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DPAS
LIVE REVIEWS In these troubled economic times even Deep Purple seem to have to economize. Luckily, it's not on quality: Saturday's show was as tight as any I've seen over the last few years. No - I'm afraid Deep Purple are cutting back on what I have always enjoyed most about them: variety and improvisation.
I missed the looseness, the "we'll see what happens next" attitude that made me a fan all those years ago. And why no drum solo? Is nothing sacred? But did I have a good time? You bet, and I'll tell you why. This show was part of an open air summer festival, with a very mixed audience. Judging by the amount of bicycles parked outside the Museumsplatz, I had the impression a big part of it came from Bonn. The show went down very well with this crowd, because of the high standards Deep Purple keep, the band's professionalism and the fun they have when they play. So, I had a great time because Deep Purple played well, and there was a lot of happiness around me. review: Hein Bierman
This was my second gig on this tour after the opening at Schwung Festival, Roeselare, which I must say I was slightly dissappointed by as they gave a very basic performance there (though still highly enjoyable!). But here in Bonn, Deep Purple were just as smashing as ever! No mistakes, no moderate try-out versions and a longer set! The atmosphere was great, with a very nice stage set-up and huge open tent construction. Lynyrd Skynyrd warmed us up very well, and then came Deep Purple with a bang (and the smashing opener Highway Star); they were immediately back up to the level I've witnessed in the last few years with Morse! I knew exactly what to expect since the set list does not change too often on this tour - but the renditions of Highway Star, Mary Long and I'm Alone were much tighter than Roeselare. I also heard more of what Don Airey was doing, and I must say, he played like a Lord! They also improvised more, played with parts of songs, such as a nice intro into the pounding drums of Pictures Of Home - I guess they just needed some time to match their great musicial mastery and forge it into pure magic again! Furthermore, I noticed that I've started liking the new song 'Haunted' some more, and 'I've Got Your Number' already deserves a regular place in their set as far as I am concerned. A welcome extra compared to Schwung was Morse's Well Dressed Guitar and his fooling around with other great riffs from classic rock history before launching the riff of all riffs: Smoke On The Water. The encores Hush and Black Night were just party time... by then me and my gig mate had long forgotten the 4 hour drive from Belgium. But hey, to enjoy Black Night...it's a long way from home! review: Ludo Verhaege, Gent, Belgium |
