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DPAS
LIVE REVIEW The DP show at Colmar was sold-out, with the band playing to an audience of 10,000. The good points: the tickets were very low-priced, only 16 Euros, which really makes for a change these days. Also, during his solo, Don Airey played a bit of "D'r Hans Em Schnokeloch", a very popular local Alsacian song he can't possibly have known previously... which means he learned it the same day just to please the local audience, a really great piece of homework. The bad points: ... well, I don't know where to begin. This was my tenth DP show since '93 and I've never left the hall feeling so disappointed. DEEP PURPLE played a (too) short 90 minute set comprising the same old songs, played routinely and without much imagination. All were kept short, without the improvisation still distinctive in the not too distant past (eg. the shows from '96 to '99). So, again, no drum solo, "Pictures Of Home" cut short, ... there's not even a guitar solo, I'm sorry, but I don't include the "Smoke On The Water" introduction....there's absolutely no soloing in that, just playing famous guitar themes, among which "Back In Black", which sadly got the strongest audience reaction... I'm really bored of that. If I want to hear AC/DC, well, I know what else to do than to be here. I wonder how many people recognised Edgar Winter's "Free Ride" when Steve played it. I don't know about the well dressed guitar, but Steve Morse is without a doubt the well underused guitar player. Surely the guy can play better, rather than still playing solos as Ritchie Blackmore recorded them way, way back. It was a real surprise when Joe Satriani did that in his days, now it has turned into sad routine. When I saw the band two months ago in Saarbrücken, they played the excellent "I'm Alone", which, along with "Haunted" & "I Got Your Number", made for three 'new' tracks. Now they have dropped it from the setlist, and the more I hear "Haunted", the less I like it. As for "I Got Your Number", I don't think it's a great track. And the show went on, with the "Star Wars" theme (again, just like in June, and last year...) and Gary Glitter's "Rock & Roll (... as in 2001...). All the time, I couldn't help but wonder how many in the audience had seen the band in the last few years, because they were really loving it all. Was I the only one to not enjoy the show? It wasn't bad, it was just.. I don't know. Perhaps it was just me. Had it been a tribute band, I would have thought it was great. But from the genuine article, I expect much more. Maybe too much... After the show, while the hall was emtying, "Haunted" was played through the PA. After the shows in 1996 it was "The Aviator", which I liked better. A lot better. I was planning to see the band again in Basel in November, now I'm not too sure. Too bad really". review: Yves Rohrbacher |