If you are one of those who believe that there’s a certain age in which we are too old for rock n’ roll, any of the current members of Deep Purple would politely ask you to hold their beers. Despite being Steve Morse the only one in the current band incarnation – also dubbed as MK VIII – who hasn’t reached the seven decades of life yet, these five veterans have plenty of gas in their tanks, enough to get the audience all amped-up and fist-pumping in the air during the initial night of their now underway 2022 tour.
The iconic Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, and for many one of the three bands in the “Holy Trinity of hard rock and heavy metal,” started off the night with palpable enthusiasm and frantic energy, not like if they were playing in a beautiful indoors state-of-the-art theater, but headlining a festival in front of dozens of thousands fans. Dressed in plain black Ian Gillan moved around quite a lot while singing, also interacting with his fellow band-members and the audience, a man who truly knows the game, how to work a crowd and make them sing along. How Ian Paice continues to beat the life out of his drum kit at the pace of songs composed more than 30 years ago is truly beyond my comprehension, yet he sat in his drum throne and punished the skins and cymbals with meticulous precision. Don Airey was not much visible behind his wall of keys, yet he had his time to shine during a brief yet revealing keyboard solo spot, which preceded the band’s iconic track “Perfect Strangers.” The two men with the strings, Roger Glover and Steve Morse were simply having a ball on stage, laughing at each other, and frequently coming close to one another for solo sections, reveling in their ability to jam. Glover’s bass cut through the mix like a knife, the notes providing a wrapping aura around Paice’s thunderous strokes, while Morse was simply put on fire. I’ve seen Steve playing live several times with different other bands, but the way his hands ran through the fretboard and bent the strings last night was certainly unique, nailing the guitar sections of songs that have defined many generations with utmost gusto and confidence.
The only thing anyone in attendance could complain about was the relatively short set-list, encompassing only 11 songs, and the lack of a bigger presence of tracks from their excellent last studio album “Whoosh!” Deep Purple might have released their debut album over fifty years ago, but they are not only still kicking, they're doing an absolutely no-frills, fine job of it, and most importantly: having fun doing it, endearingly waving the middle finger to Father Time.
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
i saw them a few years ago and they still bring it
I know Deep Purple has been through multiple personnel changes over the years so I have a question. The first I saw them was in 1985 as a teen. Blackfoot opened. It was an outdoor stadium and it was LOUD. I liked them but I liked Blackfoot more actually.
The only other time I saw them was also outside and I think this was in 1997. Emerson Lake and Palmer opened.
Does anyone know who were in the lineups at the times?
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
I know Deep Purple has been through multiple personnel changes over the years so I have a question. The first I saw them was in 1985 as a teen. Blackfoot opened. It was an outdoor stadium and it was LOUD. I liked them but I liked Blackfoot more actually.
The only other time I saw them was also outside and I think this was in 1997. Emerson Lake and Palmer opened.
Does anyone know who were in the lineups at the times?
85- Lord,Paice,Glover,Gillan,Blackmore
97-Lord,Paice,Glover,Gillan,Steve Morse
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
@lee If you're avatar is correct & you're from Michigan you probably saw them at Atwood Stadium in Flint right? I was there too! Blackfoot was pretty good but it was loud wasn't it.
I saw the MKII band twice and the MKIII band once. Then saw them with with Joe Lynn Turner.
I have seen them twice with Morse, while Lord was still alive, and though they put on a good show they really miss the Black Night, Ritchie Blackmore.
No Blackmore then no Deep Purple for me.
@lee If you're avatar is correct & you're from Michigan you probably saw them at Atwood Stadium in Flint right? I was there too! Blackfoot was pretty good but it was loud wasn't it.
Wow, how ironic that you were there too! Somehow me and my got buddies got a hold of some booze. We were high school sophomores. I remember standing outside the gate to get in and the intersection was totally full of people wanting to get in. Frankly it was scary. There was a cop car with two guys in it and I don't think they wanted to get out of their squad car.
Back to the show, I recall Blackfoot playing Train Train and Morning Dew. I think they had just released the album Vertical Smiles which I like to this day.
I knew a bunch of Deep Purple's hits from the radio but like I said, My God it was loud. My ears hurt for a couple of days and as you know it was at an outdoor football stadium.
Good times!
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
Loudest show I attended was Led Zeppelin in 1974. Like Lee at the Deep Purple show, my ears rang for several days. Actually that is ridiculous!! There is no reason in the world for a band to play so loud it hurts. Jimi Hendrix in 1968 was also way to loud for me.
Blackfoot is way too loud. And their Confederate Flag waving like Lynyrd Skynyrd is absolutely out of bounds now.
Saw Purple twice with Blackmore who was better than Eddie Van Halen.....whoa did I say that!!?? And too LOUD. Wore ear plugs second time and enjoyed it better.
There is no reason in the world for a band to play so loud it hurts.
Someone should have explained this to Dickey many years ago.
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
I saw the MKII band twice and the MKIII band once. Then saw them with with Joe Lynn Turner.
I have seen them twice with Morse, while Lord was still alive, and though they put on a good show they really miss the Black Night, Ritchie Blackmore.
No Blackmore then no Deep Purple for me.
I worship at the alter of Blackmore and Page so I can understand your feelings. But you should give the Morse era a chance. Yes, with Blackmore gone, that traditional sound is somewhat missing, due to his playing,tone,writing and etc. I get it. But with RB out, I feel the band and its individual members, (and with what Morse brings to the table ), they have been able to open up, grow more, and expand new horizons with their songwriting. They seem to be more versatile now vs the past. Is it a good or bad thing? Thats up to the listeners and fans ears. I personally like what they are doing. You still get that DP flavor and they respect it, but then again, the song writing is different and moving in the not so traditional DP flavor. Still great music to me. The consensus among fans is that the last 3 releases might be the strongest post RB. Bob Ezrin was the producer of those.
Like I mentioned I am a huge DP fan. I would love for nothing more for them to come out and give a raw,rockin release ala' " In Rock". I dont think that's in the cards with this incarnation of the band/era as of now.They have always balanced the prog/rock line, but this newer stuff seems more progy in away, but not totally. I would almost like for them to go a little more in that direction. What they are delivering these days I am digging. Different , but still good music to my ears. Its all subjective in what you like and don't. I wont fault anyone for that.
I would to see Ritchie whip up a killer version of Rainbow again. I know the last 5-6 summers he has done some shows during the summer with "Rainbow" but it seemed to be lacking to a degree. The vocals were there no doubt. Ritchie's playing I think has become more refined over the last 25 yrs or so due to playing the classical stylings of Blackmores Night. Versus the beautiful/chaotic unhinged masterworks of the past. It's still there, just in a different form. That's just my opinion!!
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
@lee: I saw that 1997 tour in San Francisco with Emerson, Lake and Palmer opening. The lineup was nearly identical to today's band except Jon Lord was on organ. Of course, Lord passed away in 2012. He had already retired way back in 2002. So the band in 1997 was Steve Morse, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Jon Lord.
Very curious that Purple has already kicked off a U.S. tour yet their official website lists the next date as 5/22/22 in Tel Aviv, Israel.
https://deeppurple.com/pages/tours
Very curious that Purple has already kicked off a U.S. tour yet their official website lists the next date as 5/22/22 in Tel Aviv, Israel.
After the two Florida shows, they were doing a Rock Legends Cruise.
https://rocklegendscruise.com/rlc9/
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
