In sum

The concerts I went to showed a rejuvenated RB who is playing in tip top shape and having a good time too. Doogie is a tremendous singer who rarely hit a bum note and pulled off pitch perfect renditions of Rainbow Eyes and Temple of the King, sometimes nearly a cappella. He can wail too as the silver throated screams at the end of Ariel show. He is a normal, down to earth Scot who will sit down and have a drink with you just like one of your mates. What a great find for RB. Greg Smith is a true professional who never let up and always caught the sudden key chenges in Perfect Strangers that RB pulled on him every night. He is a nice guy, very humble and excited to be playing the kind of music he likes to listen to. Paul is a sort of pretty boy ( he has nicer hair than my sister) who is defintitely talented and can paly all that classical stuff, but his attitude could be a little better and his solo less like a good keyboardist screwing around in a music store. Chuck never missed a beat. His heavier that I ever remembered playing made the new songs sound even better than on the album. Hall of the Mountain King really kicks now. He is a great, down to earth guy who will sit and talk to you as long as you want. Candiceis pretty, sweet and very nice. She is from Long Island she told me. Her backup singing adds a lot. She sings back upon other songs besides Ariel but that song she adds the perfect end part. very cool.

After having flown to Ft. Lauderdale to see Purple with Morse and now going to Germany to see Rainbow, the temptation to compare the two is great but I will resist it. There seems to be a split with the result being a DP with Morse group versus the RB- can- do- no -wrong group. I'd like to think this isn't a zero sum game where the more you like one group, the less you can like the other. Both groups seem to be playing with new intensity and pleasure with what they are doing. Ritchie certainly hasn't played this well in years outside of the scandinavian gigs in 1993. Purple got to add lots of new old songs to the set that were great to hear. I regret that the intensity of both cannot be combined. I really enjoyed the Tour with Rainbow. Right now I 'd have to say they are the hottest tour around. Check it out and see RB playing like you have never seen before. As for comparisons, go fly to Ft Laud to see DP , go to Germany to see Ritchie, then post your own reviews!!

Thanks for listening!

Cheers,

Bobby "Baby Blackmore" Gervais DPAS TEXAS

ps. special hello to Otto (Rainbow) and all the DPAS guys I met at all the gigs. Thanks to Axel for his hospitality in Berlin (Bitte gruesse an Doris und Miriam!)