It’s very important to watch a band at the top of its game, when it’s well established in the audience’s minds, has became recognizable, and it’s at its creative peak. This sentence characterizes fully the Swiss band, Gotthard, one of the best European bands at the moment, that fortunately we had the chance to enjoy…
The gig opened with King Dragon , who I didn’t watch, since I wasn’t expecting the gig to start on time! But, from what I heard they left good impressions, which is very important for a support act.
Gotthard showed their inentions from the very first second they hit the stage. Well crafted, tight, with Steve Lee controlling the crowd, “All We Are” with wich they kicked off set the mood for what was next to come…approximately two hours with their best material performed live, as seen on their DVD “Made In Switzerland”. The cover on Deep Purple’s “Hush”, “Top Of The World”, “Dream On”, “Anytime”, “Lift U Up”, and of course “Immigrant Song” that they left for their second encore, were the highlights of an excellent show that was definitely worth the 30 Euros.
The only disappointing thing was the attendance. No, the club wasn’t empty, but half-full. For this band there should have been at least 300 people more interested. Someone said that the promoters should have organized a festival with Winger, Bonfire and Gotthard. I am not sure if that would have been the solution for a flooding venue, since the admittance would have gone higher as well…
Anyway, the sure thing is that in a time when we are after good bands, in their best shape, that we’ve never seen playing before, we must support, and promote this kind of shows, instead of complaining that we watch the same bands year after year. That way we encourage the promoters to dear for something more as well.
Gotthard gave all they had to receive the crowd’s love and excitement in return. Steve Lee had good communication with the audience, gave them thrill, made them sing-along, while his performance was outstanding. His voice with its distinctive grain is in incredible shape. On guitars Leo Leoni on the left, paid his tribute to posers around the world soloing even behind his back! On the other side, bald Freddy Scherer was more modest, while next to him Marc Lynn on bass, and behind them drummer Henna Habberger were setting the rhythm and reflecting the energy needed for the awesome gig we witnessed.
I believe that everyone left the venue happy, satisfied from the band’s performance and the spectacle they offered. The number of females was quite high, so the atmosphere was even prettier!
Text and pictures by
Yiannis Dolas
