Timo Tolkki – Workshop, Unplugged Session & Electric Pocket Show December 5th, 2009 – Calabouço Bar – Rio De Janeiro
By: Daniel Croce
English Version: Maila-Kaarina
I demanded myself to start writing this review with a protest against the Rio de Janeiro energy company, called “LIGHT”, for their complete irresponsibility in preventing blackouts in the middle of the summer. Of course people spend more energy with their fans and air conditioners, apart the tropical rains, which since planet Earth stopped being Pangea, they desolate the seaside area. Result; the event, that should have happened in two days, was concentrated in only one, on the 5th of December, because of a blackout that desolated the entire area during the whole afternoon and evening on the 4th. SHAME ON YOU, state and city government! As usual you are unable to shine, literally!
Timo Tolkki
I confess that if this event had happened 6 years ago, before that ridiculous gossip phase and public nastiness that made the Finnish metal a variation of the British tabloid “The Sun”, it wouldn´t be a summer rain and neither a blackout that would have stopped the Tijuca area, place where the event happened, but the presence of the once BELOVED and idolized, great composer and Finnish guitarist Timo Tolkki, member at that time, of the band that catapulted to a global stardom, and, why not recognize, they helped together with the European scene and a couple of American bands to rebuild the metal scene from all over the world, helping it to get the respect back in terms of music - since in terms of image the “poseur” attitude was one of the guilty characters who promoted the big fallen of the style at the beginning of the 90´s, throwing its credibility to a black hole of ostracism.
Unfortunately I was a witness of all that gossip that is still echoing until now (see the short attendance in the venue, even though we had two days of event concentrated in one). Half the guilt goes to the Rio de Janeiro audience itself ´cause I have to agree with Lobao, a famous rock musician from Rio de Janeiro, who has decided to move to São Paulo, who says: “RJ is a rock tomb.”
Anything that happens in this city can be used as an excuse for people not take their pajamas off and prestige such an intimate and unique event.
As some of my friends said: “Man, when would we even suppose, 5 years ago, that Timo Tolkki would be just here, next to us, in the same bar, and I would be sitting next to him?” Well, probably NEVER. I am sure that not even 5 years ago you would even suppose that you could find a celebrity, one of the heavy metal redeemers from the 90´s, so accessible and kind with all fans.
All I can do is to thank the gears of time-space for making this different times...
In spite of the typical and “charming” delay (NOT!) culturally inserted in Rio people, the event happened at Calabouço rock/heavy bar, and was something really complete in several inquiries. It has mixed the already mentioned accessibility of the musician and HUMAN BEING Tolkki interacting with the fans , with questions and answers made and replied in a very honest way, full of humor, though, from both sides.
The acoustic set, in my humble opinion, was unnecessary since the electric concert was already on the program, and also because the acoustic set had some, let´s say, nonsense covers, except by some Stratovarius and Revolution Renaissance songs. But even in those moments, Tolkki made jokes and fun as for example: “What? Do you like Beatles? U2? But aren´t you metalheads?”.
Of course everybody laughed and he came with a conclusion: “No, it proves that you guys are open minded”. I agree on that but I still prefer to listen to his music in unplugged versions, and maybe one or another song from other composers.
Doing a mini biography – everything was perfectly translated by the singer Gustavo Monsanto, Brazilian from Petrópolis/RJ – Timo told us that his first contact with music was because of the Swedish pop band ABBA, at the beginning of the 70´s, and he was a great fan when he was 6 or 7 years old. Around this time, he saw the trio John Mclaughlin, Paco de Lucia and Al di Meola, literally “breaking everything down” at a TV show on Finnish TV, he almost gave up on playing. He was a young boy, had a lot to learn XD.
It didn´t last weeks nor months and according to his own description, he heard “that classic, very simple, but ultra effective and functional riff/progression chords from Smoke on the Water” playing on the radio and, immediately he changed his mind starting to idolize, then, Ritchie Blackmore, including his way of getting dressed when he had his first bands during his teens, at the end of the 70´s.
Tolkki, as I said, answered all questions with no problem and all those who asked them, were also very polite not making any dead end ones. Some relevant subjects were, for example, a confession made by Timo, saying that he decided to sing on the 3 first Stratovarius albums just because he couldn´t find anybody else to do it, and he really thinks the band really got to an upgrade and to a level of international fame because a frontman joined them later, in this case, Timo Kotipelto, and that the album “Visions”, really got them the point of rockstars, after they won the audience from the Americas.
Timo also confessed that at home, he NEVER listens to metal and that this is the result of being on tour for months (and it could happen to you too XD). Timo shares the same opinion of the worldwide recognized “hitmaker” Desmond Child, that a good musician, to become a good composer, should EVERYDAY make at least one song with lyrics and vocal lines to, someday, become a good composer. He also doesn´t see any difference in playing with musicians from Brazil or any other part of the world, since what matters is the musician´s efficiency.
Tolkki, actually, thinks music has nothing to do with “brains”, and that everything he did for Stratovarius had to do just with “some sound he had in mind”, and it took him years to really make it happen, using a tape K7 multitrack recorder Fostex, trying to make things come out.
The guitarist also recommends and advises us not to believe in everything what is said and written by the heavy metal media and, mentioning himself and all gossip he had been involved, including a supposing envolvement with the “Cabala” - he affirms it has never happened – the same way people talk about Michael Kiske, saying that his religiousness “disturbs” his interaction with the bands he joins. And of course, he recognized the Brazilian and the South America audience one as the most loyal, warm and receptive. And talking about the extremely HOT weather, he reminded us about the second time Stratovarius was in Rio, they played at a club and he couldn´t think about any other thing, except on the terrible HIT is was there ( a.k.a. America FC ).
Closing the evening with a pocket “not so pocket ” show, a pout pourri of Stratovarius and Revolution Renaissance songs, with, besides Tolkki on the guitar, of course, and Gus Monsanto on vocals, the “hired band” was Marcelo Moreira (Almah and Burning in Hell) on the drums (he had his birthday on the day before so as a gift, he LITERALLY got a cake on the face coming from Timo himself, one of the most boastful moments I´ve seen in my life XD), actually, Marcelo played ELETRONIC drums because of the sound limit law of the neighborhood, and my friends Luiz Freitag on the bass, and Bruno “why the hell a valve Triton” Sá (Allegro/Perdidos na Selva), on the keyboards. That was the moment when we could see the selected audience really go crazy, when they played well known tracks from both bands.
It would be impolite and a big irresponsibility not to mention here that Monsanto sings A LOT, from songs he recorded on the second album of RR, to others recorded by singers such as Kiske and Kotipelto. Hey Gus, it isn´t because I KNOW you are reading this that I will pretend some modesty...but you owe me a beer!XD.
At the end of the event, Tolkki and the others gave autographs and took photos with EVERYBODY, reducing even more the distance between “the artist and the fan”. All those who were there probably went back home very happy because of a rare moment to the heavy metal records in the city of Rio de Janeiro.
To those who prefered to stay home enjoying their air conditioning systems, contributing on the blackouts or “afraid” of the rain, I let my “SHAME ON YOU”, the same one I used against “LIGHT” at the beginning of this review. I AM SORRY FOR YOU! And really, if you want changes on the scene YOU have to be the change.
