Jes....how long have we waited now until Steve Miller has found his way back to Europe? It's been 29 years... Well to be correct, he was here 2 years ago for exactly 2 shows in Cologne and Hamburg, Germany and some other cities in Europe. But here in the South in Munich and many more places he had not been here since 1983.Why so, I had luve'd to have asked him myself. But... no interviews on tour it's said, and so I guess, the reason for neclecting us for so long, is, that he's been so busy back in the US, that he didn't have time, it's as easy as that. Apart from that for an american artist such a trip to Europe nowadays is quite a riskl also because of financial reasons. Though I don't think so in Steve Miller's case. 
The status of Miller in the US is still a very high one, though the last big hits he had were way back in the Eighties. In Europe here he's got 2 hitsingles only - ''Abracadabra' in 1982, and then much later he scored with 'The Joker' due to an advert for Levis Jeans, - a song he had a hitsingle with in the US in the early Eighties. 
In addition to that, Miller took a very long break from making records, as he had a problem with the music industry. But he still toured extensively over all the time and some Best of... and Re-Releases came out. First in the year 2010 Miller put out a new studioalbum named 'Bingo'. And with that one, he remembered Europe again. 
Only one year later this was followed by 'Let Your Hair Down' and another trip to Europe. Why Steve Miller had decided to return to Europe after so many years, though he doesn't have another hitsingle to promote, is not known. He wouldn'd need to.. that's for sure. 
Anyway he's got 34 singles, up to 20 albums and countles compilations in his back catalogue and he probably could fill a whole night with his smash songs. Beeing 69 years old, he seems 20 years younger, which is pretty obvious, when he enters the stage here in Munich. 

No Support Act needed and the magic starts off at 8 p.m. pretty much unspectacular. 


Just to mention, despite the high ticket prices of about 80 Euros, the place is nearly sold out. And there is some other thing pretty obvious. Within the audiance there is maybe one woman out of ten men. The average age of the people here is between 30 and 65 I presume. And most guests are pretty gratefull, that the Arena is seated as well. The show starts in front of a coloured screen showing ears in every sizes, and with the spheric sound of 'Jungle Love'. That one leads into 'Take The Money And Run'. This song is one of those, very well known in the US; while in Europe only real fans recognize this tune. The same for the following 'The Stake', before the first highpoint is reached with 'Abracadabra'. And at this point everybody is singing along. 


So to get it clear, the average european music friend knows that one and the Joker, everything else comes along with that . And you can feel it, when the average mood is a rather quiet one at the not so known tunes. Inbetween Steve Miller is talking about american income tax matters and that this is a joke. But fortunately he doesn't get inot politics too much, compared to some other US artists, who currently refer to the upcoming presidental election coming up soon. 


Just to mention Miller's band consisting of: guitarist Jacob Peterson, keyboardist Joseph Wooten, bassist Kenny Lee Lewis, Drummer Gordy Knudtson and backing singer Sonny Charles. That one gets his solo stint as well to give Steve a little break inbetween and he trys hard to cheer the crowd up...


Inbetween we do get an acoustic performance by Steve solo, which ends with a rather interesting version of 'The Window' the last track on the 'Fly Like An Eagle' Record. 


During the third and last part of the show it gets really hot again and one hitsingle follows the next one. And now even the last sleeping beauty has woken up giving him standing ovations, and songs like 'Jet Airliner' and 'Rock'n'Me' getting us sing and dance along. 

The official set is finished, and Steve Miller is leaving the stage straight away, only to return on the spot for the encore... After 'Swing Town'.....

a great version of his very first hitsingle in his carriere 'Space Cowboy' is to follow and the magic ends with 'The Joker'.




Everybody trys to be up front at this point, to hail the Gangster of Love. And obviously he does like it. That's it, but not before writing some autographs and shake hands. The Steve Miller says good bye for good and heads off to catch his flight out of this town to the next show place. 
The result is a great evening with  many nostalgic moments and a very youthful Steve Miller, who has shown that he's still the same - as Rock'n'Roll doesn't know any age... 


Shame is only, that the average music fan hasn't apprecated every minute of this evening. And so the average Mood  didn't boil the whole time. But in any case, we are curious, how long it takes this time, until the Steve Miller Band comes back again. I for myself have to say: I didn't regret any second of this evening...
http://www.stevemillerband.com/