{"id":1746,"date":"2011-09-29T17:52:55","date_gmt":"2011-09-29T07:52:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/maytherockbewithyou.com\/mtrbwy\/?p=1746"},"modified":"2011-09-29T18:05:20","modified_gmt":"2011-09-29T08:05:20","slug":"gotthard-homegrown-alive-in-lugano-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maytherockbewithyou.com\/mtrbwy\/2011\/09\/gotthard-homegrown-alive-in-lugano-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Gotthard – Homegrown: Alive In Lugano"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>In 25 words or less: For me, there is no singer I love to hear sing a \u201cballad\u201d more than Steve Lee<\/em><\/p>\n

Gotthard may not exactly be a massively well known entity outside of their native Switzerland, but that sure isn\u2019t a reflection of their exceptional musical quality.\u00a0 When it comes to delivering classic hard rock, very few have done it consistently better than Gotthard.\u00a0 In vocalist Steve Lee, Gotthard possess(ed) one of the greatest voices in rock, something I personally have no hesitation in stating.\u00a0 With my wavering use of possess and possessed, it\u2019s still somewhat hard to accept that tragically on the 5th <\/sup>of October 2010, Steve Lee died during a motorbike trip through the USA.\u00a0 It therefore comes with some tragic irony that this upcoming release Homegrown: Alive In Lugano <\/em>captures one of Steve\u2019s last ever performances, at an event in their hometown organized by Harley Davidson bikers on the 17th<\/sup> of July 2010.\u00a0 In front of 20,000 people, the concert held particular significance to the band, with all Gotthard band members being enthusiastic bikers themselves and with a history of performing at similar types of events.<\/p>\n

Delivering a setlist covering the span of Gotthard\u2019s 20 years, it seamlessly blends together classic tracks such as the cover of Hush <\/em>off the band\u2019s very first release way back in 1992, through to newer tracks off their phenomenal 2009 release, Need To Believe<\/em> such as Unconditional Faith <\/em>complete with a choir of bagpipes.\u00a0 For me, there is no singer I love to hear sing a \u201cballad\u201d more than Steve Lee and the acoustic medley which contains Angel <\/em>and One Life, One Soul <\/em>is magical, but the performance of Heaven <\/em>will surely bring a tear to any Gotthard fans eye?<\/p>\n

The little moment of vocal versus guitar of Leo Leoni improv on the other hand displays the raw, sheer power of Lee\u2019s voice, while the crowd sing along to Lift U Up <\/em>hints at the connection between band and crowd that night.\u00a0 Whilst no live audio recording could ever truly give the perspective of the intensity of a live show, guitarist Freddy Scherer provides his memories of this particular performance\u2026\u201c Steve was warmer and more cheerful than he had been in a long time.\u00a0 The chemistry between him and the audience couldn\u2019t have been more intense, despite the fact that there were more than 20,000 people standing on the piazza. \u00a0It is a stroke of good luck that we recorded this memorable concert, for unfortunately it was one of the last ones with Steve.\u201c<\/em><\/p>\n

Alas, the promo version of this release that has been sent for review only contains the audio CD, the package that will be available from September 30th<\/sup> also contains a DVD featuring a gig Gotthard performed in Lugano on the 31st<\/sup> of December 1999, which welcomed in the new millennium.\u00a0 Also on the DVD release comes interviews with the remaining members of the band, packaged as an up market high-end digipak version full of live pictures amongst the artwork.<\/p>\n

This release, along \u00a0with the inclusion on the CD of the previously unreleased studio track The Train, <\/em>closes one chapter in the history of Gotthard, with the band currently searching for a new lead singer.\u00a0 As one of the most underrated and undervalued hard rock bands in the world outside of their native Switzerland, may the legacy of Steve Lee and this chapter of Gotthard live strong.<\/p>\n

PS: Made In Switzerland<\/em> is another Gotthard live release that demands your purchase if you haven\u2019t yet got it!<\/p>\n

Check out our interview with Hena Habbegger back in 2009…<\/a><\/p>\n

Essential Information<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Release date:\u00a0<\/strong>September 30, 2011<\/p>\n

Label: <\/strong>Nuclear Blast\/Riot! Entertainment (Australia)<\/p>\n

Website: www.gotthard.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

CD track listing:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Intro
\n2. Unspoken Words
\n3. Gone Too Far
\n4. Top Of The World
\n5. Need To Believe
\n6. Hush
\n7. Unconditional Faith
\n8. Acoustic Medley 2010
\n9. Shangri La
\n10. I Don\u2019t Mind
\n11. Heaven
\n12. The Oscar Goes To\u2026
\n13. Lift U Up
\n14. Leo vs. Steve (guitar- \/ -vocal solo
\n15. Sister Moon
\n16. Anytime Anywhere
\n17. The Train (unreleased studio track)<\/p>\n\n

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