Uli Jon Roth – The Granada Theater – Minneapolis MN – April 16th 2024

Leo Presents and The Granada Theater presents Uli Jon Roth

Review and photo by Kyle Hansen

So when I saw this show pop up I put it on the books right away. Huge fan of the Scorpions and their earlier material. We used to grab my buddies brothers records and listen to them while growing up. He had such a great record collection and always caught us grabbing his records. Back then it was a big thing if you would sneak them without asking. It turned this young kid into a young metal head. We used to grab the early Scorps stuff and it was so different. One of the ones we used to grab was Tokyo Tapes. We loved the live feel of the songs. So when they announced him was coming we had to go.

Now if you know Uli Jon Roth you know he has some pretty cool instrumental albums. They are a mix of 70’s mellow sounds mixed with classical music. Now the show if you plan on going is well worth your money. Ours was 2.5 plus hours. He does two sets one set being some classical covers and solo material. It is just him for the first set. He plays to tracks, which is fine cause he is showing his guitar skills, and it is about 70 minutes long.

Setlist – Amadeus – Rondo Alla Turca (Mozart cover) – Queen of the Night – The Cry – Passage to India – Child of Thunder Mountain – 2 Vivaldi covers Spring the Triumph of Spring and Winter – Metamorphosis.

Now the Granda Theater is an amazing theater. It used to be a movie theater called Suburban World. The one great memory I have of the theater is I saw a screening of Pulp Fiction about 2 weeks before it came out. It is a perfect setting for someone  like Uli. The ceiling has stars and it feels like you are in Italy outside under the stars seeing a show. I did go over to the merch booth and his daughter was running it, she said her dad loved the theater. He had tour book and shirts, also a book he has written that will come out later this year. It is based on his 50 years touring and being in the music business and his philosophies on life.

Set two had his band join him for some more rocking numbers. Which was mostly Scorpions covers. The drummer pedal broke at one point and we did get another instrumental while he went out and fixed the pedal. I nice add to the show. He also played the song his brother co wrote with him who passed away a few years ago. Overall the evening was an amazing experience to have. It was more of an intimate night with Uli than a concert. This is a must see if he is in your town.

Set 2 – Electric Sun – Longing for Fire – Sun in My Hand – Land of Dawn – Don’t Tell the Wind – We’ll Burn the Sky – In Trance – Fly to the Rainbow – Pictured Life – Catch Your Train – The Sails of Charon