Y&T - Going Dutch!
by Martin Popoff
Sure they were all cranked up on Tylenol, nasal spray and cough syrup, but the show must go on. Not that anybody in this rabid Dutch crowd even noticed that most of the band had colds, Y&T blasting forcefully through fully 20 of their hits at a gig in Netherlands for the first concert DVD of the band's 30 year career.
"I think just playing at all is a highlight for me," laughs Dave Meniketti, who quietly has kept up a pretty heavy recording and touring agenda for this band of esteemed California rockers through the years. "It's still the number one thing that makes me feel like I'm doing something worthy in life. Just the way that we play together is great and the fans always give us that extra anytime we are playing. We give it our all every night, no matter if we're playing for ten people or a hundred thousand - it doesn't matter. It's all about getting out there and getting into it and trying to bring up something new every show - literally. There are a couple of songs in there like 'I Believe In You' and other moments where there are long extended solos where we get some jamming time and we just try to bring something new to every performance. Those are the highlights for me, just the energy, being able to play for the fans, give back to them and getting to do some different things every night."
"It was part of a European tour we were on," continues Dave, with respect to putting the DVD together. "It's pretty much near the end of it, and it was like the fifth of five gigs in a row in that particular little strip we were on. And it worked out fine. We knew that we had to find a place that was going to be a nice venue, because we were looking for a DVD, and the production company was based out of Germany, so it was close enough for them, and the venue had been proven before for a couple other bands who had done their DVDs there. So we thought OK, this is perfect, this is the right place then, come to this gig, and we'll do it (laughs)."
Do it, they did. The sonic production values on Live - One Hot Night are superlative (although there's not much to see - this is a pretty basic stage set), and the playing locked down and red hot - without overdubs. What's most impressive is how completely the crowd sings along, and how enthusiastic they prove themselves to be circa the DVD extras. Par for the course says Dave...
