I’d already seen Purple in Rennes last year, but a colleague of mine missed the show – he was at a conference on the other side of the Atlantic. But this year Purple came to France *after* the conference, and I couldn’t let him go watch Purple 200 km away all by himself, could I?

We left on time, but unfortunately we were caught in a traffic jam behind an accident, so we were almost half an hour late for the show, and we missed the opening act almost entirely; it was Café Bertrand, a French rock band, like last year (lucky them!).

The show was even better that last year in Rennes; Purple itself was its usual terrific, but the sound was better, and we had a big screen on each side of the stage, and a bunch of cameras that were doing close-ups of the musicians. At last, I was able to seen Don Airey’s hands while he was soloing!

As I had already seen the show once, I decided I could sacrifice a few seconds of it and take notes of the exact set list, so here it is:

Pictures of Home
Things I Never Said
Into the Fire
Strange Kind of Woman (Ian Gillan & Steve Morse duet)
Rapture of the Deep
Mary Long
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
(Steve Morse solo)
The Well-Dressed Guitar
Battle Rages On
(Don Airey extended intro)
Lazy
Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming
(Don Airey solo)
Perfect Strangers
Space Truckin’
(Instrumental intro)
Highway Star
Smoke on the Water

[encores]
Hush (including Ian Paice solo)
Roger Glover solo
Black Night

Last year, we had a different order that included Fireball, Wrong Man and When A Blind Man Cries instead of Mary Long, The Battle Rages On and Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming (as far as I can remember).

For me, despite the fact that I love Fireball, it was even better, because I’m a huge fan of The Battle Rages On (I think I own all official records of the tour), and I was in heaven when they started playing it because that’s one song I didn’t really expect!

Everyone was really great, and with the close-up cameras you could really watch them play even from our seats. It was nice to give everyone a chance to solo a bit, Roger didn’t get one last year (again, if my memory doesn’t betray me).

All in all it was a great show and I’m glad I decided to come back.

Hopefully, we’ll see them again next year!

Romain Dolbeau

Third date in Normandy for the band after Caen and Rouen and I was there again! In front of a cold audience, the band made a real ‘tour de force’. Ian Gillan screamed like a possessed man on Into the Fire !

Good surprise when the band played Mary Long: I’ve never heard that song played live except in the the Perihelion DVD. Great version.

Perfect Strangers, my favourite one. Third slap on my face in one year … 🙂

Loosen my strings played in a too slow tempo, in my opinion.

The band didn’t stopped to let the crowd chant during Smoke… We paid for our shyness I guess…

Anyway, thank you guys again and thanks Rog’ and Ian for the autographs at the airport!

Setlist :

Pictures of Home (including closing section of Child in Time solo)
Things I Never Said
Into the Fire
Strange Kind of Woman
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
Mary Long
Contact Lost
Steve Morse solo ( … / Freebird / Voodoo Chile / Whole lotta love / Sweet Home Alabama / … )
The Well Dressed Guitar
Lazy
The Battle rages on
Don Airey solo
Perfect Strangers
Loosen my Strings
Space Truckin’
Highway Star
Smoke on the Water

Hush
Black Night

Anthony Oussin

I’m a fan of DP since the early 70’s. I saw them a lot of times, nearly all the ‘mk’s’.

I went to the concert in Liege, at a place called Country Hall, with my son (19 years old). I was full of hope to see a good concert, because I thought that without Blackmore and Lord, you could not expect more than a ‘simply’ good gig.

Well, let me tell you: the concert in Liege was magic, amazing, energetic on a high musical level! Really great! This energy, unbelievable.

Of course, Steve did a great job. But Don also – the version of Lazy could be compared with the version on Made In Japan.

Ian Gillan was in good shape: his performances on Loosen my strings and Into the fire were great. Roger Glover played like a devil. Ian Paice, like a ‘windmill’, pushed the songs that became all real standards, even the new ones.

Thanks, guys, for this show. Long live DP!

André Desenfants

The ‘same’ great show.

The audience was hot, the music was loud and powerful, the band was OK. They can play everything.

Very good the four-tracks-four beginning. Mary Long, Perfect Strangers and Smoke (after 1.223 times) are always a pleasure.

Great job by Steve during Black Night; for the first time I heard Loosen my Strings and it was great; up with new songs! Less Machine Head and more ‘other’ (Somebody stole my guitar?).

Rapture of the Deep should become a new live classic (maybe longer, maybe a little different) and today it isn’t.

Enrico Ravasio

Since 1975 I wanted to see this best band in rock. On november 3 2007, my dream came true.

Thanks guys for unbelieveable and superb moments for me and other huge fans from Bosnia.

Excuse me for my English and quality of photos.

Davor

All photos are (c) Bulphoto 2007.

The concert in Sofia was held in the Festival Hall (Zala Festivalna) in front of a crowd of 7.500 enthusiastic fans representatives of three generations. It was nice to see a father and a daughter or a grandfather, a son and his little boy singing alongside groups of young long-haired hardrock fans armed with their black Purple T-shirts and headbands.

All the tickets for the show were sold out more than a month before the concert date leaving the fans wondering why a venue with that capacity had been chosen for a concert of such calibre.

The Bulgarian hard rockers Konkurent weren’t the best choice of a warm up band as the lead singer’s Coverdale-style microphone stand tricks were a bit annoying having in mind the next band waiting backstage had Gillan up front.

Anyway, the guys were on stage only for 25 minutes and did what they were invited for – got the people in the mood for the great show coming up.

Deep Purple went on stage exactly at 8.30pm local time under the roar of the standing audience which did not sit back at their seats till the end of the show.

The performance was extraordinary – full of passion and devotion: Steve Morse getting the crowd screaming in joy a dozen times at the virtuosity of his solos, always-smiling Ian Paice and crowd-bantering Roger Glover with their energetic performances, Don Airey with his professionalism giving depth to every song he plays and, of course, Ian Gillan with the power of his presence and his remarkable voice – everyone proved that the band is still in top form!

The set list did not include any surprises:
1. Pictures Of Home
2. Things I Never Said
3. Into The Fire
4. Strange Kind Of Woman
5. Rapture Of The Deep
6. Woman From Tokyo
7. Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
8. Contact Loss
9. Steve Morse solo
10. Well Dressed Guitar
11. Knocking At Your Back Door
12. Lazy
13. Don Airey solo
14. Perfect Strangers
15. Space Truckin’
16. Highway Star
17. Smoke On The Water

Encore:
18. Hush
19. Black Night

The band left the stage at about 10.20pm after giving an emphatic performance that made people chant their hymns outside the hall hours after the end of the concert.

To be honest, I’m 24 now and that was the first Deep Purple concert I attended. I was thrilled by the energy these five guys possess. I cannot imagine what it would be to go to a Purple concert in the 1970s… Exceptional!

Dragomir Keranov

The only DP concert in Austria this year, so my wife and I went to Graz (for me it was the 14th time to see DP).

Sound was good and it was not as loud as they played in former days (but that’s OK).

Surprise: DP played Rapture of the Deep and Black Night with the very excellent Lidia Baich (played violin also with D.Airey-band sometimes in Austria).

I was very delighted to hear Into the Fire, Mary Long, Knocking at your back door and The Battle Rages on.

Setlist (I don’t know exactly the running order):

Picture of home
Things I never said
Into the Fire
Strange Kind of Woman
Rapture of the the Deep
Mary Long
Kiss Tomorow Good-Bye
Contact Lost
Steve solo
Well Dressed Guitar
Knocking at the back Door
Lazy
Don’s solo
The Battle rages on
Perfect Stranger
Space Truckin’
Highway Star
Smoke on the water

Encore
Hush
Black Night

A very special evening. I hope to see the very excellent DP soon again in Austria, maybe in Linz. I’m sure to see them again and I hope to hear sometimes Flight of the rat, Rat bat blue or Place in the line …

Walter

What a show! Highest point over all: Loosen my strings! Finally the band follow the fan request: we want more Morse-era Purple songs!

The lowest point: The battles rages on: could be erased without problem.

The show was not very well mixed, but the five guys were smiling and pushing hard more than ever, if it is possible!

Sold out. As in Mantova two nights before. After show with Don, Steve and Big Ian.

This was my 22nd Purple show. Every time it’s better. More than 2 hours.

Complete setlist:

Pictures of home
Things I’ve never said
Into the fire
Strange kind of woman
Rapture of the deep
Mary Long
Kiss Tomorrow
Contact Lost
Well dressed guitar
The battle rages on
Lazy
Loosen my strings
Perfect strangers
Space truckin’
Highway star
Smoke on the water

Speed king
Hush
Black night

Mego

Setlist:
Pictures of home
Things I’ve never said
Into the fire
Strange Kind of woman
Rapture of the Deep
Mary Long
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
Contact Lost
guitar solo – Guitar Parade
Well Dressed Guitar
The Battle Rages On
Lazy
Loosen my strings
keyboard solo
Perfect Strangers
Space Truckin’
Highway Star
Smoke on the water
———
Speed King (drum solo)
Hush
Black Night (bass solo)

Luca Bariffi

The Gripe Sportshall was filled with audience, there are very little empty spaces left inside, by my judgement there was about 5, 500-6, 000 people attended at show tonight, but it’s very difficult to say the correct numbers.

It was a great gig, the band was in amazing form tonight, every member was doing his job at high level. Gilan voice was in great shape, blistering solos from Morse and Airey. The crowd was amazed with Purple’s performance and gave them incredible response in return.

During Perfect Strangers two girls somehow manage to pass the security and jump into the stage and they goes straight into the arms of Gillan, security responded immediately but they held our favorite singer so strong and they are pushed from stage almost together with Gillan.

Perfect Strangers continues as some kind of jam because they lost the point of song and it was very unique and strange version after all with different arangement and ending also.

During another song (I can’t remember now which one) the guy manage to jump into the stage right into the Morse trying to reach his hands and while security almost pushed him back Steve manage to come closer to the guy and shake his hand before security pulled the guy down from stage.

I was so lucky to go into backastage as guest member and I meet all the band members and I collect all their signatures at my concert ticket and Rapture Of The Deep booklet.

I was at backstage for one hour and most of the time I speak with Roger, what a great man and gentleman, he offer me a drink and open my beer with a lighter (great job Roger) so we take a drink together and he act like we know each other all life.

During my autograph collecting I manage also to spoke with all other band members, Paicey was in exceptional mood and when I reach Gillan for a moment I forgot what to tell him, it was a shaking hand almost with silence from me, but luckily I was back into reallity soon and some words just starts to flow from my mouth.

After two years since ROTD tour started I was in some kind of fear and doubt that ROTD tour would never make it to Croatia, but my dreams come true and I just can’t wait for their next album and next tour and next visit to Croatia.

Come back soon and many thanks for this amazing night!

The setlist :

Pictures Of Home
Things I Never Said
Into The Fire
Strange Kind Of Woman
Rapture Of The Deep
Mary Long
Kiss Tomorrow Goodybe
Contact Lost
The Well Dressed Guitar
The Battle Rages On
Contact Lost
The Well Dressed Guitar
Lazy
Don Airey Solo
Perfect Strangers
Highway Star
Space Truckin’
Smoke On The Water
Hush
Black Night

(1 hour and 52 minutes)

Many many thanks to Manny and lovely lady Katie at backstage. Love you with all my heart and I hope to meet you again very soon!

Dubo aka Purpledream

Photos by Vedran.