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Steve Morse on the orchestral tour
Deep Purple have finally broken silence about the upcoming tour with an orchestra when Steve Morse spoke to Examiner about it:
So Deep Purple is touring with a symphony orchestra?
Yeah. It’s not exactly like the symphonic tour that we did where we’re actually playing symphonic music that Don [Airey, Deep Purple keyboardist] had written and some Deep Purple songs. We’re going to play our set, basically, and have accompaniment on some songs, sort of like if you imagine some of the old Motown songs where they added strings and horns to a song to spice it up. And that’s the approach [the band] want[s] to take on this tour. So we’re arranging things as we speak.
He also spoke about what it is to be the only Yank in the band, Gillan’s barefoot habits, Japan, and (as if straight from the ‘don’t give them ideas‘ department) his touring plans:
Is there any place that you haven’t played yet that you’re looking forward to?
Oh, yeah. I’d like to see — and this is not a joke — Antarctica. Because I’m fascinated with technology and how people cope with things. Since I’m a member of Deep Purple, and have played outside in the snow on top of a mountain, in a desert (laughs) and in a monsoon in Korea, I think, outside, getting drenched, it seems like if we can play anywhere, we might as well go to the most extreme gig possible, and that would be Antarctica. Maybe even the North Pole, I don’t know. But there’s some parts of Africa that we haven’t been to, and that would be interesting, especially if they were able to accommodate all the power and logistics for the band. The adventure never stops.
Any other messages about the tour?
If anybody hasn’t seen the band, we don’t get to the U.S. very often, so I would suggest this is the time. And the band is a live group; It’s all about the energy vibe. We have one of the best keyboard players in the world [Don Airey], and just a fantastic rhythm section. You know, the icons of rock and roll. So check it out if you’re ever kicking yourself for not seeing the classic artists when they come around. Deep Purple doesn’t hit the States very often.
Read the whole interview on examiner.com.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
I guess he meant the symphonic music was written by Jon (Lord) and not Don (Airey).
April 19th, 2011 at 06:45Can’t wait for Hartford CT!
April 19th, 2011 at 11:54Hmm, I am more interested with the questions regarding the new record. And as I expected, Steve gives positive news 🙂
April 19th, 2011 at 14:24The drift I get here is…..”See Us Now….It’s most likely your last chance…..
Follows my earlier announcement. MK8 ran it’s course….Anything that follows after the ‘supposed’ New Album will be a NEW MARK.
Thanks Steve for making it clear….
Cheers
April 19th, 2011 at 23:40WOW!
The possibility that they may play new material on the tour, sounds great!
April 20th, 2011 at 01:09well ‘please do not need this version of purple again, it would be like seeing reruns of the young ones (ouy yay ).
April 20th, 2011 at 02:12@4 These guys cant go on forever. This will be probably be the last album and cant see the touring going on too much longer.
A NEW MARK? Maybe………could result in a few personnel changes. Or just the end of the road.
Enjoy it while we can.
April 20th, 2011 at 08:34@4 It seems you’re right Tracy, I got this feeling too.. Gillan have hinted this too, saying he want’s to retire with dignity.
April 20th, 2011 at 15:49Iam also looking forward to Hartford CT. DP has always loved playing here bushnell will be a great place to see them w/orchestra if its not broke dont fix it. but if it is start assimilalating some younger musicians in who are devoted to rock&roll like the kid who sang highway star w/steve morse band!!
April 20th, 2011 at 20:36I definitely will see them again! Longtime fans like me savor these bands. Especailly after the passing of Dio. I’m 45 years old and saw them here in Detroit starting with the Perfect Strangers tour. Since then I count 5 times. Steve is right – they don’t come around to the US often. Radio is unkind to older artists “newer” music. So all that’s left here are recycled greatest hits tours that I along with Purple, detest. I’m sure they will mix up the set list to please everyone. The orchestra is a great way to generate fresh interest too!
April 21st, 2011 at 00:03Maybe Gillan has plantar fasciitis.
April 21st, 2011 at 01:18sounds like it will be like the “live at the olympia” CD from when steve first joined!
April 21st, 2011 at 15:48http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantaire_fasciitis
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April 21st, 2011 at 23:25For whatever it’s worth, my post is not connected to this News or any of the others being blogged to. I had ROTD on in the car this morning, and when Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye eased, my first thought from opening was, I can’t believe that these “eldsters” are still cranking GREAT Muzak out! Buying Machine Head at 11 years old with hard earned “grass cutting” money, and today driving along at a few months shy of 50 years old listening to Paicey’s sick primal beats gave me pause for almost disbelief. Just thank your chosen gods that they are still rocking!
Peace,
Ted :>
April 23rd, 2011 at 16:54It’d be interesting to hear stuff like Ted the Mechanic,Seventh Heaven,Clearly Quite Absurd & Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming get orchestral arrangements.However,those tunes don’t qualify as Greatest Hits,so,it’s not likely to happen.
April 23rd, 2011 at 17:54Re: #13
I was making reference to the mystery behind Ian Gillan peforming in his bare feet. Plantar fasciitis is a painful foot condition exacerbated by poor-fitting or incorrect shoes. It was just a thought.
April 24th, 2011 at 01:22“ARPIL”….definitely…
April 24th, 2011 at 17:11@16: It’s no mystery. Ian has said that is’s simply because he enjoys being barefoot.
April 24th, 2011 at 19:51Re: #18
Re: The actual article
“Out of curiosity, why does Ian Gillan perform barefoot?
It’s hard to say. It could have been just a manager. Like maybe one time he came out and his feet were hurting and he came out with bare feet and the manager says, “What are you doing going out in bare feet?” That guarantees that for the next X number of years, he’s only going to go out in bare feet, just to prove a point that he doesn’t take advice from anybody. I think he’s just more comfortable doing that; he’s a very visceral person.
April 25th, 2011 at 15:01The fact should be even less a secret that he performs in his bare feet because he had a foot injury that he never got medical attention for. It started causing more irritation around the year 2000, so he started going out in bare feet to damper the discomfort of performing in shoes.
April 25th, 2011 at 19:01Is the irony lost on some?
It’s like saying to JL – You left the band to play with classicaly trained Pluckers, Strokers, Strummers & Tappers – so, just to make you feel even more like you shouldn’t have left DP, we’re doing a semi-classical thing too (Anything you can do ………….!)
I know this isn’t the case, truly I do, but I can’t help but wonder if the DP management aren’t saying “You know, I think we could do with a second Hammond player on this tour – to counter the String & Horn section….. anybody know of one?”
Well, we all dream from time to time!
I thought ‘Watching the Sky’ on the Concerto DVD was very well done with classical backing.
Maybe it will work really well – Does this mean that the Stave-line fixated Musos will have to learn improvisation? Unheard of!
April 25th, 2011 at 23:14Sorry boys, but the shoeless Gillan is all too well known. He finds it soothing and actually grounds him mentally while performing. There are a number of vocalists whom perform barefoot. They all state that it somehow enhances their ability to sing and relax. Takes the edge off some say. Gillan told me those were his reasons a few years back. As far as his injury….I doubt that plays any part whatsoever. He isn’t a bouncing, hopping, jumping frontman. On the contrary. He pretty much stands feet well planted on the floor and derives his pipes from his toes all the way up through is Silver Throat. Always has. He wears shoes all the time while not performing. He just feels more comfortable drawing from being connected to where he stands….
Cheers
April 26th, 2011 at 17:23see You at Woodstock Bethel N.Y
April 27th, 2011 at 15:08Just heard the good news: DP with orchestra will be performing the 7th December in Finland, Hartwall Arena. It will be a very special event! Welcome old gaffers!
April 29th, 2011 at 10:59they shoul play one of the most,best,absolute,wonderful songs ever done in the history of rock…: “APRIL”….perfect for this tour….
April 30th, 2011 at 21:23@ Tracy, it was clearly the first reason Ian publicly gave in 2001, so I’ll ignore the rest of his often changing stories to keep readers boggled or whatever is the reason he is into such NONSENSE. This is the case any and every time he augments his public remarks from fact to fiction. He gets asked the same thing so often, it’s like he changes the answers to amuse himself or just take the piss out. That is a fact on my gauge of his self political for the sake of self entertaining approach to Q and A. Cheers, stranger!
May 2nd, 2011 at 22:15