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Big Ian is Back
Deep Purple live at Jiffy Lube Live (Bristow, USA 2024-09-07)
I almost didn’t buy tickets as the last time I saw Deep Purple in 2017 it was just OK and going all the way to Bristow for a show is a pain. (Live about 3 hours away)
Plus Steve Morse was out and I wa leery of the new guy and singer Ian Gillan is 79 and the worst part of the last show was his voice…seven years ago. But I broke down and bought the cheapest tickets just out of loyalty and curiosity. And then = 1 came out and the tour was getting rave reviews and I wished I had better tickets.
I packed up the Mrs and we had a nice day trip of winery hopping (Virginia is a hot bed for wineries)
For some reason (probably to make it look full for pics-videos) they comped us better tickets. That was cool. A harbinger of good things to come. Yes was good. Steve Howe still plays well and his band was solid. Definitely a treat if you like the classic 70s Yes catalog.
Deep Purple came on. They’ve upped the production with the video screens….i was sitting right next the to the board so the sound was perfect.
What was really cool was how great they were…I mean just absolutely on fire. I’ve seen them 5 times and this was one of the best shows I’ve seen in person (someone might own dozens of live performance videos but that hardly counts 😇) They play the 4 songs from their new record, that went over great. Bleeding Obvious and Lazy Sod both were particularly good live.
Not sure how Ian Gillan is accomplishing this but suddenly his voice (grading on a bit of a curve as he is 79) was downright amazing. A couple of times the guy next to me shared a “damnnnnnnn” look at some really good vocal moments. They slipped in WABMC and his ending vocals were the best I ever heard. Into the Fire was so good I didn’t need the grading curve. His banter was especially cheeky he even sang a bit of Goodnight Irene on his way off stage. He was great all night and it made my heart happy to see him so joyful.
Simon McBride is fantastic. He adds a heavier tone to the mix and it worked splendidly. Whole band just ripped things up. Roger and little Ian were their usual amazing selves. Roger was up a little higher in the mix and sometimes it’s easy to forget what a good player he is…Don was great as usual. Lots of smiles lots of band interplay…it looked like they were having as much fun as we were. It strikes me every time how they never half ass a song like SOTW they’ve play a million times.
Walking out people were talking and universally just amazed at what we saw. People were just gushing about the performance. And I just smiled widely as my favorite band absolutely crushed.
Same set list (plus WABMC)
See them…it was worth every penny.
review by Chip Tarbutton
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Ohh very nice review!
IG’s voice is extraordinary in all aspects.
I just heard WABMC on YouTube (the place people like me who haven’t been at the concert yet get the goodies) from a recent concert, the other night actually, and I was like the man next to Chip T, woah he still has this amazing voice and timing.
How does he do it?
September 9th, 2024 at 11:51Is he taking special herbs? Is he drinking homeopathic whiskey?
Being a homeopath myself I do know about certain tricks a person can use to perform as one’s best, but this man here, well it blows my mind how he does it.
It’s amazing!
K
Also drove 3hrs to see this show . Yes was a pleasure.
September 9th, 2024 at 15:45Last saw deep purple in Va Beach 2019- good show – they were on fire this time around.
Not sure how how Gillan does it – I believe this was was his third show in three nights ! He was amazing!
The new songs fit nicely!
Had a great time – thanks Purple!
I am happy for big Ian: he deserves the best because at the end He is the Best!
September 9th, 2024 at 17:50I have enjoyed reading THS and all of your comments for years, and I hope to do so for many more! But I never posted or got involved in the discussions. Fun to read, though!
September 9th, 2024 at 19:40However, I was also at this show and also drove 3 hours to get there. It was SO worth it. And I can confirm that Big Ian was, indeed, fantastic. Out of this world. I have seen my fair shares of DP shows, vocally never better than this one. I had seen the reviews the last couple of weeks, but still, his performance was just terrific.
But the whole band was on fire. (Speaking of fire: Into The Fire might’ve been my favorite tune of the evening!)
The new songs were received well, as far as I could tell. And Simon fits in with the band so well. He isn’t afraid to take center stage and show some bravado. He’s an amazing talent and ‘we’ are lucky to have him in the band. I could go down the list and praise RG, IP and DA, but we all know how great they are. I witnessed an amazing performance by a world class band, fronted by a passionate singer. Made me a proud Deep Purple fan, all!
I think that merits a first-time post from a long-time THS reader.
Cheers!
I’m extremely pleased that you are all enjoying the gigs so much, springtime for Purple!
September 10th, 2024 at 16:24