Israeli English language daily The Jerusalem Post has a very positive, if somewhat superficial, review of the first gig (February 22) in Tel-Aviv:

The ‘explosion’ on the stage started at 9:30 p.m. Saturday night and did not stop for two hours. Yes they are senior citizens but if you put your hands over your eyes you would not know that the average aged of the members of Deep Purple is 62 years old.

In the first of two shows in Tel Aviv (the second one is tonight and tickets are still available), the British nominees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame rocked like it was 1972 and put on a show at the Nokia Arena that had the nearly full room of fans almost as old as the band dancing and singing along to the songs.

Read more in Jerusalem Post (and check out the pictures of a very sharply dressed Gillan once you’re at it).

Hard Loving Man from February 23 show:

Thanks to Michael Rorberger and Yehuda Kaminsky for the videos.

Rufus Stone has announced a Jon Lord photo book All Those Years Ago ready for publication in April this year. At £275 the book certainly will not come cheap.

The book is 224 pages measuring 310×310 mm (about 12″x12″), bound in purple silk material and comes in a clamshell box finished in faux purple suede and gold foil embossing of Jon’s signature. The package will also include a 10″ vinyl single featuring two unreleased tracks by Jon and a full DVD with 2009 performance (studio? filmed live in Bucharest, Romania) of the Concerto for Group and Orchestra. The DVD will also contain the two vinyl tracks as MP3 files.

The book features an introduction by Rick Wakeman, who also signed all 500 copies of the limited edition run. Other contributors include Ian Paice, David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover and Ritchie Blackmore. Jon’s brother Steve has written an essay on his early life before forming Deep Purple.

The publisher swears up and down that said artificial scarcity will be strictly enforced and once 500 copies are gone, they are gone.

Preorders are now being taken at a reduced price of £250 + shipping. One can get an extra £10 off by using coupon code CONCERTO at the checkout. The price will revert to £275 on April 4.

Eddie ‘Eduardo’ Trunk of VH1 Classic That Metal Show interviews David Coverdale before Whitesnake’s performance at the Monsters Of Rock festival in São Paulo, Brazil, on October 20, 2013:

Thanks to Blabbermouth for the info.

The Hollywood Reporter informs us that Ian Gillan and Roger Glover are set to have their acting debut on an Israeli TV show Atlantica. The scripted show is about an aspiring rock band from Jerusalem that ends up meeting their idols, played by messrs G & G, and beg to join them on stage in the series finale. Shooting of the cameo appearance will take place this coming weekend during the band’s visit to the country. The show is expected to run at the end of the year on Israeli cable channel Hot.

Thanks to Blabbermouth for the info.

The official Youtube channel has posted a 16 minute fragment of the Deep Purple’s performance in Providence, RI, on March 5, 1985:

Makes you want to see more, eh? 😉

Two of our old friends — Trond Strøm and Christer Lorichs — have published some great pictures from the recent Scandinavian shows:

• Oslo Spektrum, February 4, 2014
• Cloetta Center, Linköping, February 10, 2014

Thanks to Andrey Gusenkov for the info.

BBC’s Radio 6 Musical Time Machine has a 1993 vintage interview with Big Ian.

And whatever you may say about Big Ian (he might be fast and loose with the facts sometimes), but he is the ultimate pub story teller — witty and entertaining. Even if you’ve heard those stories before.

The episode is 30 minutes long, and is available for listening online for 4 more days (that is until February 18-ish).

Thanks to Yvonne Osthausen for the info.

Falconer Salen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Tuesday, February 11, 2014

I went to see the band last night in Copenhagen. It’s been a few years and I actually enjoyed it. Sound was the best I’ve heard from them and like seeing a bunch of old friends I delighted in the reconnect, not knowing if and when I would see them again. Even though there will probably be more chances.

Staying home seemed like a crazy consideration once at the show. Those who say “it’s all over, they’re just going through the motions” would likely change their minds if they saw them. I doubt anyone walked away saying that was a bad show.

Quite the contrary, once there it was evident to me they’re really in some sort of zone now where they’re enjoying their playing. And that they could go on like this for a long time, possibly even releasing new albums. Now What?! is a defining album for them and the vibe of those songs set the mood for the concert. Along with the solos of which there were plenty.

One comment I saw about them being the only true jamming band left like that on an arena level rang true with me as well. The show was ’70s’ in that sense even though the improvisation and playing of Airey and Morse is different from Lord’s and Blackmore’s. With Gillan now going offstage more, there seems to be a heavier focus on soloing and it was a bit overpowering at times. On the other hand, the sheer assault from Morse and Airey (massive Hammond sound really) was the ‘hard rock’ ingredient in the show. Otherwise it would have been closer to jazz 😉

Paicey sounded powerful still, with him and Glover really grooving, even more so now than before? Gillan’s lung capacity decreased but tone intact (and dignified because of the latter). There is only one Gillan and there’s no faking it, nor will there be. So if he has to go to the tent every now and then in order to recuperate, then so be it…

Airey now almost the driving force with his sound, his solos on the Hammond often manic. In fact, when his proper solo spot started I thought he had already had one (starting Lazy). By the time Hush came around I had lost track of the number of lengthy workouts he’d had, but the solos are the format of the show now and will continue to be I think. A slight reduction of these with Gillan singing a bit more and the balance would have been perfect. Switching Apres Vous out for another opener would also be wise.

Perfect Strangers a crowd highlight, Gillan’s singing making it sound majestic. Paicey’s snare hit at the ending, Gillan front of the stage hands raised, lights out, classic. All hands in the air clapping after this one.

Goosebumps for me as well when Paicey closed out his solo, the fast part. He just sounded so powerful, sharp and one of a kind.

I actually enjoyed the newer songs more than say Space Truckin (played too laid back), just to hear Gillan pull these off close to the studio versions, and really giving it his all in order to do so. The tent beckoned afterwards…

If I were to sum up the show with one word it would probably be dignified.

Rating by DP standards: 4/6
Rating by normal standards: 5/6

🙂

Review by Daniel Bengtsson

Last summer Doogie White did this very interesting interview for MetalTalk.net. The bulk of it revolved around his work with two of the great guitar players, who have quite a reputation of being difficult: Ritchie Blackmore and Michael Schenker, and he didn’t have a single bad word to say about either of them. He also spoke about Tank, La Paz, Demon’s Eye, and some other projects. Busy fella! And very down to earth.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Thanks to Mark Taylor for the info.

More details about the Ronnie James Dio tribute album were released to the press today and one thing that sticks out like a sore thumb as far as we are concerned is conspicuous absence of Gillan’s contribution to the track list, along with some other big names announced earlier.

Track listing

1. Neon Knights – Anthrax*
2. The Last In Line – Tenacious D*
3. The Mob Rules – Adrenaline Mob
4. Rainbow In The Dark – Corey Taylor, Roy Mayorga, Satchel, Christian Martucci, Jason Christopher*
5. Straight Through The Heart – Halestorm*
6. Starstruck – Motörhead with Biff Byford*
7. The Temple Of The King – Scorpions*
8. Egypt (The Chains Are On) – Doro
9. Holy Diver – Killswitch Engage
10. Catch The Rainbow – Glenn Hughes, Simon Wright, Craig Goldy, Rudy Sarzo, Scott Warren*
11. I – Oni Logan, Jimmy Bain, Rowan Robertson, Brian Tichy*
12. Man On The Silver Mountain – Rob Halford, Vinny Appice, Doug Aldrich, Jeff Pilson, Scott Warren*
13. Ronnie Rising Medley (Featuring A Light In The Black, Tarot Woman, Stargazer, Kill The King) – Metallica*
14. This Is Your Life – Dio**

* Previously unreleased
** Originally released on Angry Machines (1996)

The album will be called This Is Your Life and is due out on April 1st via Rhino.

Thanks to BraveWords for the info.