Deep Purple live at Budweiser Stage (Toronto, Canada 2024-08-25)

Deep Purple Concert Review: Toronto, ON, Canada – Budweiser Stage (August 25, 2024)

Set List

Highway Star
A Little On the Side
Hard Lovin’ Man
Into The Fire
Simon’s Solo > Uncommon Man
Lazy Sod
Lazy
Show Me
Portable Door 
Anya
Don’s Solo > Bleeding Obvious (!!!) 
Space Truckin’
Smoke on the Water

Encores:

Hush
Black Night

What a night full of great music to be had in my hometown of Toronto! My best friend and I got to the venue in time to catch the opener, Hannah Wicklund, who is an amazingly talented singer songwriter and indie artist. I was so impressed with her songwriting and vocal chops (she can really sing!!!! the pipes she has are incredible!!!) that I ended up buying her latest CD at the merch tent later on. Great solo set with just her by herself, and she certainly held her own and the audience loved her. I’ll definitely be seeing her more in the future!

Yes were a blast! Over an hour of Prog epics – I’d never seen them before live, and I liked their music, although in truth I never did much like Steve Howe as a guitar player. That all changed after tonight – finally, I got him, and now I’m a fan! His solos and lead parts were otherworldly!

I got to hear both Roundabout and I’ve Seen All Good People (which is my favourite Yes tune!) and the whole band sounded great (although I thought Geoff Downes’ keys were a bit buried in the mix). The drummer they’ve got to replace Alan White since his passing is fantastic, as is Chris Squire’s replacement. A wonderful set of Prog epics, and more time signature changes and multi section songs than you can shake a stick at! If you haven’t seen them yet, you should!

But what of Deep Purple, I hear you ask?

From the opening notes of ‘Mars, The Bringer of War’, my heart was racing. I hadn’t seen the band since 2006 – and in fact this year in 2024 is the twentieth anniversary of my first Purple show (which also happened to be my first live show ever!) when Steve was in the band. The last time I saw them in ‘06 I believe it was, Leslie West from Mountain (RIP) joined them on stage and played Smoke with them, and they played Speed King and Steve and Don did the most ridiculous duel during that number.

Since then, much has changed – Ian Gillan is now 80 and can’t scream like he could back then, and Steve has left the band and now they have Simon.

From the tour footage I’ve seen of recent shows online, I noticed Ian was struggling in the vocal department – some nights he was great, others he was struggling to sing notes in tune that are well within his new, lower range. I was planning on not going to see them at all – and keep my memories of them in their glory days with Steve (remember, I was born in ‘85 when Perfect Strangers was being toured, so the early Morse years are their glory days to me!) because I was so worried that I’d get Ian on a bad night, and I didn’t want my memories and how I viewed the band to be ruined. I was also wondering if Ian could live up to the amazing performance he delivered in the studio on =1. Live, of course, is the real deal.

Well, I am so glad that my best friend convinced me to go, and I am happy to report that my memories of the band were not ruined by Ian’s vocal performance tonight, because he was near perfect and gave the best vocal performance I’ve seen of him in the last decade, if ever.

From the opening chord that let led into Highway Star, the band was in full flight. Ian was spot on with his singing – no tuning issues whatsoever. When he got to the screams for the chorus, he adapted, and instead of trying to hit notes out of his range, he focused on his upper mid range and adding distortion/vocal fry to give the notes the same weight and gravitas, and it worked brilliantly. Throughout the night, I watched my favourite singer shine, delivering nearly note perfect performance after note perfect performance, and yes he did get a couple good screams in there! Instead of going high in places, he went low, and I watched him make smart choices and I think given his age, he’s adapted brilliantly.

My one concern is Ian did looked strained while singing and throughout the night I noticed him sneaking off into a tent back stage – to do what, I’m not sure, but whatever it is, it helped him deliver a an outstanding performance. I just hope he isn’t pushing himself too hard, and that he is in good health overall!

Also, Ian’s between song banter is the stuff of legends – my favourite was him quipping that Lazy was about “a Zen Buddhist monk and defrocked Vicar getting together” and how ideology is a waste of time – at least you know where the man stands! And, it was very nice of him to give Toronto a shoutout and let the crowd know the new record was recorded here by Bob Ezrin, who Ian said “lives just down the street” and “knows a thing or two about making records”. This, of course, made everyone in the audience feel quite proud, myself included, as I know the studio where the band recorded =1, being a recording artist myself.

Now, if Ian Gillan was one of the star performers the whole night, delivering near flawless singing the whole time, Don Airey was the other star of the night!

Going into the show, I was a bit worried Don’s Hammond would be too low in the mix – this was the case the two times I’d last seen Purple in 2004 and 2006. That was certainly not the case here- the Hammond was SCREAMING, growling and just so damn driven! Don was improvising the most I’ve ever seen him, and during Hard Lovin’ Man he delivered one hell of a solo, making the Hammond snarl and growl! In fact, I’ve never seen Hard Lovin’ Man performed live, and this was a real treat! Definitely a highlight of the show!

Don’s solo spot was filled with all sorts of little nods to various classical composers- Mozart, Tchaikovsky and the like, as well as the intro to Mr. Crowley – and of course, he snuck in O, Canada which had the whole crowd on their feet for the most part (being disabled, I stayed seated) and singing along to the national anthem – a very nice touch! Don was certainly the other standout of the night, and considering he was one of my influences on Hammond Organ along with Jon, I was in Hammond Heaven the whole night!

But what of the other members?

Roger Glover and Ian Pace were locked in all night long, Roger played some very interesting bass lines and was solid the whole night. Paicey, is of course, a thunderous groove monster! My best friend who took me is also a drummer, and he said he always liked Paicey, but until he heard the band live (it was his first time seeing the mighty Purple, though he’s been a fan for years!) he told me how impressed he was by Ian’s deep groove and how powerful he was. Flawless and thunderous as always! in my opinion, Roger and Paicey are the best rhythm section in all of rock n roll, and they certainly proved that again tonight!

And what of our new guitar player, Mr. McBride?

I went into the show knowing it was a new chapter for the band and for myself – I’ll never get to see Steve Morse, my favourite Purple guitarist, with the band again – I regret not going at least one more time, as during Uncommon Man I thought that I would have liked to have heard Steve play it as well.

That said, Simon McBride totally floored me the whole night – chops for days, tasteful melodies, and I absolutely love that aggression and wildness in his playing – total ABandOn! He was getting ludicrous amounts of sustain from his PRS axes, and at one point held the most glorious, feedback note with all this phaser stuff going on (an effect that really hasn’t seen use since the Mk IV days when Tommy Bolin was the axeman!) and it just blew my mind as a guitar player myself (my second instrument, in case you’re keeping tabs)! Simon’s solos were incredible, and especially the one he did before Uncommon Man where he really made it his own (it’s a damn good thing too, I wouldn’t want a Steve clone!) and just went for the jugular during that tune and throughout the whole night.

If I had two minor critiques it would be this: during the new tunes, of which the band played five off the new record, which was a welcome change to the setlist, Simon played his solos exactly like he did on =1, note for note. I get it, he’s new, and I would have preferred him to improvise a bit more. The other critique is that whoever was mixing sound put Simon a bit on the low side while he was playing rhythm, I would have liked to have heard him against Don’s screaming Hammond a bit more.

On the whole, Simon gave us so many incredible solos (he did a killer one in Hard Lovin Man alongside Don!) and was totally solid in the rhythm department. Finally, the drive and danger and wildness that Ritchie Blackmore brought to the band is back, in full force, and I’m glad for it! I will miss Steve Morse and the thoughtfulness and intention he brought with his playing to the band, and, Simon is a most welcome and impressive change indeed! Hopefully once he settles in a bit more, he’ll start improvising and letting loose on the new stuff! All in due time!

Setlist wise, the band put in quite a few nice surprises in the set – Hard Lovin’ Man, as previously mentioned, Into The Fire and Anya were very much welcome additions in my books – I hadn’t seen any of them performed live before! The biggest surprise however, came much later in the might.

Throughout the show I was writing down the setlist for this review, and after Don’s Hammond Solo, I wrote down Perfect Strangers, thinking of course they’re going to do it – what Purple show doesn’t have Perfect Strangers?!

Well, wrong I was!

Instead of launching into the Hammond riff we all know and love, instead the boys pulled a bold move and launched into Bleeding Obvious off the new record! I was pleasantly gob smacked, taken completely by surprise (or perhaps it was The Surprising?) in the best possible way! Out of all the tunes I wanted to hear off the new record live, this was the one I wanted to hear the most – other great new tunes included Show Me, which went down really well, A Bit On The Side, Lazy Sod and Portable Door (which, according to Mr. Gillan, they had just such an item for sale over at the merch table in one of the more memorable Gillanisms of the evening). I was really impressed that we got five new tunes in total – I’ve never seen Purple do five new ones before! If I might be just a tad greedy, might I suggest throwing in I’ll Catch You somewhere into the set? It would make a great addition to an already stellar set (and I will admit, my favourite tune off the new album)!

Then it was time for the classics – Space Truckin and Smoke on the Water were of course very well received – singing along to Smoke never gets old, and neither does the riff! It was also nice to hear Simon reproduce Ritchie’s original rhythm guitar part in the verse of arpeggiated power chords – a very nice touch indeed. I don’t listen to Smoke all that much, but when they played it tonight, I felt like I was 19 again and seeing them for the very first time! Absolute magic!

However, the fun was of course not done!

For the encores, there was no Green Onions – just straight into Hush, and for me, it was the highlight of the night! Tons of jamming, tasty solos, very inventive bass lines by Roger, and what for me was the highlight of my evening – the most INSANE guitar and organ duel I have ever witnessed between Simon and Don! The duel between Steve and Don that I saw during Speed King back in ‘06 was a very close second, however, this took the cake!

The fluidity, speed, and just sheer bonkers inventiveness of the lines Simon and Don threw at each other was just beyond belief – as a student of both guitar and Hammond, I was beyond my wildest dreams at this point in terms of what I was witnessing – just when I thought they were done, they kept one upping each other in spectacular fashion, and the inner teenager in me who fell in love with Jon and Ritchie doing the same thing was suddenly very, very happy!

Black Night ended proceedings, as always, and I enjoyed singing Simon’s licks back to him in the middle (I played a nice little game with myself to see if I could hit the ever increasing high notes Simon threw at us on pitch, and somehow I managed!) – and as quick as you could blink an eye, the show was over.

My best friend and I left the venue feeling really excited by what we’d just witnessed: a band that could have and likely should have been well past their prime hitting it out of the park, absolutely murdering it on every conceivable level. The second show I saw in ‘06 with Morse will always be my favourite Purple show – I won’t ever get to hear Speed King, Ian Gillan doing those fantastic screams or seeing Steve Morse and Leslie West from Mountain trade licks on SOTW ever again – however, this is up there with it, and one of the best concerts I’ve ever witnessed live. All in all, a very nice 20th anniversary present for myself, and an incredible first show for my best friend!

The band has been reborn a second time (I mean, maybe more like eighth or ninth considering all the lineup changes over the years), thanks to the wondrous talents of amazing axe slinger Simon McBride, who has a very bright future ahead of him with the band. I think in recent years, the band had gotten a little tired and were about ready to pack it up and go home, probably in no small part due to getting older – that’s life, after all.

However, just like Steve saved them in ‘94 from the clutches of near collapse from Ritchie’s shenanigans, Simon has saved them again, this time from the claws of complacency, and given them fresh blood and new life. If this is Purple’s final chapter, it’s going to be a damn good end to an incredible story and career! Absolute magic! Long live Deep Purple – and bring on the McBride era!

Mk 9, I’m with you all the way to the end. Let’s go!

-Mike Nagoda

review by Mike Nagoda

A couple of recent magazine features that might be worth your attention.

German Rock It! magazine has Deep Purple on the cover of their issue 143 (Sept/Oct 2024). Inside, there’s a 4-page Purple feature, including an interview with Ian Paice and Simon McBride. Bonus: bits of interviews with Paice and Hughes on the 50 years of Burn.

Meanwhile, Sweden Rock magazine has a 4-page interview with Ian Paice in the issue dated 8/2024. Also in this issue: a 5-page Phenomena (Glenn Hughes) feature.

Thanks to Marcelo Soares and Benny Holmström for the heads-up.

A few live clips from Tinley Park, IL, to brighten your day. That’s some pretty decent quality audience recording. Continue Reading »

Deep Purple live at Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre (Tinley Park, USA 2024-08-23)

This is my 11th time seeing Deep Purple and 6th in Chicago. I had 3rd row seats on the aisle in front of the drum kit and Roger’s usual lair.

What amazes me is how good and how energetic a band can be with four fifths of its members in their late 70s. The musicianship and sound was superb and Gillan’s voice was the best that I’ve heard in the last 15 years. He also added more humorous banter between songs that I’ve seen before. Simon is a breathe of fresh air. He gives DP a heavier sound and is a top notch soloist.

The set was a mix of songs of seven songs that they wrote and recorded over 50 years ago, five from the new album, and two from inbetween those eras. It was the same as what was reported the night before except they didn’t do Wring that Neck or Green Onions. This was the 1st time that I’ve seen them to Anya live. The new stuff was very well received by the audience and flowed well with the old classics. Come on, nobody else can do that.

Seeing Yes open for them was a nice bonus. They played all of my favorites (All Good People, Yours is no Disgrace, Stormship Trooper, Roundabout). Steve Howe who is also in his late 70s looked old and frail, but once he starts playing he performs and moves like a much younger person.

This might be the last time I get to see DP perform. But I’ve said that several times before. But if they come back to USA, even as 80-year olds, then I am buying a ticket.

review by Bob Brodman

Deep Purple live at Dickies Arena (Fort Worth, USA 2024-08-19)

Deep Purple having not been to Southern California since before the pandemic, we decided to see the show which was the farthest west in the USA the band would come on this =1 More Time / Unleashed tour. So we hopped a flight from Los Angeles to Fort Worth, Texas, Dickies Arena. Having not seen them in five years, the anticipation was high!

This show represents the 6th decade we’ve seen Deep Purple live. I would have to say this show sits in the top five, perhaps top three, we’ve seen since the beginning. It always starts and ends with Ian G and on this night, perhaps because of all the “Happy Birthdays” thrown to him, he was animated, funny and giving his usual 100%+ on every song. And thank goodness, we didn’t get the typical USA greatest hits set. The new album was prominently featured and this meant Simon was all over the show. There is a new pace, a frenzy, in the show and setlist – to the better! Don hamming it up with the waiter and the glass of wine. (He downed it effortlessly). Ian P and Roger as proficient as ever. And the sound of the show was fantastic. Shout out to the production crew.

Since 2014, we’ve approached every Deep Purple show as possibly the last. And even though current media shows there is no intent on stopping anytime soon, if this is our last one, it was Bleeding Obvious a great show memory and great way to go out!

review by Martin Paretti

Ian Gillan has appeared today, August 21, 2024, on the Eddie Trunk show Trunk Nation. When asked if a retirement is in the plans for the band and/or himself, he said:

There’s no intention to stop. At the moment… I spoke to my manager the other day. I’ve got some solo project. He said, ‘You’re gonna have to put ’em back,’ and I’m putting them back years. We’re already booked to the end of ’26, in the planning stage, in the diary, with all the projects we’ve got for DEEP PURPLE. So, yeah, years to come, hopefully.

Thanks to Blabbermouth for the heads-up and the quote.

A lifestyle/travel publication TimeOut (somewhat belatedly) reviews the 2024 Montreux Jazz Festival:

There are few riffs more recognisable than the four-note sequence of ‘Smoke On The Water’. It’s been 53 years since a fire destroyed Montreux Casino during a Frank Zappa concert; a scene which members of Deep Purple watched from afar and would later immortalise in what is now one of the most iconic rock tracks going.

Fast forward to 2024 and the 58th Montreux Jazz Festival, where the band played the same riff to close their headline slot on the brand new lakeside stage. Locals peered from their balconies and merch-wearing fans stamped their feet in unison. It rounded up an evening which saw Don Airey scuttle up and down the keyboard in psychedelic-tinged improv and Alice Cooper bring out a red tail boa during a terrifying theatrical shock-rock set. In other words: just another night at Montreux, a festival which, these days, is just as well known for its varied, enviable programming as much as its rich musical history.

You can find the rest of the piece on TimeOut, albeit there’s little more Purple related. Shall we forgive the author for attributing The Riff to Roger? Perhaps.

Roger Glover posts on his website a eulogy for the late Mick Underwood:

Mick Underwood was a lovely man. I was deeply saddened to learn that he had died. It’s taken me a while to digest the news and put in perspective what he meant for Ian Gillan and me. When he joined Episode Six, he brought a new sense of professionalism to the band and the live performances took an immediate upturn. That said, it can’t be denied that we’d been chasing that elusive lucky break for so long that we’d just about run out of steam. Maybe he felt that way as well, so when Ritchie called him looking for a singer, he selflessly suggested Ian Gillan knowing that he could be dealing a serious blow to Episode Six. Of course, we will never know what was in his head at the time. Now, over five decades later, I feel a deep sense of gratitude to him.

My sincere condolences to his family.

RG 2024

Sonic Perspectives has a review of the opening gig of the North American tour on August 14 in Hollywood, FL.

There’s no point in wasting lines to explain why Deep Purple is one of the most revered and genre-defining rock n’roll bands of the last century, that has been said time and time again. But what still needs to be said is how these music legends remain relevant and very much at the top of their game after more than 5 decades in the business. And such a remarkable feat was in full display earlier this week, as they took the stage at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, to kick off their “= One More Time” tour.

The crowd erupted as the band appeared, immediately launching into a high-energy rendition of “Highway Star”. Ian Gillan’s vocals, while bearing the marks of experience and the passage of time, retained the raw power and emotion that have captivated audiences for decades, and as the performance went on, his vocal acrobatics grew even more mesmerizing. Classics cuts like “Hard Lovin’ Man” and “Lazy” sounded electrifying, with the rhythm section of Glover’s fatty and thunderous bass lines – they were perfectly audible in the mix –, and Paice’s precise drumming adding the backbone to their energetic stage presence, injecting such classic tracks with renewed vigor, one that was truly surprising to behold when one considers four quarters of the gentlemen on stage are well into their 7th decade of life.

Continue reading in Sonic Perspectives

Meanwhile, The Sentinel newspaper out of Pennsylvania reviews =1:

The new album captures the essence of what made Deep Purple icons of rock while demonstrating their continued ability to innovate and inspire. For both longtime devotees and newcomers to Deep Purple’s music, this album offers a compelling listening experience.

Grade: B+

Rhino Entertainment will be reissuing the three David Coverdale’s solo albums — WhiteSnake, Northwinds, and Into the Light as a 6CD box set.

Rather confusingly, the box set is titled Into The Light: The Solo Albums, with no explicit mention of the other two on the cover, and a latter-day Whitesnake-the-band logo to boot. Inside, the albums are given a lavish treatment, each remixed and remastered, and with plenty of bonus tracks. They come in a hardcover box featuring a 60-page book with rare photos, detailed liner notes, and a new interview with DC. The remix of Into the Light will also be available separately as a 2LP vinyl. Both formats are due on October 25, 2024.

Remix of Midnight Blue off Into the Light has been released today digitally to accompany the announcement:

Track listing

Note: MCMLXXVII = 1977

CD1: Into the Light (remix)

1. She Give Me [4:13]
2. River Song [6:43]
3. Don’t You Cry [5:33]
4. Love Is Blind [5:47]
5. Slave [4:55]
6. Cry For Love [5:38]
7. Living On Love [6:11]
8. Midnight Blue [4:49]
9. Too Many Tears [6:15]
10. Don’t Lie To Me [4:44]
11. All The Time In The World [5:27]
12. Wherever You May Go [3:58]
13. Yours For The Asking [4:30]
14. Let’s Talk It Over [8:08]

CD2: Into the Light (additional remixes)

1. Love Is Blind (Band Version) [5:32]
2. As Long As I Have You [4:09]
3. With All Of My Heart [5:40]
4. Wherever You May Go (Strings Version) [1:14]
5. Love Is Blind (Strings Version) [3:31]

Demos & Unfinished Symphonies
DC with Tony Franklin

6. Lust [3:40]
7. Oh No Not The Blues Again [3:30]
8. Into the Light Intro [1:05]
9. Into The Light [4:03]
10. You Make It Hard On Me [5:17]
11. Would You Be Happy [4:24]
12. Fooling Yourself [3:59]
13. Make The Best Of It [4:29]
14. Veda of Cassandra Blues [4:11]
15. I Can See The Light [4:03]
16. Another Fallen Angel [4:23]
17. Itchy Finger [4:55]

Original DC demos, 1997
DC with Tony Franklin

18. Crazy ’Bout Cha (Original Version of Whipping Boy Blues) [4:28]
19. If You Want Me [4:23]
20. Lay Your Love On Me (Original Version of Lay Down Your Love) [4:22]

CD3: Northwinds (2024 remix)

1. Keep On Giving Me Love [5:10]
2. Sweet Mistreater [3:26]
3. NorthWinds [6:09]
4. Give Me Kindness [4:24]
5. Queen Of Hearts [5:15]
6. Only My Soul [4:06]
7. Time & Again (String Version) [4:01]
8. Say You Love Me [4:21]
9. Shame The Devil, Tell The Truth [3:38]
10. Breakdown [5:13]
11. Time & Again (Piano Version) [4:01]
12. Time & Again (Strings Only) [4:01]

CD4: WhiteSnake MCMLXXVII (2024 remix)

1. Lady [3:48]
2. Blindman [6:01]
3. Goldies Place [4:40]
4. Time On My Side [4:23]
5. Peace Lovin’ Man [4:43]
6. Sunny Days [3:48]
7. Hole In The Sky [3:58]
8. WhiteSnake [4:20]
9. Celebration [3:38]

Young lad’s blues (DC’s 1968 home demos)

10. Sunny Days (Original)
11. Love Me In The Morning
12. I Will Love You
13. Moment In Time
14. It Would Be Nice
15. There Was A Time
16. Why?
17. I Still Love You

CD5: Into the Light
(Original mix, 2024 remaster)

1. She Give Me [4:12]
2. River Song [7:19]
3. Don’t You Cry [5:47]
4. Love Is Blind [5:42]
5. Slave [4:51]
6. Cry for Love [4:52]
7. Living On Love [6:31]
8. Midnight Blue [4:58]
9. Too Many Tears [5:59]
10. Don’t Lie To Me [4:43]
11. Wherever You May Go [3:59]

CD6: WhiteSnake / Northwinds
(Original mix, 2024 remaster)

1. Lady [3:48]
2. Blindman [6:01]
3. Goldies Place [5:03]
4. Time On My Side [4:26]
5. Peace Lovin’ Man [4:53]
6. Sunny Days [3:31]
7. Hole In The Sky [3:23]
8. Celebration [4:11]
9. WhiteSnake [4:22]
10. Keep On Giving Me Love [5:16]
11. NorthWinds [6:13]
12. Give Me Kindness [4:34]
13. Time & Again [4:02]
14. Queen Of Hearts [5:16]
15. Only My Soul [4:36]
16. Say You Love Me [4:21]
17. Breakdown [5:15]

Further details and promo blurbs available on whitesnake.com, and pre-orders through the label.