I’ve been a big fan of Purple since 1970 and have seen them countless times, but the show in Manchester left me and my bro very disappointed.

We were at the front at Roger Glover’s side and I must say his guitar was cranked up so high it swamped everything else. All we could hear was bass guitar. I shouted to Roger about the problem and he suggested that we go stand on the other side (thanks Rog).

[It’s a well known fact that the front row rarely offers the best mix of the instruments – simply because you’ll be standing too close to one instrument. For better balance it’s always a good idea to stand further back. /Rasmus]

Ian Gillan said sometime ago that they were not a classic rock band because they we still writing happening music. Well they might be writing it but they are not playing it live! This is the Rapure of the deep tour and one or two songs just doesn’t cut it. The rest of the show is made up of the classics. Let’s get some more of the new stuff played live.

Now that I’ve had my moan, we’re off to Glasgow to see the band I love.

John Broadsword
life long Purple fan

The first of my gigs arrived and off to sunny Cardiff nice and early to get in the front row (I’m 50 this year, will I ever grow up? God, I hope not!).

Anyway – got in at the front slightly off centre on Roger’s side and eventually the lights dim and Thin Snake or is it White Lizzy come on stage – with Tommy Aldridge, Marco Mendoza and John Sykes I thought it might be a Whitesnake tribute band, but then I saw Scott Gorham and I suppose that gives them a little more authenticity.

Nothing to greatly impress me, but then I was never a big fan of Thin Lizzy even when Phil was alive. A mercifully short set from my point of view.

Once the equipment was rolled in it was lights down again and Styx took the stage. OK, I apologies to any Styx fan but seriously! I was in front of a demented Joe Pasqaulie(?) look alike with a revolving keyboard – gosh special effects too! There was also someone who looked liked RJ Dio disguised as Billy Connolly – no, on second thoughts he is too short! Adept musicians ’tis true, but leaves me cold, sorry! (I did get a Styx plectrum in the eye, which will see eBay very soon.)

On to the main event – the thrill of seeing the Purps assemble on stage just never dims – this, coupled with the ‘mystery’ of will they, won’t they do Machine Head as per the Classic Rock mailing?

Well an obvious no then, as they open with Pictures of Home. What followed was the same set list as Manchester – and every second was absolutely on the button. Gillan’s voice was spot on all night; Steve Morse just gets better; Don Airey is truly at home and desevedly so and Paice and Glover are the best powerhouse rhythm section on the planet…. bar none!

Highlights? Into the Fire was stunningly worked and a real pleasure to hear. Rapture of the Deep works so well on stage that perhaps they will realise that more Morse era stuff is really appreciated by the fans….. More Morse please!

Smoke on the Water featured a special appearance of Rogers trusty (and recently repaired) Rickenbacker bass – still a great sounding and lovely looking guitar. On a side note, I noticed his Vigier signature basses have luminous fret markers and knob surrounds (yes, I am sad; one day I may actually get a life!).

Lazy and The Battle Rages On were superb – I love the way both Don and Steve take the heart and feeling of the originals and fill them with new life.

The usual encores ensued – how about some different ones guys? (from Bananas or Abandon?) Still, Hush and Black Night are great songs and we all na, na, na’d and whoa, whoa’d in perfect harmony (ish).

Paicey’s one handed drum roll appeared in his very brief solo – I’ve seen him demonstrate this on the DVD with Chad Smith, but still cannot understand how he does it.

Another great night from a band at their peak and, importantly, happy in what they do – smiles all round continues to be a theme of this incarnation and it does filter into their playing and to the audience – long may it continue.

Incidentally, the gig looks like it has been filmed – a single camera was in front and I assume others elsewhere – it’ll be worth it if it comes out to see the front singing Smoke!

The downsides, apart from (or because of) Thin Lizzy and Styx, no time for between song banter and the encore was cut slightly short by some frantic off stage waving meaning they had to wind up when officialdom said so rather than when they (and we) were ready.

So Birmingham next week for the last night of the tour – Cardiff was great, here’s hoping the last night is even better.

Tom Dixon

Today, April 26, Ian Gillan appeared on BBC Radio 5 Simon Mayo show. You can listen to the show online here (RealMedia). Ian is interviewed by a political reporter in Cardiff, Wales. The segment of interest runs approximately between 0:48:30 – 1:00:00 into the show.

Thanks to Kevin Dixon for the info.

Last year Roger Glover, the man of many talents, has donated one of his paintings to the Linda McCartney Centre. The painting was sold at an auction, raising £900 for cancer patients.

Taking advantage of a day’s break in the UK tour, Roger visited the Centre at the Royal Hospital in Liverpool and personally signed 100 limited edition prints to be auctioned off to raise money.

The prints will be available by calling (in UK) 0151 706 3153 or visiting www.yourcentre.org.

Coverage of the visit: liverpool.com, Liverpool Daily Post, Liverpool Echo.

Thanks to Lesley Worrall and Alienor for the info.

This has been posted on Caramba!:

It has come to our attention that some of the copies of the Tour Edition of “Gillan’s Inn” have been manufactured with the wrong CD in the package.

Ian’s record label has looked into the situation and discovered that there was a problem in the production process – basically an early version of the master tape was sent to one of the manufacturing plants by mistake. This has been corrected but not all of the albums have the problem. If your copy has only 16 tracks on the CD with “Can I Get A Witness” as the last song instead of two live songs then you have one of those that were made in error.

We apologise if that’s the case.

Ian’s label will correct the problem. All you have to do is send an email to info@essential-music.com — give your name address and the UPC code of the disc you have (the number above the bar code) and immergent (Gillan’s Inn record company) will send you the correct CD. To make up for the inconvenience, you may keep the original disc in addition to the new one. The original disc is now a collector’s item as there are no legitimate “Gillan’s Inn” CDs that contain “Can I Get A Witness” – just yours!!!

Thanks to Steve Campbell for the info.

Fistly to set the scene of what DP were up against on the night. Due to the venue misinforming me and my mate about start times of the bands, we missed all but the last three songs of Thin Lizzy so I can’t really judge. It sounded from the crowd response that they’d had a tough time getting the part started. Last time I saw Mendoza and Aldridge playing together was in Whitesnake so it really looks like a covers band I’m afraid.

Then the atmosphere really took a nose-dive. There was some major failure in monitoring (so I was told) during the break between Lizzy and Styx. Took about an hour to fix (crowd were slow hand-clapping at one point), DP were obviously locked in to a particular start time which meant that Styx had to come on, perform three songs and walk off. They were apologetic and looked embarassed by the whole thing and I wouldn’t like to have been backstage with their tech crew after the show.

A shame as I’d seen Styx in Nottingham a couple of years ago and they were outstanding.

And so on to our heroes. Maybe they had been told about the earlier screw-up and wanted to give a bit extra in their performance or it was just one of those nights but it was one of the best DP gigs I’ve ever seen (there have been quite a lot) since my first in the 80’s.

I’m not one for scribbling down set lists so I looked back at the last few reviewed here and last night’s basically fell in line with that. One song that was obvious by it’s absence however was Perfect Strangers. I think they may have had to cut the set slightly due to the set timings going all to cock previously. I can’t recall the last time I saw them when it wasn’t played, and I missed it a bit.

But the rest of the performance was immaculate, everything seemed to just work. Didn’t realise that The Battle Rages On had come back, it gives a dose of menace to the set, something a little darker to counter the happy singalong stuff that songs like Black Night and Hush have become. Otherwise it is still a very Machine Head-laden set (Smoke of course, Lazy, Highway Star, Pictures of Home, Space Truckin’, Blind Man).

Lots of albums now get no representation. I wouldn’t have expected anything from Bananas, they toured with that all over the UK a few years back but now there’s nothing from Purpendicular either, along with Abandon, Perfect Strangers (maybe only for this show?) and The House Of Blue Light.

Gillan was singing better than he has for the last couple of times I’ve seen them. I saw them at Milton Keynes las summer and they looked jaded and a little lacklustre. Tonight the fire was there again and they really looked into it. Steve is always a joy to watch but tonight he just ripped into things and it all came off.

Don seems very much at home, he was even mingling in the crowd after Thin Lizzy were on. The engine room of Rog and IP did everything expected of them. The one stick drum roll still looks impressive.

All in all a thoroughly enjoyable end to the night’s entertainment. If this ends up as my last DP show at least it’s one to remember.

Kevin Bailey

Took my lad along to see DP on Saturday night as he is a fan of Steve Morse. I have been an ardent fan of their music since way back in the seventies, and I have lost count on how many concerts I have seen over the years.

Normally, when I write a review it is usually because they inspired the rock lover in me, but this time I felt the band was a little flat. They just seemed to be going through the motions. Even Steve Morse hardly raised a smile and Ian hardly made any of his now infamouse quips.

I think the band played too much early stuff which Steve and Don were not part of. I remember when Purpendicular came out, the band played all the new songs with great zest and enthusiasm. Probably because Steve was made to feel part of this great group with his amazing contribution to the songs on the album.

Maybe this as why the band and Steve appeared to be flat this time, because not enough of Steves contribution to the newer albums was being exhibited.

What they did was still good value, in particular Space Truckin’ and Hush had the crowd wanting more. I am sure they will rock back, they usually do.

Keith Scoullar

What a great show tonight!

All three bands were on top form. This was my 17th Purple concert and what a great set. The right combination of old and new.

The songs from Rapture are the best ever and are brought to life when played live. Probably the best version of Highway Star I have heard in a long while.

Steve Morse playing The Battle Rages On summed up everything he has brought to Deep Purple in the last nearly 15 years. Blackmore never sounded that hard and Steve obviously enjoys the people he plays with and the whole live environment.

It is brilliant seeing everyone enjoying themselves on and offstage.

This was my 13 year old son’s first Purple concert and he hasn’t shut up since!

The MEN isnt the greatest venue in the world but tonight it played host to the greatest band in the world. I loved every second of it, long may it continue!

Thanks.

Andy Bramah

Great to be in Newcastle – friendly people and cheap drinks!

Missed Thin Lizzy unfortunately but will catch them in Sheffield and the NEC.

Styx were a band I had absolutely no knowledge of prior to this gig, but after the initial shock of seeing every pose in the air guitar book in the first five minutes, I realised I was enjoying the show! They seem to like epic endings to their songs – good fun.

My girlfriend also fancied the keyboard player for some unfathomable reason.

Deep Purple – well I am firmly in the school wanting to hear more recent stuff – i.e. after 1971-material. I was even looking forward to The Battle Rages On, but they didn’t do it.

I remember the Bananas tour when they played loads of that album and it was great. Oh well, I know the reasoning but all of Machine Head from start to finish in a shortish set?

I love these guys but left thinking one gig on this tour would have been enough.

Voice, playing etc all present and correct.

Thomas Fox

For the second gig of Deep Purple in Sicily (the first in their long history has been in Palermo, the day before) Palasport of Acireale is completely sold out: over 6000 persons are present; among them a lot of fifty-year-old men, some babies carried from parents, other fans intermediate aged and several defenders.

The expectation is huge from months, in fact lots of people bought tickets long time ago, to be sure to be present at this legendary concert. The queue to the gates comes long, but ordered, already in the first hours of the afternoon. We await opening under a driving rain, whipping Sicily for three days, really fool (how could she stop true defenders?).

At 20.30 the opening group, Volver from Catania, come on stage: a valid pop-rock on the instrumental side, but absolutely out-of-place on the hard rock one. Volver play for half of an hour: six Italian songs, full of computer effects and disco rhythms, even if here and there wha-wha or solos peep: these elements make the sound tolerable. We can remember, in particular, the funky single “Parlami”, the catchy “Ossessione” and other pieces near to Festival di Sanremo style. A commercial product, in conclusion, very distant from musical optics of the defenders, but also of the rockers ones!

Deep Purple appear at 21.30, beginning with historic “Pictures of Home”, in medley with the new song “Things I Never Said”, flowing fast with typical instruments challenges, between which Ian Gillan’s tambourine, that will be used by the singer in other pieces, too.

“The Battle Rages On” follows, taken from the last album seeing Blackmore’s presence; Losing the Man in Black remains a severe loss, but Steve Morse makes it tolerable, playing the song as a rare pearl, thanks to a dark riff.

Naturally, Purple know as burning the pit: “Strange Kind of Woman” is overwhelming, with some voice-guitar duets, different from the seventies ones, however full of passion, for public delirium. At the end, Ian Gillan screams we are “fantastic”, “superb”, “unbelievable”: it’s natural, after forty years waiting!

The climat becomes calmer with the new, arab-like “Rapture of the Deep”, giving the title to new album: a refined song, with several rhythm changes. The public starts burning again with the mythical “Fireball”: only thinking that piece is dated 1971, but it sounds near heavy metal, clearly shows the innovation Deep Purple brought to rock scene and the debt that all defenders have towards the band; in fact, at the end of the song, some presents rise to clap Masters.

It is continued with the new “Wrong Man”, heavy, but rich of effects, including a Grand Finale, followed by Steve Morse’s solo exhibition: the instrumental “The Well Dressed Guitar” is magnificent and Gillan, too, invites all to clap him.

Moving is the execution of “When a Blind Man Cries”, slow blues from 1972, real artistic piece. It is continued with “Lazy”, from the same year, pungent, opened by Don Airey’s keyboards, Jon Lord’s worthy substitute, and with the new “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye”, very energetic.

Another solo space is for Don Airey, beginning the performance by a hammond sound, going on with piano and honky pieces, with the popular song “Ciuri Ciuri” and, at the end, with spatial effects.

All this is the original intro for “Perfect Strangers”, the only song played coming from eighties production: it advances majestic, with fabulous light effects; at the end, Gillan screams we are “lovely”. “You are my friends” phrase provokes thrills, because the band is in front of a public in love, faithful, which, likely, they don’t meet very often, not even in their fatherland.

It is followed by “Space Truckin’”, slower than original version, but equally pursuing, enriched by a Ian Paice’s immense performance, followed by the long-awaited “Highway Star”, with a blues intro, longer than usual, concluding with a standing ovation.

The same tribute happens with a particular “Smoke on the Water” version, opened by Morse with the famous Boston song “More Than a Feeling”: fans are involved and rise again for a long applause.

After a short pause, Deep Purple come back on stage, devastating Palasport with a long, spectacular “Hush” version and above by “Black Night”: grandiose in her simplicity, with a fulminating bass solo by Roger Glover and with Steve Morse prolonging the song’s duration, making heavy metal what heavy metal has never been, playing with the public, creating some voice-guitar duets, very successful, to our opinion.

The conclusion is at 23.30, after two hours of great hard rock: about the band we don’t add much, except remember they are professional and excellent instrumentalists.

We thank Barley Arts and Giuseppe Rapisarda Management for optimal organization (opening group excluded, though technically valid) and State Police and Fire Brigade for efficient work: we also hope to see again Deep Purple very soon in Sicily.

Giuliano Latina
Siracusa, Italy

Photos by Apa Palermo: