The Rainbow Fanclan has a new interview with Graham Bonnet where he delves into some historical anecdotage:

– You recorded “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” before you were in Rainbow, so I assume it was your idea to do it live.

No, not at all [laughs]

– Did Ritchie hear you sang it before. I know Ritchie has a sense for songs like that.

Yeah, that was Ritchie’s favorite song from my solo albums. He used to play it all the time. The first time I went to his house, in Long Island New York, his bar is downstairs in the cellar and I was with Roger Glover I think upstairs. Ritchie had a cello and we were just lookin’ at this thing and try to mess around with it. And we hear this music. Roger said “That’s you, isn’t it?”. And I said “Oh yeah, who’s playing it”. “It’s Ritchie” Roger said. And I ask “He’s playing my album?” And Roger softly said “He loves it! He loves this song and he wants to do this one”. I asked if he was sure. Anyway it ended up we did it a couple of times. “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” was Ritchie’s thing, he liked it [laughs]

Read the interview on the Rainbow Fanclan (they have a rather convoluted setup which does not allow direct links from outside, so you’ll have to navigate to ‘Last Update’ and then to ’22/12 Interview: Exclusive Rainbow Fanclan Legacy interview with Graham Bonnet’.

Thanks to Daniel Bengtsson for the info.

Our own Roger checks in with his customary end-of-the-year message:

What’s it all about then? I’m sure you often wonder about that.

Well so do I.

There are several possible answers to that rather ambiguous and immense question. In no particular order, here are a few… love, balance, survival, power, sex, cabbage, passion, knowledge, hors d’ouvres, socks, pressure, jealousy, furniture, speed, money, television, dental hygiene, paper, technology, family, stamp collecting, oil, frozen food, religion, underwear, betrayal, soap, fun, pain, curiosity, sneakers, drugs, art, nostalgia, sport, charity, nosebleeds, toys, duty, alcohol, music, babies, history, curtains… I could go on but I sense you’re already getting bored. However, if any of the above strikes a chord somewhere within your cranium, then read on.

Thanks to Andrey Gusenkov for the info.

… as we watched Deep Purple live in Toulouse, on December 3rd, 2009

Deep Purple’s appearance in Toulouse might have been THE gig of this French tour. As French Deep Purple ‘aficionados’ tell, it was among the best they’ve seen in recent years, but this year for sure.

As for me, I must admit I hesitate, for the november 14th gig at London Hammersmith Odeon, well, Apollo, was just as good, although different.

I have told the story of my personal reunion as a frenchman with Deep Purple after 16 concertless and 20 gillanless years on another page of this site (see review of Angoulême and Bordeaux shows in 2007), and as for me, the 2009 tour is a highlight of my career as a music fan …. it’s as simple as that. London and Toulouse were both great. Yes: great ! Grand ! « Inoubliable » (unforgettable), as we say down here.

Let me write past Hammersmith Apollo, for there are already some reviews of UK gigs above, and let’s go right to southwestern France. « Le Zénith » is a large modern hall just outside town, it can hold around 9000 people at full throttle, but parts of the seats were hull down on thursday, so, let me guess, the attendance could have been around 5000, maybe 6000. The crowd was quite interesting, for it was very mixed, ages 14-74 (a couple of teenies went really wild, stepping on my poor toes during Space Truckin’).

The show started as usual during the fall tour, with all-time favourite opener Highway Star.

Yeah, they’re old. Yeah, Gillan gets in trouble on the song. But the song is brilliant (you knew that before I told you, did’nt you), and Big Ian is doing fine tonight, and solves high-pitched problems quite well. And once he relaxes on the following songs, he grows even bigger, climaxing on Wasted Sunsets, the Perfect (Stranger’s) surprise on this tour. Another great idea is to shuffle song nr.3 from gig to gig, although chance would set it to « Maybe I’m a Leo » once again for me, which I don’t mind at all, because I dig the riff and the singing and the mood.

Things went on, really well, and I must say that all band members were simply excellent. Talk has been that Paicey was looking « bored » on this tour. Nothing of that in Toulouse. Airey was in a great shape (although I have trouble with his solo spot, but that’s a minor problem), Steve absolutely reliable AND creative, and (as a Blackmore fan) I must say: Ritchie’s’s not in … and that’s not a problem, it’s just another gorgeous chapter. Did I forget Roger Glover ? Is there any doubt about his excellency ? (my personal bass fave)

As in Angoulême 2 years ago, ‘Strange Kind of Woman’ was an excellent surprise, because the song bores me on « tape » … and lifts me up as a stage anthem. They played on with the now internet-known setlist, Rapture, Fireball (where I think Gillan has trouble to overshout the rock’n’roll-wall of screaming instruments). And the Steve-Morse-part was really brilliant also. I get into his guitar playing more and more, although it’s never gonna be as atmospheric as Ritchie’s.

But the best was yet to come. After the (once again, excellent) beginning, the Toulouse fans were gifted with setlist changes that turned out to be setlist gifts: while only one tune disappeared in comparison with the Odeon (erh Apollo) gig (talking of excellent « Wring that neck »), three appeared, two of them NOW, and those were the beginning of the gorgeous: Knocking at … was a good surprise; Lazy was absolutely overwhelming, and reminded me of the already very good Bordeaux version of march 2007, but … better.

‘No one came’: Band tight.Gillan perfect.

The final tracks (see setlist below) were very dull … well no, that’s not true, only the tracklist was, because when you hear’em, really let them whip your ears, you get it: DP lives. But let me be true: Space Truckin was average as Ian Gillan had trouble. His voice problems now got clear. Until that point, he had been moving, impressive, almost perfect. On ST, he grew uneasy.

This got a bit worse on the first encore. Smoke had finished the show without any doubt about anyone. The first couple of verses of Speed King were allright, and I could’nt have been more pleased to hearthis classic track live; the r’n’r medley in its middle showed Gillan is a gift to r’n’r gods. But the 3rd verse was … Well, Ian just doesn’t catch the high pitched ones anymore, so this was a pain, and although I can’t read lips, his attitude and lip movement suggested, clearly: « I can ‘t sing anymore ». Ian Gillan, in trouble for real, now.

Useless to say he finished the show WITHOUT any problems. ‘Hush’ and ‘Black Night’ are in his vocal range.BUT Ian has to think about what type of songs he can sing on a tour, night after night. No one can blame him for missing the high one on the third chorus of « Wasted Sunsets » (which he did in London and Toulouse); who will blame him for singing this chorus just like the others ? And although Space T and Speed K are delightful songs, let’s think about the opportunity of … Should I say more ? Gillan is not an athlete, he’s an artist, let’s leave him be an artist, and, please, Ian, don’t try to sing in 2009 like you did in 1969.

But Yes: Gillan is still Gillan, and I was infinitely honoured of hearing his great voice once again, maybe for the last time, who knows.

But above all: Deep Purple is alive, more, much more, than it was 20 years ago.

Stéphane Dethloff

Setlist:

Highway Star
Things I never said
Maybe I’m a Leo
Strange Kind of Woman
Wasted Sunsets
Rapture of the Deep
Fireball
Contact Lost/Steve Morse solo
Sometimes I feel like screaming
Well dressed Guitar
Knocking at your Backdoor
Lazy
No one came
Don Airey solo/The Battle rages on
Space Truckin’
Smoke on the Water

Speed King with r’n’r medley
Hush / short bass solo, short drum solo
Black Night

Good surprise with Not responsible and Wasted sunset and a new WABMC and a punchy No one came.

Disappointments: no Perfect strangers.

Very good rendition of Wring that neck.

The show was professional, energetic and the crowd enthusiastic. Amazing Steve Morse.

Complaints: Ian Gillan’s voice was not in a very good shape. Too short show.

See you later guys. Long live DP.

Fan since 1973.
Time:1h55.
6th time that I see Purple on stage.
First time: Paris,1985.
Attendance: 6000.

Ronnie James Dio, who is undergoing treatment for his cancer at a Houston hospital, sends his thanks for all the words of your support and encouragement:

I’d like to take the time to thank everyone for the most wonderful gift I have ever received — your good wishes, your prayers, your support, your tears and laughter, your anger, your rejoicing, and most of all the unwavering love you have bestowed upon me. I guess I’ve always felt that we were one person and that you’ve allowed me to be our spokesman, but until this time of my greatest peril, the truth was perhaps slightly hidden. It is hidden no more. Together we shall face the foe and live on to climb higher mountains and explore greater magic. Together we cannot fail.

Please accept my never-ending love and dedication to you all.

So it is written, and so it shall be.

Magic, from Ronnie James Dio

Meanwhile, Heaven & Hell have been confirmed to headline several open air festivals next summer in Europe, which tells me that Ronnie and his management are very optimistic about his prospects for speedy recovery.

Fans can send get-well cards via his official fan club. We are being promised that everything arrived to this address will be delivered into Ronnie’s hands:

Dio Fan Club
12400 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 624
Studio City, CA
91604
USA

Thanks to Blabbermouth for the info.

After the concert in Jesolo near Venice on December 11, all five members of Deep Purple have signed a MusicMan guitar which was donated to a charity lottery. The lottery is organized by the Hard Rock Cafe Venice together with the World Hunger Year foundation to support the Imagine There’s No Hunger campaign (Yoko Ono is among the supporters). The guitar has been made available thanks to Mogar Music and Ernie Ball Music Man.

The guitar is on display until the end of the year at the Hard Rock Cafe in Venice which is located just off Bacino Orseolo near the famous Piazza San Marco in downtown Venice. To enter the prize draw, people need to place a donation of at least 5€ c/o the Hard Rock Cafe Venice. Unfortunately the donations are accepted only by person at the Hard Rock Cafe (no online donations available due to fiscal reasons).

The competition is open until the end of the year. Winners will be drawn and announced at the News Year’s Eve party of Hard Rock Cafe Venice. Other Deep Purple items (CDs, DVDs, etc.) are available as secondary prizes.

More pictures of the signing session can be viewed at the official Hard Rock Cafe Venice Facebook page.

Thanks to BraveWords for the info.

It looks like the long dry spell for the South African fans is coming to an end. Three concerts were announced in that country for 2010:

• Johannesburg, Friday May 28, Coca-Cola Dome
• Durban, Sunday May 30, ICC Arena
• Cape Town, Tuesday June 1, Grand Arena at GrandWest Casino

The shows are being billed as the Masters of Rock tour where Deep Purple will be supported by Uriah Heep and Wishbone Ash.

Tickets for Johannesburg and Cape Town are already on sale, full details in our Purple calendar. Please note that as of December 18 the shows have not been confirmed yet by the band’s management.

Thanks to Daniel Bengtsson and Tonight.co.za for the info.

Deep Purple performance in Bologna on December 16th will be broadcast live by the Italian RAI Radio 2 starting at 8 p.m. GMT. You can launch the player at the Radio 2 website or from the main RAI page (select “Diretta Radio” from the top menu, then Radio2 icon in the player window).

Thanks to Francesco from Deep Purple Italia for the info.

Is Glenn Hughes going to be part of a new supergroup? Recent Twitter comments from Hughes suggest something is in the works:

“In Newport Beach havin’ lunch…on my way to Malibu to work with possibly the greatest hard rock producer on the planet…? Love….GH” (November 16)

“I’ll be writin’ Lyrics to Brand new songs for a Monumental new Band! GH” (November 30)

Well known hard rock producer and Malibu probably narrows it down to Kevin Shirley (Joe Bonamassa, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Iron Maiden, Rush).

The following comment was posted on Kevin Shirley’s blog on November 23:

“…and January I’m producing what has the promise to be one of the most exciting “supergroups” to come around in a long time. But theory is just that until we see how the dynamics play out in the studio between these superb musicians. And of course the songs will make the real difference.”

Shirley also mentions the supergroup is a four piece.

Is it safe to assume Glenn Hughes will be on bass/vocals and Joe Bonamassa on guitar (Hughes recently sat in at one of his LA shows and Shirley is his producer)? What about the other two members?

Feel free to post your own speculations and predictions below and check back as this story develops.

Daniel Bengtsson

Swiss banker Stefan Jemetta’s “private” Deep Purple gig on December 18, 2007 at Zürich Kongresshaus is due to be released on DVD, “with the approval of Thames Records, Bruce Payne.” A basic website to promote the release has been set up at www.deeppurple.ch and a promo clip was posted to Youtube:
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