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Losing his mind in Beverly Hills
Glenn Hughes performed his Purple set on Friday, September 8, 2023, at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, California. He was joined on stage by local talent Joe Bonamassa and Chad Smith.
Thanks to Brian James for the video clips and to Blabbermouth for the heads-up.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Damn. I knew Joe was in town and thought that he might pop in, I was just hoping that it would be when I am going on Monday in Anaheim (same town I saw BCC in all those years ago).
September 9th, 2023 at 15:07Say what you will about him, but Glenn has a real fan base among fellow musicians – talk about peer recognition!
And I know it’s not “his” song, but man his performance of Highway Star is dynamic. Mk III and IV never did it so well. Why he never plays bass on it live, I don’t get. There’re is nothing in the bass accompaniment that would get in the way with his singing and Glenn is in any case extremely good at vocalizing different rhythms to what he plays on bass. Maybe he just wants to show that he can do the non-instrument playing frontman thing too.
September 9th, 2023 at 15:28“local talent(s) Joe Bonamassa and Chad Smith”
😂😂😂
September 9th, 2023 at 15:321 vid- Joe kills it on Mistreated 2- vid Chad kills it on HS 3 vid – Chad and lead guitar kill it on Burn
September 9th, 2023 at 23:14nothing new from GH but he does have some cool buddies 😉 (he should close with a Trapeze medley) I KNOW it’s not Purple but would be awesome!
Cool 👏👍✌️
September 10th, 2023 at 13:43And Joe has Tommy Bolin’s old guitar out!
September 10th, 2023 at 14:26As it’s the 50 th anniversary of the Burn album,would it be too much to incorporate ‘Lay Down Stay Down’ and ‘A200’ instrumentally? I recall Glenn playing a Purple Medley of ‘Owed To G’ ‘Lay Down Stay Down’ at the LA2 in London. On a wider point these legacy set lists should be freshened up. Will Glenn tour behind the 50 th Anniversary of Stormbringer album and dip into ‘Can’t Do It Right’ & ‘Love Don’t Mean A Thing’?
September 10th, 2023 at 16:52“And Joe has Tommy Bolin’s old guitar out!”
Which is commendable indeed, though playing Mistreated on a Gibson and not a Fender is tantamount to sacrilege!
But I’m happy to see he plays it.
September 10th, 2023 at 20:45It would be wonderful if GH incorporated “Love Don’t Mean Thing”, “The Gypsy”, “Hold On” and “Can’t Do It Right” into a set list. As well as “Comin’ Home”, “Drifter”, “Dealer” and “Love Child”. Any of these in place of “SOTW” and “Highway Star”. Who knows, maybe one day this could happen…
September 11th, 2023 at 11:16I’m waiting for Glenn Hughes for the shows in Brazil
Love and peace !
Will there be anything from the new Black Country Communion album? I think it’s Glenn’s best musical partnership after Deep Purple. Excellent vocal performance “Mistreated” (like RJD “On Stage”) but it’s David’s source.
September 12th, 2023 at 02:34Glenn sings Mistreated well, but – just like Ronnie – he doesn’t feel it. It needs that wounded lion thing that DC gave it so well.
I like Delta Deep’s/Phil Collen’s (Def Leppard) version. Not so much for his vocals (which are ok) in the first verse, but when he lets Debbi Blackwell-Cook rip at 02:41, she DOES feel it:
https://youtu.be/LJW8kCGnP5g?si=pkZfmBGPE2IqLEie
Lee Aaron has turned it more into a female lament and though her version ain’t bad
https://youtu.be/VMtV3Aey7-s?si=D2-JfhIKVGin3FjT ,
it’s no match for Debbi’s force of nature performance.
September 12th, 2023 at 12:35I saw Glenn’s show in Anaheim on the 12th. His voice is unbelieveble for a dude his age. No guess stars, but the musicians in his band were excellent. The set was about 75 min, and other than Highway Start in the encore, all the songs where from Burn, Stormbringer, and Come Taste the Band. It rounded my Deep Purple experience having seen the band often but also attending Whitesnake’s Purple tour a decade ago. Now I’ve seen all of the band members who were inducted into the R’nR Hall of Fame.
My only gripe was with the venue. The hall of music in the House of Blues was standing only unless you are disable. It doesn’t make sense for the grey beard audienve for an artist celebrating the 50th aniversary of joining Deep Purple. So my knees are still sore from standing for the whole show and I didn’t feel well enough to stick around for Yingwe. I expected better from the House of Blues.
September 15th, 2023 at 05:44@11, having said that I would pick Mistreated as Coverdale’s best vocal performance of his career. He felt it in his Cal Jam performance.
September 15th, 2023 at 05:53Whether he’s your type or not, Glenn is committed to his craft. I’ve seen him play near empty clubs or with a bad cold, he always delivers.
September 15th, 2023 at 09:32@12…
Dr.Bob said…qt.”So my knees are still sore from standing for the whole show, and I didn’t feel well enough to stick around for Yingwe… I expected better from the House of Blues”.
Whoa…Your lucky Yngwie didn’t air-kick you out of the place, but then you weren’t there either lol !
Too bad Sir, Yngwie is a most remarkable player, his tunes are solid, & his air-kick would’ve likely encouraged you to stick around, yet alone his phenomenal playing prowess.
Perhaps the “House of Blues” were expecting a head-banging audience only (respectfully), but chairs at the back would have been appropriate I suppose.
At least GH & the band delivered the goods !
Peace !
September 15th, 2023 at 10:15Goddammit. If he could just let one vocal expedition in a song stand and let that be the moment? He’d be bigger than Ed Sheeran.
September 16th, 2023 at 04:57@ 16 – with autotune or without? I like the comment. Cheers.
September 16th, 2023 at 10:03Yes, three separate vocal showcases in Mistreated is two too many. It’s a shame he’s overdoing it and hopefully the song will be retired after this tour, although I doubt it.
September 16th, 2023 at 18:24Who is the idiot running the camera in Highway Star? Focusing on the guitarists while the keyboard player is doing his solo???? Seems like a lot of bands have the same problem.
September 17th, 2023 at 03:44Honorable Reverend, you’d be surprised how many people can‘t tell an organ solo apart from a guitar one! Camera guys are generally attracted to the most extrovert player in a band if the singer isn‘t singing. It‘s the “camera is on Joe (Perry) while Brad (Whitford) is playing the (more accomplished) solo“-effect, prevalent not only with Aerosmith.
Re “three separate vocal showcases“ – sigh, I love the man, but there is no denying that Glenn is a vocal show-off. It‘s not how he plays bass, however, he can hold back there and then show impromptu flashes of brilliance to maximum effect, but that somehow doesn‘t carry over to his singing approach.
September 17th, 2023 at 14:22@20…
Good reply leiber Uwe, & speaking of “flashes of brilliance”, the most dearly missed James Marshall Hendrix left us 53 years ago today (at the time of writing), so it would be a great idea to celebrate this man’s legacy, & blast out whatever Hendrix you have, in his honour !
Peace !
September 18th, 2023 at 10:59I’m just now listening to the new Beck, Bogert & Appice Live Box. The remix is spectacular, BBA in your living room and in your face. Yes, they were an instrumentally forceful, inventive and even humorous trio. You can hear that Beck is already straining at the leash to leave conventional rock behind, discovering chromatic lines in the process, and develop into a Jazz direction. The Appice/Bogert rhythm section is sublime (and very rock). Alas!, the better, more transparent sound is also more unforgiving as regards the Achilles’ Heel vocals of BBA – compared to these guys (all three) vocally, ‘Lonesome Dave’ of Foghat wasn’t Dave Peverett, but Dave Pavarotti!
Glenn would have been a nice fit (but then what would have Tim Bogert done?), but he was busy making shitloads of money with DP at the time.
Speaking of Jimi, now what would he be playing today? Would he have become a Jeff Beck, playing what he wants for a minority audience, or a Carlos Santana, inviting various luminaries to his commercially successful outings, or a a black version of Eric Clapton, celebrating rather conservatively the Blues for a white audience?
I think I would have liked him to do something with Prince, no joke.
September 18th, 2023 at 19:00Hendrix must be in the ethers, again as always. I have just made up a collection of the Valley’s of Neptune disc & the remaining Cry of Love songs from that 1971 album. All for a younger Hendrix addict I know as he has never hear those unreleased ‘fourth’ album studio songs at all, excepting a few that appeared in live performances. Hear My Train a Coming, Ezy Rider, Stepping Stone, Fire, but most of those songs he will lapp up no doubt. I do think & keep telling this younger lad (who thinks Hendrix on a bad day is still the Messiah) that Hendrix was caught between a rock & a hard place it seems. He was limited to the blues, rock & psychedelic style no doubt. Some of these unreleased songs are trying to crossover of sorts but it doesn’t sound like it is working out too well. Who can tell where he would have ended up, however I do think the stuck in a blues rock genre was his fate of sorts. Forget about Hendrix trying to work with another guitarist or even a dominant keyboard player, (remember the ‘HELP’ band rave) Keith Emerson & Hendrix, no way. That wasn’t going to happen as he was a control freak of sorts & why not. It was his band after all.Cheers.
September 18th, 2023 at 22:18@22…
To speculate about Jimi is difficult imo, as he was only just getting-his-act-together, in every aspect of his life. Should he have found another batch of fertile music to develop & make his own is probably likely, so that would indicate further ground-breaking vistas to operate from. All he needed imo was some time off, & to clean-out his system, whilst sorting-out & finalizing all his legal issues, which no-doubt drained him of all positive energy.
It’s not so much where Jimi would stand today had he not passed away, but how successful his peers would have become or not if he was with us still…
I tend to see him as doing the “supergroup” or Rainbow thing, where every few years, he makes a recording, & tours with a new band, perhaps with new names too. He needed more exciting players like Mitch & Noel to play with to keep developing & growing.
(And definitely Glenn Hughes would not have suited, as “it” would have likely died the same death that DP did imo…JH was coming out of a dark-patch, GH was entering one).
Peace !
September 18th, 2023 at 23:29I do think the fact that there were so many gun guitar players & the like appearing from nowhere that Jimi Hendrix was more than likely fast becoming sort of obsolete in certain ways. Yes he was ground breaking at the time & innovative & wonderful for those first & second Experience albums, very good indeed. Same with the Band of Gypsys, but look at how long that lasted. I think he could have been swept aside for want of a better description. He was in awe of many of those new guitarists & bands by 1969/70 & it is hard to see how he could have remained really popular in many ways. He obviously had his followers & would have picked up a few more over time. But this is all hypothetical hindsight & supposition etc. One thing that isn’t discussed is the mortality issue. Once someone famous passes on they become a ‘legend’ of sorts, bigger than they would have ever been in many ways. Same with Tommy Bolin, Marilyn Monroe is another one. There are others that have passed while young & are held in high esteem also after burning brightly for a very short time. It is the human emotion that drives that status most of the time. What is that live song on side one of the Band of Gypsys album, Who Know’s? Cheers.
September 19th, 2023 at 11:53Hmmm…
Deep Purple Mk-III has the California Jam to celebrate as an apex moment, & here’s just one of Jimi’s many apex moments…(Easy for people to forget just how good he really was).
https://ok.ru/video/384760154808
Peace !
September 19th, 2023 at 14:03I was never the greatest Hendrix fan initially (I learned to appreciate him more over time), but the guy sure was special – all the other guitar aces Beck, Clapton, Page, Blackmore, Gallagher, Winter and Trower agreed on that.
And of all the guitar gods mentioned above (with the exception of Trower of course), Ritchie probably owes Jimi the greatest debt, he incorporated more ‘Hendrixisms’ into his style than the others. Just listen to how Ritchie sounded pre-Hendrix and how his sound and style changed once Hendrix had made an entrance for himself in the UK. Without Hendrix, I don’t believe we would have ever heard In Rock the way it turned out. He was a really significant influence on a young Blackmore (especially when Blackmore played slower as he learned to do), who had great chops, but was still looking to establish his own style.
I don’t think Hendrix would have been overshadowed anytime soon by any other guitarist had he lived. Technical prowess was never the issue – Jimi was good with his hands, but he was never the most technically proficient guitarist, even back then, but that didn’t slighten his lasting impact in the least.
September 19th, 2023 at 22:37There is no doubt about it that Hendrix as he said late in his career, was frustrated with his musical output, or lack of it. After watching a King Crimson performance he was stunned & very excited as to where one could possibly take ‘rock’ music. So those progressive & or ‘fusion’ players are the guitarists I am thinking of when talking about the evolution of rock music at that time. Robert Fripp, Steve Howe, John McLaughlin, Jan Akkerman & even Jimmy Page with his different tunings etc. Hendrix was looking to considerably expand his musical vocabulary. Yes he had his substance abuse issues hence why I much prefer his ‘straighter’ performing concerts than his off his face gigs. And the financial parasites bleeding him dry on every level, that was a very difficult thing for him, especially being a modest quiet sort of individual. Could his playing style have gone to the ‘progressive’ or ‘fusion’ level, how would he work with other musicians on that level. He had trouble working with Buddy Miles because of Miles strong musical personality. Hendrix was set in his ways as many are, that is the way of things. Oh well, we have what he left us, bless him. Cheers.
September 20th, 2023 at 07:20@ 27 – yes indeed those British & one Irish & one American guitarists you mentioned have that Hendrix influenced power rock blues thing going on & that is one of a few reasons I do like them, more than others I have heard over the decades..Blackmore definitely has that Hendrix influence in many ways, not so much the rawer blues but so much else, even the stage antics influence. Robin Trower is one of my favourites along with Rory Gallagher. Johnny Winter I drove for two hours at night dodging kangaroos & the like on the east coast highway to Byron Bay to witness him & his band. Incredibly powerful & wonderful it was. I have never owned a Johnny Winter album but I knew he would blow the roof off.
September 20th, 2023 at 08:35I did own his brother Edgar’s ‘They Only Come Out at Night’ album back in the day. Frankenstein anyone? Page also nails some mighty blues on the Presence & In Through The Outdoor albums & live also if you can get him on a good night that is. Clapton I respect hugely but I am not a big follower of his music. Certain Cream songs I didn’t mind & his 461 Ocean Boulevard & the Just One Night double live album I use to own & play a lot back in the day. Nothing else though from EC. I did see Robben Ford cranking some superb rock blues in the mid 90’s. Hendrix eh, can’t get away from him it seems. He was a hit & miss sort of musician Jimi. Cheers.
Yes…
Back in 1967-68, “everyone” from the Rolling Stones to the Beatles were all saying to the press “Why are you interviewing me for, you should be speaking with Jimi Hendrix” ?…It doesn’t get better than that, when the Royalty of Rock are recommending you…And it was Paul McCartney that highly recommended the Experience go play at Monterey by conversing with the promoters…
It seems that things turned to shyte for Jimi once he landed back home State-side.
Everyone from Freddie Mercury to RB saw Jimi play at least a dozen times…
I’d suggest that Jimi, & the way he used the “whammy-bar” is what helped inspire RB to the move to a Stratocaster, all-be-it with an over-sized whammy-bar that wouldn’t break. And RB used it to great effect too, as Uwe mentioned with “In Rock” displaying awesome mastery.
Interesting though, RB would hardly ever play Hendrix phrasings or chordings…Only “Our Lady” from WDWTWA springs to mind, & a couple of Rainbow tunes like “Rainbow Eyes” or in occasional noodles whilst on stage.
Peace !
September 20th, 2023 at 11:01Exactly right, Gregster, I hear Jimi in Ritchie not when he does, say, the Highway Star solo (that neoclassical thing is very much Ritchie’s own creation, Yngwie and Uli Jon – another Hendrix fan – shall forever feel indebted!), but when he’s introspective. Rainbow Eyes (and before that: Catch the Rainbow) is a great example, when I first heard Rainbow Eyes, my immediate association was when Hendrix did lyrical ballads on electric guitar (rather than grabbing an acoustic as most people would have). Also Ritchie’s between-songs-noodlings that took up a greater part of his stage act from Mk III onward, peaking with Dio era Rainbow.
And Ritchie’s belated conversion from a Gibson semi-hollow to a solid-body Strat was to my mind also very much Hendrix-inspired. We all know that his first Strat was basically a throwaway from Eric Clapton, but I believe Ritchie had fallen in love with the “Hendrix & Strat” iconic image – many guitarists did at the time. Hendrix turned the Strat into a counterculture guitar hero tool/weapon/insignia. And the Strat did in fact look much better on Ritchie than his cherry ES-335 (though that looked great on Alvin Lee, another admirer of Hendrix btw).
September 20th, 2023 at 14:19Yes the iconic Fender Stratocaster was a part of it. Although you have to give credit to others also being a influence with that look & sound. What about Hank Marvin earlier on? How many guitarist were wanting that sound etc. Hendrix beefed it up of course & some! He does have one of the most iconic rock guitar sounds ever to my ears. The Band of Gypsys concerts & that Royal Albert Hall concert say it all. What a guitar sound it is. It was ironic that Hendrix died in England as that was where it was all happening & the ‘political’ crap in the USA at the time was another reason he was in Ole Blighty. In regards to everyone recommending him to play here or there that happens with anyone hip at the time. He was the new ‘star’ on the horizon for a short while. It doesn’t last long though as we constantly witness. He was the first to down play the fawning of the press & others saying things like ‘your the greatest guitarist in the world etc’ He loathed all that bullshit hype & was the first to point out there are far better guitarists than me at play. He was there at the right moment in time & a revolution indeed & it was such a shame he couldn’t handle it all. He use to go on about dying early etc, both in comments & with certain lyrics. It looked like he had had enough of everything & was just hoping all the crap would go away. All he wanted to do was create & play music. A victim of the times as others were. Cheers
September 20th, 2023 at 21:46Uwe said qt.” Hendrix turned the Strat into a counterculture guitar hero tool/weapon/insignia. And the Strat did in fact look much better on Ritchie than his cherry ES-335 (though that looked great on Alvin Lee, another admirer of Hendrix btw)”.
These are a few reasons why Mr.McBride should consider a trade-up to a Stratocaster, but most importantly is the tone achieved…
( Through the latest McBride post / video, for sure he indicates that you don’t really need one in today’s world, but how much warmer, clearer, defined & wider sound-spectrum was the sound when the “Pedal guys” made him play a Telecaster through the same rig ???…And a Telecaster is the older brother of the Stratocaster )….Just sayin’…
Peace !
September 21st, 2023 at 00:33I pains me to disagree, lieber Gregster, the real Fender Telecaster Simon played at the end of the vid is a case in point: It sounded weaker than both the PRS models he had played before. Lo-Fi’ish in comparison, just less “there”. It might sound nice and warm in the privacy of your living room (or on your porch/veranda(h) overlooking Drogheda, while Rachel Ward is doing the dishes in the house***), but when you’re playing to convince an arena or stadium, I’d prefer all frequencies to be there.
***All my profound (mis)conceptions of Australia are of course based on original source material!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOqIah1Zm88
(I know, none of it was filmed in New South Wales, not even in Australia … And Richard Chamberlain’s real life interest in even the most beautiful of sheep farm heiresses would have been thoroughly platonic irrespective of whether he’d be wearing a soutane or not!)
September 21st, 2023 at 22:33@34…
I would suggest that the weaker sound is expected, since your typical single-coil Telecaster pick-up would have maybe 1/3 or maybe a little-more of the total windings of your average hum-bucker pick-up… The solution is to turn the volume up a notch or two, as required…The reward being an arguably better sound…
But let’s not forget that Simons Engl tube amps are the successors to what RB helped develop into robust & reliable amplification for road use, & the amps have been tweaked specifically to fill-in a claimed hole that exists within Dons sound…I tend to think that to fix this, move the keyboards back to stage-right, & leave the guitar stage-left.
Also, the way modern electronics are today, you can more than just ball-park anyone’s sound, regardless of amp or guitar used…You simply have to spend time fiddling-through all the possibilities by dialling-in the sound, & patching it into memory once found.
I’m not sure if the “other name brands” have done so, but Fender did release a Stratocaster a few years ago that offered a “personality-card” replacement to have this guitar sound like what ever you wanted it too, or if you rather, sound like a Telecaster or Hum-bucked Gibson or whatever, by simply swapping sound-cards over.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/StratADPMMIB–fender-american-deluxe-strat-plus-with-personality-cards-mystic-ice-blue
Peace !
September 23rd, 2023 at 05:43It’s good that Glenn’s voice is in good shape at his age but the screams quickly become tedious as he does them so much. Would be more impressive if it was occasionally. No need for a vocal solo spot at all, it’s boring, he does sing alot during the set so it’s superfluous. Ditch the Mark II material, just play more from his era. Never been into his rendition of Mistreated, and although it’s Coverdale’s song THE best vocal performance of it is by Ronnie James Dio during his Rainbow years.
October 9th, 2023 at 15:15Dio’s lack of (i) insulted machismo and (ii) wounded lion roar never worked for me on that. He sang it well technically, but it was as credible to me as Johnny Cash doing James Brown’s Sex Machine.
DC likewise could have never pulled off Stargazer or Gates of Babylon. Or look at what Paul Rodgers did to Queen’s I Want To Break Free.
October 9th, 2023 at 17:49