TEN YEARS AFTER - LIVE AT "ALTE STADTHALLE MELLE",  GERMANY FRIDAY JANUARY 19, 2007 INTRODUCTION: This is our very first TYA concert of the new 2007 season. Although we've been very busy with other peoples photos and reports since the band started this, their 40th Anniversary Tour and Celebration. We met our friend Reinhard Pieper at the venue, bought our tickets online, well in advance of the concert and we're all ready to have a good time. As usual the place was packed to the rafters, including the main floor, and the upstairs balcony area. Just a quick note here, before it became packed I did burst out laughing when I noticed the seating arrangement upstairs as it looked exactly like a jury section in the back of a court room, with two long benches and (in this case - pun intended) fourteen people sitting their waiting in judgement, twelve primary jury members and two alternates, all waiting anxiously for the band to appear and state their case. It just struck me as a ridiculously funny set up at the moment, all these dour faces sitting there looking down, and ready to pass their judgement on a tried and true band, with a forty year track record. On this day I had to work from one till six, or else we would have made it in time for the sound check and pre show festivities, but makes no never mind as the trip from our house to the venue was only a twenty minute drive, we still got there early enough to get good positions in which to watch the band perform. There were two giant equipment trunks sitting right in front of the stage on the left hand side, and that's where I planted myself for the duration of the concert. The audience monitor was facing my left ear so I took the liberty to adjust it slightly more to the left so as not hit me square in the face. Reinhard and Brigitte like to move around the entire venue, to meet other TYA fans, for photo taking and to check out the sound mix. Also up front with us are the usual photographers and loyal, die hard, real Ten Years After fans that we've come to know in the last years, it's a real comfortable family situation. Holy Shit - Brand New Band Equipment: Hot Damn - Joe's got a brand new gigantic tube operated pre-amplifier and a fairly good size main amp on board for this tour. A famous German made, Hughes and Kettner. LEO'S - got the same brand name equipment with just a different model label on top, but also with a pre-amp on top. Quantum Bass Technology it boast, by Hughes and Kettner. RIC'S - got his trusty MAPEX drum setup, but now with seven Paste Gold Cymbals all over the place, if he so much as sneezes behind his kit, he's going to set the cymbals into motion thus, make noise like a wind chime in a New Orleans hurricane. Two microphones above and two or three more below on the drum kit itself - one of which failed during the concert which sent Tom scrambling to correct the problem. CHICK'S - now acquired his own stage monitor along with his standard Roland keyboard and the new addition of his own control centre for fine tuning adjustments during the show. There'll be no more of his accessory equipment falling off the end of his keyboard and interrupting his intense playing. Everybody's intact, powered up and ready to rock and roll! What's The Hold Up People: The rooms a real pressure cooker now, people have been ready to rock since 7:30. The band is scheduled to go on at 8:30 sharp and it's now 8:45. The band is known for being meticulously prompt in getting on stage, so what's up with this? The following night I asked Joe why the delay, simple he says the venue owner delayed the starting time by half an hour - the band was just as happy with that decision so no problem. More drinks were passed around, and more TYA merchandise was sold as well. In fact, looking around us all I saw was TYA everything - hats, shirts, buttons, posters and a majority of people were holding the Roadworks CD. Let's Get On With It Boys: 9:00 there's a new music intro as it blares out of the monitors and one by one out come the members of the band from different locations behind the stage…just as the music stops - bang right into "Working On The Road" as the audience goes wild, and every member is right on queue. For some reason Ric is slam banging his kit more aggressively than usual and he sounds great. But of the four members, Leo Lyons is on fire tonight (and tomorrow night too as we witnessed 24 hours later). In fact, Leo got the loudest applause of all and he damn well deserved it. The Official Set List: 1. Working On The Road 2. King of the Blues 3. Hear Me Calling 4. Angry Words 5. When It All Falls Down 6. I'll Make It Easy For You 7. Big Black 45 8. Hobbit (Drum Solo) 9. Love Like A Man 10. I'd Love To Change The World 11. Good Morning Little School Girl 12. I Can't Keep From Cryin´ Sometimes 13. I'm Goin´ Home 14. Reasons Why (Encore) Tonight is very different from most of the other concerts that we've seen in the last four years. The audience is right in step with the band on every song, and singing right along to the new songs even more so than to the old ones. A majority of people now know all the words to the new songs and have to learn or relearn the older ones - what a change of events. From the main floor up to the roof the audience is rockin´ there's not a stationary body in the place, every hand is clapping, feet are stomping and for the very first time (in our personal experience) the audience was noticeably louder than the band itself. In the past the audience came close to showing this kind of enthusiasm and were loud enough to make the band members take notice, but "NOW" it's a totally different ball-game….the audience rules the outlying territory while the band controls the core of the energy which is radiating from the stage. After the completion of each number - at the very last note or guitar sustain, the audience is in bedlam screaming and cheering so loudly that it's reminiscent of the Beatles playing Sha-Stadium 1964 or Candle Stick Park 1966 - we kid you not. And if you think Leo was all smiles before, you should see him now!!! If the gentleman smiled anymore, I was afraid that his legendary Woodstock Moustache was going to crack right down the middle of his upper lip and head off in two separate directions. During the show Leo let loose with a five minute bass solo - slapping the living shit out of that beautiful bass guitar. The audience loved it and the faster and louder Leo proceeded to play, the louder and more enthusiastic the crowd became. The more energy Leo exuded into and out of that instrument the louder the response and the harder Leo worked to satisfy everyone. The Star of the Show Was Leo Lyons: Call him Tex, call him Mr. Lyons or just call him Leo - the man is a certified star in the first degree, bar none and to everyone in attendance the feelings were incontrovertibly the same. Picture Leo at Woodstock, then superimpose that image to any stage we've seen him on in the last four years and other than the different hair colour the man rocks. These last two concerts we attended we witnessed the band had a hard time trying to keep up with him, Chick was looking across the stage with a look of disbelief but with a lot of respect in his smile. Ric popped his head up from behind his drum kit to see just what the hell was happening out front and that's a very rare occurrence for Mr. Lee as he's usually aware of every movement onstage. Joe on the other hand had a look on his face that said, "holy shit", I'd better get my fucking ass into gear or this man's not only going to burn up the stage, but he's also be half a dozen bars ahead of me and I'll be playing catch up for the rest of the night! The audience missed none of activity and they responded accordingly with loud resounding non stop cheering, great sustained applause and a level of adulation we've never heard before. When Ric or Leo tried to speak into the microphone it was futile, the crowd went insane for the better part of five minutes, even the band was applauding Leo's high energy and personal accomplishment. Needless to say, Leo was in his glory / slightly embarrassed as you'd expect, and taking its toll on his humble nature. It may have been Leo's night overall, but the audience also gave commendable respect to Joe Gooch, Chick Churchill and Ric Lee. The people in this venue went wild …. and stayed that way the entire two hours we were there! Backstage: The band was thrilled to no end at the audience response. Reinhard, Brigitte and myself were as happy as the band and proud to have been a part of it. We stayed around for another 45 minutes and then left together. The ride for us was a whole of twenty minutes, this venue was right in our own backyard. This concert took place the day after we had hurricane force winds two days in a row January 17th and 18th but this evening the roads were dry and clear - cool and clear. In Conclusion: Another event of a lifetime - for the real Ten Years After fans and the band - another milestone - memorable event. 100% BRILLIANT!!!!