Reports
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Where: Farum, Denmark (Farum Arena) When: March 3, 2006 Written by: Folke Myrvang
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Set list:
The Band: 1) Columbus Stockage Blues 2) Lonely Weekends 3) Bye Bye Johnny / Sweet Little Rock 'n' Roller 4) Boppin' The Blues
Jerry: 1) Roll Over Beethoven
2) You Win Again 3) Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee 4) Don't Put No Headstone On My Grave 5) Sweet Little 16
6) Johnny B. Goode 7) Trouble In Mind 8) Before The Night Is Over 9) Touching Home 10) In the Mood 11) You Belong To Me
12) Lewis Boogie 13) Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On 14) Great Balls Of Fire
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Jerry Lee Lewis at the Farum Arena (March 3, 2006) Picture: Folke Myrvang See Pictures section for more pictures of this show
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Farum is just
outside Copenhagen and was easy to get to. I arrived with Daniel from Norway and after lots of walking we finally caught up with the band and Christian Leibrandt.
Wolfgang was sighted, but disappeared quickly. Gunilla and Göran as well as Hans Jabell, Perk and many other Swedish fans that I had not seen for many years were
there, as well as Jan Jensen from Halden, Norway. Tore and Anne Lill was there, Steen was of course there as well as many others, Rolf & Bruno, dont get offended
if I leave any out........ it was just another great night !
Daniel and I were among a group of lucky fans that had the chance to position ourselves by the
sound booth, with a clear view of Jerry, as well as Ken and Buck. BB and Robert were slightly obscured, though. The sound guy normally has a good sound in his area of
the venue, so it is a good place to be.
Jerry arrived in good shape, smoking a huge cigar and smiling and waving, having the bull by the horn, obviously. I had
hoped that Daniel would get his autograph and a picture, but they brought Jerry backstage through another hallway, so all we got was a pic from a few meters away.
The piano was a modern electric grand that sounded fairly good for an electric, certainly better than the Yamahas Jerry used to play. Whether this was a new
requirement to cope with sound problems or if it was coincidental remains to be seen later in the tour.
The guys kicked off their usual routine, Columbus
Stockage Blues, Lonely Weekends, Bye Bye Johnny / Sweet Little Rock'n'Roller and Boppin' The Blues. Ken was looking for the Killer, and had to reassure the Danes that
the Killer was indeed in the building. BB kicked off Sick and Tired, but was only warming it up when Jerry strode onstage puffing the cigar, stinking up the whole
area, HA HA. A great entrance, wish I had been able to get a picture of it.
ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN was no surprise as an opener, neither was the Hank WIlliams
classic YOU WIN AGAIN, complete with Hank Williams wrote it, and ending it on bended'a knees. Jerry played long piano solos in each song, Beethoven never sounded
better, what a strong voice and fast fingers!! He was sipping from his local soft drink, which was quickly replaced with a Pepsi by Gary Cunningham, BB's son who is
also on the trip with his dad.
DRINKIN' WINE SPO DEE-O-DEE was next, followed by NO HEADSTONE ON MY GRAVE (I want a monument!), the occasional dry comment by
the Killer and he was sipping the soft drink between most numbers. After HEADSTONE, someone shouted out a comment and Jerry quipped back that "If that wasn't
rock'n'roll enough for you, I cant help you" and thundered into SWEET LITTLE SIXTEEN and JOHNNY B GOODE, both in great versions with lots of piano and guitar
solos.
TROUBLE IN MIND followed and then BEFORE THE NIGHT IS OVER; but no reference to the new album this time. He started BEFORE in a higher tempo than usual
and they all fumbled around with it and found the right groove. A reprise from saturday followed with a short version of TOUCHING HOME; but with good piano work. The
requests were many, but IN THE MOOD was picked up and it was the highlight of the night for me, although Jerry wanted to play it even longer it seemed when they ended
it. Great solos and lots and lots of pumpin piano on this one. YOU BELONG TO ME was the next number, nice version, Jerry then said that he thought that someone might
want to hear LEWIS BOOGIE and that he'd give it a try although he was not sure if he could remember all the words. He did well and threw in a few good solos as well.
Jerry seems to pace himself well these days and takes a short break between each song. After his Boogie had us going, he started to talk about the Johnny Cash
movie, but was interrupted by another request. This was not the time or place, and Jerry got really pissed. He stood up and was about to leave, but Ken talked him into
staying. JW was on his way out on stage to get him, but calmed down and we all watched The Killer thunder through his two big hits and then it was over. I doubt we
would have been treated to much more if he hadnt been interrupted, but you never know. Would have been nice to hear Jerry do I WALK THE LINE for example.
We gathered at the hotel bar for beer and music and stories, then back to Copenhagen and Tore and I had a few more beers at a pub.
See ya'll in Munich, folks.
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Where: Farum, Denmark (Farum Arena) When: March 3, 2006 Written by: Wolfgang Guhl
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I left Munich on
Thursday night, having to travel 15 hours by night train to a suburb of Copenhagen, named Farum. When I arrived in Copenhagen, I was greeted by cold and snowy weather.
I soon entered the S-Bahn, a regional train to get to Farum. S-Bahn system in Copenhagen is quite simply to use. When I arrived in Farum, I reminded of my home,
Kirchseeon, a suburb of Munich. Very small town, but I could see a Taxi sign. As I had no map of Farum, I depended on a Taxi. Soon the only Taxi driver in Farum
arrived, a nice person. He drove me to Farum Park Hotel, the hotel I was staying at and as I soon figured out, Jerry Lee Lewis, too! The cab driver told me that he
also drove Jerry to the hotel in his limousine. I asked what shape Jerry was in and the man replied: "Fine, he was a gentleman". The band was in the
hotel lobby when I arrived and the lady at the reception showed me the guest list to show her my name. I was thrilled to see my name next to the
legendary "Jerry Lee Louis" [sic]. I got to my room and tried to catch up with some sleep. It did not work as I was too excited.
Show was
scheduled to start at 9pm, but I already left the hotel at 6pm when Folke and Daniel were just arriving. Folke was surprised to see me leaving that early as the band
just arrived from the sound check. However I felt like going and nothing could stop me. I jumped into the cab that Foke and Daniel just left only to find, yes, the
only cab driver in Farum. He drove me to Farum Arena which was at the other end of town. I told him to tell his colleagues from surrounding villages to have a few
Taxis ready for after the show. Doors were not open yet, but the friendly security let me in so I did not have to wait in the cold (I already had a cold!). I
could catch a look into the Arena, huge place for a JLL solo show.
About 90 minutes after I arrived doors finally opened and I entered the Arena. It was 19:30 and the place was
empty (to quote the new Rolling Stones song). Peter Hayman and Pam were among the first to arrive. I gave him his Frankfurt tickets and had a nice chat with him
and Pam. He is such a nice guy, the greatest Jerry Lee Lewis fan in the world. He just sits there, enjoys and analyzes the show and writes fantastic reviews (for Fire Ball Mail, MvdT).
Certain people think they are friends with Jerry, but this guy loves Jerry like no other person. While I was still talking to Peter, a support act (Janis Joplin
impersonator) entered the stage and started singing to the about 20 people that were already there. Very nice. I got to my seat where I had a nice overview. Soon all
the JLL fans dropped in. Mattias Bruhn whom I met previously, Stefan Persson (very nice!) and the legendary Svein Amundsen! What a nice and funny character! The
support act closed her show at around 20:30 with a solid version of "Me And Bobby McGhee", a song I would love to hear Jerry do in Munich. At that time,
maybe 200 people arrived at a place that holds 3000. Where were all these people?!? The Jerry Lee Lewis show was supposed to start at 21:00, but at that time there
were still lots of people missing. Then like a group of elephants thousands of people started to flood the place. This took about 20Â more minutes and it soon
became obvious that there was a problem with the tickets. Whole section were empty while about 50 people were standing in front of the stage. They soon filled the
empty sections, advised by the strict security which went nuts when I tried to make a picture during Jerry's show.
So after a
50-minute intermission, Jerry's band could finally start the show. Their numbers were played with great enthusiasm, especially by Buck! After the 4th song, Kenny and
everyone expected to see Jerry, but let us wait a little longer. It was during B.B. Cunningham's "Sick And Tired" that a frail Jerry Lee Lewis finally
entered the stage with a pipe in his mouth. He sat down at what was a electric Midi Grand Piano as Peter Hayman told me. He saw Jerry with that kind of piano
before and the sound was very clear and not for a minute Jerry had a problem with the sound even though he was first sceptical when he saw that little thing. He looked
frail and except for his fingers his body did not move, but the music was fantastic.
He opened with a
extra-long "Roll Over Beethoven" which had me bopping on my seat. During the song, I decided to call my family, so they could hear a bit of the show. They
thought it was fantastic, too! Yeah, "Roll Over Beethoven and tell Tchaikovsky the news"!!! "You Win Again" followed. "Drinkinin' Wine Spo
Dee O Dee" was played more blues orientated than usual. It sounded great. The Legend was on fire. A few words on the audience now... it was the worst!! I was
sitting at the stairs and just about every minutes someone was leaving or returning with more beer. They can drink as much as they like, too, but I think it is
disrespectful to others and especially to Jerry Lee Lewis, not to be able to sit on a seat for a few precious minutes. Man, is beer their only life content?!?
Behind me there was a beer drinkin' woman, who was talking all the time. I was ready to tell her "I paid to hear Jerry Lee Lewis and not your bullshit
talk!!", but the problem was soon resolved as I left for another seat closer to the stage. 5 minutes later that woman puked all over my previous seat. Uuuuuugh
"No
Headstone On My Grave" was sung with great emotion. "It was fun for you, for Jerry Lee is was torture". Jerry really put feeling into the show. Two more
rocking Berry numbers followed. A strong "Sweet Little Sixteen" and a extended surprise version of "Johnny B. Goode". "Trouble In
Mind" and "Before The Night Is Over" were next and the latter one especially applied to the younger folks in my section. Funky! "Touching
Home" and then, a fantastic instrumental, "In The Mood". A solid "You Belong To Me" and by request "Lewis Boogie". The audience
loved it. After "Lewis Boogie" Jerry stood up, looking a little unwell. I feard the show might be over. But he sat down and two more incredible energetic
versions of "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On" and a movie-style "Great Balls Of Fire". After exactly 60 minutes (!!!), Jerry stood up without
kicking the piano stool back and helped offstage by JW Whitten. He took a short bow and waved into the audience.
I immediately
left the place, jumping into a cab, getting back to Farum Park Hotel. There was Jerry in the lobby and and I saw him close as never before. I stood directly in front
of him. Everyone approached him, but he just looked tired. If I said something, it was "Thank you". "Thank you" for all the hours of music,
"Thank you" for being Jerry Lee Lewis, "Thank you" for performing the best show I have ever seen him do. No one dared to ask for an autograph or
picture, I think out of respect as Jerry was tired. Phoebe was there to help him walk and to support him. She protects him for a reason. He is not in good shape.
Phoebe genuinely cares for her daddy, that was obvious to me. Rolf Bresser, who is a gentleman and who sent me two free tickets for Munich (I would like to point that
out!) complained "They should give you a real piano", but Jerry showed no reaction. Phoebe replied what Jerry was probably thinking, "He likes his
little piano". Then they slowly entered the elevator. I think Jerry would love to meet young folks like Daniel, Scott, Oyvind and maybe myself, but not after the
show. Everyone who cares for Jerry will understand that.
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Where: Farum, Denmark (Farum Arena) When: March 3, 2006 Written by: Oyvind Stolefjell
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The band started
a song as Kenny said the welcome greeting, but it was unfamiliar to me. Maybe Columbus Stockade Blues (I did not hear the words too well). I could hear the sound
adjustments though. The guys did very well. Excuse me if this is not the correct order. Robert Hall did his Charlie Rich vocal on Lonely Weekends, and BB sang Bye Bye
Johnny B Goode. As I had seen some footage of the bands warm up in Amsterdam, 2005, I hoped Buck Hutcheson would do The Fireman! Kenny introduced another song for him,
but Buck wanted to do Boppin' The Blues instead. I don't care so much for that song though it was a great version. Buck is really an artist and a very nice singer.
Kenny and Buck played several solos and the band sounded good. And the mixing was good. At least where we were seated back on the 17th row on the floor.
"Jerry Lee is in the building" Kenny told the audience. There was no response at all for some reason. And BB started his second song of the evening. Sick and
Tired, when Jerry Lee appeared from the right of the stage to a huge cheer from the people. He walked over to the piano with his cigar (and laid it on the little
el-piano. "Kenny is afraid I'll burn the piano.") I immediately noticed that he moved kind of slower now than when I first saw him in Falun, 2000. He tore
sraight into Roll Over Beethoven, in the same key as BB was playing his Sick and Tired (which was stopped when Jerry arrived onstage). From where we were at he
looked good and things like that, his skin color seemed fine as I thought he was kind of pale. I really could not see much from back there. AND... his voice sounded
fantastic! More like the late eighties than what I have heard on some recordings from recent years. I was surprised. Due to the echo, it was hard to hear if he sang
with all clean tones without stumbling around here and there. The general audience dug his singing too, I bet. Jerry turned away from the mike to cough, I noticed. He
also drank water or something from a bottle on his amp.
Next, I believe he spoke his familiar introduction to You Win Again. It was a good version, and the
piano was loud! Just perfect I thought anyway. Kenny and Buck were turned down a little too much. Kenny was great on his guitar, and his solos ...are simply fabulous.
Buck switched from country to R&R licks and sounded great too. Jerry started off Touching Home, in the wrong key! It did not suit his voice at all. He managed to
sing in the wrong key half way through, and then switched to the right one! And the band followed him. I loved it when he started off Before the Night Is Over. I like
that song a lot, and it is a little different from what he usually plays. Jerry did a solid version. And a great version of No Headstone On My Grave as well.
Absolutely one of my favourite songs! Jerry's piano playing is not as creative as it once was, still, what he played was terrific! He said something like
"Somebody want to hear Lewis Boogie, I can't promise I will remember all the words." I think he did, as a matter of fact. I recorded this with my cell phone,
so I'll check it out. Afterwards he said "It's been years since we did that song."
Sometimes between songs, I got a little worried, because it seemed
like he did not know what to do next. Maybe it was to stretch out the show a little, and get some rest. He talked some, and cracked a couple of jokes. "If I
wanted to dance, I'd do it. If I don't want to, I would not dance. Singing: It's my party, I'd dance if I want to.." Something like that. I wish I could remember
the exact words... Some time during the show we got a slower than usual and marvellous Drinking Wine! Just how I think the song should be done by a 70 year old Jerry.
Slow and space to catch up his breath. This is why he sings this song much better now than in the late 90s. It's a demanding song with lots of words. A few number
later, Jerry decided to do Johnny B Goode. And as he sang: "Down in Louisiana close to New Orleans..." I thought was about to do Drinkin' Wine over again.
"You better be good tonight!" ... outro.. and a there we had a nice rocking version of a classic. The R&R fans with combed hair and leather jackets were
probably satisfied with this one! I was, it was a little more up-tempo than usual. Just the way I like it, again. I was really glad to hear Trouble In Mind, I
personally like such slow bluesy songs. And this version was 194 times better than the Willie Nelson Special version!
Also, I have to mention that Jerry got mad
about one guy in the audience up front. Still got the attitude and temper it seems. He said something like "Shut your mouth... this boy is getting on my
nerves!" He also said something to BB, along the lines of "I'll play what I want to." He did an instrumental boogie woogie, with the In the Mood
melody on two or three verses. All the while, Jerry was moving slow, and the energy level was probably not as high as it could have been on Saturday. I mean, if it had
been a show in his home state, he probably would have been rested up and more ready. I absolutely DON'T think anybody should complain about show lengths, and the
resting days in between. He is 70 years old and he needs it. Jerry Lee Lewis is Jerry Lee Lewis. Jerry Lee Lewis is not Bruce Springsteen. All in all it was VERY
exiting to see the Killer! And the people in Farum Arena seemed happy and appeared to enjoy it all! Sweet Little Sixteen was done in the regular tempo with the regular
piano solo. I liked the version very much, but I am not convinced it is a suitable song for him. (England 1958, etc.)
One thing that surprised us all was when
Jerry got up from his piano after announcing the show is over and that he'll leave, and, "we had a great time." Kenny came over and they talked, and Jerry
sat down again and did his hits. They were by far the most energetic of the evening. Whole Lot of Shakin first, then Great Balls of Fire. I have no idea why this
happened. It was even weirder as the hall was totally silent when it appeared like he was going to walk offstage. Was something wrong with the sound... Was he fed up,
did he feel unwell? Nobody knew. As far as I could see, he did not kick over the stool at the end of Great Balls of Fire. He just stood up, got his cigar, and walked
over to the right of the stage where JW Whitten came over and guided Jerry off the stage. Just before he disappeared, he turned around and greeted the audience, who
gave one of several standing applauses.
The arena lights came on immediately, and we left for hour hotel. It was a good concert, and he really did very
well! I admire the guy, at the same time as I feel kind of worried... Does he enjoy it, and is he up for it? Maybe somebody who had the opportunity to come backstage,
and has seen or talked to him there, can give a description of that part.
PS I hope he gets a real piano or a genuine electric one on the other dates. It
sounded great, but it was small, and one of those appear-to-be-acoustic ones (I see them like an el-guitar that sounds like an acoustic guitar). In my opinion it
should be acoustic, OR an electric one like the old Yamaha he used.
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