See all of Daniel Purrone’s photos.

Always a thrill to see the band in my hometown of Atlantic City, and had a great time with my older brother warming up at the Bar at the HOB. Last Purple show we saw together was reunion tour in ’84. I’ve lost count but I believe this was my 21st Purple show, and about 15th of the Morse era, and it was very enjoyable, especially at such an intimate venue packed with Purple fans.

They hit the stage at exactly 9:00 p.m. and raced through a blistering set in 1:40. I wish they played a bit longer, but to their credit, they played non stop through out, with virtually no between song banter, and with an energy that kept the crowd on their feet through out.

Set list was the same as recent shows in Boston and Connecticut. Big Ian was in pretty good shape vocally. Always better to see them after a night off in that regard. Found it interesting that Steve began playing The Beatles “Blackbird”, then broke into “Smoke” immediately. Was expecting another run of famous riffs that didn’t happen.

That said, the musicianship through out was tight and energetic as always in recent years. Both my most enjoyable and disappointing moment were provided by Ian Paice. One of the advantages of a smaller room is the opportunity to watch him and see just how incredible he is. However, as I have said before, an Ian Paice solo should be just as big a part of a Deep Purple show as a Gillan scream, a guitar solo or keyboard solo. There was nothing close to it.

That said, thanks to the band for another great show, and hoping to make Radio City Tuesday.

Eric A. Eisenstein

See all of Daniele Purrone’s photos.

As I was unable to attend the St. Louis show, it was up to my brother Jim (a.k.a. “JJ”) to check out Deep Purple in Atlantic City. He has no internet connection, so I decided to relay the events of the night in his stead.

The plan was to get Ian Gillan to autograph a picture of Ian Gillan and myself taken during a solo tour last year, but after the show, “everyone rushed the stage” and it was impossible to get near enough. “No way. There were people everywhere.”

Jim described the opening act as a sort of “Eddie and the Cruisers” type band–possibly a house band that appeared to be locally well-known–that kept giving thanks to DP for allowing them to open up, but in the end, they did a Led Zeppelin song as the closer. Jim wasn’t sure if that was a slap in the face or an oversight–or what. He told me the opening band had a drummer that was playing way, way too fast as if to show up–or show off to–Ian Paice. JJ described the playing as a sort of Yngwie Malsteen on drums.

DP was of course LOUD. According to JJ, Roger Glover was the stand-out and that the bass was thundering. “He didn’t miss a beat,” Jim told me, and added that “Roger Glover looks like he’s in really good shape and he looked like he had the best time.” Glover and Morse did the “Judas Priest” thing, rocking the guitar necks back and forth in unison.

The venue was packed. The audience was mostly older people with some younger fans interspersed, but everyone seemed to be familiar with the songs, singing along with the old classics. The reunion-era songs got a lot of applause–almost as much as the older classics–but the newer stuff wasn’t as well-known despite some people knowing those word-for-word as well.

Regarding the mix, Jim thought the other members drowned out Ian Gillan. JJ concluded that had the level been set at the same setting as the opening act, “It would have been just about perfect.”

The main concern was the inability to see Ian Paice, who was too far off to the side. Don Airey, Ian Gillan and Steve Morse were most visible. Room on the stage appeared to be a problem. I asked if Paicey was on a drum riser, and the answer was that he was not. Airey was center-stage from Jim’s viewpoint.

Meanwhile, Ian Gillan like to put the wireless mic into his back pocket and go off to get a tambourine, or sometimes putting it back with a, “Heck with it!” motion and just strut around the stage.

This was Jim’s first DP concert from the Morse-era. He had seen the Blackmore/Reunion line-up three times in the 1980s. I’d seen the Morse version twice, and I was interested to know what he thought of Blackmore’s replacement. His reaction was that Steve Morse was a very good guitarist, injecting his own style into the songs without trying to be a Blackmore clone, but there was none of the Blackmore-style theatrics.

Regarding the newest member, he said, “There could be no other replacement for Jon Lord than Don Airey.” Jim noticed the band appeared to give the two “new” members (I had to remind my brother that Steve Morse has been around for some 12 years or so) a lot of leeway to make them feel comfortable.

“I was not disappointed,” he said.

As a side note, Deep Purple should have stopped by Kansas City. Over 1,600 guitarists (and probably twice that many people in the stands) came to break the world record for the most guitarists playing in unison. The song? “Smoke on the Water.”

Although the record would (barely) be broken a few weeks later in Stuttgart, the American fans in the midwest deserved some kind of acknowledgement. The feat went unnoticed. An appearance would have gone a long way to alleviate some of the frustration Purple has had with gaining more of an American audience. An important PR opportunity was missed.

Jim Wickman – ghost written by Troy Wickman

Great show at the Bank of America Pavilion on the Harbor on Tuesday night. The weather was perfect and the band was as well. Not a bad crowd for a Tuesday, and as usual around here, it takes two songs in and the crowd is warmed up.

Sitting in the 7th row dead center, I had some of the best seats in the house (or tent, if you like) so believe me when I tell you; the amps were turned up, the set list was superb, and the band was smiling and looking like they were having a good time, I know I did.

What a treat to hear “The Battle Rages On” – NICE! And an excellent solo by Steve, with some cool Zeppelin and Skynyrd licks.

Like Ian said – “See You Next Time”.

Denise ‘Mugsy’ Harte

London, Ontario: It’s been a long wait since first listening to Deep Purple on the Machine Head album but it was worth it hearing them live for the first time.

At an outdoor concert venue on the Thames River surrounded by huge trees, Deep Purple exploded on to the stage playing Pictures of Home. It was very loud but no distortion at all. Awesome!!

The only trouble of the night was when amps blew three times on the first few Purple songs. Singer Ian Gillan would get a couple of lines in and then his power would go. Afterward he thanked the crowd for their “vibes,” which “really mean a lot to us.”

From the 3rd song on with no more technical problems, Purple played fantastic. I believe it was the same set list as the St. Louis concert. Every song had the very large crowd of 10,500+ fans getting right into it.

Next to being there and actually hearing my favourite group, it was great to see how much fun the 5 guys were having on stage. When you watch the Copenhagen 1972 concert and the Perihelion DVD, they seem to be having the same great time performing for their fans. That’s what it’s all about.

Thanks for the fantastic show, Deep Purple! Hope you’re back to Rock the Park in 2008!

Brad Grimwood

Boston: Once again I had the pleasure of seeing Deep Purple on tour. I’ve lost count of how many shows I’ve been to but each one has been amazing.

This time I brought my 17 year old daughter and four of her friends along. Setlist is the same as previous reviews so I’ll skip that.

I also should mention that BOC played a great set. Lots of guitar solos and they really got the crowd going. As for Purple, they were superb! I sometimes wonder when the years will catch up with them but so far it hasn’t happened.

This was the best Purple show I’ve seen since the Abandon tour. The whole band played their guts out. It was so cool to hear Into the Fire, one of my favorite Purple riffs. Steve Morse has brought so much to this band. He adds his own style but still the band is Deep Purple.

Same for Don. His keyboard solo was amazing. Ian introduced him as “the unnerving Don Airey” and that he was. The Hammond sound filled the air and it was so cool to hear the classic Moog synth. He played a mix of blues, classical and a little Star Wars thrown in too. I can’t say I love his intro to Hush but the rest of the song was great.

Roger Glover looked fit and well like Roger. It always makes me smile to see him do the head banging thing with Steve.

Ian Gillan, what can I say about Ian. He really sings his heart out. His voice still cuts through the mix and there is no mistaking that voice. I have to admit that each time I’ve seen them his voice loses a little of the power it had but it’s still better than during the House of Blue Light tour. I like his approach to it all. He doesn’t tread carefully around, he just charges ahead and gives all he has. He still can do the guitar, vocal duet although not quite as high or powerful as he used to.

Ian Paice surprised me. In the previous couple of tours he didn’t seem to do the really quick fills and other nice touches that set him apart. This time was different. He really seemed fired up!

Space Trucking, Highway Star and really most all of the set was the Ian that played on Machine Head and Burn. He even played a short solo during Hush which included the one handed roll. Steve’s solo spot was cool too. He played Contact Lost a little differently. There was a bit of an edge toward the end.

Then it was Well Dressed Guitar. It was fun to watch the teenagers jaws drop during that one! As a unit they were unmistakably Deep Purple. They actually seemed a bit looser and willing to take a few chances. I liked the change. It was also the first time I heard “Things I Never Said” It goes over very well live.

It really was a fantastic show from a fantastic band! Guess it’s obvious but I really have a great deal of respect for these guys. They still rock with attitude. If you get the chance, go see them. They are truly unique. You only have to listen to some of the many tribute bands to know there is only one Deep Purple. No one else sounds like them and no one ever will.

Frank Fitzgerald

Quebec: Having seen DP over 50 times from MK II onwards I like most of us reading this, never ever regret seeing one of the greatest bands of all time in concert whenever the opportunity presents itself. A 3 hour drive is not a bother when a DP concert is at hand!

It has been quite a treat to see either Deep Purple or Ian (Gillan’s Inn tour) 3 times in 3 years in the largely french Quebec City! Having lived most of my life in the Canadian suburb of Detroit, Michigan I have had ample opportunity to see DP play (from the old Cobo Hall to DTE in Detroit to cities close by like Kalamazoo, Chicago,and Toronto)and thought once I moved east I would lose the ability to see the band without a lot of travel….thankfully I was wrong!

After all these years and over 50 shows I have to echo the sentiments of an earlier reviewer of the current US/Canada tour that what gets me excited is and I quote Mark Bojanowski who put it best,”to show up at Purple shows to hear the one or two songs that I’ve never heard them play live as well as to hear their differing instrumental treatments of old favourites” as I have heard the big numbers many times.

I know they have to play a large selection of greatest hits to gain an audience here for of course there is no airplay of the new and excellent material or the older more obscure classics. We have been treated to “Fools, Mary Long, Bloodsucker, Not Responsible on the G.I. tour etc.” in small doses and in this current tour the addition of “The Battle Rages On” is the golden nugget that provides all the incentive a hard core fan needs to go see them! Of course I would have preferred more Purpendicular, Bananas and Rapture tracks but if you need to hear that you have to catch a European based show I have learned!

The performance was tight and the band looked like they were having fun in the small venue (a small hockey rink at the Expo site). It was not as good as the last venue, The Agora outdoor amphitheatre they played for the Banana’s tour or the intimate salon Ian played for his birthday last August close by. I recognized many in the first few rows, most who were as old or older than I was, however it was great to see a lot of young people at the show!

Like other tour dates earlier the sound was not clean, it sounded like the amplification was clipping or the speakers where overdriven. Loud yes (but that is OK and the way we like it!) but the distortion was too noticeable to enjoy Don’s or Steve’s solos.

Ian was a little low in the mix as well….all in all though a great show and as always, could have had more! Steve was on fire and Paicey treated us to a one handed drum roll ( he is still the best rock drummer..period). Into the Fire was awesome, the whole band really getting into it, this song was perfectly placed in the set list to really stoke the crowd, young and old!

Rapture was well received by the audience – makes you wonder why don’t add a few more songs from the album. The first encore TBRO (this performance was better than the one we can see on the Bombay Calling DVD) confused the youngsters… what was this they were hearing? By the end I think it got the best ovation of the night and was nicely balanced with Hush to close the show.

The T-shirts are better than some have commented on earlier although no match for the Banana’s tour paraphernalia, as Banana’s gear was the best in years and hard to beat!

Pictures of Home
Things I Never Said
Into The Fire
Strange Kind of Woman
Rapture Of The Deep
Woman From Tokyo
Knocking At Your Back Door
Lazy
Contact Lost
guitar solo
Well Dressed Guitar
Space Truckin’
keyboard solo
Perfect Strangers
Highway Star
Smoke On The Water

The Battle Rages On
Hush

Larry van’t Zelfde

The Highway Star Shop hasn’t been updated for a while. But now we have done a massive shop update. A lot of new releases from Deep Purple and related. Check this out.

Deep Purple
Deep Purple – In Rock [February 12, 2007] DVD
Deep Purple – Videobiography [February 26, 2007] DVD
Deep Purple & Friends – Platinum Collection [March 8, 2007] 2 CD
Deep Purple – Live in Montreux / In Concert With the London Symphony Orchestra (Live) [April 23, 2007] 2 CD
Deep Purple – Audiobiography [April 28, 2006] CD
Deep Purple – Live at Montreux 2006 [June 8, 2007] CD
Deep Purple – Live At Montreux 2006 [June 11, 2007] DVD
Deep Purple – Live At Montreux 2006 (HD-DVD) [July 13, 2007] DVD
Deep Purple – Live at Montreux 2006: The Complete Version [July 23, 2007] 2 CD
Deep Purple – Live In London 1974 (2 CD) [August 31, 2007] (with “Space Truckin”!!!)
Deep Purple – Live In San Diego 1974 [August 31, 2007] CD

Rainbow
Rainbow – Up Close and Personal [March 19, 2007] DVD
Rainbow – 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of Rainbow [May 1, 2007] CD
Rainbow – Audiobiography [August 20, 2007] CD

Ian Gillan
Ian Gillan – Highway Star – Journey in Rock (2 DVD) [April 2, 2007] DVD
Ian Gillan Band – Child In Time (Remastered) [April 9, 2007] CD
Ian Gillan Band – Live At Budokan (Remastered) [April 9, 2007] CD
Gillan – Magic (Remastered + Bonus Tracks) [April 9, 2007] CD
Ian Gillan – Smoke This!: The Warblings, Rants, Philosophies, and Musings from the Singer of Deep Purple (Book)

Glenn Hughes
Phenomena – The Complete Works (6 Bonus Tracks) [Dec 7, 2006] 3 CD (with Don Airey)
Glenn Hughes – This Time Around: An Anthology 1970-2007 [August 27, 2007] CD
Glenn Hughes – Live at the Basement [September 17, 2007] CD
Glenn Hughes – Live in Australia [September 25, 2007] DVD

Jon Lord
Paice Ashton Lord – Live [April 5, 2007] DVD (with Ian Paice)
Dear Mr. Fantasy: Featuring the Music of Jim Capaldi and Traffic (Live) [August 21, 2007] 2 CD
Jon Lord and the Hoochie-Coochie Men – Danger: White Men Dancing [October 8, 2007] CD

Don Airey
Don Airey – K2 [2004]
Gwyn Ashton – Prohibition [June 12, 2007]

Roger Glover
Gillian Glover – Red Handed [Release May 14, 2007] CD (with Don Airey)

Steve Morse
Steve Morse – Power Lines (1990) [July 26, 2007] DVD

Joe Lynn Turner
Joe Lynn Turner – Second Hand Life [April 20, 2007] CD

Joe Satriani
Joe Satriani – Surfing With The Alien – Legacy Edition (CD + DVD) [August 3, 2007]

Tommy Bolin
Tommy Bolin – Whips And Roses 2 [September 22, 2006] CD

You can always find the New and Upcoming Releases here.

We would also like to say a big thanks to all of you who buy stuff in our shop. It keeps The Highway Star running. Read more here.

Here is a classic album from the 70’s. Now on CD.
Funky Junction play a tribute to Deep Purple (with Phil Lynott, Eric Bell and Brian Downey from Thin Lizzy)

You can buy it here.

Here you can read our special about the album.

“Telstar”, a movie about the famous 60-s music producer Joe Meek (with a Purple connection), began filming in London this month. Both Meek’s studio and Mrs. Shenton’s shop were recreated further along Holloway Road, complete with the neighbouring bank. The movie is directed by Nick Moran with Con O’Neill (who reportedly was very impressive in the stage version) playing Joe Meek.

The cast also includes:

• Kevin Spacey plays Major Banks
• Jon Stewart plays Dennis
• Pam Ferris plays Mrs. Violet Shenton
• JJ Feild plays Heinz Burt
• Sid Mitchell plays Patrick Pink
• Rita Tushingham appears as “Essex Medium”
• Martine McCutcheon appears as “Lady Victim”
• Nigel Harman plays Jess Conrad
• Tom Burke plays Geoff Goddard
• Ralf Little plays Chas Hodges (The Outlaws’ bassist)
• Joan Hodges (wife of Chas) plays Biddy Meek (Joe’s mother)
• Callum Dixon (who played Leyton and Lord Sutch in the play) plays John Leyton
• James Corden plays Clem Cattini (The Tornados’ drummer)
• Tom Harper plays Alan Caddy (The Tornados’ guitarist)
• Craig Vye plays Mitch Mitchell (the drummer)
• Des Hamilton plays Lionel Bart
• Shaun Evans plays Billy Kuy (The Outlaws’ original lead guitarist)
• David Hayler plays John Peel

Other members of the cast:

• Chas Hodges has a cameo role in the film as Mr. Brolin
• Jess Conrad plays Larry Parnes
• Carl Barat (The Libertines) plays Gene Vincent
• Justin Hawkins (The Darkness) plays Screaming Lord Sutch
• Jon Lee (S Club 7) plays Billy Fury (The Tornados were his backing band)

Robbie Duke (aka Patrick Pink), who was at 304 Holloway Road when the fatal shootings happened (over 40 years ago now), is amongst the extras.

No mention yet of who (if anyone) is playing Ritchie Blackmore, and IMDB’s Telstar page does not list Ritchie as a credited part. David Hayler played him (with just two or three lines) in the stage version.

The two act play (based in Meek’s studio) was largely comedic for the first act but with the second act being Meek’s dark descent into paranoia and pills.

Many thanks to Nigel Young who provided all this information.

Steve Morse has just made his “Power Lines” instructional video available on DVD via the Alfred Publishing company. The 60-minute disc’s description reads as follows:

Learn Steve’s warm-up exercises, how to add chromatic ideas to your playing, 3-note-per-string scales, sequences and arpeggios. Steve also reveals his unique method for playing polyphonic scales and melody lines. Up-close shots and graphics enable you to learn note-for-note some of Steve’s favorite licks.

Thanks to Blabbermouth.net for the info.

Glenn Hughes in a message to the fans left on his Myspace page, mentions his new album:

To all of you in Bulgaria, France, Spain, Norway, Italia, Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Greece, I look 4ward to Funkin’ it up with you as well.

It’s been an amazin’ year, full of new adventures. It has given me the “juice” to write, what I consider a turning point album……these songs have been a real blessing to write, you could call it a roots record……don’t wanna keep you guessin’, but I can say that this will be the Funkiest, Rock N’ Soul album so far…..

Glenn’s touring schedule has been revamped: September 6 show in Pristina has been canceled due to instability in Kosovo. September 7 show in Sofia, Bulgaria has been postponed, tentatively to the 28th. On September 7 he will perform instead in another Bulgarian city, Kavarna, where mayor is a good friend of Glenn. This show will consist of Deep Purple Mk3/Mk4 classics. Another three shows have been scheduled in Greece in November, with Athens yet to be confirmed.

See the complete rundown in our tourdate listings.

Thanks to GHPG.net for the info.