06/15/2010: Dan @ Sweden Rock
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"Dan Reed: Sweden Rock Festival: Rockklassiker stage, Saturday june 12th, 9.30 PM
I reveal myself now. I fully confess that I went behind the backs of my'Alternative Black Metal' friends, sitting as we did in a suburban flat listening to Danzig and Einstürzende Neubauten.
'Cause when I got home i parked myself infront of the hottest thing there was back then, 1989 - MTV Music channel.
This with the sole hope of catching the video to "Rainbow child" by Dan Reed Network.
Certified American 'RadioRock' at it's best. Dan Reed Network made the world charts with that song and the album Slam and the multi-ethnic funkrock-band was especially well received in Sweden.
Now the frontman Dan Reed is back.
Back, after losing his love of music in a black hole of destructivity, back after a couple of monks in a temple in Dharamsala asked him to teach them the song ”Pow pow tsch! Pow pow tsch!”.
The intro to Queens "We Will Rock You" was the path back to his love of music. It's now been four years since he started writing songs again, but 17 years since he last played in Sweden.
17 long years and an acoustic gig with a steel-stringed guitar on the Rockclassics-stage at the Sweden Rock festival. It would be strange if he had any higher expectations. It would be strange if he wasn't expecting to get overrun by mangeling electric guitars, evil death metal-growls and the clatter of double bass drums.
When the concert is over Dan Reed has been called back three times by an audience that will not say goodbye. When the concert is over grown men all around me has, weepingly, been singing along in song about finding oneself in faith and love.
The audience has from square one formed a compact wall of warmth towards this, since 17 years, eagerly awaited artist.
And it is well deserved. That incomparable voice has preserved its wondrous way if reaching inside you. A voice that evoked an unreserved and deafening reception of the introductory "Cruise together”, followed by ”Losing my fear” and an overvhelming ”Rainbow child”.
As if that wasn't enough Dan Reed then continues with a tribute to Ronnie James Dio through a beautifly somber version af the icons "Holy Diver". After the song a quick glance towards heaven with his hands in prayer, a greeting and then the cheering of the audience.
He ends each song with a powerful blow to the strings of the guitar, clamps his teeth looking almost tormented, backs away from the microphone with one hand over his heart, looking very moved by the audiences reception of him. It seems to be only by delivering the next song he can keep his emotions in check, the way to burst into yet another smile.. And the next song, and nex...Getting the same response every time.
”Coming up for air”, ”Long way to go”, ”Closer”, ”Ritual”, ”Brave new world”, ”The salt of joy”, ”Stronger than steel”, ”All my lovin'”, ”On your side”. Old song or new the result is always the same; The wall of warmth intact!" -Lisa Appelqvist
I reveal myself now. I fully confess that I went behind the backs of my'Alternative Black Metal' friends, sitting as we did in a suburban flat listening to Danzig and Einstürzende Neubauten.
'Cause when I got home i parked myself infront of the hottest thing there was back then, 1989 - MTV Music channel.
This with the sole hope of catching the video to "Rainbow child" by Dan Reed Network.
Certified American 'RadioRock' at it's best. Dan Reed Network made the world charts with that song and the album Slam and the multi-ethnic funkrock-band was especially well received in Sweden.
Now the frontman Dan Reed is back.
Back, after losing his love of music in a black hole of destructivity, back after a couple of monks in a temple in Dharamsala asked him to teach them the song ”Pow pow tsch! Pow pow tsch!”.
The intro to Queens "We Will Rock You" was the path back to his love of music. It's now been four years since he started writing songs again, but 17 years since he last played in Sweden.
17 long years and an acoustic gig with a steel-stringed guitar on the Rockclassics-stage at the Sweden Rock festival. It would be strange if he had any higher expectations. It would be strange if he wasn't expecting to get overrun by mangeling electric guitars, evil death metal-growls and the clatter of double bass drums.
When the concert is over Dan Reed has been called back three times by an audience that will not say goodbye. When the concert is over grown men all around me has, weepingly, been singing along in song about finding oneself in faith and love.
The audience has from square one formed a compact wall of warmth towards this, since 17 years, eagerly awaited artist.
And it is well deserved. That incomparable voice has preserved its wondrous way if reaching inside you. A voice that evoked an unreserved and deafening reception of the introductory "Cruise together”, followed by ”Losing my fear” and an overvhelming ”Rainbow child”.
As if that wasn't enough Dan Reed then continues with a tribute to Ronnie James Dio through a beautifly somber version af the icons "Holy Diver". After the song a quick glance towards heaven with his hands in prayer, a greeting and then the cheering of the audience.
He ends each song with a powerful blow to the strings of the guitar, clamps his teeth looking almost tormented, backs away from the microphone with one hand over his heart, looking very moved by the audiences reception of him. It seems to be only by delivering the next song he can keep his emotions in check, the way to burst into yet another smile.. And the next song, and nex...Getting the same response every time.
”Coming up for air”, ”Long way to go”, ”Closer”, ”Ritual”, ”Brave new world”, ”The salt of joy”, ”Stronger than steel”, ”All my lovin'”, ”On your side”. Old song or new the result is always the same; The wall of warmth intact!" -Lisa Appelqvist
