Uli Jon Roth Concert review!!

[horns666]

Let me just say I seen about every great guiatrist live in the last 20 years or so..including Vai/Satch/Ed/Yngwie/Mike Romeo/Petrucci/Lynch/Steve Stevens/Eric Johnson/Vinnie Moore/Frank Marino/Greg Howe/Tony MacAlpine/John Sykes/Zakk Wylde/Jake E Lee/Reb/Steve Morse/Chris Broderick/Kee Marcello/Andy LaRoque/Frank Gambale/John Norum/Alan Holdsworth/Paul Gilbert and my beloved metal shredderJeff Loomis..and umpteen vids of Shawn Lane/Mike Batio/Doug Aldrich/Gary Moore and yada yada

I took my wife Val out Saturday the 13th, partly for Mothers day..well Uli is her favorite player and mine...if it were any other player, we would not have been there.

This was a major treat for both of us..

Over to the far left was Uli with his Sky guitar..plugged into what appeared to be a white JCM800 Marshall stack and a old super lead half stack next to it..a pedal board that looked like someing of a 50's B Movie with big round buttons..I had no clue WTF he was using other than his wah but it was pretty simplistic..Francis Buchholtz bassits of the Scorpions was holding down the bottom..Jeff Scott Sotto was fronting, and sounded great..he had a younger dude playing keys'/samples and slide guitar for rythm support..and Shane Galass on drums..

Of course he opened with "Sky Overture"..and it was spot on..like always..he was really in fine form and was on his game..unfortunately I don't think he thought his band was..he shot Francis the evil eye many times during the set..Francis's performance was a bit lack luster and off at times..not even nailing his own classic scorpion bass lines..the younger rythm bald dude I noticed was from a band called Taxacarum(sp) I believe..who was a great keyboard player and he did a impressive slide guitar solo, while Uli took a short breather but fumbled on some of the classics as well...he played all Deans including a lightning ML Dime model...which looked a bit out of place up there with Uli..but oh well...Uli didn't look very pleased with him either.

Now here's where Uli differs from ALL the other players I've ever seen..he has 100% emotion and feel and 0% "look at me" ego.. he plays with his eyes closed 90% of the time and doesn't move at all..he just goes into a complete trance like zone and just uses his ears..he seems to be really focused with the band and ANY mistakes will immediately make him very uneasy..

in fact Val and I were belly to the stage..just a few feet away from Uli..at one time I couldn't contain my enthusiasm at all..So I blurted out in a Chris Farely like yell "ULI YOUR THE BEST"..this was during a sampled intro and it alarmed him..he looked at me and put his fingers to his lips and said "shhhhh" with a silly grin"..I stifled instantly...surrendering with my hands in the air as to say.."oops i'm sorry'...I guess I broke his mojo..it was actually funny and my wife got a kick out of it ..teasing me because Uli told me to shut up..

He played better than I ever heard him on live tapes or heard on any studio recording..he did alot of improvising..and he did a hell of a lot of Scorpion Classics such as Sails of Charon..with a secondary solo that was even more firey than the original intro solo..now that really blew me away, I would LOVE to have a copy of that version..he played Pictured life..Catch Your train..Speedy's coming..Polar Nights..piece of mind..fly to the rainbow..and then his solo stuff like Hiroshima and so many lives away..with a video screen backdrop that was in synch to the lenghty set list..the video to Hiroshima RULED..and that was prolly the most emotional performance I ever seen and heard in my entire life, I seriously had goosebumps and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up..a feeling I never got from any other player hands down..The only hendrix cover he played was.. all along the watchtower..which he sang..but he actually sang it pretty well considering it's Uli singing..he really played it true to form..just as Jimi would..he improvised during the end where he just went off..playing the coolest arpeggios I ever seen..Uli doesn't "sweep"..he plays the very articulately, stretching and segmenting them..he never sweeps at all..he really hits and milks every note ..so it never sounds like a fast blur.

I seen Yngwie a few times and and have many concert and instructional vids..although YJM is a true monster player..I always get fatigued halfway thru his set..because that dude is always on 10 and he's a major showman..but very redundant..believe me I wished I could play like Yngwie..he's much "faster" than Uli..but that doesn't mean better by any stretch..not even close IMO.

I was captivated with every note Uli played from beginning to end..that is something I can't say about any other player..

The guy doesn't move at all..just stands there, with his eyes closed and totally zoned out..the man has perfect pitch..never hits a bad note and his use of the wah and vibrato is absolutely unmatched by no mortal..

Uli is NOT a showman..he is not flamboyant, other than the way he dresses for the last 30+ years..he let's his guitar do the talking..that's it..I can't say this enough..I never witnessed such a flawless and perfect performance in my entire life...ever!

I was so happy that my wife was right in front of him..sharing and experiencing the best performance that I have ever seen..she was there to share it with me..

Uli looked discontent with his band..and not very happy at all..I wanted nothing more to shake the hand of "God" and get an autograph for me, Rich and John G..I brought a sharpie and a notebook tab just for the occassion..but Uli was in NO mood for that..that was obvious..he went right to his bus and stayed there...no meet and greet with anyone..beileve me I did use my "influence" and tried..it was a no go..

maybe it was the turn out, about 200 people there..maybe it was his discontent of Francis and his keyboard/Player's performance because it wasn't spot on..at times..he stopped playing or didn't start playing the song until they jump on track..then he came in..he just kept looking at both of them all night shaking his head No..then nodded yes when they finally came together..then he started to play..no matter what small flaws his band may have had..Uli was absolutely flawless..he's blatantly a perfectionist.

he played perfect and then some..usually adding an extra solo here and there that just floored me..

Like I said guys ..I have never witnessed a player such as Uli Jon Roth..he is the epitome of true virtuocity..dicipiline and restaint..and he played the shit out of that 30 somthing fret 7 string like it was second nature..

It was the most captivating and awe inspiring performance I ever witnessed..hands down..without question..

I was expecting to be blown away..but not like this..he confirmed to me that he is without a doubt the world's greatest rock guitarist...while many others are great nobody is even close to the level of this man..

Hail Uli Jon Roth!!

I just wished I had the chance to meet with him..but I still left in awe..I can't praise him enough!

Bill Z Bub.

[roodyrocker]

Hey Bill, I was there for the show too. In fact I remember when he said Ssh and had his finger to his lips. The white Marshall was a JCM 900 and the opening band, The Lizzards, used it. I was there when they were setting up and Uli was onstage noodling around on jis guitar for 2+ hours! I tried to video the show from the back of the room but I was told I'm not allowed partway through the first song
A friend of mine was going to play guitar in the forst band to open the night, Breaker, but they got hosed due to insufficient time left to setip and no where left on stage to setup so they got cancelled at the last second.


Rudy

[circle of the tyrants]

Wow Bill, excellent review. I felt like I was there!

Glad you guys enjoyed yourselves.
Now, being shushed by your hero? That's just neat!!

[jgcable]

Excellent review Bill. Thanks for trying to get his autograph for me.
All hail Uli Jon Roth.

[horns666]

Hey Bill, I was there for the show too. In fact I remember when he said Ssh and had his finger to his lips. The white Marshall was a JCM 900 and the opening band, The Lizzards, used it. I was there when they were setting up and Uli was onstage noodling around on jis guitar for 2+ hours! I tried to video the show from the back of the room but I was told I'm not allowed partway through the first song
A friend of mine was going to play guitar in the forst band to open the night, Breaker, but they got hosed due to insufficient time left to setip and no where left on stage to setup so they got cancelled at the last second.


Rudy

Rudy No Shit..yeah man ..that was me up front and center...when he told me to shhhhh..

I was talkin' to Jim Hamer (ex Breaker) and Cat of Nightcrawler..when The lizards were playing...not my cup of joe..but Damn those dudes were GOOD!!

Very Zepplinish..great grooves..pretty good singer too..that drummer caught my attention immediately..that dude was in BOC/and sabbath I guess..damn good old school drummer..

I didn't watch their set that much ..I saw those white 900s and saw them still on and miked when the Ulinator was playing..I guess he just had that old super lead half stack..he was LOUD that's for sure..how did the vocals sound back there..up front I was just getting the sound of his amp ..the vocals were pretty burried..I didn't here it thru the PA..

Damn wasn't Uli the shit..I'm still in awe..damn that guys has heart!!

[horns666]

did you see me..the bald dude with the biker jacket with a tiny little Italian girl...that was me..

where were you standing!

[horns666]

Sorry John..I even told my wife I wanted to get a couple of Autographs for you guys...he didn't look to happy really..he just bailed and that was it..

Rudy, remeber him shooting the evil eye at Francis and that guitarist..and nodding "no"..he did that quite a few times..

[MBreinin]

Is this from the show? It was loaded up a day ago and I see the white JCM900.......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxVIT...rch=uli%20roth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xob9e...rch=uli%20roth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocTNr...rch=uli%20roth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdHOk...rch=uli%20roth


Mike

[jackson1]

Thanks for the passionate review, Bill. You like him?

[khabibissell]

Awesome! I wish I could've made the drive to see him.

[lerxstcat]

Great review Bill.... took me right back to when I saw him many years ago!

One question though... do you believe in God again, now that He told you "Shhh!" from 6 feet away? j/k bro, and thanks for trying on the autographs.
Sounds like Uli's just kinda shy, plus his players having a rough night must have been a lot of stress foir him. Being the Maestro can't be easy...

[Top Jimmy B]

...just ask the guy on Seinfeld. Maestro!!

[pro-fusion]

I was at the opening show of Uli's tour on Friday at Jaxx in Northern Virginia. I would have posted about it sooner, but I was out of town all weekend and yesterday. Anyway, my review is much like Bill's comments about the Cleveland show, but with a couple of corrections:

--Jeff Scott Soto was NOT the singer, but I didn't catch his name. Whoever it was did a decent job but struggled with the high notes on a couple of the Scorps songs. In reading Jeff's site, he will be singing at the "Sky Academy" gigs in L.A. later this month, but he's not singing on the tour.

--The drummer was a guy named Michael Uhle, who had an instructional video for sale at the merch table. Never heard of him, either, but he was damned good.

Uli's band was definitely having a few problems on Friday night, as well, but they seemed more together than what you describe from Cleveland, or at least Uli wasn't as peeved about it on Friday. From my vantage point, Francis was mostly having problems with the Uli solo material, which he played from notes he kept on the side of one of the keyboards. He was very tentative on a lot of the intros and breaks. Francis didn't seem to get 'warmed up' until about halfway through the set but he was ok after that and grooved pretty well on the Scorpions stuff, as one would hope. The other guys in the band all did well at Jaxx.

How was Uli's gear in Cleveland? He was having a LOT of equipment trouble in Virginia, particularly with a couple of pedals and one of the Marshalls--he got totally pissed at his tech, who also played some rhythm guitar.

Funny thing--Uli shushed some guy at Jaxx also!!! His playing was magnificent, though, and he did two encores, the last being just him and the keyboardist playing some Metamorphosis material.

In the span of two weekends I managed to see Yngwie, the Nevermore guitarists, and Uli. Wow, talk about some guitar god overload! And I passed up a chance to see Allan Holdsworth on Wednesday because I had to work late. Anyway, the contrast between Yngwie and Uli couldn't be greater. Yngwie is a great guitarist. Uli is a great musician. Yngwie was so busy all night showing off his technique that he walked all over the songs and his band--frankly, kind of annoying and repetitive after a few songs. Uli captivated for the entire night, despite the shortcomings of his band, equipment problems, and the generally crappy sound and monitor mixes that always happen at Jaxx. It's like Uli has a direct connection to the muse--he's just always so 'on'. He reminds me a bit of Jeff Beck in that way, even though their styles are different.

BTW, I thought the Lizards were pretty good. Very tight, if a bit too retro. Bobby Rondinelli was the drummer, who was in Sabbath and BOC but had his biggest success in Rainbow on the Difficult To Cure and Straight Between The Eyes albums.

[roodyrocker]

I don't think I saw you there Bill unfortunately. I was back by the sound board and had my camera gear with me but they didn't let me use it I think I got a couple shots of Uli during setip/soundcheck but didn't wamt to bother him with much flash so I shot mostly without the flash. Uli's problems started before the show actually. They took forever setting up and seemed sort of lost actually. Uli was on stage noodling around on his guitar when I arrived, he continued through the setup, continued through even after sound check and while The Lizzards were just starting to setup! In fact he was playing even when his amp was on standby or guitar volume turned all the way down. The crew seemed to also have a little trouble with the USA vs. European power.
He is a great player for sure, although he did hit a couple "dud" notes here and there. I attribute that to the fact that his tone is actually clean compared to what I mostly listen to and its tough to cover up anything with distortion like the rest of us do. I also thought his keyboard player was awesome.
As for The Lizards, while Bobby Rondinelli is a good drummer I thought the material they were doing was very boring. Their guitar player also had problems with his guitar cutting out when he plugged into the white Marshall stack. He was over on the side of the amp smacking it with his hand. He ended up using an SG instead of the Les Paul he initially plugged in and didn't have problems live so I'm wondering if it was just a dirty pot or input jack on the Les Paul, I don't know.
Its a bummer Breaker got the shaft at the show. They were supposed to open. My friend was to play guitar that night for them. He was in the tribute band British Steel years ago with Ripper Owen who went on to join JP of course. He was going to play my Randall MTS head for the night and I was curious to hear it live. Its a cool sounding amp which uses interchangeable pre-amp modules to get different amp sounds. He was going to use mainly the XTC module which is based on the Bogner Ecstacy of course. Its too bad they didn't get to play, Nick from Breaker can shred pretty good. Oh well, maybe next time.

Rudy

[horns666]

Pro fusion..I think I was misinformed by a friend..that singer wasn't Jeff Scott Sotto..I thought it wasn't him..a friend of mine that was there told me it was him. I took his word on it...goof..

The pics that Mike posted looked like the very show I was at..I mean they wore the same exact clothes..

Rudy..I think I know your friend..the greek dude with the long straight hair..right..I see him all the time..don't know his name..

Pro your comparison between Uli and Yngwie is spot on balls...I couldn't have siad it better..

yes..I like Uli..well he's "god"..right?