An Evening with Colin and Rod

According to Rod Argent, the Zombies visited Finland last during their very first international tour back in the 60s. We will see if the band will actually return in another 50 years as promised... In any case, the present-day version of the Zombies gave a memorable and heartfelt performance in Helsinki on March the 31st.

The concert was the last of the Zombies' Scandinavian mini tour. It was especially Colin Blunstone whose presence radiated all kinds of positive feelings to the audience. Blunstone's voice was strong and soulful and when he sang more quietly he sounded exactly like himself back in the 60s! Rod Argent delighted the audience with many stories about the band's history and thoughts about the influence that the Zombies have had on pop music.

Argent and Blunstone were thrilled to be performing as the Zombies and it showed. Argent played many fabulous, long solos on the keyboard. Blunstone gave vocal performances both soulful and ethereal. Guitarist Tom Toomey, bass player Jim Rodford and drummer Steve Rodford also enjoyed being on stage and performed with style. Toomey's guitar work was definitely worth mentioning... Everyone on stage was really good!

The set was a nice cross-section of the Zombies' career, from the band's very first singles to their latest 2011 album Breathe Out, Breathe In which Argent and Blunstone were obviously very proud of. The songs sounded really good live, I must say. The most anticipated part of the set was probably the part with songs from Odessey & Oracle. All of the band's hits were also played (Tell Her No, She's Not There, Time of the Season). As a whole, the gig was a lot more than just those most influential baroque pop songs on Odessey & Oracle. It was simply great to hear Colin's solo stuff, music from Argent, and even Alan Parsons Project material! Many of the songs were not familiar to me but well... There is always time to check them out. The important part is that I enjoyed every second of the concert.

It was a great experience to see the Zombies. There are not so many 60s pop bands that come to Finland in the 2010's. I hope to see more!

The Zombies website