In an interview he gave to Dutch magazine Aardshock, Ritchie Blackmore talked in full about the new Rainbow, the band members selection, as well as the setlist of the three summer shows. “The whole idea was to find good musicians”, says Ritchie, “of course, there were many familiar names around, but this idea didn’t appeal to me. Unlike many others, I prefer to discover new musicians who can add a fresh approach to my music. It’s great to present new musicians to the public.”
Talking about his inspiration to revisit his rock past he said: “There were moments, a few years ago, when I thought of how much fun it would be to play some of the old songs again. However, the longer I thought about it the less appealing it all became. It was not until I found out about Ronnie that the whole idea came back again and when I started realizing the idea. He has a great voice and his fresh input is what gave me the final push. I am quite demanding when it comes to singers, but with Ronnie is absolutely feels good. This guy has a great future in the scene. He sounds like a perfect fit for this job because he has a voice that reminds of [Ronnie James] Dio but is versatile enough to also handle the [Ian] Gillan songs well.”
On the crucial matter that’s on every fan’s mind since this project was announced, the setlist, Ritchie revealed: “”The setlist will be Rainbow songs for about 70 percent, including ‘Stargazer’, because apparently that’s a song everybody wants to hear. About 30 percent will be Deep Purple songs. We will focus on the best-known songs. The Dio era will be a central part of the show, but we will also play songs from the Joe Lynn Turner and Graham Bonnet periods. As far as Purple is concerned; we will play the Gillan era but will also play something from the David Coverdale period.”
Also, on the second most crucial thing, that mainly concerns those who couldn’t purchase a ticket for any of the three shows, which is the possibility of more shows the man in black is unsure, but there is hope: “I deliberately chose to only give three concerts, to see if I’m still able to do this. Of course, there have been a lot of attractive offers, especially from Sweden and Finland. However, we must remember that I have already planned a German tour for Blackmore’s Night in July. (…)”If we enjoy ourselves and the audience gives us a positive vibe back, then I won’t rule out the possibility of continuing. However, the second round of dates will probably take place in 2017. But the crucial factor will be the chemistry between the musicians and the audience reaction. These shows will be recorded on video, so that we can release it later on. But my heart will always belong to renaissance music.”
