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Arrow Classic Rock, Lichtenvoorde, Holland
June 27, 2003

Main Stage
13.15 - 14.00 SUPERFLOOR
14.30 - 15.45 WISHBONE ASH
16.30 - 17.45 URIAH HEEP
18.30 - 19.45 STATUS QUO
20.30 - 21.45 LYNYRD SKYNYRD
22.30 - 00.00 DEEP PURPLE

Tent Stage
13.45 - 14.45 LA DOORS
15.45 - 16.45 BUDGIE
17.45 - 18.45 MANFRED MANN' S Earth Band
19.45 - 20.45 Y&T
21.45 - 22.45 THIN LIZZY

by Reinier Scheffer

I just got home from the coolest festival i've ever been to. The first heard was Deep Purple were going to be back in the Netherlands this year but the second thing I heard they would share the stage with some of the other greatest classic rockbands in the world on a festival organised by the radiostation I listen to every day:) I went down with my dad and after about a 3 hrs drive we arrived. When we saw the huge parkingplaces we knew this was really going to be something special and also that we would'n be out of this terrain very fast;) The weather was to be great, in Dutch terms it was about 25 Degrees Celcius all day (help me out with this one Rasmus)

The first band we saw was SUPERFLOOR. This band had won the ACR competition for bands so they could be the openingsact of the event. They were pretty tight but to me it was all the same. I took some pictures though.

Next came WISHBONE ASH. I had never heard of them before the announce of the ARCF. So this was the first time I saw them live and I was very pleased. They have pretty good guitarmelodies and it's all fun on stage.

Then came URIAH HEEP. This was one of the best live performances I have ever seen!!! At this age they still sing perfect harmonies!!! They had an incredible setlist: they kicked off with 'Easy Livin'', followed by (not in righ order and some songs missing) great songs like Gypsy, July Morning, Circle of hands, The Wizard, Between two words, Sunrise, Stealin', Bird of Prey, Look at yourself. First there were some keyboardproblems because Phil's roadie was busy with the keys the whole first half of the gig. Bernie was in the beginning a little low in the mix so he ran up to the mixingboard and pushed up the volume switch himself:)

We didn't went to see Status Quo because we don't like the band so we got back to the main stage for LYNYRD SKYNYRD. We'd never heard of the band so we wanted to see what it was all about. We ended up at the first couple of rows (just like with the previous bands) so we would be in the front just in time for Purple. I have to say, I definetely DON'T like SKYNYRD. I hate the way they ACT on stage. The music and the band make the public aggressive and I certainly don't like someone who's waving an American Flag at his gig (as the singer did) (well.....come on, say it Rasmus:))

Then, finally 22:32u, the lights went down and everybody was ready for DEEP PURPLE.

Purple Setlist:
Highway Star
Knocking at your back door
Pictures of Home
Don Airey intro/Lazy
Haunted
Speed King
The Welldressed Guitar
I've got your number
Don Airy solo/Perfect Strangers
Steve Morse solo/Smoke on the water
unexpected short jamthing:)/Space Truckin'

Hush
Black Night

I have to say, in some earlier reviews I read that Purple wasn't very good and the audiance weren't that happy with them. I also talked with a guy who saw them in Birmingham a few days earlier and he said Purple 'lost the audiance'. Well, here in Lichtenvoorde it was definately NOT the case. The WHOLE crowd was into purple. Everywhere around my people were singing and screaming along when they took off with HIGHWAY STAR. It's been a long time they openend the show with this one. Don is a bit low in the mix, also is Gillan. You can see on all their faces that Purple was very pleasant surprised by the fact that the entire audiance (should have been about 25,000 people!!!) were so enthousiast. So the interaction between the band and the crowd was great so the mood was set for a great show. Next song is KAYBD. Great to hear this one live!!! great solo from steve. The whole band is in a good shape; Rog' and Steve alsways smiling, Paicey as solid as ever, Big Ian reaching every note tiptop:) and Don Airey seems to have a great time too. POH (the director's cut) Rog's bassthingsolo *great roar* , followed by a bluesy thing by Don (yes! he càn play a Hammond.. (why didn't he do it more often that night....)) which is the intro for LAZY. They did this version more relaxed (like the original one). I never like the fast tempo of Lazy like on the Total Abandon CD/DVD but this tempo is just right. Great solo's. Now were up to the goingtobe-single, HAUNTED. I like this one, very much. It's very touchey.

Now, I think, Purple got a little bit overwhelmed by the enthousiastic crowd, and this are not that supersolid as they used to be but you can see they all have a great time. But i think at this point something goed wrong. They're up to do Speed King but Paicey is going totally the other way, playing a very not-SK intro!!!. confused (but smiling) faces from the other bandmembers, Roger walking Don's way *interaction*. A little jamthing emerges befor Paicey shouts 'One, Two, Three, Four!!!' and SK begins. Great duelling between Steve and Don but unfortunately no drumsolo.

'Now a song that doesn't have any words at all' (with the announcement of Lazy and Haunted Ian talks about rimes and sentences and stuff) ==> THE WELLDRESSED GUITAR. Don makes a great orchestra:)

Now another new song from the album: I've got your number. Great riff and backing vocals from the other guys (no not from Paicey). This is a very cool song:)

It's time for don's solospot. He does a lot of classical pianostuff I recognised, and ofcourse his (in?)famous Star Wars theme. Never heard him doing this before, in fact i never saw him playing before, but it sounded great. PERFECT STRANGERS...I really miss the heavy organsound. Airey is still too much a synth' guy... too bad.

Steve's RiffRaff before Smoke included pieces of Back in Black, Little Wing, Stairway to heaven, Girl you really got me, and a lot more that i can't remember. (he plays a far longer intro than on the Abandon or Rotterdam CD)and ofcourse they got a big roar from the crowd when the first *dèng dèng dèèèèng* was played. At the end of the song Ian didn't even have to scream 'i can't hear you commonaargh' HE JUST DIDN'T HAVE TO!!! HE WAS TOTALLY AMAZED!!! during that part he looked at the others with a look on his face that said 'guys, just look...ain't that just great?'

Now some strange things happen. Paicey starts with the drum-hi-hat-intro-thing to ST and Steve just plays something over it so the 2nd jam of the evening emerges!!! ST was done very tight with absolutely great drumparts of Ian Paice.

at exactly 1 hour after they kicked off, the official part of the show was over. time for a 3 minute break so the audience can sing 'black night' to lure them back:) (most of the crowd didn't know the first encore would be not BN but Hush)

Hush was warmly welcommed and everybody sang along!!! Paicey: dum tick, dumdum tick, dumdum tick, dumdum tick, dumdum tick. rog' plays some notes so I could recognise the right key to start singing the BN riff in. I start singing, AND THE WHOLE AUDIENCE SINGS ALONG. there not just a couple of groups singing BN induvidually so you hear 5 BN's... NO!! The entire sings the BN tune in the right key (Don wearing THE hat...) so the rest off Purple just had to fill in to make the song complete.

It was a very great ending of a very special show. (Why didn't Ian see I was waving a banana for about almost the entire gig?)

I hope they get here again next year to promote some bananas!

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