[ d e e p P u r . p l e ) The Highway Star

Last but not least - the concert in Katowice, Poland

Hi,

I just came back from Katowice, where the last concert with the orchestra took place. It's hard to say for me because I'm Pole, but the Polish audience didn't understand the project of concerts with orchestra and the "Concerto" itself. During the quiet parts of the concert they were shouting and screaming. It was terrible for me. I wished the earth would swallow me. Of course most of the 8.500 people liked the "Concerto" and they were quiet, but it was enough to spoil the amazing atmosphere that a few stupid fellows were shouting for rock'n'roll. Shame, shame. I was trying to understand it and I think that Deep Purple come to my country very rarely (this was their fifth visit, and last time was in 1998) and people want a rock'n'roll band playing famous songs like "Smoke On The Water", "Child In Time", etc, etc. Some people seems never to have heard of classic music.

And the concert: The track list was the same like in others countries. They of course didn't play the "Second Movement", but they did "Highway Star" and "Black Night". The band and the orchestra were in exellent shape. At the beginning Gillan was a little disheartened, (he lost his suitcase at the airport), but later he was alright. During the encore of "Black Night" he replaced Paul Mann and started conducting the audience singing the song.

I was impressed with all of the "Concerto", but first of all by "Pictures Of Home", and "Perfect Strangers" which sounded like Richard Wagner operas!

It was the last concert with orchestra and all of Deep Purple were thanking Paul Mann and the Romanian orchestra. They even gave each others some gifts. And what? Deep Purple went to Minsk in Belarussia, and the orchestra went to Romania. A chapter was closed.

Yennefer, Poznan


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