A review of the Rod Evans show? Well, 17 years after the show might be a bit tough but ... let's see ... The show was on Aug. 14, 1980, at some theatre in Quebec City (maybe 1000 people in the crow). It was rainy, cool and damp. Then everything went downhill from there. Rumours were persisting that Blackmore was with Evans and when the show finally started (2 hours late, around 11pm) the lights on stage were kept low.
The opening bars of Highway Star started and for one brief second I thought that the Man in Black was there! Instead it was some hack (no idea who it was) dressed in black, flinging a beer bottle into his speaker monitior. They actually tried to play the full version of the song (6-7 mins). Next song was Hush, then And the Address, Mandrake Root and that's all I remember of the songs. The riot started, I believe, because the crowd on the floor (I was in the balcony) realised that they had been duped. I remember the 2 or 3 rows being ripped out of the floor, then I left. I believe the show ended shortly thereafter although I heard rumour that they played 2 more songs (doubt it).
There was an article in the local Montreal paper a few days later saying that a class action suit would be launched, and some people had been arrested but I could not find where I put it (sorry). Thankfully, I was able to see Rainbow 3 times (1975, 1976 and 1983?) Deep Purple Mk 2 (1985) and the latest with Steve Morse (1996). Hopefully Purple will tour again and stop in Montreal again.