When the journal's date was the 12th of December, the night that we had been anxiously waiting for –to be exact, for one whole year- had finally come, after the previous live of Shadow Play Festival, which had us whispering the sounds of the Irish legend Rory Gallagher for days. It was an anniversary live tribute for these 20 years without Rory, in the suffocatingly crowded Kyttaro Club!

No, we weren't surprised at all that this concert was a Sold Out, although we were expecting an earlier announcement, so that everyone who came in time could have caught the cash desk still open, and furthermore, so that Kyttaro wouldn't be obliged to accommodate a bit larger crowd than needed, to ensure a delightful live. No matter what, this massive turnout didn't seem to bother those who gathered to witness some of the closest Rory's "fellow travelers", displaying at the same time, the great admiration of the Greek audience for the musical heritage that was left by this Irish composer, guitar player and singer of rock and blues music.

It was time to greet on stage the -for another year, exceptional- Barry Barnes. We're talking about the man who holds the lead of the worldwide longer tribute tour devoted to Rory Gallagher. Apart from that, we're talking about a man we really love for many reasons, such as his guitar and singing talent, his devotion to spreading Rory's musical heritage, not to mention his inexhaustible energy on stage, his amazing character, and his artistry on what he does. Thus, how wouldn't he manage to carry away the whole place from the first notes?!

By his side, at least for some time, it was Manos Kambouris, who was either "filling" Barry with his guitar or "bluesing" himself too, he managed to warm up the audience so that he could pass it up to the veterans Brendan O'neill on drums and Rich Melville on bass. Brendan O'neill doesn't require much of an introduction -especially for those who were lucky enough to see him by Rory Gallagher's side, at that historic concert of 1981, in Νew Filadelfia's stadium. As for the Californian bassist Rich Melville, he may not had much to do with Rory, however he proved by his talent and stage performance that he had all the reasons he needed to be up there, while just before they pulled out he stated that it was his honor and dream to be able to perform along with these people, receiving the clapping he deserved, both for him and the legends of rock, Barry Barnes and Brendan O'Neill.

The least we can say, without any truism, as far as the first part of this great live concerns us, is that by experiencing the exceptional, throughout the evening, sound and not the sight of the stage (because of the crowd), the rhythm and sounds of Barry Barnes' voice and guitar may be the closest experience we could get to Rory's.

The clock was almost ticking midnight with Barry Barnes and Brendan O'Neill having already spiced up the evening, when it was time to welcome on stage the Band of Friends composed of Gerry McAvoy, Ted McKenna and Marcel Scherpenzeel. The par excellence Rory's bassist, accompanied with the smiling Scottish drummer and the young but so talented Dutch guitarist, took the reins to rouse for one more time this historic club, singing epic songs like "Craddle Rock", "Moonchild", "Philby" and many other rock-diamonds, since most of the abovementioned artists were part of rock's history, next to Rory. People didn't seize to sing along, and the musicians were enjoying the unbelievable atmosphere that both they and the audience created, singing like one, over and over again, the chorus of "A Million Miles Away", "Shadow Play", etc.

The encore reserved "Succubus" and "Bullfrog Blues"... "Open your ears, Don't you feel good? Get yourself one helluva shot of rhythm 'n' blues"...and we did get a powerful dose of blues, and not only did we feel good, but we also gave our most cheering clapping to those living legends that honored us with their presence, showing them the proportional energy and love with which they've been honoring the one and only Rory's music for 20 years.

"It's my honor and my dream to have gathered here the closest (musicians) to Rory" said Simos Pavlidis at approximately the middle of the evening, who is the soul so of this years' live, as much as the previous Shadow Play Festivals. So, as an outro, we have nothing more to say than a big "bravo" to Simos and Rockin' The Blues Events for yet another chance to share this huge Rock experience, looking forward to the upcoming ones (which, as he let be assumed, won't be late.)
Rory On!

Photos & Video: Alexandros Kivrikoseos

• 20 Χρόνια χωρίς τον Rory | Band of Friends, Barry Barnes, Brendan O'Neill & Guests Live @ Κύτταρο
• Ορφέας Περίδης & Λιζέτα Καλημέρη @ Σταυρός του Νότου Plus