[ d e e p P u r . p l e ) The Highway Star

I was entertained immensely

I just got back from seeing DP for my first time ever, and hopefully not my last. I'm only 19, so this was my first chance to see them. I've already seen Nugent and Skynyrd, so I was mostly excited about Purple.

Uncle Ted played a great 45 min set, I expected nothing less from him. I have seen many aging rock acts with frontmen that don't quite have it anymore, so I was very interested to hear what Ian Gillan sounded like after all these years. Ian is, without a doubt, one of the top five frontmen ever, and he kept the legacy alive tonight. Ian sounded, as he would say, Superb! I was downright shocked that he still had his voice, and he sounded as good as ever.

I'm not going to discuss the setlist that much, because it has been covered by previous reviews. I thought that "Perfect Strangers", which is my favorite Purple song, was unbelievable live. Steve Morse was incredible. His solo medley consisted of Zeppelin's "Moby Dick", "The House Of The Rising Sun" by the Animals, and "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks, which Ian sang a few lines from. Forgive me if I forgot a few, I was caught up in the moment. They then went into "Smoke".

The encore was an incredible version of "Highway Star". The band was smiling a lot and looked like they were having a great time throughout the set. Ian was very cool, he talked to the crowd a lot, and he even threw out a few of his Chinese harmonicas. Ian Gillan only endorses German made mouth harps.

All in all, everyone was right on the money tonight. I was very impressed by Steve Morse. I only wish they would have played a longer set. Purple should have been headlining. I was upset to read that they played "Hush" at other concerts, I really love that song. [Go travelling, see more shows. It's a great way to meet new friends. Rasmus]

I would have also liked to hear "Knocking At Your Back Door", "Space Truckin'", or "Fireball". I still can't complain, because I was entertained immensely. Thanks guys, keep on rocking!

Jeff Engelen


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