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It seemed more than a perfect night for the appearance of
Blackmore's Night at the
Patchogue Theater
on East Main Street. A street festival was ongoing, which created renaissance-like
atmosphere, going hand in hand with the dark age’s style music performed by
the aforementioned group. Similar to the Grateful Dead and Phish, Blackmore's
Night has a cult following of fans dressed up in Renaissance Fair-like garb
(no dye-wear here). These fans follow them throughout the country, traveling
distances from as far as Florida, mesmerized by the unique minstrel infused
blend of rock and folk, expertly executed by the legendary guitar talent of
former Rainbow/Deep Purple guitar player
Ritchie Blackmore,
lead singer Candice Night
and a very talented band.
Ritchie Blackmore is a guitar legend in the line-up with Jimi Hendrix, Eric
Clapton, Jimmy Page, Eddie van Halen and Steve Vai. This is the man responsible
for rock classics such as "Smoke on the Water", “Child in Time”, “Women from
Tokyo”, “Highway Star'', the discovery of talent such as Whitesnake's David
Coverdale, Ronnie James Dio of Dio/Black Sabbath and Graham Bonnet of Rainbow.
Subsequently his resident status on Long Island brought him in touch with talented
musicians who he personally weaned to stardom. We are talking about Joe Turner
of Rainbow, Bobby Rondinelli of Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Scorpions, Blue Oyster
Cult and last but not least his partner in crime Long Island's own Candice Night.
Ritchie is a great soccer fan, which often resulted in local tournaments with
a local radio station. On a given day at one of these matches, Candice, who
was an intern for the station, fell for Ritchie's English charm. He quickly
noticed her musical and lyrical talents and involved her in several projects.
Today they both head a very successful musical group that is making waves in
Europe and Japan with high charting albums and sold-out performances.
 Indeed,
it was a full house here at the
Patchogue Theater,
which is the latest hotspot on the island for great concerts in an intimate
yet grand setting. As soon as the house lights dimmed, the fans were on their
feet awaiting the silhouette of
Ritchie Blackmore,
as always dressed in his trademark black clothing. Candice Night walks on stage
under thunderous applause packing a tambourine, flute and various Renaissance
wind instruments. The band consisting of a bass player, violinist, drummer,
organist and two talented background singing twin sisters fill in a tight punch
underscoring the importance of a well-oiled supporting group. Under dim multi
colored lights and romantic castle backdrops, the band plays an array of songs
from their CD collections such as “Under a Violet Moon”, “Fires at Midnight”,
“Once in a Million Years”, “Diamonds and Rust” and the beautiful “Minstrel Hall”.
Candice Night is a talent to watch. The unique combination of young beautiful
Stevie Nicks-like Gypsy looks, a clear pleasant singing voice and warm-hearted
stage presence has superstar qualities waiting to be reigned in. A single on
the charts in the USA is all that is needed to open the floodgates for such
a talented band which stirred a crowd reaction of begging the band to put out
a whopping five encores under thunderous applause and stomping.
It was great to also hear new renditions of great Deep Purple songs. From the
album Stormbringer, the beautiful ballad "Soldier of Fortune" was sung in mesmerizing
fashion by Candice and supported by dazzling classic guitar work by Blackmore.
The classic "Child in Time" was introduced by Candice and handed over to the
singing twins who took the song alternating into higher crescendos. It is admirable
that Ritchie has taken the road following his heart rather than jumping on the
money making reunion tours plaguing the summer concert circuit.
After years of witnessing various concerts, it was truly amazing to have enjoyed
an event, where musical talent of the highest degree was brought in such an
emotional matter, bringing fans to a degree of enthusiasm hardly witnessed today.
This is truly an act to keep a watchful eye on and to check out on the live-circuit.
Their latest release, "Beyond the Sunset" by
SPV is now available in
stores. For more information including tour dates, discography and audio clips,
check out www.blackmoresnight.com
and www.candicenight.com.
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