Deep Purple live at The Wiltern (Los Angeles, USA 2019-09-04)
Finally a headlining tour for the US so no shorter co-headlining sets. Actually got 85 minutes start to finish!!! (90 if you count how long it takes Roger to toss all the guitar picks and wave goodnight. Love that guy!) No offense to “Joyous Wolf” but it was nice to have them on and off in 30 minutes. Short and sweet.
So with a headline and smaller theater setting, more hardcore DP fans than recent US tours and more knowledgeable love for the band. In the five decades the four of us have seen DP, it was a nice treat to get our first “Demon’s Eye”. Up front in the set and after the three pronged Highway – Pictures – Bloodsucker intro, Demon’s kicked the appreciative crowd into a higher gear.
After Demon’s Eye, Lazy and Smoke were highlights as Don and Steve were on fire and the crowd singing really on top of the Lake Geneva shoreline…
Its been a bonus to see the Boys four times in two years. You always hope there’s one more chance out there but thank goodness for the video capability of the smart phone.
To end the evening the usual head shaker. As the crowd queues up for the restroom prior to leaving, there was *the*guy. We’ve all seen *the* guy. He’s at every Deep Purple concert in different forms. In all seriousness – “I’m so pissed they didn’t play Burn!”. A testament to the song and the ability of the band to continue to draw the fringe!
So many years down, so many shows, scores of albums, the band has been a common thread thru the friendship the four of us attending the shows have had since high school.
To sum it all up:
“You’ve been great, superb, magnifique, we love you, take it easy, bye bye”
(No matter what we get out of this, I know we’ll never forget…)
Martin Paretti with Kerry Frohling, Bob Grabar, Dave Krutcik
review by Martin Paretti