DPAS
LIVE REVIEWS We've been flooded with review of The Astoria show. Here's another batch which Simon has edited down, with fuller versions slated for the next issue of Darker Than Blue. (all photos are by Michael Richards) "Perhaps its the breadth of their style that has served them so well. Certainly, the guitar solos are there, superbly managed by the hands of Steve Morse, but it's the piano and organ solos that really capture the imagination. Don Airey plays his keyboards with a gorgeous lightness, sometimes delving towards honky tonk and funk, raising a laugh by leading from an epic solo into a few sneaky bars of Maybe It's Because I'm a Londoner." Sophie Heawood / The Guardian (sent by David Hobbs)
"I first saw the Morse line up at Brixton on the '96 tour and it was an excellent show. So the set list at the Astoria was a welcome return to those days - loads from the new album, a welcome return for 'Ted' and 'Screaming', and best of all 'Living Wreck'. For those of us who avidly collect the bands live shows something I don't think we've ever heard before . Like many I've been frustrated at the 'greatest hits' nature of the shows over the last 4 years, (but) I think when this set is 'played in' we'll see some truly great performances. Could I be cheeky and also ask for a 30 minute 'Mandrake Root'!!" Steve McGrath.
"To me, after the first couple of numbers, the rest of set stuttered from song to song. The new material (often) has a semi decent riff, and then gets lost in unnecessary time / progressive chord changes. The highpoints for me were a stonking Perfect Strangers and Sometimes I feel Like Screaming. Steve Morse nails these songs wonderfully - superb stuff! I think they still have a following that merits and deserves them playing better types of venue than the London Astoria." Mark Connolly
"The set list was standard with tracks from the new album (which in my opinion do not translate very well live) with a splattering of tracks from post-reformation albums. It was nice to see them do Living Wreck, but come on guys sort some of the others out, Highway Star needs to be rested and how about resting Smoke - surely there are some other songs that translate good live. Don'’t get me wrong, I have been a loyal Purps fan for nigh on 36 years, and welcomed the changes that came about with the departure of Blackmore and then Lord, but have they now run their course? The recent albums have been mediocre, over produced and with more than a hint of American radio rock. I know that to stay ahead of the game you have to progress the music but have the Purps lost their identity?" Peter Webber "My ears are still ringing! A good mixture of old and very new. So new in fact that Ian Gillan had to remind himself of the words! Excellent show and as always I just didn't want it to end. Lets hope they tag on a show or two at the end of the Rapture tour in a couple of years. Oh, too long to wait !!" Annie Graham "We were lucky enough to witness a road test of pretty much the entire Rapture album, and I thought it sounded absolutely fantastic. For the old lags (can he mean me? ed) there was a storming version of Pictures Of Home to open, followed mid way through by a terrific, near funk/heavy rock take on Living Wreck, which it must be said brought a tear of joy to my eye as I heard it played! Purple will definitely get tighter, particularly on the new material, as the tour progresses, but they’ll struggle to match the “go-for-it” attitude they showed tonight." Mark Brandon "While some of the endings were, uh, quite spontaneous, overall it felt great. Great response from the audience, but then again, we were not playing to strangers, this was really a group of hard core fans that made up the audience. A great way to start the tour." Steve Morse, guitarist. (from Steve's latest letter at www.stevemorse.com) |