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

Best of three

I had been waiting for nearly three years for DP to return to Long Island. Seeing them at Jones Beach is amazing, as the amphitheatre is right on the water, and the vibe there is always a good one. I remarked to my friend Steve, "It's like seeing Purple on Venus!" because the clouds were so thick and wonderfully coloured by the lights. Gillan was in great shape, running around in white pants and a silver vest with no shoes or socks; his voice was in fine form. For my money, there is no better vocalist in the world of rock and roll. He's got such class! The entire band really functioned like a unit, and they have not been ravaged by the passage of time at all, unlike so many of their peers. I, like everyone else, was extremely bummed out by the brevity of their performance. I felt as though both Uncle Ted and DP were rushed. Though I like Lynyrd Skynyrd quite a bit, I would rather have just had DP and the Nuge. Anyway, here is the list, if I remember correctly.

"Woman From Tokyo"
"Ted The Mechanic"
"Lazy"
"Fools"
"No One Came"
"Pictures of Home"
"Perfect Strangers"
"When A Blind Man Cries"
"Steve Morse's Mish Mash" (that's what Gillan referred to it as) which included bits of the following songs:

  • "Strawberry Fields Forever"
  • "Stairway To Heaven"
  • "You Really Got Me"
  • "Back In Black"
  • "Won't Get Fooled Again"
  • "Sweet Home Alabama"
    "Smoke On The Water"
    "Hush"
    "Highway Star"

    It was very odd, yet cool, to hear them play parts of "Stairway To Heaven", "Back In Black" etc. I have seen DP three times (in 1988, 1998, and last night), and last night's performance was by far the best!

    Charlie Koci


    [ reviews | the highway star ]