>>  WIG WAM - RETURN - TNT <<


Glengfestivalen 2004, Kulåsparken, Sarpsborg - Friday May 21, 2004

This friday afternoon I had plans to go see Stage Dolls in Strommen, but when I heard about this festival and that 3 great norwegian hard rock bands would share the same stage the same day I changed my mind. Sorry Stage Dolls. I've seen the veterans TNT and Return many times the last few years, but I had to go see them once again (and it won't be the last time, that's for sure). Also glam-rockers from the norwegian final to the european song contest, Wig Wam was there to rock my soul once again. This time was my first to witness their show after the release of the great debut album "667 ...The Neighbour Of The Beast". So I took the 3 hours drive and hoped the weather was good (at least no rain) as this was happening in a park in Sarpsborg, and it was.

WIG WAM

Wig Wam was the first band on stage starting out with their brand new single, the Mel C-cover "I Turn To You". From the very beginning the band rocked the about 1.800 people showing up this afternoon. They proved they know how to treat and entertain their audience with an image full of 70's and 80's glam elements and pyrotechnics.

After the next song "Bless The Night" we got a medley of covers by Aerosmith (a band I rarely hear someone covers), Scorpions and AC/DC before we got the great "Mine All Mine". I will inform that Wig Wam was a cover-band until last year playing classics by Europe, Kiss, Def Leppard, Sweet, Alice Cooper, Bon Jovi etc. I must say that they do these cover-songs very well, but vocalist Glam isn't suitable for all of them. But Glam is a clever singer with a great voice, no doubt about that!

During the next song "Out Of Time" the band was dressed up as munks "fighting". Quite funny and very entertaining. I found it a bit strange that they did so many cover-songs wen they continued with 2 songs by AC/DC as they've just released an album of own material. But then we soon got "Tell Me Where To Go" to slow it down for a moment. This early Alice Cooper-like ballad sounded great live. But soon we got a blistering guitar-wanking performance by Teeny in "Erection" (the song, not the feeling) and some drum-banging from Sporty which sequenced into Sweet's "Ballroom Blitz", a song the band do extremly well.

I was happy to hear they tuned into "Car-Lyle" and "No More Living On Lies" from their album only interupted by Van Halen's "Jump" (which was the song that Glam didn't do very well). "No More..." sounds a bit tougher and rawer live than on the album, and it suits the song very good. Then another medley of cover songs turned up. "Hard To Be A Rock'n Roller" came next and Glam now sounded a bit tired, but still did a great job. The last cover was Europe's "The Final Countdown", but the keyboards (put on tape, no keyboard-player) was drown in the mix. To end it all we got "Crazy Things" to sum it all up, "those crazy things we do for love..." (of our audince...)

All in all the band did a great performance and had a good sound out to the audience. During their nearly 90 minutes appearance alot of cover-songs was needed as the band only got one album out (yet). They are musicians and entertainers and makes us re-live the 80's rock-scene. I highly recommend anyone to see this band live.

RETURN

Well, it's only a few months since I last saw (and reviewed) Return live. They were great then, and they were great this afternoon also, but a little different. We got a about and hour long "best of" set this time as the whole Gleng-festival is a public-minded arrangement. The guys delivered the goods as good as ever. The hits came all in a row with a few lesser known great songs like "Joe & Jenny" and "All Or Nothing" thrown inbetween.

The best thing this band have ever done is by adding Henning Ramseth on keyboards and extra guitar to fatten up the sound during the live-shows. It rocks way more with 2 guitars (sometimes 3 when vocalist Knut Erik plays the guitar on some of the songs), especially for the rockier songs. And while 2/3 of the songs are rockers shows what the band really wants...They want to rock, they DO rock and they do it great!

Despite the band are in the progress of making songs for a new album we didn't got any new songs this time. But let's hope the ever-so-young public-charming guys comes up with some real rock'n'roll with their long-awaited 6th album, I can hardly wait...

TNT

If it wasn't enough rock'n'roll from Wig Wam and Return I can make sure it won't be enough after TNT's been rocking the crowd. This is the second year in a row TNT is playing around as intense as in many years. And they are definitely out of the hibernation and blows the speakers like never before. This night was not an exception. About 75 minutes of classics and new classics entertained the audience.

Most of the newbies came during the first half of the set, and I must say songs like "Lonely Nights", "Invisible Noise" and "My Religion" (which came at the end of the gig) kicks ass live. Songs from the latest effort 'My Religion' siuts perfectly along with never-ending classics like "As Far As The Eye Can See" and "10,000 Lovers (In One)".

The more I see this band in action, the more I think "Why isn't this band topping the charts again?". Well, at least alot of people still comes to their shows and buys their CD's. Personally I will enjoy this band until the day I die.

After five hours of pure hard rock this friday afternoon/night it was time to take the 3 hours trip back home with another good memory given by three fantastic bands. As long as both Return and TNT have done it well over a few decades I'm sure Wig Wam can, too. Thanks for a great evening, guys!

Review and photos by Per Erik Jansen

Set-lists



Wig Wam:

1. I Turn To You [Mel C]

2. Bless The Night

3. Medley #1:

- Love In An Elevator [Aerosmith]

- Walk This Way [Aersomith]

- Rock You Like A Hurricane [Scorpions]

- T.N.T. [AC/DC]

4. Mine All Mine

5. Out Of Time

6. Highway To Hell [AC/DC]

7. Back In Black [AC/DC]

8. Tell Me Where To Go

9. Erection / Drum Solo

10. Ballroom Blitz [The Sweet]

11. Car-Lyle

12. Jump [Van Halen]

13. No More Living On Lies

14. Medley #2:

- I Wanna Rock [Twisted Sister]

- I Love Rock 'N' Roll [Joan Jett]

- Holy Diver [Dio]

- Eye Of The Tiger [Survivor]

15. Hard to Be A Rock'n Roller

16. The Final Countdown [Europe]

17. Crazy Things



Return:

1. Intro

2. Change The Attitude

3. Still Waiting

4. All Or Nothing

5. Friends Will Be Friends

6. Joe & Jenny

7. Life Must Go On

8. The Day After

9. Having Fun

10. Take This Heart

11. Can You Forgive Me

12. To The Top

13. My Wildest Dreams

14. Little Miss Easy

15. Sing Me A Song

16. Mercury Blue [Alan Jackson]

17. Bye Bye Johnny



TNT:

1. Give Me A Sign

2. Invisible Noise

3. As Far As The Eye Can See

4. Lonely Nights

5. Downhill Racer

6. She Needs Me

7. Acoustic Tony & Ronni

8. Caught Between The Tigers

9. Ronni Solo

10. Forever Shine On

11. Listen To Your Heart

12. 10.000 Lovers (In One)

-encore-

13. My Religion

14. Intuition

15. Seven Seas


WIG WAM

RETURN







TNT