Frontiers is once again delivering a concert from Italy and on stage we find norwegian TNT with the american singer Tony Harnell. With his bright falsetto voice, he and this group are recognised immediately. Strongly associated with the band is also the guitarist Ronni Le Tekro. He is not only a technically gifted musician, but plays with feeling and his facial expressions are priceless.
Unfortunately, the question is whether it was necessary to launch this material or not. At least they could have ignored the CD and only released the DVD. Now let's take a closer look at this.
There is nothing wrong with setlist. The show gives us mostly performances of tracks picked from the eighties, as from their classic albums "Tell No Tales" (1987) and "Intuition" (1989). Some newer works appear here and there. However, the devotion is not as strong as I remember from a few years ago when I saw them live. Or did they just have a bad day, because the overall impression is a little tired and uninspired, but then it should not be filmed. On that subject I can also mention the lack of close-ups. Indeed nothing a concert visitor usually have, but a plus with watching the material afterwards is being able to get closer and see more details. Also add that the picture quality is not the best. Alessandro Del Vecchio in all honor, but this feels like a job done in haste.
Something that also disturbs are the weak background vocals. When the singer does not help himself, especially in the eighties choruses, the whole performance falls and the disappointment comes over and over again.
False tones from both the instruments and all voices are heard in "As Far As The Eye Can See", for example, and the only fun thing is that the drummer is wearing something similar to the traditional norwegian "lusekoften".
"Forever Shine On" have probably been performed so many times that the guys are a bit tired of it, so maybe they were trying to spice it up with some playfulness. The fans still long to hear it, so for me it died a little. I know what some now think, that if you want to hear the songs as they are, you should listen to the original album. On a concert there is room for some improvisation. Certainly true and it all gets better if you watch TV, but if you just listen you understand what I mean.
Harnell gets the audience to sing along in "Intuition". Normally it brings a good live feeling, but even if the crowd shouts, they are not audible. The listener only hears a strange silence.
There is one song more on the visual disc, "Downhill Racer", but it adds nothing extra.
After a while Ronni plays a guitarsolo. He does what he should on a day at work, but it is actually cool and a little different. Not as usual, mostly full speed and heavy riffs. Here we instead find a lot of variations. Le Tekro impresses as the skilled guitarist he is, with a progressive rockguitar solo, strengthened by other instruments. For those of you who do not like long solo pieces - skip this track, as it tends to be a little too long.
About this man can also be mentioned that he is known to have invented "the machine gun style", which refers to the way the musician plays, the technical ability to play fast. Often there will be separate melodies when presenting his finger skills. Great to see when the virtuoso is standing on stage in his bandana, being like one with the guitar. Characteristic are also his grimaces, which brings me and probably many others to smile.
Towards the end, they finally wake up in "Seven Seas". Suddenly a liveliness appeared in the men on stage as if the batteries had been charged. Perhaps thanks to the people who were there, as it is a giving and taking between artist and audience.
Diesel Dahl is joking during these minutes by wearing a knitted viking helmet and beard behind the drums. Maybe more odd or weird than fun, but the song itself is awesome.
The best performance comes at last and helps to lift the overall impression. "Everyone's A Star" is a bit heavier and has a cooler swing. The fans are filled with energy and sing along easily.
Despite mixed feelings I can finish with a smile and note that it was rather good anyway. (Anna)
Bewertung:
6 / 10
Anzahl der Songs: 16 (DVD) / 15 (CD)
Spielzeit: 84:42 min (DVD) / 78:33 (CD)
Label: Frontiers Music s.r.l.
Veröffentlichungstermin: 22.03.2019
