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Providence 1985

The official Youtube channel has posted a 16 minute fragment of the Deep Purple’s performance in Providence, RI, on March 5, 1985:

Makes you want to see more, eh? 😉



31 Comments to “Providence 1985”:

  1. 1
    John Chillingworth says:

    David Shea wouldn’t surprise me to hear that you.were at this show. ..

  2. 2
    DaBoss Robert says:

    Awesome…

  3. 3
    David Shea says:

    not for want of trying…I was stuck in Ithaca, NY and couldn’t make it back…they didn’t play Syracuse or anywhere reachable on that tour so I missed that go-round….see my other post on this

  4. 4
    Rikk Desgres says:

    I was at that show.

  5. 5
    Larry Toering says:

    Justice would be better served on the net if the quality were retained. Been watching this for years in sparkling quality. The intro footage is the exact same source used on the Sydney ’84 DVD, contributed by the guy who put this together. But the quality here of the performance part of this clip is horrible, almost like watching a different thing. It’s that far from where it came.

  6. 6
    henrik h says:

    About time. Release it alreasy.

  7. 7
    Erwin Molenaar says:

    I have seen the same show/tour in Europe, Belgium, Genk, I have got that same Tshirt !!

  8. 8
    John says:

    Saw dp on this tour in New Haven CT. The banjo player had his back to the crowd for most of the show. Typical Jerk.

  9. 9
    MacGregor says:

    I am surprised there hasn’t been a mention here somewhere of the excellent article on Purple’s history over at the Classic Rock web site! It is strange though that Now What? is not included in the article? Cheers.

  10. 10
    EdwardsColetta says:

    Wasn’t it already available on New Live & Rare DVD (although without this documentary intro)?

  11. 11
    Nick Soveiko says:

    MacGregor @9:

    if you’re referring to their Deep Purple Buyers Guide, it’s just a rather opinionated piece of journalism (a.k.a. flamebait), from which most of our readers would learn nothing new.

  12. 12
    Rich Shailor says:

    Were you there Brad DeMoranville ?

  13. 13
    Brad DeMoranville says:

    The short answer is no . . .

  14. 14
    Smoke Tea says:

    The Cow Palace concert (Jan. 31) was great.

  15. 15
    Chip Roy says:

    If Girlschool opened, I was there. Pretty sure there was a snowstorm…

  16. 16
    MacGregor says:

    Nick@11- yes that is the article indeed. I thought it may provide an ‘interesting’ comment or three from a few patriots. Especially since Now What? isn’t included for whatever reason, that alone is a curious one! It is a good article IMHO, especially as it covers 98% of their career! But yes you are correct, it is an ‘opinion’ only, most of it I liked, some of it I didn’t.
    Regarding this ’85 footage, man did that bring back some memories & you can tell by my comment that I still haven’t purchased the Perfect Strangers ‘Live’DVD as yet from Australia. One day no doubt. Cheers.

  17. 17
    Bo says:

    I have to say it again. Deep Purple Mrk II are many many lightyears above any other band. Are there more from this concert? I can’t get enough.

  18. 18
    Richard Di Giacomo says:

    The only show ever,that I couldn’t get a tix.Thru box office or scalper.

  19. 19
    Tracy(Zero the Hero)Heyder says:

    Great Pro footage that needs to be released as the full show. Sure brings back my memory of the show I saw in person from that tour at the Hollywood Sportatorium in Florida. What a show and what a thrill to see these guys back in action after that 8 year absence. The Great Maestro really shined didn’t he? He was so glad to be back in Purple. Sure miss the big guy. RIP JL.

    !Ch-BeerZ?

  20. 20
    Deeperpurps says:

    Wow!! This sure brings back great memories. I saw them just over 3 weeks later on March 31st, 1985 at Le Forum in Montreal. What a show! Best concert I ever saw, even to this day (and I have been to many many concerts, by many major acts). Purple in the spring of 1985 were at the top of their game. Gillan was hitting all the high notes and the musical sparring between Blackmore and Lord was amazing. And I remember how much the band were smiling, especially Gillan and Blackmore. Both smiled at each other all night! I sure hope that whoever has the rights to this Providence ’85 concert puts out the whole show. It is a time capsule of a classic band in its prime!

  21. 21
    Russ says:

    @10

    No. The Space Trucking clip from the NL&R DVD is from Alpine Valley Summer 1985. This is from March of ’85.

  22. 22
    Neal McCann says:

    I WAS THERE 🙂

  23. 23
    Les Hedger says:

    Jon Lord in Top Form as he always was!!!!!!!!!!

  24. 24
    cyclone says:

    Classic JL. No one does it better. I saw them in Phila. Pa. Bad Co. was the opening act. Man was it loud. Great stuff.

  25. 25
    Moreblack says:

    The best band in all worlds!!

  26. 26
    purplepriest1965 says:

    Bad Company was the support act for DP at the HOBL tour in 1987, so……I suppose you mix something up cyclone 🙂

    I saw them in Belgium 85 as well.
    Mountain supported.Did not know the band. Shame on me, I had about 8 years behind me in music……
    Woe me, years later I realised what classic band I had been watching appearantly.

    Leslie’s appearance on Ians TOOLBOX finally set me into motion(….)

  27. 27
    LRT says:

    Russ knows more than he has time to say. His version of this is prestine. Releasing it would surely have to come from some legit source of tape, and it was filmed by MTV for Saturday Night Concert Series but mysteriously vanished and no info about by anyone has surfaced besides Ian Gillan’s comments about watching the entire thing in the control room after the show and saying it was fantastic and had the best live vocal sound he’d ever heard. Perhaps someone got wind of that and made it disappear, nudge nudge… but this clip is supposedly from French TV, so who the hell made that deal? MTV? Certainly not a Purple move, rumor as far back as 1988 I recall is that this clip aired by way of smuggle.

  28. 28
    The Cat That Sleeps says:

    Wow… I love the 1984 – 85 concerts and most of the recordings I have are from poor quality. This one is a gift from heaven. Real musicians doing a real rock’n’roll concert. Those stupid lip-synchers like Muse (who use backing tapes on stage -“rock” band uh???) should once go to a real rock show, unpredictable (like Brian may said) and full of those special moments that no Cd will ever be able to transmit.
    I was at the Belgian concert too, bought the T-shirt too, discovered Mountain too that very same day. So you can imagine how much this video made my day.

  29. 29
    Russ says:

    I believe the French TV broadcast of this clip wasn’t authorized. That’s why it was never shown again. Too bad because a rebroadcast could yield a great capture with today’s equipment. I kind of have a feeling that only one guy even taped the clip as well. Since his dubbed copies are the ones that have made the rounds since the late 80’s. Heck. My first copy of this clip was a poor man’s PAL to NTSC transfer by someone who filmed a PAL broadcast with a camcorder. I actually wrote letters to MTV back in the 80’s begging them to release this full show. I wish it would get an official release as it would be cool to see how the songs progressed over the 3 months since the Sydney shows.

    I have also heard of Gillan’s praise of this show as far back as 88/89.

  30. 30
    Tracy(Zero the Hero)Heyder says:

    Yes, MTV and their lost concerts. Reminds me of a Rainbow concert I saw on MTV in 83/84 that only aired once. It was either at the Ritz or the Rainbow. I was at work at the Fire Station when I happened upon it. Never saw it again and there doesn’t seem to be any footage of it anywhere.

    !Ch-BeerZ?

  31. 31
    mike says:

    @ John. Ok already, you don’t like Ritchie. Two things;

    It’s not a banjo
    I bet when you caught DP on this tour, at the time it was the greatest thing ever

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