Last night I had the incredible experience of seeing Uli Jon Roth and his band perform in Ottawa. It is thanks to my husband that I was introduced to the Scorpions and the amazing musical talent of Uli Jon Roth. For those that do not know Uli, he was a member of the Scorpions from 1973 to 1978. After leaving the Scorpions, Uli formed his own band called Electric Sun. Uli was also close friends with Jimi Hendrix. And I am sure Uli’s talent for playing guitar influenced Jimi’s playing as well. In my opinion Uli is one of the best guitarists ever. And probably one of the most underrated as well.
If you are not familiar with Uli Jon Roth’s guitar prowess, check out this early Scorpions video called Sails of Charon. Without a doubt, after watching this video you will be inspired just like my husband who got his first instrument at https://allaxess.com/.
This 2019 tour celebrates 50 years since Uli first performed on stage. I was fortunate to be at the special VIP show which took place earlier in the afternoon, prior to the main concert titled – “Metamorphosis Concerto” for Uli’s 7-string Sky Guitar and Vivaldi’s 4 Seasons Concerto. If you are thinking of attending the VIP show I can’t express enough how beautiful and wonderful it is. To watch Uli play Vivaldi on his 7 string Sky Guitar that he designed himself, is a magical experience. It is worth the extra ticket cost. And compared to most concert ticket prices I think that this is a better value for what you will get out of it. You can see how much Uli loves music and the passion he has for it when you watch him play. What made the experience so special was that he performed this special VIP show even though it was only myself and my husband present to see it. That is dedication and love for what you do.
While I mostly blog about the world of work and business – this review of Uli Jon Roth’s performance and his 2019 tour falls under this category. Why? Because Uli, his band and everyone on tour with him works so hard and they all have a real passion and love for what they do. It is incredible to see someone, whether they are performing music and promoting the show, to the other typical types of ‘business people’ – entrepreneurs, or people working in an office – that truly love what they do for a living and are willing to work hard at it. They persevere despite obstacles and difficulties. Finding your purpose in life and loving what you do is what I try to promote on my blog. If you find your purpose in life, then you are successful. Loving what you do and having a passion for it is the key to happiness. Money (while important and a necessity to live) is secondary. This purpose came across from Uli, his band, his promoters and Uli’s daughter whom we had the pleasure of meeting last night too.
Uli Jon Roth and his band are hugely popular in Europe and Japan. I have seen videos on YouTube where they are performing in front of thousands and thousands of people. Last night in Ottawa, less than 100 people were there for the main show. As a Canadian we are teased and it is often joked about how apologetic we are. But I feel like we owe Uli and his band an apology for not turning up in droves to see him and his band perform. They are super talented, drive from city to city for over a month straight, with maybe a day off here and there, on a tour bus (which is not that big) where they all sleep, get up everyday, set up and perform, whether there are thousands or in the case of the VIP show that my husband and I got to experience, only 2. That is REAL dedication, hard work and passion for what you do and love. And on top of that everyone was so nice, willing to chat and talk with us, take photos with us and were great people to hang around with. Definitely not the glamorous lifestyle that most people imagine when they think of rock stars.
The 2 hour plus main program was split into two halves and consisted of a choice cross-section drawn from much of Uli’s best music and included the Scorpions, Electric Sun, Sky of Avalon, Transcendental Sky Guitar, Metamorphosis and more as well as new pieces. My personal favorites were Starlight, All Along the Watchtower, and of course an extended version of Sails of Charon.
The technical and musical abilities of Uli and his band is amazing to watch and hear. The venue last night was not the best for this level of musical talent. The equipment (which is already at this particular venue) and not the fault of Uli and his band, was sub-par and had phase issues. But despite this, it was one of the best experiences and shows that I have ever seen. I love watching people perform who truly enjoy what they do. If you have an opportunity to catch Uli and his band while they’re on tour don’t miss it! Tickets are not expensive and it is worth it! Here is a link to the remaining shows.
I also wanted to give a special shout out to Uli’s band; Niklas Turmann – guitar & vocals, Simon Foster – bass & vocals, Corvin Bahn – keys, and David Klosinski – guitar. Uli also has an amazing drummer with him currently from Birmingham, UK but his name was not listed. We had the opportunity to speak to all the band members and they were all so down to earth and super nice. And Uli’s daughter, Akasha was super nice too.
It was a magical evening that we will remember and carry with us. The professionalism, dedication, passion and love for what you do is something that I want to remember everyday when I am at work myself. Thank you Uli!!
Hi, Chantal – As a fan of Uli for forty years, I loved reading your post about your VIP experience. I saw him in Hartford, CT on the tour and it was incredible! One thing I wanted to point out is that Uli did not know Jimi Hendrix personally. He did, however, have Monika Danneman, who was Jimi’s grlfriend at the time of his death, as his partner for twenty years and gained much insight into Jimi’s life, art and philosophy from her. Uli did see Jimi perform live and of course, was and is hugely inspired by Hendrix. Take care, Chris in CT
Thank you so much Chris for your comment and for adding the info about Jimi. 🙂 Great to come across other Uli fans!!