May, 18th, at Seoul, Korea, rain had fell down all day when DP had the seventh gig in the history of this country.

Walking toward the venue, I was in a dark mood instead of thrill and anticipation, because, as everyone knows, Ronnie (James Dio) left us a few days ago. What I came to my mind at that day was “how many more times I can see DP play in the future?” I was afraid that this could be their last show in my country. (The previous gig was held at 2004, in their Banana Tour. This is their first visit in the last six years.) Another thought in my mind is whether DP would pay a tribute to Ronnie during the show.

The venue was packed with people (but not sold out). The background music came out before the show: AC/DC, Airbourne, Kings of Leon, Neil Young, Hanoi Rocks and…. Black Sabbath’s ‘Heaven & Hell’ came out, which was felt deeply.

Then lights out suddenly and some classical intro came out. I don’t know what the title of the tune was but it was felt like a requiem. And ‘Highway Star’ kicked in. Our Big Ian and his colleagues were in a quite good shape. They did not say a word of condolence about Ronnie during the show and were at very ease for their playing as usual.

Some trivial mistakes in interplay or accompaniment (and lost voice of Big Ian) did not matter to them. They just enjoyed the show with big smile and were quite strong, meaning how different they are from other pretentious rock bands.

However, the tribute moment for Ronnie came out through Steve. The Riff-Raff intro of ‘Smoke on the water’ was filled out with ‘Rainbow In The Dark’ (not just riff, along with the melody of verse and chorus), ‘Fever Dream’ and ‘Man On The Silver Mountain.’ (I remember that DP had played the former two songs with Ronnie at Concerto tour around 1999~2000.) Only people who held their fingers with “Devil’s horn” knew what that moment meant. (R.I.P, Ronnie. You are the Neon Knight of our souls.)

The show was quite fresh and full of energy. Especially, ‘No One Came’ stood out. IMHO, among the old songs of DP, this is the best tune for Don, because his funky playing fitted quite well with the song and combination with Steve’s solo gave explosive moment. I recommend to everybody who will attend their gigs in the future. Another joyous thing was Steve’s new guitar solo approaches I have not heard of before. For instance, at the solo break of ‘Black Night’, Steve played some darkness-tinged riff (very similar to the intro of ‘Iron Man’ of Black Sabbath) with pushing the strings against the pickup (I have no idea how this worked.) and B.B. King-ish, greasy and sensitive licks followed, which was absolutely brilliant! For the guitar solo moment, the ethereal tune Steve had played at the ‘Total Abandon’ DVD (with volume technique) appeared again and linked with ‘Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming’.

On the other hand, for the Roger’s bass solo, I was quite surprised that Roger shredded 64th notes (!) for his bass solo, which made the people knock out.
The show was over and, showered with the energy the band had emitted, I realized that only God knows when this guys stops playing. I really hope to see them (and hear their new songs) for the long time in the future.

God bless Deep Purple.

Wendy Dio, wife/manager of legendary heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio , has released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET:

Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away at 7:45 a.m. [on Sunday] 16th May. Many, many friends and family were able to say their private goodbyes before he peacefully passed away.

Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all.

We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us.

Please give us a few days of privacy to deal with this terrible loss.

Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever.

All here at The Highway Star pass on our condolences.

Considering that the venerable Concerto for Group and Orchestra is a rare guest this side of the pond, we thought we’d pass this on as a public service announcement:

What: University of Delaware Symphony Orchestra and student rock band Dancehall Throwdown perform Concerto for Group and Orchestra. The Concerto performance will be bookended by two other pieces: Paul Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (popularized by Disney’s Fantasia) and Benjamin Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.

When: 3 p.m. Sunday, May 15.

Where: Roselle Center for the Arts, 110 Orchard Road, Newark, DE, USA.

More info: Delaware Online

While being in Australia, Steve Morse and Don Airey met with Bob Daisley to discuss the schedule to complete recording of a new Living Loud album. 3 tracks have already been laid down and are awaiting Jimmy Barnes to complete the vocals. The plan is to find some time in October to finalise the rest of the material for an early 2011 release.

Steve Morse writes in his latest update from the road:

Type A in Taipei… I am still getting used to being in Asia, food-wise, but they sure have managed to keep order out of what looks like too many people in a small space. The audience in Taipei was incredible, very energetic! We just arrived in Hong Kong, and you just can’t imagine the immensity of high rise buildings on top of hills, everywhere.

Australia was a blur, I think I was still trying to get over the change of day to night, and then we were gone. It was better than last time, I think, and it felt like a good result for all. A guitarist that I met years ago at a Guitar Player guitar concert, Nathan Cavaleri, sat in with us, and played very well, as I expected.

I touched base with Living Loud bassist Bob Daisley, and we made plans to finish the tunes we started. I do wish Australia would float a few thousand miles closer to the USA, though! Always a good experience.

~Steve

The official Deep Purple video channel is now available on YouTube as well. You will definitely be pleased to notice that the channel is inclusive of all lineups, although availability of the video footage that can be properly licensed varies due to obvious reasons. We are being told that the number of videos will be expanded considerably withing the coming months, including some rare clips.
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It’s always nice to see the guys somewhere “exotic”.

I was a little shocked at the barn-like proportions of the venue, the Nangang Exhibition Centre, but as you can see from the photos, there was none of the sterility you might get in such a barn in Europe.

Great sound, interesting setlist and good onstage interplay as usual. The solos were good with Don’s usual local selection getting a rousing cheer from the crowd.

Good show chaps.

Dave Hodgkinson

See also Yangon’s photos.

First up, Electric Mary put on a good show. They were well suited to open for Deep Purple. They rocked hard and showed off some good chops. Easy to get into and enjoy.

After a short break the familiar drum opening to Highway Star started and a rousing rendition it was. They were off and running and put on a great show.

A good blend of old and new songs. Things I Never Said, Fireball, SKOW, Wrong Man (a great track live), TBRO, Sometime I feel Like Screaming (a real crowd favourite, testament to just how good Purpendicular was!), No one Came, Smoke on the Water with Hush and Black Night as encores.

Steve did a great Contact Lost and Don put in a pearler of a keyboard solo.

The crowd seemed really up for this show and the whole night had a great vibe. For me personally, Roger stole the show. He did a great bass solo and generally just showed off… He was great!

They all looked to be having a good time on stage and for this long time fan it was wonderfull to see them put on such a good show that was enjoyed by a very enthusiastic crowd!

Deep Purple… Thank YOU for “all the years”

What a great evening, a night out with Deep Purple on the first show of the Australian tour 2010.

The Brisbane Convention Centre is the right venue for Purple, great sound, lighting and of course great vibes (Gillan agrees).The stage setup was great with Paicey’s drums forward and Don forward centered, giving the fans that ‘up close’ feeling.

The show opened with Highway Star which had all the fans seated on the floor rise to their feet and most standing throughout the whole show. The set went in a new direction for Brisbane and included several tracks of ‘Rapture’ and several new suprising intro’s to the classics.

Evening highlights have to include Steve Morse’s solo going into ‘Contact lost’ – ‘Sometimes I Feel like Screaming’ – ‘Well Dressed Guitar’, and what a surprise to hear ‘The Battle Rages On’.

I think the rest of Australia are up for a treat with this show and set list. A great ‘Album Tour and not just the ‘greatest hits’.

Thanks to the Purple Team for being regular visitors Down Under…. 5 visits in 11 years!

Over The Rainbow at Vosselaar 21/4/2010 was such an exciting and astonishing experience ,that I would like to share a bit of this unforgettable concert with all other fans. 🙂

I saw OTR the first time at Uden last year, and that show was truly great. This show however, was a non-stop firework of the five members in action with unlimited power and speed and first class playing!

They opened with Tarot woman and it was at once very clear, that the band was in great shape, bursting with energy!

The rest of the setlist was: Kill the King, Man on the silver mountain, Street of dreams, Death Alley Driver, Eyes of the World, Can’t let you go, Ariel, Wolf to the moon, All night long , Jealous Lover, Stargazer, Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll, I surrender, Since You Been Gone, Can’t happen here, Spotlight kid.

Rondinelli, my favorite drummer, was more alert as a soldier in full war, and his drum work an explosion of skill and fastness. I like one of his great specialties, and that’s the changing of the rhythm at complete unexpected moments, and this was so noticed and appreciated by the audience! We loved his solo, his hand drumming, and this time the gong was also present at stage. 🙂

Paul Morris was much better to hear as in Uden, and so we could much more enjoy and become aware how gifted this man is. He is never dominant but his keyboard accompaniment support the band consistent harmonious and sensitive and with special effects when needed. Truly inspiring and refreshing.

Beautiful solo also. 🙂

Greg Smith is not only a full of live bassist, but what a voice has this man! And he never stopped one moment with giving all contribution of one could dream and even more… of one could not dream of! Vital with style and untiringly !

Joe’s voice was excellent, and his well known and true friendliness gave great pleasure …Turner gave all in singing and performing, touching, energizing, rocking! He added nice personal messages… and yes… this man is true, and he is not repeating the same words at every place! He has such a warm heart for the fans! 😀

Jürgen’s playing is in one word beautiful. He is not a show off, although he did kick the ass of Greg Smith… He is very relaxed, he accompanies very adequate and with touching solo’s every song! He expressess feelings and moods, and he is not only stuffing up songs with noise as so many do these days!

There were also people from the south of Belgium and even France to see them, and we all wanted other fans to know that OTR becomes day by day more superb, fast and exciting !!!.

There are many good hard rock concerts, but at an OTR concert, one would need an extra couple of eyes and ears…so much was happening in a wonderful speed…not in hurrying, but in creating not one dull moment !!!

Only one remark but not to their address…can’t the concert’s in future not take place in bigger hall’s? We were now like sardines in a box ! Can we buy CDs next time?

Thanks to smashing good looking OTR for this unforgettable evening in Belgium.

On March 31st Ian Gillan of Deep Purple gave a solo performance with the Bruckner Orchestra in Linz, Austria. The show was almost sold out.

The situation with age group was as varied as it usually is during Deep Purple performances. On my left I saw an approximately 70-year-old man, and on my right there was a couple, 40 years old both of them. In front of me there was a 16-year-old girl, and behind me I saw parents taking care of their kid.

It was my fourth time seeing Ian performing with an orchestra. This time the show took place in Linz, Austria – the craddle of cultural and musical heritage.

Friedman Riehle conducted The Bruckner Orchestra and the glamorous Lidia Baich was a special guest. I somehow knew from the moment I heard about the concert that the angel would descend from heaven to provide her personal violin touch.

Highway Star
Strange Kind of Woman
Woman From Tokyo
Wasted Sunsets
Ted the Mechanic (Lidia Baich)
No Lotion For That
Pictures of Home
Fireball (Lidia Baich)
Perfect Strangers
When a Blind Man Cries
Black Night
Smoke on the Water
– – –
Pictures of Home

The show did not only comprise of Ian’s performance. The orchestra also performed ‘Out of the Universe’ just before Ian took the stage and ‘Pictures of an Exhibition’ before the intermission. They basically followed the setlist I saw in Germany.

Before ‘Out of the Universe’ two attractive girls from Czech Republic performed ‘Dark Side of the Moon’, ‘Who Wants To Live Forever’, and ‘Show Must Go On’. It was a nice introductory part to the main event. For those who did not know what to expect the girls’ performance served as the harbinger of what was to come. For a handful of fans it was a gentle reminder.

What was striking for the latter group was the sound of the orchestra blended with the vocals. It was so clear. Each and every instrument was audible. Also the vocals did not step outside the orchestra – it was the driving part of the performance. For the first time in my life, I did not see the show from the first row. Thus, I could easily estimate the work of the sound engineer – it was brilliant. But as I found out later Ian brought Deep Purple’s sound engineer with him so everything worked like a clockwork.

Ian’s voice was drifting from the stage through the venue towards the back wall, bouncing of it and falling swiftly down. It was not returning. Great work!

The show was a fusion thing, performed with excitement and applauded with lots of enthusiasm. Thanks to the combination of Friedman’s work, sound engineer’s input and Ian’s vocals the ambience was there, and the elusive element of Deep Purple’s evergreens was captured. Obviously it was all in a different mood than Deep Purple but that was the spirit.

Ian was in good shape, seemed a bit tired but we have to remember the man came back from Armenia where he recorded a DVD, did a lot of press conferences and interviews, and was a guest in a local ‘idol’ type of TV show. Nevertheless, he put on a terrific performance and managed to deliver the goods once again. Those fans who wanted high fives with Ian could easily approach the stage and do it.

I personally treat Ian’s solo shows with an orchestra as a chance for him to keep the vocals hot and take a break from singing in high register. I mean he does not need to scream because for me he can do without it. He has a terrific timbre now.

‘Highway Star’ without any screams sounded very distinctive. Instead of screaming ‘I love her, I need her, I bleed her’ he sang it the way he sings ‘Better Days’ on OETM – in a sort of whisper manner. Worked for me! It is really refreshing to witness Ian performing in a different manner with 85 people on stage with him.

86 because of Lidia’s appearances. She was stunning. I mean not only she was stunningly beautiful, in a green, evening dress, but her touches in ‘Ted The Mechanic’ and ‘Fireball’ were great. In ‘Ted’ she was playing the part of guitar solo and in ‘Fireball’ she took her place in the vicinity of the keyboard. Yes, she nailed both organ and guitar part. I was really amazed. The orchestra, Lidia’s violin (her beauty too), and Ian’s voice is a combination that is hard to come by, and for me personally, it was the embodiment of high culture.

There were absolutely no glitches whatsoever, be it from Ian or the orchestra. They played really well, and their takes on Purple cuts were errorless and tasteful. I had tears in my eyes when I heard ‘Wasted Sunsets’ sung by Ian for the first time in my life. It was a very emotional moment for me, and he sounded so much better than on the ‘Perfect Strangers’ album.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I think he had to mature to perform some pieces with so much emotion he puts in nowadays. I did not even miss the guitar sound. The title cut from 1984 album was performed in a fashion that sent shivers down my spine. I do not know. But sometimes I think there is something wrong with me. I literary live within the music. It provides the fuel for my soul..

‘Pictures of Home’ was chosen for an encore as the song in its original rock form has the orchestral momentum in it. The guitar and organ part were substituted by the orchestra and Ian’s vocals were providing the tune and he was the driving force behind ‘85 piece band’. ‘No Lotion For That’, a swinging rock’n’roll track that caught me daydreaming about the Morocco tour. But as they say a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

A word of conclusion for a closing paragraph. That evening in Linz treated fans of Ian Gillan to a side that is rarely seen outside his normal sphere of performance. It was enjoyable and surprising and needs to be experienced to be able to fully appreciate the over-all talents of this truly unique performer.