My friend, Dave, and I attended the shows in Copenhagen, Linköping, Tallinn, and Riga, amid a Scandinavian adventure that included a stop in a remote struggling fishing village at the northeast tip of the European continent. All of the shows were excellent, and each had its own little variety or nuance.
KB Hallen was kinda like a pilgrimage for us, having enjoyed the 1972 DVD from the venue. The venue was pretty cool, bearing its age, and the band was very comfortable. We enjoyed the rendition of Fireball that replaced Pictures of Home as the opening number. I thought that Steve’s guitar solo was a little edgier than I heard in the past. It was the first time that I heard Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming in concert. Though I thought that Steve could have extended the guitar solo on the song a bit, it was still great, and I can understand it, since the song followed immediately after his virtuostic solo. It was an inspiring night, even with us spending the night on the streets of Copenhagen because we couldn’t find an hotel room.
Next we were on to Linköping, Sweden. The Cloetta Center was a very nice modern venue. The setlist added Ted the Mechanic, performed exquisitely. It was a great surprise. The only drawback – an attractive woman employee of The Cloetta Center who welched on her promise to allow Dave to purchase a hockey jersey for his son from the local hockey team’s shop.
We interrupt this review for breaking news. Two American idiots were observed travelling to Vardo, Norway for no purpose other than to go to a desolate land. Americans visiting Vardo are not uncommon, but are universally there to tend to a US radar installation that the US claims tracks ‘space debris’, while the Russians believe that it is really spying on them, ‘the site’, as it is called, being only 40 miles from the Russian coast. The two wayward Americans spent one night in Lila and Svane’s basement and one without lodging in this Arctic town. The event leaves one open question – How stupid can these two be?
Now, back to your regularly scheduled review.
Dave and I landed in Estonia in the early morning hours of the day before the Deep Puple show. Attendance was light, and I mean very light. Nevertheless, the band offered another tight performance. I do not think that the crowd was unappreciative, but since it was small, it did not exude the energy level that usually permeates a Purple show. Ian wore a pair of funny white sunglasses for the show, which was quite odd, but, as we were to learn, had a necessary purpose about it.
The highlight of the Estonian trip was stumbling across the band at their hotel on the night before the show, and spending a little time with them immediately after the Estonia show. By dumb luck we were at the same place at the same time.
We met all the bandmates except Steve and I cannot say enough about how gentlemanly and down to earth all of them are. They were polite, witty, personable, and comfortable. It really was a dream come true for these American idiots, and provides me with cherished memories.
Riga was the last show of the journey. The band pulled out some neat stuff for the endearing crowd, which included a youngster of about 6 to 7 years near the front, on his father’s shoulders, who attracted the band’s attention with his enthusiasm, drawing direct interplay with each bandmate at various times. The encore was unique, concluding with the expected Hush and Black Night, but beginning with a great version of Speed King that included extended solos and an R&B-like interlude that I would call ‘The High School Hop.’ It was a slightly longer show, with great energy to conclude this leg of the tour.
To all you Americans out there–get this. Our odyssey included 12 airplane flights, 3 ferry boat trips, and 1 train ride. Every conveyance departed and arrived on time, and no one lost our luggage, consisting only of one large backpack each. The longest wait to clear security lasted no more than 5 minutes. What’s going on in the states that makes it impossible for us to travel reliably, while the Europeans could have been no more efficient than they were?
It was a long trip. But, to see 4 awesome Deep Purple shows and meet the band along the way is just an unbelievable experience, though our wives still don’t think that it justified the time and financial investment.
It proves, however, that you should follow your dreams because if you don’t your dreams will never come true.
Thanks to Deep Purple for affording us a truly once in a lifetime experience. May good fortune have them continuing their musical journey for many years to come.
Craig Neely
Emmaus, PA, USA
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Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing