Remember the petition to install a plaque honouring Ritchie Blackmore? Well, it succeeded:

Hi Everybody, Yesterday, I viewed a plaque dedicated to Ritchie at his place of birth in Weston super Mare. I inspired the writing and the owners kindly sponsored a large metal plaque and placed it on the outside of the building for all to see. We will have a full unveiling on Ritchie’s birthday in April. Thanks again for your support

Can we have the address please?

[Update March 2]: Music Radar has more details on the plaque:

After starting a petition to install a plaque marking the town as Blackmore’s birthplace, John managed to collect over 2300 signatures. However when it was presented to the council, it was rejected on the grounds that Blackmore was still alive and therefore doesn’t qualify.

The story doesn’t end there, though. While the council’s misgivings might have stopped a blue plaque from being awarded, Allendale Nursing Home on Beach Road – the building where Blackmore was born – has decided to step in to realise John’s goal.

“The good news is the nursing home has sponsored and installed a plaque on their front wall for all to see. And let me design it,” he told Guitar World. “We hope to have a full unveiling ceremony on Ritchie’s birthday in April.”

Apparently, the Allendale Nursing Home is now called Beach Lawns Residential and Nursing Home and its address is 67 Beach Road, Beach Front, Weston-super-Mare BS23 4BG.

Thanks to John Cadwallader for his efforts, and to Music Radar and Yvonne for additional info.

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Deep Purple managed to play one show on board of the rock cruise before it went sideways. Here’s a clip from it with a rising rendition of Perfect Strangers Continue Reading »

The following message has been posted on the band’s official site:

Due to three members of the band testing positive for Covid-19, we are hugely disappointed to have to share the news with everyone that we are not able to play the remaining shows aboard the Rock Legends Cruise. It’s a terrible shame ….

Stay well.

Deep Purple

We all here at The Highway Star are wishing to everyone involved to get well soon.

Deep Purple live at Hard Rock Live (Hollywood, USA 2022-02-10)

All my life, I had only known the radio hits from Deep Purple. But when I saw they were coming to town, I figured “Why not?” I like the older stuff as well as the Purpendicular album. And with all the bands that made real, rocking, driven music from days gone by eventually disappearing, I knew it was time to s**t or get off the pot.
Wow! These guys delivered. The only disappointment was that I hadn’t seen them years ago. If they come back around, I’m there. You could see the life, love, and energy these guys have for what they do and the music they play. Put your doubts aside and go to a DP show. Steve Morse was fantastic. Roger Glover was smiling and moving about with a young man’s energy. And you could see he loved what he was doing. Ian was his usual energetic, on point drumming self. Don Airey, the keyboard aficionado, was the transmission that kept the engine in gear. And of course, Ian Gillan tied it all up nicely on every tune. Truly a legend.
I am a lifelong convert now. What else have I been missing? 🤔

review by Robert Lubbers

Everett Post (which hails from Washington state) has a short piece based around an interview with Ian Paice on the occasion of the band visiting across the continent state of Florida.

About the Rock Legends Cruise that departed on February 14:

I’m not trying to get any pre-formed ideas about it. I’m sure it’ll be very nice to spend a week in Florida in the middle of winter on a boat where I don’t have to work too hard, and I can wander off to a bar whenever I feel like and have a nice exotic tropical drink.

On the prospects of a full blown US tour:

[A]ssuming that everybody is fit and healthy and still wants to do it…then [the band will tour the States in] 2023.

Thanks to Everett Post for the info.

Deep Purple live at Mahaffey Theater (St. Petersburg, USA 2022-02-12)

My 10th time seeing Deep Purple perform. 1st time in that venue. The theatre hold a litttle over 2000 and appeared to be full. The horseshoe shapes made it so that there wasn’t a bad seat in the house and the acoustics were very good. I looked like a much older audience than what I’ve seen in the Midwest, but I guess that is normal for Florida. But the nice perk of that is that I finally got to sit through an entire concert! My back and knees are thankful.

The opening act was The Georgia Thunderbolt, a new southern rock band that just released their 1st album in the fall. They were good with a really good singer and excellent lead guitarist. The singer mentioned before their last song that opening for Deep Purple is the highlight of their career so far. The crowd got into them.

On to Deep Purple. There was no evidene of a two year hiatus. They played with high energy and stellar perfomances from start to finish. They played the same Machinehead heavy set list as the show a couple of nights before. But in addition to Nothing At All, they also played Throw My Bones from Whoosh! Solos by Steve and Don were spectacular on the new songs. The audience sang along to SOTW and Hush as expected, but many also sang along to Throw My Bones. Moving Roger’s bass solo before Space Trucking works very well. Caught in the Act leading to Hush has probably the longest encore that I’ve ever seen. The band’s ability to turn on a dime transitioning to new riffs and tempo changes from song to song in the medley was impressive. Afterwards fans were still singing the chorus to Hush as we walked through the lobby.

Who knows if Purple will do another American tour. If so, then I am ready to turn it up to 11.

review by Dr. Bob

BraveWords has an illustrated review of the band’s first gig of 2022:

If you are one of those who believe that there’s a certain age in which we are too old for rock n’ roll, any of the current members of Deep Purple would politely ask you to hold their beers. Despite being Steve Morse the only one in the current band incarnation – also dubbed as MK VIII – who hasn’t reached the seven decades of life yet, these five veterans have plenty of gas in their tanks, enough to get the audience all amped-up and fist-pumping in the air during the initial night of their now underway 2022 tour.

Continue reading in BraveWords. And if you happen to be at any of the gigs, do not hesitate to write your own review.

Thanks to Tobias Janaschke for the heads up.

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