March
31st 2006.
Royal
Albert Hall, London, England Tommy
Vance Tribute Night
"The
setlist was: Second Sight / No Laughing In Heaven / Unchain
Your Brain / A Day Late and a Dollar Short / Have Love Will
Travel / When A Blind Man Cries / Bluesy Blue Sea / Sugar
Plum / Black Night.
I can't write a review as I can no longer be objective about
Ian's performance - the fact that he was on a stage while
I was in the audience guarantees a magical experience for
me. Notwithstanding that, 'When A Blind Man Cries'
was absolutely stunning..." Ian WIlliams
Reviews
& photos Ian
Gillan & Friends: Royal Albert Hall, March 31st 2006
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August
17th 2006. Phoenix
Concert Theatre, Toronto
Set
list: Second Sight / No Laughing In Heaven / Into The Fire
/ Hang Me Out To Dry / Have Love Will Travel (Michael
Lee Jackson song) / Wasted Sunsets / Not Responsible
/ No Worries / Unchain Your Brain/ (Band jam) / Bluesy
Blue Sea / Moonshine / Texas State Of Mind (Michael Lee
Jackson song) / Sugar Plum (with Jeff Healey)
/ When A Blind Man Cries (with Jeff Healey) / Men
Of War / (Drum solo) / Smoke On The Water. Encore:
Trouble / Knockin' At Your Back Door..." Tom Jory
Review
Ian Gillan: Toronto, August 17th 2006
Photo
Gallery Ian Gillan: Toronto, August 17th 2006
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August
18th 2006. Le
Spectrum, Montreal
"A
great rockin'` show from Ian!! He was full of energy and
the band played as if they have been together for years!.
The show was pretty much the same set list as Toronto (
without Jeff Healey)
Set
List: No Laughing In Heaven / Into The Fire / Hang Me Out
To Dry / Have Love Will Travel / Wasted Sunsets / Not Responsible
/ No Worries / Unchain Your Brain/ (Band jam) / Bluesy Blue
Sea / Moonshine / Texas State Of Mind / Sugar Plum/ When
A Blind Man Cries/ Men Of War / (Drum solo) / Smoke On The
Water. Encore: Knockin' At Your Back Door. The show started
around 9:15 and ended around 10:35ish..... Nice small venue,
sadly not sold out but a good loud crowd from Montreal ."
review: Gary Poronovich
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August
22nd 2006. The
Birchmere, Washington DC
"Absolutely
brilliant show, with the same setlist as Toronto except
that "Trouble" was included in the encore. Sadly, Ian &
Co. didn't draw very well here in Washington D.C.; probably
less than 100 people in a venue that seats several hundred.
Despite that, Ian and the band put on a fantastic show,
with his solo numbers receiving nearly as good a welcome
as the Deep Purple numbers, which surprised me a bit given
how rarely he has promoted his solo work in the USA. As
per his web site contest, a local fan came up to play guitar
on "Smoke on the Water"- he didn't do too badly and got
to take a whole round of the solo section. Even more interesting,
however, was that another local chap came up to play Theremin(!)
on "Smoke..." He fitted very well into the mix, actually.
(And no, they didn't break into "Dazed & Confused.") Ian
was in fine voice and spirits, and it was truly an experience
I'll always remember, to be able to see him perform in such
an intimate setting. I do hope he draws better in other
cities. I'm beginning to understand why Deep Purple never
play DC any more when they come to the States." review:
Chris Oberst
"A
high octane performance. I last saw Gillan solo 23 years
ago in Germany. They did not disappoint in any respect.
If you don’t have a ticket for the Gillan 2006 tour, you
need to buy one now!! I won’t rehash what Mr. Oberst stated
in his review, because I am in violent agreement with his
remarks. I would like to add a little more color about the
show. Ian’s voice was the best that I have heard in years.
Ian blasted through all the songs with his trademark screams.
He seemed to pace himself at the beginning, but let it rip
after the second song to the end. The band was smoking.
The drummer, Randy Cooke, and bassist, Rodney Appleby, put
on incredibly exciting solos. Dean Howard and Michael Lee
Jackson rocked and kept true to the songs. Joe Mennonna
played an eerily, hellish Jon Lord-sounding solo. It appeared
to catch even Ian by surprise.
As for the “Smoke This” contest winners, they played like
real pros and did the anthem justice. One of the winners
played a Theremin. I believe that was the first time ever
that 'Smoke On The Water' received that treatment live with
a member of Deep Purple performing. There could be other
chances though…I was backstage after the show and heard
Ian invite the Theremin player to join Deep Purple on the
next US tour at an East Coast show. I wish I got the Theremin
player’s name, so I could be his roadie!! Other tidbits:
Ian sings ‘Have Love Will Travel’ on Michael Lee Jackson’s
new CD released this week. Jackson and Appleby have been
playing together for many, many years. The song 'Sugar Plum'
is about Dean Howard and was written around 1993. Randy
Cooke needs some stage threads – he dresses like Ted the
Mechanic. Joe Mennonna played on a few songs from ‘Accidentally
On Purpose’ – one of my favorite albums. Of the all the
f-ing media in DC, the only one covering the show was Egypt
Today! Look for an upcoming Ian Gillan interview at your
local Cairo newsstand or www.EgyptToday.com." Review:
Henry Sobieski
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August
23rd 2006. The
Concert Hall of NYC, New York
"An
incredible show to say the least! The concert hall of New
York was like all the other venues they played so far, very
small, maybe only about 800 people but it was just about
sold out.. Ian took the stage about 8:30 and played until
10:15. The setlist remained the same as the first show but
there was an additional instrumental played before 'Unchain
Your Brain'. I think it was called 'Telepathy'? Anyway,
Roger Glover showed up and played 2 songs with the band.
'Sugar Plum' and 'When A Blind Man Cries' which were great!
I had the chance to meet Roger in the bar in the lobby and
asked him when Deep Purple were going to tour America, he
replied not until next year so if any American reads this
and is wondering when they will be here it won't be until
2007. If there is a Gillan show in your city I highly recommend
going. The only negative is that 'Trashed' was not played,
I can't believe how many Black Sabbath Born Again tour shirts
I saw in the crowd. Great show! Great sound! Go for it!"
review: George Martin
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August
24th 2006. World
Cafe, Philadelphia
"Just
back from the World Cafe in Philly. Great band. Great voice
from Mr. Gillan. Same set list as Washington, clocking in
at 90 minutes. I'd guess the crowd to be in the vicinity
of 275-300. Personal highlights were "Into The Fire", "Not
Responsible", which , along with "Wasted Sunsets". Ian introduced
as songs "we don't get to do with Purple". At one point
he did tell an audience member to "save your voice... we
are not doing requests". Not sure what was requested at
the time, but there were shouts during the show for "Highway
Star" and "Jesus Christ Superstar". I'm not sure about any
place else is the world, but THIS was the kind of set list
Purple should do in the States. Smaller venues, cover a
wide range of material, including the very obscure, and
include a drum solo. Thanks Ian for a great night!"
review: Eric Eisenstein
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August
27th 2006. House
of Blues, Cleveland
"I
was lucky enough to catch the Gillan's Inn show at the Cleveland
HOB. Even though it was a 4-hour round-trip and I had to
buy box seat tickets (my husband's health made HOB's standing
room an impossibility) it was well worth it. Same setlist
as previous shows with no special 'guest' appearances, but
that was not a drawback at all!! I was encouraged by other
'positive' reviews here and elsewhere, so I want anyone
in Western Canada or The States to know that if you can
catch a show, you should! Ian was looking and sounding great
as always, performing fresh material you won't see with
Deep Purple, and with a backing group that knows how to
rock and have a good time. This show was a rare treat, and
it just makes me that much more anxious for the next Deep
Purple tour of the US. Too bad that won't be in such 'intimate'
settings - the small venues work for me. It made it possible
to hear all of the spoken song intros and stage patter that
gets lost in huge settings. One such that was priceless
to me was before 'When A Blind Mans Cries", Ian excused
himself for "Just a sip of water" and could then be heard
to say in dismay "They gave me f____ing WATER!" (I believe
that situation was quickly remedied!) Thanks to all for
a great time." Review: Susan Edgar
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August
30th 2006. Pabst
Theatre, Milwaukee
"We
had third row seats in a theatre that probably only holds
about 500 people. It did not sell out, so they reduced the
price of tickets by half (I paid full price, but got great
seats). Recording and photography was permitted. I took
pictures, but I've got to get them developed (sorry, no
digital camera here). Seems like most of the crowd had no
clue what most of the songs were, but they got rather enthusiastic
when the band played 'Smoke On The Water' (surprise!). They
had a pretty girl come strutting out on the stage between
songs with cue cards written with the title of the next
tune to be played (kinda like at a boxing match between
rounds). Well anyway, the show was great, and I am really
happy we got to hear some "Gillan" era stuff and lesser
known Deep Purple songs. Ian stayed after and autographed
stuff for the fans.
The
set list: Second Sight / No Laughing In Heaven / Into The
Fire / Hang Me Out To Dry / Have Love Will Travel / Wasted
Sunsets / Not Responsible / No Worries / When We're All
The King Of Court Arthur (instrumental: that's what Ian
called it!) / Unchain Your Brain / Bluesy Blue Sea /
Moonshine / Texas State Of Mind (vocal by Michael Lee
Jackson) / Sugar Plum / When A Blind Man Cries / Men
Of War / Smoke On The Water / Trouble / Knocking At Your
Back Door.
One more thing. There was a guy hitting on the girl who
was selling T-shirts, and she couldn't get rid of him. I
told him that she was Ian's wife (she isn't) and he'd probably
get his ass kicked. He left her alone after that. Ian Gillan
sings on Michael Lee Jackson's new album, 'In A Heartbeat'
which was sold at the show. Just one song, 'Have Love Will
Travel'."
Review & photo : Jeff Breis, Highbridge, Wisconsin
"What
is special about the tour is the open taping policy. Those
who wish to audio or video record are encouraged to do so.
There is even a link via Ian's website to YouTube where
a person may post videos. (See http://www.gillan.com) I
think that it would also be a nice gesture of the fans that
tape to send complete copies to the band as well! Perhaps
Ian's people could post an address for fans to send their
videos and audio recordings? Then perhaps a "best of the
boots" DVD or CD could become a souvenir item as an internet
exclusive??? A suggestion.
Many were recording in Milwaukee. Like the Toronto review
also stated, and the band seemed to be having a great time,
lots of smiles and laughter. A fun show. Recommended."
John Slywka
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Tour
Photos & Reviews
"I've
been reading the reviews of the Gillan's Inn tour and they
are great. I work for the label that represents Ian, and
which is supporting the Gillan's Inn tour. We have been
taking videos at each one of the shows. You can check videos
and pics from the tour here: www.gillansinn.com/tour.
"
Nate Lassiter, Internet Sales & Marketing Specialist,
Immergent.com.
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September
1st 2006. Silverado's,
Winnipeg
"Needless
to say, I was quite impressed with the talented core that
Ian has assembled on this tour. The band seemed to really
enjoy playing for the crowd at Silverado's in Winnipeg.
There were a fair number of true Purple fans in the crowd
who I shared Purple news with. Besides 'No Laughing In Heaven',
which is a classic for me, I really enjoyed the Michael
Lee Jackson song, 'Have Gun Will Travel'. It'll be one of
those songs played over and over by me while driving my
car. Since I was near the front, stage centre, I was able
to see the set list. I believe it's the same as most locations,
except that they performed an additional encore 'No One
Came' which was not on the set list. A great show, with
Ian's voice sounding better than I've heard in recent years.
Next stop, Las Vegas. I'll be there for the 'Smoke On The
Water' contest winner." review & photo: Andy
Szczepanik
Photo
Gallery Ian Gillan: Winnipeg, Canada. September 1st
2006
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September
6th 2006. Cowboys,
Edmonton new
October 8th
"
Ian and his inn-crew played a great show, mixing solo songs
with Deep Purple classics. It sounded loud and muffled in
this small venue, but gave an incredible opportunity to
see the veteran vocalist up close. The bass playing especially
stood out, and the keyboard player stepped forward to play
some nice saxophone parts. In addition, Ian thoughtfully
provided a pretty girl in a bikini to hold up cue cards
to identify songs, with a saucy wiggle to delight the fans.
(he's all heart..!) The audience included older folk,
teenage music lovers, and some lovely ladies. Deep Purple
tie-died T-shirts were abundant, and one lad wore a Frank
Zappa T-shirt (remembering "Smoke on the Water"). Afterwards,
Ian and his band took time to talk to fans. It was a great
evening and a special honour to meet the vocal hero."
review Jeremy Tyerman (originally from Stockton-on-Tees,
England)
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September
11th 2006. Slims,
San Francisco
"A
good show. Joe Satriani was rumoured to be showing up (the
venue even sent out an e-mail saying he was going to be
sitting in), but the sign on the door said he wasn't going
to play when I actually got there. There was one surprise;
Lars Ulrich from Metallica turned up to play drums on 'Smoke
On The Water', so that was pretty cool. The lucky guy who'd
won the competition to play 'Smoke..' on stage with Gillan
must have wet himself !"
review:
Jason O'Broin
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September
19th 2006. Gothic
Theatre, Denver
"With
only three dates left on the tour it has obviously been
a success, due to the intensity the band showed last night.
However, the fact that there were only two or three hundred
people there bothers me. Where were all the people that
came to see Robin Trower a few weeks ago? Maybe it's the
fact Ian shows no signs of letting up that kept them away.
On the other hand, it made for a better show; there were
merchandise bargains to be had, and Ian didn't have to sign
too many autographs! He'll sign everything (from body parts
to dollar bills) until there's no one left.
As
for the show, the whole band got on extremely well, but
for me the stand-out was the drummer. He seemed to have
the finesse of Morgenstern and the power of Powell, along
with some Paice influences. The cue card girl had a lot
less on than the Milwaukee picture. In fact, she could've
made her shorts out of a few feet of electrical tape for
all I knew." (Mmm, sounds quite interesting...errr...did
you get any photos Dave??)
review:
Dave Urstadt
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live
reviews
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