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Not for Bolin fans only

By Patrick Loiselle

The sound is very good, only occasionnal glitches but nothing bothersome. If you wanna compare it to another Mark 4 concerts, forget "Last Concert In Japan" and compare it to the Long Beach show ("Foxbat").

I'm sorry to say that Bolin is not the star of the album. Jon Lord is. He's absolutely incredible, as if he knew they were in trouble without a serious input from him. As for Tommy, it ranges from OK to very good. On the old classics he doesn't seem to give a damn exept maybe for "Stormbringer". On the "Come Taste The Band" songs he sounds inspired. Coverdale sounds a lot better than on the "Foxbat" show. Paicey's great. Glenn is pretty low profile compared to other recordings I've heard.

Highlights for me are "Gettin' Tighter", "I Need Love", "Owed To 'G'" and "You Keep On Moving". On the other side "Burn" and "Smoke On The Water" are ordinary.

Now, have I become a big Bolin fan? I think not. He may have been a great guitarist, but I don't think he fitted with DP. On several occasions he seems lost, not knowing what's next, so he just keeps repeating the same notes or riffs. I don't think improvisation was his strongest asset, maybe that's why.

Don't get me wrong, it's still a very strong performance by a band who had to learn how to react to another guitar player. Is it worth it? Oh yes, if you're a fan of any Purple line up, (exept the JLT years) you should definitely get this one.