Date of Performance: February 10, 2005
Venue: 013, Tilburg, NL
Jon Lord And The Gemini Orchestra
Whilst in another hall of the O13 venue (the Batcave to be precise), some punk rawk 'n' roll was delivered by Million Dollar Marxists and Judasville, seats had been placed in position in what is known as The Choice. Previously planned to be featured on October 17th the year before and postponed at the very last minute, promotion still claimed that Sam Brown would be present as a special guest. Sadly she wasn't, as she was on a proper tour herself, so instead Sabine Van Baaren took her place whilst the male vocal section firmly remained in the hands (or should I say "vocal chords"?) of the one and only Miller Anderson. In all, nineteen musicians, including Jon Lord, took to the stage in order to deliver a set which came very close to what can be seen on the Beyond The Notes Live DVD.
Rumours have it that Jon Lord only entered the venue ten minutes before he was to go on. The string section rehearsed their bit whilst someone took ages to tune Jon's piano. The day the world was informed of Jimmy Smith's death, Lord's B3 Hammond stood shining in the spotlights. I was curious whether at all Jon would mention Jimmy Smith, as this 76 year old genius most certainly made a mark on Lord's playing. Later on it would seem that Jon paid tribute to his lost friends George Harrison, Tony Ashton and even Jim Capaldi, but no sign of Jimmy Smith. Maybe Lord had been wining and dining too long and didn't even hear the sad news. At one point during the show I wanted to shout this info in his direction, but I decided not to, as the guy sitting next to me had already been spoiling the atmosphere more than once!
So on came the players, followed in their footsteps by Jon Lord, the maestro whose music would be greeted with utmost respect. In fact, you could hear a pin drop, which was perfect, knowing there are so many quiet passages in the compositions. First on the cards was "Pictured Within" featuring the incredible voice of Miller Anderson. Miller, who looked like a rock version of Pavarotti, having worked with the likes of Keef Hartley, Savoy Brown, Chicken Shack, T. Rex, Donovan, Pete York, Spencer Davis Group (check www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Palladium/2214/milla_b.htm for the complete list and be amazed to learn about the band Paper Blitz Tissue, which even included Bill Bruford at one point![*]), joked his way around the more serious music and told the audience (I don't think 300 people showed up!) about what a privilege it is to work alongside Jon Lord. Lord looked shocked but accepted the praise nonetheless. However, it was the music which became the main catalyst of the evening. With Sam Brown being out on a tour of her own, it was Sabine Van Baaren who sang "One From The Meadow" with a slightly more jazz influenced tone. Lord took plenty of time in between songs to explain either how the composition came about or how the title came to fruition. Reading the liner notes for Beyond The Notes however, there was little "new" about it all. Lord did however improvise when the opportunity arose, such as when a short-skirted lady walked by in front of him and he praised himself for not getting carried away!
The set was cut into half by a fifteen minute "pause," time enough to go for that chilled Heineken (which Jon would comment on in the second half) and/or check out the merchandise stall. With two T-shirts priced at an acceptable fifteen euros, the Beyond The Notes CD and DVD (the latter priced at 22 euros) and even sporting caps, keyrings (only 3 euro), coffee mugs and ? fluffy teddy bears wearing a tiny Jon Lord T-shirt, every single visitor most certainly could afford something to take home with. Lord went on to talk about where and how he met his great friend George Harrison, even adapting an authentic Liverpool accent. Lord's tribute "A Smile When I Shook His Hand" continued with George's very own "Here Comes The Sun" featuring Mario Argandona on acoustic guitar. Although certain people were betting Lord would certainly not play anything German-linked whilst being in Holland, he nevertheless performed "Cologne Again." Backed by hand-clapping from the string section Dave Brubeck's "Unsquare Dance" sported both incredible piano as well as tasty organ. "The Teleman Experiment" concluded this intimate concert and after receiving some well-deserved flowers the band got back on stage. 
First on the cards was the bluesy "Fog On The Highway" featuring Miller both on vocals and acoustic guitar as well as harmonica. Helped out by Sabine, this was the only song which did not really fit within the concept of the orchestral evening. A more fitting goodbye came with "Bourr?e" introducing a solo between guitar and violin.
The applause kept lingering on for a well-deserved time before the houselights went on. People waited anxiously for Jon to return and sign some autographs, but sadly they all had to return empty-handed. I was promised an interview a week earlier, so I waited as well. More than an hour later I was informed that all interviews and face-to-face meetings were cancelled. Sad, very sad. Luckily the music compensated all of this to some extent.
A day later Megadeth and Diamond Head would occupy the same stage; oh how two very separate worlds can meet under one roof.
Setlist:
Sunrise / Pictured Within
Sarabande
One From The Meadow
De Profundis
Pavane
Gigue
pause
A Smile When I Shook His Hand / Here Comes The Sun
Cologne Again
I'll Send You A Postcard
Unsquare Dance
November Calls
The Telemann Experiment
encore
Fog On The Highway
Bourrée
[Jon Lord passed away in July 2012 -ed.]
*As Geocities ceased to be in 2009, this link is no longer active. Nor is the more recent Miller Anderson website link, so... to follow Bobo's suggestion... I'd suggest Wikipedia -ed. 2015.
