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Queen – Mary Long – Beach 9/11/26
Having worked in the World Trade Center, this day has been miserable for 24 years. Finally, the day provided some joy.
In the shadow of the Queen Mary in Long Beach, Deep Purple completed their return to California. It’s been seven years since they’ve been here. Another installment in the summer of the Deep Purple unimaginable! For the four of us, it is our sixth decade of seeing Deep Purple live. And as we have for the last ten years, we treat every show we attend like it could be the last.
We muscled up and went VIP / Meet the band – finally. And it was better than expected. Every member approachable, engaging and friendly. Those tickets got us dead center front row and the show (again) exceeded expectations. Seeing the energy and musicianship they brought, we left the show thinking maybe this won’t be their last tour of the US. It rests solely on Big Ian’s voice. Ian P, Roger, Don and Simon were fantastic and seemingly effortless in their delivery. In outdoor 80° heat, they hardly broke a sweat!
As for the show, two members of Kansas joined for Perfect Strangers and the result was fantastic. Lazy was, as usual, another highlight. Simon, fully settled in, performed flawlessly. The new album fit well in the set.
Two of us will be headed to the Royal Albert Hall in November. When we bought the tickets, we figured this would be historic, and potentially, a final show at this hallowed venue. After last night, maybe not! Here’s to hoping the Boys will not SPLAT! any time soon!
Martin Paretti
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
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