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Amiens: Good show but…
Well, it’s been two years since I saw Purple (Beauvais – March 2007), in a very impressive show, and fronted by an impressive Ian Gillan. I didn’t planned to see the band on this tour, but a friend of mine who is a big Gotthard fan proposed me the trip to Amiens (about one hour by car).
So… here we are : Gotthard makes a big impression to the crowd !
They’re enthousistiac, the show is full of energy, and the singer is really awesome ! My complaint is that every song sounds “dejà vu”. Gotthard’s music is full of clichés, and is somewhat a catalog of the 80’s hard-rock bands.
Then Deep Purple came on stage… very quicly 4 points are obvious :
– the sound is absolutely excellent ! I think I’ve never heard a sound as clear as tonight in a hard-rock show.
– the band plays very well, seems to enjoy the show
– Don Airey is incredible and his sound on stage (like two yeards ago) seems better than Jon Lord. It”s a big surprise because I love Jon Lord and was very sad of his departure. He’s almost leading the band on some songs, like during “Lazy” or “The rapture of the deep”.
So 3 very good points !
But… where”s Ian Gillan ?
Where is THE singer ?
Big Ian is only the shape of what he once was.
He looks very old, very thin, and I wonder if he’s not ill ?
His voice is as thin as his body, and during “Fireball” he seems so exhausted than it’s really a pity !
On some songs his voice seems more relaxed and better (“Wasted sunsets” for example), but in “space truckin”, “highway star”, and most of the old songs, he simply cannot sing anymore.
So it is time that the band understands the fact, and adapts the track list to Ian”s todays’ voice. It’s ridiculous to force him to pretend to shout “highway star” as he’s not able to.
So this show was very good on some points, but it was ruined on some ways by this fact : Gillan is not a hard-rock singer anymore (I mean during a long tour). He’s too old for that, there is no shame to accept it, but please : the band must absolutely discuss it and choose the right songs for him.
See you next time, and in a better shape Ian I hope…
Christophe
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
That’s a very honest review. Thanks for posting.
May 5th, 2010 at 21:20Yes, agree with your opinion, they’d have played some more Morse era
May 6th, 2010 at 02:48I do entirely agree! DP should choose the right songs for Gillan! So he could sing just relaxed, and not so tensed as he is now!
I know… I heard a lot of interview, and they have to play the well known songs for the people, but if they’d drop some songs as they already did at some point, the could do much more “never-seen-before” material, that would be VERY exciting! (And of course a dream for all the fans we are!)
Instead of hurting this poor old man every night on stage, as they do since years! (Is it possible that big Ian is a little masochist? xD)
May 6th, 2010 at 06:51I can’t imagine a Deep Purple show without Highway Star.
May 6th, 2010 at 12:55All the more reason for a new album.
May 7th, 2010 at 04:01TOTALLY AGREE..
May 7th, 2010 at 12:25@4: Why not? Think of the enormous bundle og songs that DP have created………There’s no reason why a DP-show couldn’t be great (perhaps even greater) without HS. As Christophe correctly states; it’s just sad to experience IG attempt to deliver songs, which he obviously can’t sing anymore. I some songs he is still brilliant – in some he’s awful!
May 8th, 2010 at 08:54So it seems simple: Keep the brilliant – ditch the awful!
Even last year on Dubai show I saw that IG can’t follow any more. The problem is that voice isn’t instrument, you can’t rebuild it. This DP isn’t what DP became famous for, guitar – voice battle, guitar – organ battle etc. If they want to continue, they will have to change setlist. Highway Star is all about those screams and intense dramatic mode. No more screams at all, and no more high notes..
May 8th, 2010 at 09:305 songs should be played obviously Every night. Not my favorites, but they are the ‘Staple Tunes’ from the past that actually get Radio Play and of course are from their “Hay Day”. Smoke on the Water, Highway Star, Hush, Perfect Strangers, Woman from Tokyo. Would love to see them make a setlist with these and the balance in MK7 and 8 tunes.
Yeah, it ain’t gonna happen and I won’t lose any sleep over it either. They are still a major force live and when and if they finally put out another album, it will be a welcome edition to the rest of the amazing material already available by these greats….
Hey Moderators…why do you post these “Reviews” here on the ‘Blog/News’ section???? It unnecessarily clutters this section and pushes old news material out of list too quickly…..
Cheers
May 11th, 2010 at 20:02