Continuing the On the Road series, this week we follow Rory and his band on the German and Swiss leg of their 1987 European tour to promote the release of Defender. The tour had kicked off earlier in November in Amsterdam and wrapped up in Copenhagen on 16^th December. On this day in 1987, he was playing in Hannover, which is where we pick up from below. All of the below fan testimonies first appeared in the Swiss fanzine Deuce.

Hannover, 23 November 1987

They started with ‘Continental Op’ – an inconspicuous version with shrill sounds of the guitar. ‘Moonchild’ followed. But only when the band struck up the first few notes of ‘I Wonder Who’ did the fans become enthusiastic and swing their bodies to the blues rhythm. The guitar solo made us feel really good, but this blues number could not be matched for a while by the rather rocky tunes which followed. ‘I Ain’t No Saint’, ‘Don’t Start Me Talkin’, a long prelude to ‘Tattoo’d Lady’, ‘Kickback City’, ‘Bad Penny’. Here, Gerry McAvoy got the opportunity to demonstrate how his nimble fingers have become faster over the years. ‘A Million Miles Way’, ‘Follow Me’, ‘Off the Handle, here Rory syncopates the rhythm and Brendan O’Neill reacts at once. A Boring version of ‘Out on the Western Plain’, but with the band, they play a fine version of ‘Walkin’ Blues’, which is partly cheered by the audience. The show is getting more interesting. The electric ‘Hoodoo Woman’ follows. Then another creamy blues. A delicate version. Today, Rory plays the slow songs with more emotion, whereas the hard songs do not seem to go down as well. He seems to be more calm and passionate. Unfortunately, for me, the interesting part does not last long. ‘Seems to Me’ was very good and ‘When My baby She Left Me’. But compared to Rory’s usual performance, it was a rather disappointing version of ‘Shadow Play’. Of course, the audience want more. ‘Messin’ with the Kid’ is powerful at first, but gets more lax towards the end. Rory leaves the stage. Second encore comes. Rory’s voice is very clear. Usually, he has become sweaty and breathless by the time he gives an encore. Now, he plays Route 66. A fine slide solo follows. The crowd seems to be enthusiastic, since they call Rory back a third time (he had left the stage again). ‘La Bamba’. A cheerful riff. No solos, just the riff, the voice, and a little more speed towards the end. Off they go. Fourth Encore, ‘Wayward Child’ – a bore to me. Then, a homage to Phil Lynott. Namely, ‘The Boys Are Back in Town’. The concert is over after 2.5 hours set. It was certainly not Rory’s most powerful concert, although I liked the fine blues part. In particular, Rory has put more emphasis on that part of his repertoire, which used to play second fiddle to his rock songs.

Karl Josef Müller

Fürth, 26 November 1987

I had never seen Rory Gallagher live, but what I had heard people telling about him sounded good. When I saw a poster that said, “Rory Gallagher, Live in Fürth,” I was at once determined to go there. So, I was nervously waiting for that day to come. Eventually, it was 26th.

I was standing right in front of the stage. It was 7:00 PM. Rory and his band were to start at 8:00 PM. Exactly 30 minutes later, at 8:30, his band and then Rory hit the stage. Now the show may start, I thought. Rory’s opening number ‘Continental Op’ at once made the wall shake. There were many enthusiastic voices, mine included. Rory presented his latest songs ‘Kickback City’, ‘Loanshark Blues’, ‘I Ain’t No Saint’, as well as some of the older ones such as ‘Bad Penny’ and ‘I Wonder Who’, which I liked in particular. You could actually feel the rhythm made you swing too.

Then Rory took his acoustic guitar and played a few songs on it – ‘Out on the Western Plain’, ‘Walkin’ Blues’, ‘Pistol Slapper Blues’. The show was reaching its peak, although the crowd was already freaking out. We heard ‘Moonchild’ and ‘Shadow Play’. Our enthusiasm was quite understandable since they’re both fantastic songs. I was standing among all those shouting people when a thought popped into my mind. I can hardly believe that I’m here. Then I saw Rory and I knew it was true. It’s a shame that the show is over now, I thought. But then we enticed Rory to play 3 encores.

The most excellent song for the fans was kept until the very end of the show, namely ‘La Bamba’. We were totally enthusiastic and Rory was cheered by everybody. Rory had not yet returned the Defender cover, which I had tossed to the stage because I wanted him to sign it. Now the concert was over. Somehow, I found out where the stage exit was. A German organiser gave the cover back to me, but I had a crazy idea. I was determined not to leave before Rory had signed this cover.

So, there I was quivering in the cold, not even once thinking to give up this idea. Not even an hour later. Still shaking and trembling, finally Rory’s manager had mercy on me. When he gave his okay, I was so delighted that I rushed up the stairs. I think it was my lucky day. I did meet Rory. He gave me a friendly hello while walking towards me. Since my English is far from good, I just passed him the Defender cover and a pen without saying a word. Of course, he understood and signed it without hesitation. I thanked him for his autograph, wished him luck, said goodbye and shook hands with him. It was a very nice meeting, which I will remember forever. Rory on stage is like a bomb ready to explode at any moment. In private, he is totally different. Quiet, friendly, almost shy. When I met him, I felt as if I was among friends. No uncomfortable feeling, just as if I knew him for years. So, it was a most positive evening. I was determined to watch his next show in Regensburg

Ilona Haun

Offenbach, 3 December 1987

Even outside the Stadthalle in Offenbach, you could feel that the times have changed. There was not mad pushing and shoving as it used to be about 10 years ago when there was a Gallagher concert. The musician – as well as his audience – have been getting older, so everybody was waiting peacefully and calmly in the hall and did what they had hardly done in former years when they’ve been overbrimming with enthusiasm: namely, listening!

It seems they have all come to realise that it is a special event to see and listen to such an exceptional guitarist. Some of them – myself included – were secretly hoping that he will be able to play for many more years to come.

The fans were all eyes and listening in rapt attention to Rory’s music, showing in their own way their enthusiasm for it. It was an easy job for Rory to incite the audience to sing with him. The two-hour programme was a nice mixture of songs from the new album and some of the highlights of Rory’s long career. I very much liked ‘Bullfrog Blues’ passing into a rock ‘n’ roll medley, but I did not like his version of ‘I Shall Be Released’. This was the only thing to criticise.

For the rest, the band played quite a lot of blues songs, which was quite pleasing because that’s when Rory’s great talent became apparent. He gave Mark Feltham, his harmonica player, much scope by keeping in the background when it was appropriate. This too shows that this musician is something special!

All in all, it was a concert of a high standard and without any fault and the audience was shouting in Irish for more, that is, “Rory! Rory! Rory!

Peter Seeger

Mannheim, 7 December 1987

In the last issue of Deuce, it said in the news section that Rory might have taken part in the Ohne Filter show if he had known that John Hammond was also a guest on this show. Well, at least once during the Defender tour, Rory and the blues veteran met on stage.

That was on 7 December 1987 in Mannheim in the Rosengarten-Musensaal. Rory came on stage and told us that he had met a good friend and he was going to play a few songs, before his actual performance. Great surprise!

Even during the almost 3-hour, fantastic concert, Rory repeatedly brought John Hammond out on stage and played a few numbers with him. Mark Feltham wasn’t there that evening.

Unfortunately, I don’t know if this concert was the only one where Rory and John performed together.

Detleft Mannuss

Zurich, 9 December 87

One of the best announcements of this year for me – besides the release of Defender – was that Rory would finally, after almost 12(!) years, stop off again on his tour at the Volshaus Hall in Zurich. I saw my first Rory concert there, and then countless other concerts, but never another one from him. And that despite the fact that he had previously played there almost year after year. Rory must have felt the same way, as he said right at the beginning of the show, “It’s great to be back in this fine hall.” And it was a great show in front of a sold-out crowd (even though Wednesday is an extremely thankless day).

The start with ‘Continental Op’ showed where the next 2.5 hours were headed – rock blues and everything in between. The audience reacted with complete enthusiasm. And that probably says it all if, like Rory, you (almost) completely forego show elements. Gestures and facial expressions expressed greater enthusiasm than any lighting or fireworks. The background images that were projected onto the stage offered variety. When ‘La Bamba’ started, you thought the venerable Volshaus was about to explode, but that is probably the case at most Rory concerts. The last song was ‘The Boys Are Back in Town’ by Thin Lizzy. There couldn’t have been a more apt decision for a concert.

Markus Gygax

Volklingen, 10 December 1987

Unfortunately, Rory had already been playing over an hour which I cannot report on, so the concert was almost finished by the time this report begins. ‘Bad Penny’, where most of the audience is singing with Rory, is just fading away. The next song follows after a short gap. It is the favourite of the audience, ‘Shadow Play’. Rory plays it very fast. His screaming guitar solos are very heavy metal like. Then ‘Don’t Start Me Talkin;. It’s just as fast. A power blues number during which Mark Feltham is reaching his top form. Rory plays soft slide at first, but his nimble fingers are getting quicker and quicker towards the end of the song. The last song ‘Messin’ With the Kid’ definitely proves that Rory is on form today.

The first encore, a new song. There is too much bass, which is not adjusted brightly today. Sometimes it actually rose. He suddenly changes into a racy ‘Wayward Child. Brendan O’Neill provides the driving beat. And the band leaves the stage. The fans shout for more, and the second encore is a version of ‘All Around Man’. The riff is one of Muddy Waters. ‘Hoochie, Coochie Man’. Rory puts in a fine slide solo. Without prelude, they burst into a sweaty ‘Bullfrog Blues’ including as an extra ‘Route 66’. The crowd are freaking out when Rory leaves the stage, so he returns again. It is unbelievable, but ‘When My Baby She Left Me’ is played even faster. Feltham contributes a solo which is matched by Rory’s following guitar solo. Then there is a short ‘Whole Lotta Shaking Going On’ interlude as well as ‘Jingle Bells’ on Mark’s harp. Then a guitar harp dialogue. Then here is the band playing a merry dancing number, ‘La Bamba’. This shows that Rory is not a young chap anymore, but the song goes down well. Many people are dancing. Everyone is carried away by the band’s own enthusiasm. Then a medley, which gets people cheering frantically. Again, a punk/hard rock sequence, the same chords with hyper speed. The medley consisting of ‘Good Morning Little Schoolgirl’, ‘Going Down’, a driving beat, wild solos, and an extensive final ritual of calls. That’s it. Rory has proved once more that he is still full of joy and enthusiasm. Great.

Karl Josef Müller

Regensburg, 12 December 1987

I had realised my plan and had come to Regensburg to see Rory once more. Again, he was 30 minutes late, but this did not affect me one iota. I remembered the Fürth concert very clearly, so I knew this evening would certainly be just as good. At 8:30 flat, Rory and band at once heated up the atmosphere with the opening number ‘Continental Op’. This time, I knew for sure that I was really here in Regensburg watching Rory live. Last time, it seemed rather a dream. I was carried away by a bluesy ‘Off the Handle’, clearly feeling the rhythm of the drums and also listening to the sound of Rory’s guitar. ‘Out on the Western Plain’, ‘Walkin’ Blues’, ‘Pistol Slapper Blues’ and ‘Keep Your Hands Off Her’ were sort of a breather. ‘Wayward Child’, ‘Follow Me’, ‘Shadow Play’ and ‘Tattoo’d Lady’ made us freak out completely. It was great fun.

As in Fürth, we got Rory to play three encores for us. I was nervously waiting for ‘La Bamba’. There was enthusiastic applause when Rory finally launched into this number. Tony McPhee, the Groundhogs boss, was also there. Rory insisted on Tony joining him, which turned out to be a very fine jam session. I watched them, both Rory and Tony, and enjoyed their remarkable skill. Unfortunately, such wonderful evenings never last forever, but I would always remember this one. Looking back on these two shows in Fürth and Regensburg, I must say they were both very good. In Regensburg, Rory came more often, closer to his fans than in Fürth. This had no influence on my enthusiasm, but who is not delighted when a star is willing to come a bit closer? What I am positively sure about is that I will try to see him as many times as possible on his next German tour. However, to see Rory live is the best thing that ever happened to me.