Deep Purple live at Donau Arena (Regensburg, Germany 2013-10-25)

With positive but nevertheless mixed feelings I remiss on the performance.
Frampton+co was good and funny. But Peter: ‘mit Euch’ nicht ‘mit Ihnen’ (chuckle!). We’re all united, ain’t we?
Was Gill(i?!)an quite with it til Strange Kinda … (ie 5 th)?!
It got better and better with marvellous solos, impro. and exchange. I-An (as the Ds call him) went on to do new and interesting interpretations of his works – different, unexpected, but refreshing. Despite other reviews and rumours, Ian can still MORE than deliver – like a time served craftsman with an ever adapting style of his own.
Riffs from You Fool No One and Goin Down. Ian in 2 ‘Smokings’ (Cream then Black with dickie) …… hmmmnnn … different. (gell?!)
All very well nit together, great lights, honourable and decent homage to JON, harmonie and FUN. (oh, yes, and a lil bi a rock n roll)
P. S. well done to Rob (from Notts/Dorset!?!) and Team for somehow mastering those acoustics. Wot a bluudy challenge!
So hope to be in Stuggi on 31.10
Luv, Roger

review by Roger

Edel has released an updated tracklist for the Now what?! tour edition. The second CD (a.k.a. Live Tapes) portion is now:

1. Strange Kind Of Woman
2. Hard Loving Man
3. Vincent Price
4. Contact Lost
5. All The Time in The World
6. No One Came
7. Bodyline
8. Perfect Strangers
9. Above And Beyond
10. Lazy
11. Black Night
12. Smoke On The Water

Live tracks were recorded in Rome on July 22, Milan on July 21, Gävle on August 10, and Aalborg on August 9 this year.

The double album will be released November 29 in continental Europe, December 2 in the UK, and some time in 2014 in the US. It will have a price “which is lower than the usual price for any new stand-alone live release”. There also will be a double vinyl edition and digital, with the latter available both bundled with the studio album or as a standalone live release.

Thanks to BraveWords for the info.

Blackmore’s management circulated the following message today:

Please note Ritchie has no involvement in the particular organization that is putting on an event at the Royal Albert Hall. Mourning is very personal – He would rather express himself in the instrumental he wrote for Jon – Carry on Jon.

The ‘event at the Royal Alber Hall’ we presume to be this one.

In an effort to promote the tour a.k.a. gold edition of Now what?! (which has been postponed to late November – early December) the record company has posted an instrumental mix of Hell to Pay:

Thanks to BraveWords for the info.

Deep Purple live at Clyde Auditorium (Glasgow, UK 2013-10-13)

I recently went to the Glasgow Auditorium to see Deep Purple on their Now What 2013 tour. I was apprehensive as I saw them in the SECC in 2003 when Lynyrd Skynyrd
were the support band and Skynrd played them off the stage. Purple were at best average on the night.
I bought their new album after listening to it on Youtube and on the strength of that I booked the tickets. Would they deliver?
The answer was a resounding yes and then some! 5 tracks from the new album kicking off with “Aprez Vous” instead of “Highway Star” – a bold move but it set the
standard for the rest of the show. Highlight for me was the poignant “Above And Beyond” as a tribute for Jon Lord which then transformed into “Lazy” but it was the
musical prowess of the the whole band which shone on the night. Here are a band at the peak of their collective powers, with each player performing their role
passionately. Don Airey and Steve Morse were outstanding and their interplay on “Uncommon Man” and “Hard Loving Man” was a joy to watch. Don in particular has
stepped out from Jon’s shadow and owned the stage and in my opinion drove the show.
Performing “Green Onions” on their return for the encore set was not lost on the audience, who roared their appreciation in return. Nearly 2 hours on stage with a stellar
performance worthy of a festival headlining act – Download 2014 anyone?
What of the support band I hear you ask – Rockbox – walked on to the stage with 4 out of 5 dressed as Angus Young in the purple velvet school uniform – one guitarist, 2
drummers and a guy playing a French Horn! The vocalist performed through a megaphone throughout as they delivered a stellar set of covers from Bowie, Hendrix, Cooper
AC/DC etc and as funny and entertaining as they were, they were blown away as soon as Purple hit the stage.

Billy Duchart

review by Billy Duchart

Deep Purple live at Roundhouse (London, UK 2013-10-17)

Having not seen DP in a band situation (sans orchestra) for a number of years, this was one of the most anticipated shows for me for a while. The Now What ?! album was very contemporary, and my god, so was the show. As much as the album sound was, the band bounced along on a wave of renewed vigour, with highlights for me being Apres Vous, and hey, the wonderful heaviness of Hard Lovin Man. Each band member seemed really happy to be on stage, and the only problem was, the set was’nt nine hours long, ha! Quite brilliant, unless you read the crappy review in The Guardian. The venue was a joy as well, so roll on next April for the Sunflower Jam. Please guys, don’t make it too long before you dive into the UK again.
Cheers and many thanks

review by Craig J Storey

Deep Purple live at IJsselhallen (Zwolle, Netherlands 2013-10-19)

I saw the band the 19th, in Zwolle The Netherlands, and i can say without a doubt this truly was the best show I ever saw this line-up of Deep Purple do, they really are at the best of their game on this tour.
I have seen the band three times by now and followed a lot of live performances of this lineup but saterday night was really something different.

When the tour first started, they only had two songs from the new album played in their set, so I was afraid that by the time I got to see them, it would be the whole greatest hits set all over again, and that wasn’t the reason for me to go and see them, I love the new album, and for once I was hoping they would actually do something with this to give their setlist a good boost.
And to my surprise, they did.
Five new, of what I think are surely five of the best tracks from the new album, where played this night.

And that’s not the only positive thing worth mentioning, it seems like their experience with Bob Ezrin has made them remind them of where their roots lay, in the last few years, Deep Purple played a lot more as if they were on auto pilot, out with the long jam sections and almost a little to none improvisation in their live music.
Well I must say that we got plenty of that back in their live act, as if they had a wake-up call, Bob really did shake them up a lot.
Songs like, Hard lovin Man, Apres Vous, Hell To Pay, Hush, Strange Kind of Woman, Lazy and Black night, were especially Don and Steve could go completely crazy, and show their skills to the fullest and they did this, big time.
I never thought that they still had it in them, but they’re really packing out on this tour, and I had the greatest night with the band that I ever had.

Setlist:

Apres Vous.
Into the Fire.
Hard Lovin Man.
Vincent Price.
Strange Kind of Woman.
Contact Lost.
Uncommon Man.
The Well Dressed Guitar.
The Mule.
Above and Beyond.
Lazy.
Hell To Pay.
Perfect Strangers.
Space Truckin’.
Smoke on the Water.

Encore:
Green Onions.
Hush.
Black Night.

Highway Star was left out again, but I didn’t really missed that song, in my opinion the song has been overplayed for years now, just like Smoke on the Water in my opinion, which I understand they have to do, because it’s their most recognisable songs in their career, but it wouldn’t bother me as a diehard fan if they would leave out ‘’Smoke on the Water’’ to.

I had a great night, and a wonderful time, and I can recommend to people, if they’re playing close by, and you have the time to go, just go it’s Deep Purple more alive than they have been in years.

review by Jesper Petrusma.

Deep Purple have been quite conspicuously absent from the list of confirmed performers when Sunflower Jam tickets went on sale earlier this month. That is, until yesterday:

Deep Purple will be performing songs that honour and remember Jon Lord and the band will also perform with the Orion Orchestra, led by conductor Paul Mann, meaning that we are offering you a chance to experience a special, unique, one-off performance by Deep Purple.

Our guess for the cause of delay is that the management had to work out the logistics of getting the band and the crew from London to the mountain pass in Kleine Scheidegg, Switzerland, where they are performing the very next afternoon on April 5. The band is returning to Kleine Scheidegg, where they have already played the aptly named Snowpen Air back in 2000.

Classic Rock has a positively glowing review of the October 17 gig at the Roundhouse in London:

It starts with the swelling grandeur of classic intro Mars, The Bringer Of War, and ends with the sweltering majesty of Black Night. This is Deep Purple in 2013, showing that they transcend age, era and trend. They balance five songs from excellent new album Now What?! with one or two other moments from more recent releases and the welter of classics such as Space Truckin’ and Lazy. And the 100-minute set proves just how comfortable the five men onstage are in performing with one another.

Read more in Classic Rock.

Perhaps it would be a good time to remind our readers that we have our own review submission form that haven’t seen much action lately despite the new tour and revamped setlist.

Thanks to Andrey Gusenkov for the heads up and to Andy Worthington for the photo.

This clip of Deep Purple miming to Hush by a swimming pool in October 1968 has surfaced (ahem).

Watch Jon’s splendid Chaplin impersonation, Evans in skimpy swimmers, Paicey and Nick having a laff, and Ritchie almost missing the spotlight entirely…

If the above video doesn’t work in your country, try a proxy.