LONG ISLAND 1979 - DOWN TO EARTH TOUR

The next Rainbow line-up with Graham Bonnett at the microphone for a short time, and I was interested to hear how they sounded in concert. I rate this performance as not very good, both in terms of the selection of songs and their performance. Firstly, they mainly played material from the latest album at that time, Down To Earth, but even in these songs, Graham Bonnett's vocals leave much to be desired. You can clearly hear how he does not always have time to draw out the ends of phrases in some songs. Maybe he did not have time to play with the group? After the usual powerful expressive vocals of Ronnie James Dio, he sounds rather weak. Ritchie Blackmore is impeccable as always, I especially liked his improvisations in the song Lost in Hollywood, which turned into a real jam session. Roger Glover was wished Happy Birthday during this Improvisation. Don Airey and Cozy Powell did their job well, Roger Glover fits in perfectly with the music, but Graham Bonnet spoils everything. Perhaps the poor quality recording of the concert also played a role in my perception, but after listening to it, it became clear to me why Rainbow's next album was recorded with a new vocalist. Three stars only for the skill of the other musicians, although in reality two is enough.