I went to see Steve in Old Bridge NJ on April 28. It was an amazing show. We arrived at the club around 6:30 to meet Damien DeSimone, who reported that the band was in the middle of the soundcheck. Steve came out five minutes later and signed my Purple photos. I met Steve twice before, and noticed he seemed a little out of it. He seemed really tired.
I should mention now that Steve had a rented car which has a safety device so that if you put the car into a reverse without your foot on the brake, the horn goes off. Well, after signing our stuff, Steve got into his car, started it up, and you guessed it, the horn went off! We all turned around (we were right in front of the car) and Steve had this real funny look on his face as if to say "sorry guys!" He then explained what had just happened! We then met Dave LaRue, and Van Romaine, and they too were very nice.
The show started with the guys walking on stage to pick up their instruments. The guy next to me yelled out "Highway Star" and Steve played a bit of it as a joke! The then went in to the opener "Good To Go." After "Cruise Control" Steve handed me his pick. It was an amazing show.
After the show, we saw Carl, the guitarist from the Joe Lynn Turner Band. We talked to him for a bit, having met him in 1993. We saw Steve again, and he told me the new Purple album would be on RCA in the States. As they had been dropped by Giant, I was wondering about this.
If anybody does catch other Morse shows, stick around after the show. The band always comes out to meet the fans.
Brendan