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UFO
Casino Ballroom
Hampton Beach, NH
September 25, 2004
Review by Wayne Dubay
UFO... and I don’t mean unidentified flying objects that people see in the sky on a nightly basis in Alabama. I’m talking about one of the greatest hard rock bands on the planet, UFO! UFO is currently on tour in the states supporting their new album titled, “You Are Here.” Their third stop on the tour was the Casino Ballroom in Hampton Beach New Hampshire. UFO fans came from all over the U.S. and even Canada to witness this legendary performance. Performance is actually an understatement, it was almost surreal!
UFO formed in 1969, and helped pave the way for hard rock\metal as we know it today with songs like “C’mon Everybody,” “Prince Kajuku,” “Lights Out” and many more. They have toured the world extensively for years, have had numerous line-up changes and have recorded numerous albums. It’s now 2004 and UFO is back heavier and louder than ever! They are currently on a world tour in support of the new record, “You Are Here.” The band consists of or iginal members, Phil Mogg on vocals, and Pete Way on bass guitar. Paul Raymond, whom joined UFO in the middle to late 70’s, on keyboards and rhythm guitar. The two new members of UFO are Jason Bonham on drums and Vinnie Moore playing lead guitar. Jason and Vinnie are extraordinarily talented musicians and bring in a fresh new sound to the new record with songs like “When Daylight Goes To Town,” and “Baby Blue,” just to name a couple. They bring it on like thunder and lightning, and have a stage presence that fits in perfectly with the senior members of UFO. Get out there and see UFO while they’re here, and get the new CD now, you won’t regret it!
UFO rocked the Ballroom with such amazing force I thought the roof would cave in! Prior to the show, I met and talked with UFO fans from everywhere hoping to meet the band and get photo’s and autographs. The band has a massive following. Fans came from Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, Michigan, and I even met fans from Canada! Even hours before the show, the energy in the air was intense. It’s certainly not every day that UFO rolls into town. Unfortunately, original member and bass guitarist Pete Way is absent from the U.S. tour due to problems with his visa. Barry Sparks from Dokken is Pete’s temporary replacement on the U.S. tour. Barry is also currently on the Dokken “Hell To Pay” tour, and has toured in the past with Yngwie Malmsteen, MSG and Ted Nugent, just to name a few. Barry is a perfect replacement and an extremely talented bassist. We are also proud to say that Barry is a friend of Glam-Metal.com. UFO played an amazing set, pumping out all the classic songs we love, and songs from the new album as well. The band has never looked or sounded better, and the response from the audience was over the top. 10+ Thanks UFO for kicking all our asses at the Ballroom and reminding us what “REAL” hard rock is.
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Review by Debbie Rao
Sept 25, 2004
UFO are currently touring in support of their new album "YOU ARE HERE." This tour almost didn’t happen and was postponed earlier this year when bass player Pete Way was denied a working visa into the USA because of his overstay the last time he visited here. The problem was resolved when bass player Barry Sparks of Dokken step ped in to help the band and fill in for Pete Way for this leg of the tour. Sparks is no stranger to UFO, he performed with them in 1991 at a show in Donnington, England. With only two days of rehearsal in Philly, Mr. Sparks did a great job of pounding out the bass lines with a vengeance. The combination of Sparks bass playing and Jason Bonham's drumming gave the music a whole new feel.
The crowd at this show was predominantly an older male crowd filled with die-hard UFO fans. The band hit the stage at 9 p.m. and played over an hour of material, including some new songs from their new CD ‘You Are Here,’ like my favorite the acoustic Baby Blue, plus most all of their hits including Doctor, Doctor, Too Hot To Handle, Lights Out, and Only You Can Rock Me.
In concert, UFO have a gritty, bluesy, hard driving rock sound, complimented by the bands unsung hero-rhythm guitarist and keyboard player Paul Raymond. The band wove their melodies into a unique, classic rock sound and have seem to have found the fountain of youth with the addition of Jason Bonham-drums and Vinnie Moore-guitar to the line-up. I would have loved to seen UFO back in their heyday with Michael Schenker, and be able to compare them to this line-up. All in all, it was great seeing all the die-hard UFO fans having fun with the new UFO. They will be touring until Oct 12 and then head back out on the road in February.
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