OVER THE RAINBOW: New Tour Dates Announced

OVER THE RAINBOW has announced the following dates:

Sep. 04 - Fratelli - Bucharest, Romania
Sep. 05 - City Square - Kavarna, Bulgaria
Sep. 15 - Palace of Sport - Krasnodar, Russia
Sep. 17 - Palace of Sport Olimp - Rostov-on-Don, Russia
Sep. 19 - Concert Hall Philarmonic - Tyumen, Russia
Sep. 21 - Palace of Culture - Perm, Russia
Sep. 23 - MTL Arena - Samara, Russia
Sep. 25 - Piramida - Kazan, Russia
Sep. 27 - Palace of Sport - Omsk, Russia
Sep. 29 - Ice Palace - Irkutsk, Russia
Oct. 01 - Palace of Sport - Krasnoyarsk, Russia
Oct. 03 - Palace of Sport - Novosibirsk, Russia
Oct. 05 - Concert Hall Russia - Moscow, Russia
Oct. 07 - Yeni Melek G.M. - Istanbul Turkey
Oct. 09 - Forum Palace - Vilnius, Lithuania
Oct. 10 - House of Culture - Helsinki, Finland
Oct. 12 - Tradgarn - Gothenburg, Sweden
Oct. 13 - Kulturbolaget - Malmö, Sweden
Oct. 15 - Retro Music Hall - Prague, Czech Republic
Oct. 17 - Estragon - Bologna, Italy
Oct. 18 - [to be announced] - Thessaloniki, Greece
Oct. 19 - Gagarian - Athens, Greece
Oct. 21 - [to be announced] - Ioninna, Greece
Oct. 23 - Festhalle Durlach - Karlsruhe, Germany
Oct. 24 - De Pul - Uden, Holland
Oct. 25 - Aladin - Bremen, Germany
Oct. 28 - Sala Joy Eslava - Madrid, Spain
Oct. 29 - Razzmatazz II - Barcelona, Spain
Oct. 31 - Rockstar Live - Bilbao, Spain

OVER THE RAINBOW is:

Joe Lynn Turner (RAINBOW 1980-1984) - Vocals
Bobby Rondinelli (RAINBOW 1980-1983) - Drums
Greg Smith (RAINBOW 1994-1997) - Bass
Jürgen "J.R." Blackmore - Guitar
Paul Morris (RAINBOW 1994-1997) - Keyboards

Paul Morris replaced Tony Carey, the original keyboardist for OVER THE RAINBOW, prior to the band's performance in front of 12,000 fans at the Sweden Rock Festival on June 4, 2009 in Sölvesborg, Sweden.

Like all members of OVER THE RAINBOW (with the exception of guitarist Jürgen "J.R." Blackmore),Paul Morris was also a member of RAINBOW. He recorded and toured with them from 1994 through 1997.

In the '70s, '80s and '90s, RAINBOW released over 20 albums (five gold, four silver),seven Billboard Hot 100 and Mainstream Rock tracks, six Top 75 U.K. songs and at least seven MTV frequently played videos. Since 1998, former members of RAINBOW and their respective management offices were overloaded with requests for RAINBOW to reunite. Rondinelli, Smith and Turner agreed that the only legitimate way to accomplish this was to employ a Blackmore on guitar.

Jürgen Blackmore is a critically acclaimed guitarist in his own right and agreed to join this endeavor after realizing how intense the demand was for a RAINBOW "reunion." OVER THE RAINBOW marks the first time that four members from three different eras of RAINBOW have taken the stage together along with J.R. Blackmore.

Commented Smith: "I am very excited about going back to Russia. The fans there were amazing and I can't wait to play for them again. It's also exciting to bring this show to several cities in Western and Eastern Europe for the first time."

Added Joe Lynn Turner: "The variety of European cities that we are playing on this tour is a strong testament to the fact that the music of RAINBOW is alive, well and in demand by the fans who have never forgotten its contribution to music history. As for returning to Russia, the Russian people and fans have always had a warm place in my musical heart and soul. Debuting OVER THE RAINBOW earlier this year there was electric! We are ready to give the fans more this fall!"

Jürgen Blackmore said: "The Russian fans welcomed me with open arms during the band's debut tour. I felt like the fans were very encouraging. They were obviously so hungry to hear RAINBOW songs performed live again and I was proud to be the one to help deliver the music to them! For this tour, I am especially looking forward to playing in my home country of Germany."

Fan-filmed video footage of OVER THE RAINBOW performing the RAINBOW classic "Street of Dreams" on July 10, 2009 at the Crocodile Rock Cafe in Allentown, Pennsylvania can be viewed below (courtesy of "Trouble9177").