Untitled Document

POINT BLANK Europe Tour 2007...
Spirit of 66 Verviers Belgique ( 12/06/2007) et Billy Bob’s Disney Village ( 15/06/2007 )

We were waiting for that event for long weeks and we thought about it everyday !
Every hour was closer to the right moment and, as we know that Point Blank has never been a lucky band, we were afraid of an eventual cancelling of the tour…So we have been really happy to read,
on the Internet network, that our friends were arrived and were playing in Europe. Rusty Burns,
on his Internet website, talked about a great show at the Sweden Rock Festival, and I was happy about that. So I only had to wait until the next Tuesday where we went to the Spirit 66 in Verviers. Our friends, Pierrot and Benoit, went to Cologne (Classic RockNacht) and watched the Sunday 10 show, and they told me that it was a great event… So we were really enthusiastic when we left France to go to Verviers, good music and talk on the road. We arrived at Verviers at about 5.30 pm, and went directly to the American Bar (Spirit of 66) hoping to meet our heroes and maybe see the balance. Just before the bar, I see a man with a cap that reminds me of something… wouahhh… it’s John O’Daniel, himself, talking, laughing, very happy… So the first man I meet is John O… so the night will sure be great. So we go into the bar, just say hello to Francis the boss, and we just meet Phil Petty that introduces Rusty Burns to us. It’s like a dream to me, these guys are incredibly kind and patient.. I’m really disappointed not to talk the same language… but now it’s music time !

At the Spirit of 66 played Devon Allman the day before, and the bar is crowded when our favourite Texan boys arrive on the stage. They begin with ‘Back on the Alley’, and for some minutes I’m quite flying. I remember how incredible it is that, 25 years after the split, they are still alive and well just in front of us. So.. however, I’ll think about that later… First we just can understand that they seem very happy to be there. Rusty is a great Lord, and John O is great too when he sings. Phil plays a powerful bass, and Buddy plays guitar like it has to be done in Point Blank. Larry on keyboards is present just as it has to be and Danny is powerful on the drums, even if we can think that the Hard-Boogie-Blues side of Point Blank should need a wilder drums play ! First songs of the set are like they are on ‘Reloaded’, with some differences, like on ‘Bad Bees’ where they are more choruses before the vocal part. It’s nice to figure that all the songs can be played in a different way every evening, especially in the guitars parts. The audience is crazy about the band and we happily discover two new songs ‘Romance Classified’ with Buddy on vocals and ‘Down on Bottom’ a typical Point Blank Blues Rock.This show was great for me, and I could note some nice moments, like a beautiful guitar improvisation between Buddy and Rusty on ‘Tattoo Lady’, and the great ‘Waxahachie Traveller’, good Rock n’ Roll song that Point Blank already played in 1979 and that had never been recorded (maybe soon ?). I just could regret the famous ‘Thank You Mama’ they didn’t play because they didn’t have time enough to rehearse ! After the show, Rusty, John O and Phil stayed and spend more than an hour to talk with all the fans, and to sign many records, so they could see how important was and still is Point Blank in Europe since the end of the seventies.

We left Belgium and we were happy to have had such a great show, and we couldn’t wait until the Paris show next Friday ! This next rendez-vous didn’t begin very well, because John O had a medical problem, too much tired, low blood pressure, and all the band members were anxious about him. But Texas boys are strong and John O was back and present at the show that was just delayed. Billy Bob’s bar was also crowded, and we could meet many die-hard Southern Rock fans that didn’t usually go and see bands on stage, and came because of Point Blank presence. So, even if the band members seemed to be tired, maybe because they are no more often on tour, Rusty and his guys offered us a very high quality show that got a very warm welcome. After the show, we got the usual signing session, a great moment for every Point Blank fan (some of the fans came from Toulouse at 600 miles from Paris, just to see the show). Rusty and John O told me they sure remember this welcome for a long time. So now, this great moments are gone, and I’m sure the musicians and all the fans will keep a great souvenir of such incredible and great shows (I also think to our friends of Saint Dizier where the band should have played the following day, but the show was cancelled because of the weather !). I only can wish that this was not the last tour, and that they soon come back to visit us, so they can be sure that in Europe they are still at the top of our favourite Blues Rock bands !
Keep on rockin’

John Molet