Joe Lynn Turner rocked Sellersville
By Alex Lloyd Gross
Joe Lynn Turner rocked the Sellersville Theater last night, January 28, 2018 and it was good. Fans of classic rock will remember him from his days with Rainbow and Deep Purple. He played some of those hits last night. “I have to play hits, or no one will come,” he said during the show. Then he asked if the crowd wanted to go home early. No. “Do you mind if I cut out a bit early,”? he asked. The crowd of about 200 was not having any of it. They came to rock and that was it. Turner laughed then continued to take care of business. He had no intention of leaving..
The show lasted about 90 minutes and included staples that he has to sing. “Street of Dreams”and “Stone Cold”. He also brought out “Drinkin’ With the Devil”and “Perfect Strangers” He closed with “Long Live Rock and Roll”. Turner has played this area twice in one year, which is making up for lost time. It was decades without a show anywhere near here.
He brought some t shirts to sell along with CD’s. Each sold for $20.00 which was reasonable. Joe is a friendly guy. No rock star personality. If you see him on the street, he will stop and chat with you. He has been this way his entire career. In his heyday, he was hitchhiking down Garrett Ave. in Upper Darby on his way to a WYSP event at the Tower Theater. The people giving him a
ride thought he looked a bit familiar but got the shock of their lives when he took the stage. He took some of his fans to a Chinese Restaurant and was heading to the show. when the hapless chauffeur stopped.
Turner played with a multitude of different projects over the years, including Mothers Army. In spite of that, most fans attending thew show wanted him to play Rainbow songs and he delivered. It would be great if he could return to Sellersville and play three hours. He could play a set devoid of any solos and go deep with cuts that people might not be familiar with. He could even cherry pick from his solo albums , and get people more yelling for those songs next time around. In concert, he is entertaining and worth the cost of admission. If you like classic rock, then seeing him would be a trip back in time. His voice still kicks ass and he has not aged since 1983.
Turner and his music have outlasted many venues he has played, such as the Spectrum. Ask him about a story from the greatest arena ever built in this area. He would be glad to give your details and stories.