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Bospop Festival, Weert, Holland
July 9, 2004

I often was near to write a review of one of my - up to now - 32 DP concerts I've had the luck to visit in my life. But I always thought that most was said by the many others who did this job. But this time I feel that I have to do it, because discussing things right after the concert last night, with people I met around Bospop, gave me the feeling that, what I have to say, is not only my opinion.
For sure from the point of performance it was a brilliant concert as always. Nothing to say about that. But on the other hand I never had the feeling that it was too perfect as yesterday. It works like a machine. Push the button - starting - switch it off - ending and in the middle nothing that one can say worth to remember. Maybe that the conditions of the festival - cold rain most of the day, and the idiotic security idiom that it was not allowed to carry private chairs into the festival area (also public chairs were not available), which means that we had to stand for almost nine hours, gave me the feeling that something great has to happen to compare the stress my wife and me had gone through. And this didn't happen. It was that kind of concert you say afterwards 'nice'. I thought about this yesterday and found maybe an answer to declare this feeling.
The opener Silver tongue is a good song but was absolutely displaced. It's good for both the band and the crowd, to have new songs included in the set, but everybody's asking why not to play the best songs of the Bananas album, which not only for me are Walk on, Never a word, Doing it tonight, House of pain? For sure Contact lost, which also belongs to my favourites (and the only new song, from those performed tonight, I wished to be in the set) was performed, but as on the album it seemed in a way unfinished. A live performance could be a chance to give such a song the finish it needs - it was played in 1:30m and ends in nothing - disappointing.
A lot of things have been said about set-lists in the last years and I think it doesn't make any sense to discuss about that. But maybe it's the easy way to calculate by formula what will happen that makes it so uninspired and unsurprisingly. Set-list-formula:
One or two songs from each of In Rock, Fireball, WYWH and Perfect Strangers; three to five songs from the actual album (according to the set length) filled up with material from Machine Head to complete the set. With only one exception Hush, as it was to be heard a favourite of Steve, and therefor the only non-formula-song.
This formula is used since every album after PS and is documentated on every live recording since then. I think not everybody has seen this formula so far, but most people I've talked to felt it. That is why I bet you, all members of my favourite band ever, let me visit the next 32 concerts of DP without having the chance to 'calculate' what will happen.
And at last a very private wish: For me the best song from DP ever is Hard loving man and I never had a chance to hear it live - not by myself nor on CD. Please do it!
For the best band in the world.
Detlef Hövelmann

And it was just how it was meant to be.
The day started with rain pouring out of the sky, people getting very, very wet. And nobody minded. The atmosphere was good and people were enjoying themselves. Everyone has (of course) his own favorite band. There were for example: Thunder, Gotthard, Rose Tattoo, Status Quo, Wishbone Ash, Cheap Trick and of course Deep Purple.
Their performance was as good as could be expected. They played with great enthousiasm and really enjoyed themselves. I can't exactley remember the complete setlist, but it was a mixture of brand new and good old songs. They played some stuff from Bananas. A lot from Machine Head. And for the first time in Holland, they played Demon's Eye. What a song, what a joy.
The crowd went silent when Ian announced and Steve played Contact Lost. And from this little gems he went straight into the Well Dressed Guitar (man, what a bridge) and it was stunning to notice how well these two songs can be played after each other. Every band members played very well.
For me it was a nice surprise seeing Roger do a long bassguitar solo. Don was as good as ever. His solo was a mixture of classical and newer tunes going straight into the intro from Perfect Strangers. He'd even managed to leave out the Star Wars bit.
Little Ian played the drums as a 20-year-old man. Straight down to business, flawless.
The whole show was (for me) the best one that day, even though it was the festival version, it still was 100 minutes of pure joy an exitement.
Thanks boys for yet another great evening in Holland
Wim van Hoof