This report will be brief and lightning-fast. Lightning is precisely what comes to mind when I recall the Doro Pesch concert in moscow — a concert given by this celebrated vocalist on 20 May 2006.
In recent years the core concert repertoire of Doro consists of songs from the period when she rose to fame in the band WARLOCK — a fact that delights a portion of her fans, while admirers of the singer's solo work — especially the AOR period — are left somewhat wistful. But one way or another, at the concert, as one could observe, everyone was happy.
The situation was rather complex. The day before the concert, the same DK Gorbunova hall had hosted another German band — no less than BLIND GUARDIAN — and it goes without saying that that concert was a sellout. Until the last moment there were doubts whether the DORO show would draw an audience. As it turned out, those fears were groundless — there was no sellout, certainly, but well over a thousand people were definitely in the hall.
But to proceed in order. As is well known, concerts by foreign bands are almost never supported by other foreign acts. However, that day was an exception. CRUCIFIED BARBARA — this Swedish, extravagant band occupied the stage before the headliners.
CRUCIFIED BARBARA plays extremely primitive and simple traditional metal without any pretensions to originality. What makes them distinctive, then? The fact that it is a band of women — exclusively girls playing in it, with subject matter of the songs being, as one might guess, "sex, metal..." Over 40 minutes the band played around ten songs, from which one should particularly single out... ... ... the fact that not a single song can be singled out, from a musical perspective the band is nothing — a little of TWISTED SISTER, a little of WASP and DEF LEPPARD, but considerably simpler. Yet what a charming spectacle. The inspiration was clearly drawn from MOTÖRHEAD as well — and fittingly, a cover of them crowned the band's set.
Some time passed, and the climax of the evening arrived.
What can one say. The metal lady more than justified her title. In this not-very-tall, 42-year-old woman there is enough energy for a dozen younger performers, and of an extraordinarily positive kind that infects everyone around her. It is a key point to note that there was no microphone stand at all — and why would there be? The sounds of the intro give way to near-speed riffs from the musicians (today almost all of them American) and within seconds Doro flies out with the celebrated hit "Earthshaker Rock" — the atmosphere in the hall changes instantly. An inimitable drive and astonishing stage harmony — that is Doro Pesch in concert.
Hit follows hit — "I Rule The Ruins" — one of the compositions most beloved by Doro's audience. The communal singalong on the chorus was, naturally, inescapable; a number of people performed this song with Doro from beginning to end. Then the first new track — a ballad from the new album, "You're My Family." The hall reacted somewhat coolly, despite a genuinely touching and beautiful speech preceding the song, in which Doro calls her fans and those who have come to the concert her family. The following "Always Live To Win" from the 2002 album was received considerably more warmly. One more song, again from the new album: "Haunted Heart" was a kind of prelude building toward the hall's explosion upon hearing "Burning The Witches." Did Doro Pesch think in 1984 — twenty-two years ago, when at the age of 20 she was releasing her very first full-length album bearing precisely this title and containing a song of the same name — that it was destined to become one of the defining symbols of heavy metal, and this song would be among those that would make her name famous? Well, and to complete the tradition, another track titled after an album — "True As Steel" continued the retrospective of WARLOCK material. Some time later, to close the tradition of title tracks, "Hellbound" rang out, followed by two more songs from the new album, as well as a drum solo — effectively and harmoniously integrated into the concert to the audience's delight. Shortly after, lighters were raised for the melancholy ballad "Für Immer"; and the rolling hits "Burn It Up" and "All We Are" — sung practically word for word by nearly everyone in the hall — concluded the concert. Or rather, its main portion.
A few minutes passed and Doro was back on stage, singing two songs: "Fight" and "Metal Racer." Yet the concert did not end there. During the second encore we heard the hit "Love Me In Black," after which came some animation among the JUDAS PRIEST fans in the hall — as Doro performed a cover of the legendary "Breaking The Law." Though first the vocalist mentioned that in the original she performed the song with Udo Dirkschneider (indeed, the song was recorded as a duet on the album Classic Diamonds) — but since he was not present, the hall would have to help her. The hall obliged, especially since a considerable portion of those present knew this song by heart from beginning to end — your humble servant included. The song was performed in the same format as on the aforementioned album. While JUDAS PRIEST's original runs a little over two minutes, Doro doubles the running time, managing to sing the song in its entirety twice — first in a ballad-acoustic arrangement, then, as befits the original, in a heavy version closely following the original. And even that was not the end — Doro Pesch returned to the stage one more time, for the third encore, to perform "My Majesty." Now — and only now — the concert was over.
To draw conclusions would be pointless. It is better to simply say: it was wonderful. And to wish all young artists to maintain their form as this wonderful woman does — small of stature and slight of frame, yet for sheer charisma the vast majority of those who are young, tall, and strong would envy her. Her name is Doro Pesch, and she remains a golden — and above all still-unfinished — page in the history of heavy rock.
Report by Alan
Special thanks to SPIKA MERCHANDISING for the accreditation provided
Setlist: Earthshaker Rock I Rule The Ruins You're My Family Always Live To Win Haunted Heart Burning The Witches True As Steel Above The Ashes Hellbound Drum Solo Strangers Yesterday Für Immer Burn It Up All We Are
Encore 1: Fight Metal Racer
Encore 2: Love Me In Black Breaking The Law (Judas Priest cover)
Encore 3: My Majesty