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Purpendicular waltz in Texas
The August 23rd and 24th 2007 shows in San Antonio and Houston make shows 12 and 13 for me since first seeing the band in Dallas in 1985.
The band continues to be in fantastic form, having fun and radiating enough energy to alleviate any need for oil imports. After this many shows, I wasn’t sure I’d have anything new to share, but a couple of highlights are worth mentioning.
First the set list for the two nights. Highlights were getting three songs from “Rapture of the Deep” as opposed to just two as many of the recent reviews have shown. The sets were identical with the exception of switching the first encore song from “Speed King” in San Antonio to “The Battle Rages On” in Houston.
If you haven’t seen the tour, the Montreux 2006 CD/DVD will give you an excellent taste (and four ROTD songs!)
Set list San Antonio, August 23rd 2007:
Pictures of Home
Things I Never Said
Into the Fire
Strange Kind of Woman
Rapture of the Deep
Woman From Tokyo
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
Contract Lost/Morse Solo (no background explanation)
The Well Dressed Guitar
Knocking at Your Back Door
Lazy
Airey Solo (With Yellow Rose of Texas)
Perfect Strangers
Space Truckin’
Highway Star
Smoke On the Water
– – –
Speed King (Encore)
Hush (Encore)
Set list for Houston, August 24th 2007:
Pictures of Home
Things I Never Said
Into the Fire
Strange Kind of Woman
Rapture of the Deep
Woman From Tokyo
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
Contract Lost/Morse Solo (no background explanation)
The Well Dressed Guitar
Knocking at Your Back Door
Lazy
Airey Solo (With Yellow Rose of Texas)
Perfect Strangers
Space Truckin’
Highway Star
Smoke On the Water
– – –
The Battle Rages On (Encore)
Hush (Encore)
Highlights:
I drove from Houston to San Antonio and was staying at a hotel across the street from the Majestic Theater – beautiful old time ornate theater – amazing. A couple of hours before the show I went down to the Riverwalk, a waterway that winds through downtown San Antonio, lined by bars and upscale cafes, still dressed in my workclothes.
I was looking for somewhere to eat and came around a corner and stepped into a construction corridor about 40 feet long with plywood sheets forming a floor and ceiling with metal poles in between. Down at the far end was someone taking a photograph through the construction area towards me. I didn’t think much of it at first.
As I got closer and started to pass the photographer, I did a double take. He was wearing a ball cap and sunglasses and I wasn’t certain but his build and trim beard looked awfully familiar. “Mr. Glover?”
“Yes,” he said, lowering his sunglasses. Now this is the stupid part. I’ve met him twice before – once through the window of a limo and once back stage in New Orleans but I was nearly dumbfounded and not wanting to impose on what looked like some private chill out time, I was nearly speechless.
“I’m looking forward to the show tonight!” I said. “I am too,” he replied.
We started to move on and I added, “The new album’s fantastic, by the way.” He thanked me warmly, we shook hands and went on in our respective directions.
Should Roger or anyone else affiliated with the band read this, let me just add MY thanks for all the years of fantastic music and for continuing to write fresh new songs! I got to say it ten years ago, but in my stupor didn’t think to this time.
So thanks for all the tunes and two fantastic shows this weekend. They were simply superb. Purple live is unbeatable. I listen to their live recordings at least as much as the studio albums but even then it’s like going to Paris. No matter how amazing the Arc de Triomphe or the Eiffel Tower look in pictures, there’s no comparison to being there in person. So to with a Deep Purple show. Nothing like it. Thanks guys.
Something funny happened during Highway Star in San Antonio. (What is it with Highway Star anyway? When I saw them in New Orleans in 97, some kid tried to crowd surf. He leapt on stage, turned and dove off. The crowd parted and he smacked straight into the floor!) This was more amusing. Early in the song a young woman got on stage and started running around and eventually got chased off by roadies.
A minute or so later, as the guitar solo was about to come up, another young woman jumped on stage but stayed near the edge and just started to dance, twisting and slowly turning in a circle. Starting into the solo, Morse crossed over to her and leaned his right shoulder against her as he noodled away. The woman then started to really shake it, leaning forward and showing off some serious cleavage.
At this point, her well dressed and somewhat irate boyfriend leaps on stage and shoves her back into the audience. As he’s about to follow her back into the audience, Ian Gillan comes up behind him and taps him on the shoulder. When he turns around Ian takes his hands and starts to waltz around the stage with him, finally sending him off the side of the stage.
After nearly two years, I was starting to fear the ROTD tour would never make it to Texas. Now that they’ve been and gone I’ll be waiting anxiously for the next album. And the next tour. And the next album. And……..so on.
Thanks again to band! It was two fantastic shows.
Scott Holman
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing