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

Another wonderful night

This was, by all accounts, my 11th Purple show since 1975, and was particularly fun because I had my two teenagers with me, who enjoyed MY enjoyment of the show just as much as they did Purple.

So much has been said already about this show and the tour, so just a few observations.

-Without question, "Fools" was the highlight of the set. Steve's solo was fantastic. When I met Roger and Big Ian back in Orlando in '95 at Greg Rike Studios, I suggested this song for their set, thinking it would give the new guitarist (at the time) a chance to shine. Glad to know I was right after all these years.

-I know there are time constraints on a tour such as this but in my opinion, an Ian Paice drum solo is as much part of a Purple show as "Smoke". It's a shame they can't fit at least a brief one in. That said, after all these years, it was quite a rush to see almost 20,000 people on their feet screaming at the end.

-"Knocking At Your Back Door" was a nice surprise, especially after memorizing the previous set lists when I swore I would not.

-Finally, thanks again to Deep Purple for another wonderful night to add to a lifetime of great musical memories.

Eric A. Eisenstein


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