DP at HOB
Greetings! I caught the last night of Purple at HOB in Los Angeles;
the first time I had seen them since the 'Perfect Strangers' tour. I
arrived early enough to make it to the front row, and thus began the
two hour wait for the show. A pain on the feet, but that was
forgotten when the lights went down. I never expected the band to
open with 'Hush', but with the intensity they played, I knew we were
in for a show! From 'Speed King' to 'Woman From Tokyo', they played
most everyone's favorite. Being out of the loop a few years, there
were some tunes I didn't know, but this didn't take away from my
enjoying the show.
After the first 3 songs, it struck me how much fun everyone in the
band was having. Some have said Ian Gillan doesn't sing like he used
to, but I didn't notice. It struck me what a fine bassist Roger
Glover really is, and he played with more energy than some half his
age. A note to Jon Lord: TURN UP THE SOUND ON YOUR KEYBOARDS! What
can I say about Ian Paice, but he is one of the finest drummers
around.
Now, mind you, I walked in thinkig how good can they be without
Blackmore. Sure, I miss him, but this Steve Morse guy is impressive!
(OK, I'm not too familiar with him).
My only complaint was some of the audience members. These four
smelly gents took position behind me, constantly trying to push some
of us out of the way. We stood our ground, but when Ian threw his
harmonica into the audience, two of these cretins jumped across four
or five others, pushing them to the floor, and the Great Harmonica
Hunt was on! Ten minutes later, they were still on the floor looking,
I didn't bother as I've never been lucky to get a prize.
However, I looked down, and there it was at my feet! I quickly
snagged it while the others went on looking. Some of them were so
crazed and swinging fists, I might have been mugged, so I never showed
off my prize. It's a Hohner Special 20, in perfect shape, and mine!
I don't plan on playing it...Ian germs. I even got a guitar pic and a
high five from Ian Gillan.
I look forward to the next tour; maybe I'll get an amp.
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