IN CONCERT (LORELEY FESTIVAL IN GERMANY 1998)

I am sure many progheads are familiar with the name Lorely because of that legendary Marillion gig during their acclaimed Misplaced Childhood tour in Germany. Well, let's go from the speerheaders of the neo-prog and the mid-Eighties to the inventor of the Latin- rock and the late Nineties when Santana performed on the Loreley Festival in 1998. Looking at Carlos Santana on stage I notice that he is a colourful man, literally: a red cap, a green t-shirt with a Bob Marley print and yellow trousers, wow and we don't even know the colour of his underwear! But seriously, his band did very well that day and be prepared for a lot of variety: swinging fusion featuring a brass sound on the keyboards, sensitive, often fiery electric guitar and hot Afro-Cuban percussion in Bacalao Con Pan, first Spanish guitar and then psychedelic sounding guitarwork with the bottle-neck in Day Of Celebration, two Bob Marley covers, an electric violin/electric guitar duel in (Da Le) Yaleo, a duo percussion solo spot in Percussion Jam and a very long and swinging bass solo in Get It In Your Soul. Of course we can enjoy lots of sensitive, fiery and biting (wah-wah) guitar soli by Carlos Santana and Chester Thompson is outstanding on the Hammond organ, what a swirling soli in Day Of Celebration and One Fine Morning and in Savor he freaks out during a great build-up solo, how exciting! I am a bit disappointed about the rendition of the classic composition Jingo, a bit unstructered and not really that propulsive as usual. And I am not really thrilled by the soulful vocals of the Dave Matthews Band singer but in general this is an entertaining DVD with an inspired band and a very pleasant atmosphere. My rating: 3,5 stars.