different approach... I prefer to help new talents to discover themselves, because they are the ones who fill the music with a flow of fresh ideas...".
The new Rainbow line-up is as follows: Bob Nouveau - bassist from Connecticut, Jens Johansson - keyboardist with a wealth of experience according to Richie, David Keith - drummer, and Ronnie Romero - virtually unknown vocalist from Chile.
"I'm very demanding about vocalists, but I had no complaints about Roni. He's virtually unknown, but I'm more than sure that he will build a brilliant career... He has an amazing voice - just magic! It's something between Ronnie James Dio and Freddie Mercury... He can do Gillan's songs with ease, which means he has a great and bright future!"
"You know, I've been kicking around the idea of a Rainbow revival for a very long time... It was only when I finally realised that Ronnie could handle the live repertoire that I decided it was the right time..." - Blackmore added.
Yes, discovering unknown talents is in the spirit of Ritchie Blackmore! He was the one who allowed the names of Gillan and Dio to be triumphantly announced to the world! For his part, Romero admitted that he was glad and that he was damn lucky! However... the vocalist was criticised by fans disappointed with the new line-up....
On the one hand, I'm really happy for Rani! Blackmore has very, very picky taste. And if the vocalist pleased him, then he really deserves a place in "New-Rainbow". But if you look at the situation from the other side... Romero is definitely not to be envied. Imagine how hard it is to show all of yourself when you are not only singing someone else's hit song, but also being compared to a legend....
But the main issue on the agenda remains Blackmore's renewed interest in rock music!
"I know a lot of people come to my concerts to see if I'm still good for something! But also a lot of people come just to see me on stage again... I'm closer to Renaissance music... But that doesn't mean that rock is a thing of the past for me. The key factor is the reaction of the fans. If they like our revival, then maybe it will be followed for a long time! To be honest, I resumed Rainbow live not so much because of the fans, but because of nostalgia... It's a kind of tribute to the former Rainbow era... You could say it's the final chord in my career as a hard rock guitarist," Blackmore shared.
