JOE LYNN TURNER at John Dee (Oslo, Norway)
Special Guest: CHASING EMBLA
April 26th, 2026
by Jorge Patacas
Surprisingly, the legendary Joe Lynn Turner (formerly of Rainbow, Deep Purple, and Yngwie Malmsteen) announced three dates in Scandinavia to perform his debut solo album, “Rescue You”, in its entirety, celebrating its 40th anniversary. This was a unique opportunity to hear these songs live for the first time in decades.
Opening the evening was Chasing Embla, a new Norwegian band featuring well-known vocalist Tove (Tindrum, Miss Lead), guitarists Odd-Øivind Kure (Miss Lead) and Morten Roness, bassist Freddy O.J. Aspmark, keyboardist Per Nordengen, and drummer Thomas Hauge.
Following a lengthy intro, they opened with an unreleased song in Norwegian. It was quite a different style, with Tove unexpectedly attempting to rap some parts instead of using her powerful clean vocals, though this proved to be the exception rather than the rule. The rest of the songs featured a more traditional sound, primarily inspired by hard rock and AOR with good melodies and catchy choruses.
The setlist included tracks such as “All Hell Break Loose”, “Crash and Burn”, “Abuse of Power”, “Flying High” and “Disinformation”. These songs are likely to be part of their upcoming second album, or at least, that is the assumption. The good news is that all of them are strong.
Towards the end of their set, they performed a completely reimagined version of the Tindrum classic “Drums of War”, followed by a cover of Deep Purple, “You Keep On Moving” from the David Coverdale era. The end came with the catchy “Shakin’ All Over”, the single from their 2024 debut album, “Resurrection”. The song also features a music video, which you can watch here.
Joe Lynn Turner, who is now 74 years old, had headlined the first edition of the Wings of AOR festival the night before in Norrköping, Sweden, where he finally met Russ Ballard for the first time. The 80-year-old singer wrote “I Surrender”, a track Turner later turned into a classic during his tenure with Rainbow. At the festival, the two legends performed the song together, a historic moment that everyone in attendance was privileged to witness.
In Oslo, Turner took the stage around 21:15, accompanied by a backing band featuring long-time collaborator Nikolo Kotzev on guitar (anyone else noticed he looks like Brian May?), Ken Sandin (ex Alien, ex Swedish Erotica, ex Transport League) on bass, Will Oaks on keyboards, and Darby Todd on drums. They kicked off with a Rainbow classic, “Death Alley Driver”, followed by the catchy “Power”, which had the audience singing along enthusiastically. Turner then briefly spoke about his first solo album from 1985, explaining that the entire record would be performed in its original track order. Judging by the crowd’s reaction, this was clearly the main reason they were there. It was somewhat shocking to see the venue half-full, but those present were undeniably diehard fans, many of whom likely listened to the album when it first came out. Songs like “Losing You”, “Young Hearts” and especially the ballad “Endlessly” proved that Turner still possesses an incredibly powerful voice.
His interaction with the audience ranged from seriousness to humor, which, in an intimate show like this one at John Dee, made the experience feel more special and the connection between artist and audience palpable. The songs from the album flowed smoothly, and just before “Get Tough”, Turner encouraged the crowd to do exactly that, considering the state of the world right now. He also spoke about how love is the best emotion we have as human beings, sharing the deeply personal story behind “Soul Searcher” right before performing it.
After the final song of the album, “The Race Is On”, the set shifted to Rainbow classics, starting with “Can’t Happen Here” and the amazing “Stone Cold”, which was inspired by his then-bandmate Roger Glover, who had just broken up with his girlfriend. The sing-along hit “I Surrender” was another highlight, followed by “Spotlight Kid” from the “Difficult to Cure” album (1981). The band then thanked the audience and left the stage as the crowd began chanting for more. They returned for an encore consisting of a cover of Deep Purple’s “Highway Star”. You can’t go wrong with such a classic, although some fans had hoped to hear the single “King of Dreams” from his time with the band. No complaints though, the 90-minute show was enjoyable from start to finish. Let’s hope we get to see him back in Oslo soon!
