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Stormbringer coming

Roger Glover; photo © Jim Rakete; image courtesy of Kayos ProductionsRoger Glover sends a message recalling (what once seemed to be) the ill-fated gig in Slavkov u Brna, Czech Republic, on August 4:

On a tour full of remarkable events, the festival gig outside Brno in the Czech Republic stands out. As we arrived at the venue, we were told that there would be a delay because a heavy storm was approaching. The promoter, although initially requesting us to go on early before it arrived, decided, after watching the storm’s progress, that it would be better to delay the start to let the storm blow through. The crowd of 15,000 people were informed of this and waited patiently. So did the band and crew. We watched the skies as they darkened, waiting to see how strong it would be.

Then it hit. Hard. First came the wind, testing the dressing room tents, flapping and billowing the canvas like sails on a boat going round Cape Horn. The stage shuddered with the first blasts of wind, the lighting rig swayed dangerously and people scurried to find whatever shelter they could. Then the rain came bucketing down at a sharp angle, driven by the fierce wind and illuminated by streaks of lightning. It was decided that we in the band should head to a crew bus for safety. We sat there for an hour or so, unable to appreciate the severity of what was going on outside, fearing for the audience.

Then reports came back that the stage and some of the equipment was drenched, particularly the drums and keyboards, where the covers had been blown off, exposing the delicate instruments to the elements. The damage was serious, particularly to the keyboards. It was still raining hard and so the gig had to be abandoned and we left the drenched, long-suffering Czech audience to their silent, soggy night. Fortunately, the following day was a free day so our management team and the promoters worked out the complicated logistics of shifting things around so that we could do the show twenty-four hours later.

Of course, the following day was a beautiful, sunny one – as if nothing had happened the night before. Our crew, along with some of the local crew, stripped the gear down and carefully dried it out and reassembled it in time for the evening’s performance. We arrived, expecting to see a diminished crowd – after all, it was now a Monday and the weekend was over. Then came the biggest surprise of all; there were more people the second night than the previous one, about 5,000 more. We were amazed. Not only did all of the equipment work flawlessly, but also we had the most fantastic welcome from the crowd. It was a superb gig in every way.

The plan was to do the show, pack up, and, along with our crew, head straight to the airport for a night flight to Brussels and play the next concert that evening. An escort of police cars and motorbikes, lights flashing and sirens wailing, ensured that our convoy of vehicles raced past the traffic to the airport. I’m writing this on the plane as we head to a late check-in at the hotel and some sleep before the next show.

Good luck,
RG

Thanks to Edel Records and Andrey Gusenkov for the info.



13 Comments to “Stormbringer coming”:

  1. 1
    Tracy (Zero the Hero) Heyder says:

    There is NO CLASSIER BAND ON THE PLANET!! Can you imagine this amazing story taking place with the ‘Man in Tights’ at the helm??? This is a true testament as to the blessing the band and fans were given when TMIT bailed out for his frolic in the forest. Thanks Roger for sharing this moving experience with us. Long live MK8.

    Ch-BeerZ?!

  2. 2
    HardRockPete says:

    Fantastic! Shows what great band you are 😀 The best hard rock band out there, even today!!! Keep on truckin’ Mr. Glover, you guys are the best!!

  3. 3
    scoot says:

    love reading Rogers updates…

  4. 4
    Kevin says:

    Just one more piece of evidence (not that we need it, of course), to show that Purple really are a class act!!

    Good on ya guys for sticking around and putting on a fantastic show the next day!

  5. 5
    Hard Loving Man says:

    Been there both evenings. We came 130 km from Bratislava, Slovakia and did not regret a single minute. In the end of the day it was a great gig under the sky. Cloudless, flawless. Thank you again!

  6. 6
    Rajaseudun Rampe says:

    There is a rock star who can write. And the most amazing thing is that there are more than one in this band.

  7. 7
    Juanjo Pomer says:

    Wonderful

  8. 8
    luc says:

    we were attenting the show in Belgium the day after at “de Lokerse Feesten” & we weren’t aware of the problems in Brna. However also here Deep Purple did ones again a super strong performance and blowed everyone away. The festivalday was SOLD OUT (14000) with Monster Magnet & Alice Cooper as warming ups.
    As heavy purplefan I however suggest that they should do in there “NOW WHAT”-tour next autumn/winter the entire album.
    Just start with the fabulous 4 (highway star/into the fire/hard lovin’ man/strange kind of woman followed by the entire new album & ending with another fabulous 4 Lazy/perfect strangers/space truckin/SOTW…Common purps don’t be afraid to show your brilliant new stuff!!!!!

  9. 9
    alexjes says:

    Fortunately we had time next day, even though it was Monday. And we all really appreciate the will of our favourite band to play next day for us. We really deserved it. It was a great satisfaction for that suffering. An hour, when the band sat in a bus, we stood under the trees, there wasn´t any shelter in the park. But the trees didn´t help in such storm. Then we decided to go back to the car (some people came there by train). We were allowed to park in the alley on the grass, and now there were mud and water everewhere. And the chaos of running away cars. It wasn´t easy to leave it in the mud. We saw fallen trees on two cars, they were quite damaged. And the heavy rain still continued.
    Some people, who didn´t have the accommodation, spent the rest of night somewhere outside. In the morning we could see their wet dress everywhere.
    But no one complained. We new the show is going to be next evening. And we came back.
    Really the greatest band in the world.
    Thank you guys !

  10. 10
    cyclone says:

    Nice to see DP getting the love they deserve.

  11. 11
    MacGregor says:

    Kudos to the band & crew for the next day gig & I can see why the people who were there, are being very appreciative. But this sort of gratitude & respect from a band towards fans is hardly new. It usually works both ways in most situations. Many artists go out of their way to do ‘whatever’ it takes to play the gig, or another gig or two at some other time or date. Of course it always depends on the logistics of the situation.
    As they say “that’s showbiz” or “on with the show” or “the show must go on”! Cheers.

  12. 12
    funkilius says:

    A special mention to the crews involved in getting the stage,gear etc ready for the Monday gig. A lot of hard work and graft……..a round of APPLAUSE from me!!!!!

  13. 13
    Stargazer says:

    Hi, written very nice by Roger. I was there both days and that was adventure not only Sunday´s storm but also Monday´s tornado of Deep Purple. I described my feelings during the concert in an article.
    Here is the link: http://matonoha.blog.idnes.cz/c/355673/Deep-urpe-pobliz-slavkovskeho-bojiste-aneb-The-Battle-Rages-On.html.
    Because I am originally Czech the story is inscribed in my native language. I hope you understand something. Maybe, having time in the future, I will translate it to english.

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