Comments on: Impromptu in Portugal

By: TM

TM — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:33:39 +0000

My son (13) is diabetic and Gillan’s management arranged backstagepasses for us at a festival. A lot went wrong, we only had short time to meet Gillan and Glover. They were very friendly, posed for pictures and signed some stuff. During the show my son got real tired. Gillan saw that and arranged that he got a chair. After the show they had to leave immediately, but Steve’s guitartech brought my son a few guitarpicks. I thanked Ian’s mangement for the experience. They got back and offered free tickets and backstagepasses for a future show. We went to see them a few months later and met them again. Again they were real nice gents. I was offered a lot of money for those all access passes (they were for the whole tour) by some fans, but kept them to myself.
A lot more stories to tell about it, but don’t want to bore you.

By: cp

cp — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 05:38:42 +0000

I went to see Purple in 96 at a small venue in Columbus, Ohio called Newport Hall, and this fellow came to the show with his two young daughters. Now, this guy had been a big fan a long time, and he wasn’t very well off financially it seemed by the cut of his garments and his daughters, and the impression I got from him it was a financial strain to be there, but he wanted his girls to see the Purple.He was front stage to the right of me, and Gillan caught sight of them and went over to talk to them,shake his hand, and during the set he waved at the little girls a few times. After Rosa’s Cantina he gave them his harmonica. I can’t recall if they got to go back stage or not, but I know they were floating during the show. It was a very nice thing for Gillan to do.

By: stoffer

stoffer — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 03:18:16 +0000

I too have met Gillan although not to extent of T and some lucky others but he was gracious and not at all too good to have have kind words and handshakes for me and my youngest son.

By: T

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 02:54:43 +0000

Many of you have met Gillan and know he is quite gracious. I was once that “local musician” who had the opportunity to play “Smoke” with him, and as I waited in the audience for my cue to go on, Gillan constantly motioned and sang toward me and my family, acknowledging our prescence.

I remember up in the green room, an older gentleman in a wheelchair went on and on about how important Gillan was to him in his life through all the years of music. Ian was obviously uncomfortable with the gush of emotion as the gentleman was bursting into tears, but Gillan still took the guy’s hand and gave him a hug, perhaps making this man’s night a bigger one than my own.

By: micke

micke — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 18:03:09 +0000

Ian Gillham likes Oldham and West Ham and also Tottenham…