Paradiso

The First time I hear the music of Rory Gallagher was in the early seventies when I was a young boy. My cousin, who played guitar, was a big Rory fan and he bring the Irish bluesman in our live. When Rory was in the country the whole family goes and till the last gig he played we supporting that guy who was family to us. Rory Gallagher was a special guitar player and every time he was around every guitar player got a lesson from the master. His style was blues, but his soul was Irish and that made him special. ,

I remember the day when he was in Amsterdam (I think it was 1984). His gig in the Paradiso was sold out and we walked in and it was nice outside. The specialty of that gig was when I walked out of the Paradiso and the whole city was white of the snow. It was special and maybe a sign of the man who played a 3 hour set full power. The show was magic and I remember he played the electric Dulcimer on Philby.

After that show, Defender came out and I was very happy with that so Rory was back again with a wonderful album what the Bluesrock album of the eighties was for me. I saw Rory back in Utrecht where he played a superb show and again the whole family was there. The nineties was a shock for me because first there was that picture of Rory in the Q magazine where he was blow up like a balloon and my feelings said this is not good. His album Fresh Evidence was maybe his goodbye album but I love that one the most.

 The music was learning me a lot and it help me by my own song writings. After that album I hear that he got a new band and even Gerry McAvoy was gone. It was sad when I saw Rory's last show in the Paradiso he was working hard, but the magic of that old Rory rhythm section was gone. I was talking with my brother about and we both had the same feeling it was not going well with Rory and we saw it in his eyes. On the last tour he played the Paradiso again but I had to play show my own so I got a ticked for Utrecht. My Mom and brother who saw that show called me up early in the morning and they sounded sad and they told me that Rory was drunk and sick on stage. My Mom cried and show said it was not good with Rory he is not here anymore.

 The news came quickly and I was ready to go to Utrecht because we had an interview with Rory for a TV Program. That day we get a phone call from the tour manager that Rory was going home. Donal bring him back. I missed the interview of course and the first time I met my hero. 6 months later there was the phone call from my mother a she told me that Rory passed away and the floor was gone under my feet. It was in a shock for a couple of weeks and then we played a tribute show in the Home of the Blues in Amsterdam.. Maloe Melo with a couple of fans and friends. I talked to the guy from the Volkert Gruppe the German Rory homepage and he was here, I think for his work, so he surprised there was a Rory tribute in town. Later I wrote my tribute song for Rory for the new Album Soulages of my band the Lazy Sunday Dream. It's called Drinking Wine and Whiskey.

Jan the Lazyman
The Netherlands

Photo from Manchester 1984 by John Wainwright

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