Piledriver - 2023 - Live in Europe. The Rockwall-Tour

(200:00 [DVD/Blu-Ray] / 159:32 [CD]; Rockwall Records)

Track list:

- Live in Herne 2019
1. Top of the Bill
2. Draw the Line
3. Good Times
4. Rockwall
5. Stomp!
6. Agitators
7. One for the Rock
8. Rock in a Crossfire Hurricane
9. Fat Rat Boogie
10. Down Down
11. Whatever You Want
12. Caroline

- Live in Minehead 2019
1. Whatever You Want
2. Rockin' All Over the World
3. Hold You Back
4. Hi
5. Joint Forces
6. Blue Eyed Lady
7. Roll Over Lay Down
8. What You're Proposing
9. Mystery Medley
10. Caroline

- Live in Zwolle 2020
1. Caroline
2. Roll Over Lay Down
3. The Wanderer
4. Backwater
5. Hold You Back
6. Rain
7. Don't Waste My Time
8. Whatever You Want
9. Rockin' All Over the World
10. Down Down
11. Bye-Bye, Johnny

Bonus material

Line-up:
Michael Sommerhoff - vocals, guitars
Peter Wagner - vocals, guitars
Marc Herrmann - bass, vocals
Tim Demuth - drums, vocals
Rudi Peeters - keyboards, vocals
with:
Andreas Döbbe - keyboards


German band Piledriver have been around since the latter part of the 1990's, originally starting out as a Status Quo tribute band but like many other bands with a tribute band origin they started to release their own original material as well. So far the band have five studio releases to their name, as well as two live productions. "Live in Europe. The Rockwall-Tour" is the most recent of their productions, and is a DVD/BLu-Ray and triple live CD box set. This box set was released through their own label Rockwall Records in the spring of 2023.

The initial impression that struck me when I looked through the contents of this box set was that this was a lot of content for the retail price asked, with around 3 hours of play time for the DVD/Blu-Ray and almost as much for the triple CD part of the package. Then I noticed that the contents here are three full sets from three different concerts, of which two of them have fairly similar setlists, which made me think that this was a bit overkill. Especially when two of the concerts appeared to be so similar. The value for money factor is still a good one of course, what I questioned was the need for the inclusion of the third set here. And you will probably have to see and hear the live footage to truly understand why this was, indeed, needed material rather than being a little bit of a superfluous tangent.

The first set here is from a gig in Germany where Piledriver was the opening act, and on this concert they focus more on their own material. Their brand of boogie-based hard rock comes with a bit of a US-oriented feel to it, with some nice slide guitar details enriching some of the songs in a spirited manner, a little bit of southern rock impulses sneaking in here and there, and with songs that to my mind at least reference artists such as Aerosmith and Van Halen in a subtle manner on some occasions, and with a little bit of a hair metal touch at times too. With the band's history as a Status Quo tribute band some elements from that side of things will obviously appear too, and I wouldn't be all that surprised if some of the members here know their late 70's Nazareth and UFO as well. That we also get a few examples of the timeless 70's organ and riff based hard rock probably merits a mention too, and that the Status Quo songs that are performed at this gig come across as a bit more energetic and hard edged than the originals. Otherwise the venue appears to have a reasonably sized stage, with space and room for the photographers to get nice angles and good shots for the video footage, the band is tight and lively on stage, and the image quality is of the quality expected. The sound balance isn't quite perfect if I should be nitpicking, with the vocals occasionally coming across as mixed a bit too low, but this is a minor issue and one I expect few people will notice.

The concert from England is from a Status Quo fan convention, and the songs performed here are by and large songs that fit this setting: Most of the songs are Status Quo originals. I get the impression that the hard rock aspect of the band has been toned ever so slightly down on this performance, with the songs sticking a bit closer to the original versions in form, tone and timbre here. If this is a planned execution or merely the result of a different setting used at the mixing table I don't know, but in my mind at least there is a subtle difference here. With this being more of a tribute concert, with the few originals thrown in sticking fairly close to the cover songs, the mood and feel of this performance is obviously a bit different. The venue here also appears to be more of an intimate one, with less good angles and thus less interesting shots covering the video aspect, while the sound overall may possibly be the one I find to be the best of the three sets featured in this box set.

The third and last concert here is from Holland, and from a tribute band festival. Here Piledriver were one of a multitude of bands performing, and again with originals from Status Quo dominating the set list. Here my impression is that the cover versions were beefed up a bit compared to the set from England, with a bit more drive, energy and distortion at play. Again a very subtle difference, with whatever happens at the mixing board possibly being a greater factor than the approach and execution of the band. The stage appears to be good sized here, and with some excellent use of the stage lights alongside good angles and good shots combining in the visually most pleasing of the three concerts we are treated to here. The sound is good too, but my impression is that it is a small notch down from the sound quality from the gig in England. Nothing distinctly noticeable can be pointed out though, so this is an impression only.

For the bonus section here we get a photo montage, some alternative edits for a few songs from the concert in England, some official promo videos and the credits. This is mostly material with more of a fan interest, but including bonus material like this is always a positive addition to a box set like this one.

The Blu-Ray menu and set up is made with functionality in mind, and comes across as one aspect of this DVD that could have been given a bit more attention. It is easy to use and easy to understand however, which is obviously more important than having an eye-catching design that is hard to navigate through, and I appreciate that the band have opted to shy away from flashy menu-systems that take time to load. This is a Blu-Ray that comes with a click and go functionality: It will take two seconds and then whatever part of the content you have chosen to view will start playing.

The band's long time keyboard player Rudi Peeters sadly passed away not long after the final parts of the footage for this DVD was taken. This almost caused Piledriver to decide to call it a day, but the task of assembling this box set is described as inspiring the band to continue as an active unit. They have dedicated this box set to their late friend and bandmate, and as this will be an important issue for the band it is prudent to mention this also in this review.

As initially mentioned, this is a box set that will give you a lot for the money. The focus here has been to capture the three concerts featured in as good a manner as possible in terms of the video as well as the audio footage. For those with a general interest in boogie rock and hard rock and a particular interest in bands exploring the kind of landscapes that gave Status Quo a career once they finished their psychedelic period, this box set will be an interesting one. And as always with such productions, for existing fans of Piledriver this box set will be something of a must buy, and obviously this goes very much in particular for those who love seeing the band live.


Olav M. Björnsen, May 2023

Links:
https://www.piledriver.eu/