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DPAS
LIVE REVIEWS
I've just got home from the coolest festival I've ever been to. I had been pleased to hear that Deep Purple were playing The Netherlands this year, and that they would share the stage with some of the other greatest classic rock bands in the world on a festival organised by a radio station I listen to every day! The first thing me and my father saw on arrival at the site were huge parking facilities: we knew then that this was really going to be something special and also that we would'nt be getting out very quickly afterwards! The weather was to be great, about 25 Celsius. First band up was SUPERFLOOR. They had won an Arrow Classic Rock competition, with the winner ending up as the opening act for the event. They were pretty tight, but to me it sounded all the same. URIAH HEEP was one of the best live performances I have ever seen!!! They still sing perfect harmonies!!! The set list was incredible: kicking off with Easy Livin', followed by other great songs such as Gypsy, July Morning, Circle of Hands, The Wizard, Stealin', Bird of Prey, and Look At Yourself. We got back to the main stage for LYNYRD SKYNYRD. We'd never heard of the band, and I have to say, I definetely DIDN'T like them. I hated the way they ACTED on stage. The performance made the crowd aggressive and I certainly didn't like the flag waving by the singer.
Then, finally 22:32pm, the lights went down and everybody was ready for DEEP PURPLE. In some earlier reviews I read that Purple weren't very good and that the audience weren't that happy with them. I also talked with a guy who saw them in Birmingham a few days earlier who said that Purple had 'lost the audience'. Well, here in Lichtenvoorde that was definately NOT the case. The WHOLE crowd was into Purple. Everywhere around me people were singing and screaming along as soon as they took off with HIGHWAY STAR, though Don was a bit low in the mix, as was Gillan. You could see on their faces that Purple were very pleasantly surprised by the fact that the entire audience (around 25,000 people!!!) were so enthusiastic. The interaction between the band and the crowd was great, setting the mood for a great show. It was great to hear KNOCKING AT YOUR BACK DOOR live, with a great solo from Steve! The whole band was in a good shape; Rog and Steve always smiling, Paicey as solid as ever, Big Ian reaching every note 'tip-top', and Don Airey also seeming to have a great time. PICTURES OF HOME (the director's cut?) followed with Rog's bass solo getting a great roar, then some bluesy Hammond playing from Don acted as an intro for LAZY. It was a relaxed version, much like the original. I've never liked the fast tempo Lazy (such as that on Total Abandon) but this new tempo was just right, and with great solos.
Don's solo spot followed. I recognised a lot of his classical piano stuff, and of course his (in)famous Star Wars theme, which sounded great. On PERFECT STRANGERS I really missed the heavy organ sound. Airey is still too much of a synth guy. Steve's 'riff-raff' before SMOKE ON THE WATER included pieces of Back in Black, Little Wing, Stairway To Heaven, and You Really Got Me, it was far longer than on the Total Abandon and Rotterdam CDs). Of course they got a big roar when the first deng deng deeeng was played. Paicey then started his hi-hat-intro for SPACE TRUCKIN', Steve began playing something different over it, and the second jam of the evening emerged! The actual song was performed very tightly, with absolutely great drumming. Exactly 1 hour after they had kicked off, the main part of the show was over. Time for a 3 minute break during which the audience sang 'BLACK NIGHT' to lure them back! Most of the crowd didn't know the first encore would be actually be HUSH, but it was warmly welcomed and everybody sang along!!! Then it was time for BLACK NIGHT, with the whole audience singing along...in the right key!....so that Purple just had to provide fills to make the song complete. It was a great ending to a very special show. (Why didn't Ian see I was waving a banana for about almost the entire gig?) I hope they get here again next year to promote some bananas!!!! review: Reinier Scheffer |
