![[hand]](/hs-pics/portraits/hands/morse7.jpg)
![[face]](/hs-pics/portraits/faces/morse.jpg)
A weird conglomeration of people
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony was held yesterday, April 8, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Gillan, Glover, Paice, Vicky Lord, Coverdale, and Hughes were on hand to accept the induction. No miracles happened. Blackmore didn’t show up (just like he’s been promising for a while), and Rod Evans didn’t come out of the woodwork.
The band was introduced by Lars Ulrich of Metallica:
Rolling Stone magazine has transcriptions of acceptance speeches. Mind you, reports are they are not exactly 100% word-for-word accurate. For example, Gillan did mention Rod Evans when naming everybody who was in the band, and (as far as we know) Roger Glover is not in love with ‘Marie’.
Ian Gillan:
Thank you. That was amazing. Speechless. Great honor. It’s very humbling to be amongst this exalted company. I’d just like to mention briefly the names of all the people in Deep Purple, whether we’ve been inducted or not. Starting at the beginning, Nick Simper, who played bass in the original band with Ian Paice, Ritchie Blackmore, and our beloved Jon Lord. And Roger Glover came along and after that was David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes. And then Tommy Bolin and Joe Lynn Turner and a great, very important year with Joe Satriani. Twenty-two years ago, Steve Morse joined us. And then there was new kid on the block, Don Airey. He’s been with us for nearly 14 years. And that’s about all. Every one of them has played their part in this remarkable band. You know, this is not really for us. I think this award is very much for families and business connections, our crew and our friends who have been absolutely amazing, watching for over 50 years. Thank you.
Roger Glover:
Finally, we’re here. Thank you Ulrich, for reading out what I wrote, and thank for all your support and everyone else who has supported us over the years. It takes a small army of people for each one of us to actually be here. And the word “thank-you” isn’t quite enough. Our families ad friends that put up with us not being there. There is an enormous amount of people we should thank, and I’m not going to go through their names. I can’t remember them. My friends in Deep Purple – Ian Paice, Ian Gillan, Jon Lord, Ritchie Blackmore – changed my life forever. And I’m deeply indebted to them, as I am to all you people for making this possible. The fans rule. You do. And my family, my daughters, Jillian, Lucinda and Melody. My love, Marie. And all those people who have supported us. But not least of all, Bruce Payne, our manager, who has been with us as agent and manager since the early Seventies. He’s been with us through all the peaks and valleys of our career. Thank you very much, and thank you all for being here.
Ian Paice:
This delightful lady is Jon Lord’s wife, Vicky. We thought it was really important and necessary that she would be here to represent our good pal, who left us four years ago. Vicky is going to hold on to this. I’m the guy who has been there from the beginning. I’ve seen it all. And when I say I’ve seen it all, I mean it. The good, the bad, the crazy, the stuff where we go, “How the hell did we get into that situation?” The bands are a weird conglomeration of people. You can work together, and you can create wonderful things, and then you find that you can’t deal with each other. You can see a way out, you just can’t get there. You look back, and you wonder how you can be so stupid. But you come again, so. There’s nothing better. So thank you very much for this honor. And for all the fans that have been with us through all the years, we thank you, too. It’s like watching your own football team. If they win, you’re part of it. And for the fans, when their heroes get a pat on the back, they feel part of it. So for them, thank you very much. Have a great night.
David Coverdale:
Good evening. How are you? Nice to see you. First, I’d like to thank and express my appreciation and gratitude to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, for the honor of being inducted in such a regarded institution with so many of my heroes: Hendricks, Miles Davis, Muddy Waters, Otis Redding, incredible company. I would also like to offer my sincere congratulations to all past and present members of Deep Purple, my incredible musical mentor, Richie Blackmore. And particularly, the very much missed Tommy Bolin and, of course, the immortal Jon Lord. I’d like to particularly thank all the fans of Deep Purple around the world. You not only keep the music alive of the band, but you continue to support all the offshoot bands, as well. My thanks also extend to the wonderful musicians in my band, Whitesnake: Reb Beach, Joel Hoekstra, Michael Devin, Tommy Aldridge. My amazing business team of David White and associates, John Payne, my friend and lawyer, Glenn Davis… I’m so honored to be here tonight, my friend and co-producer for almost 30 years, Michael McEntire, my dear friend and lovely assistant, the lovely Christie Lee and, last but not least, my amazing incredible family. My beautiful children, Jasper and Jessica. And the most inspiring person in my life, my beautiful and beloved wife Cindy. I love you. I love you all. Music was been there for me when no one else was. So, thank you. Be safe, happy and don’t let anybody make you afraid.
Glenn Hughes:
Hello, my name is Glenn Hughes, and I am so grateful to have been given the gift of music. I was born in the United Kingdom. But my soul was born in Detroit. And I found my way to California at 19 years old, brought to America by my friends. When I got off the plane in San Francisco, I said, “Well this isn’t the West Midlands and the Black Country anymore. Do you want to live here? Do you want to live in this country?” The answer is very, very clear. I want to thank Roger Glover, for getting me in the Hall of Fame. I replaced him, and I joined the band as a lead singer/bass player. We auditioned one man, only one man. That man has been one of my closest friends for 43 years: David Coverdale. To be fortunate enough to play with Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Paice and one more time everybody, give it up for Jon Lord. Yeah… So I want to thank my manager, Paul Geery and Ernie Buck from PGM Management. I want to thank the greatest girl I’ve ever known in my entire lifetimes, my wife, soul and loving partner, Gabrielle. You take my breath away. I am so so happy for us. A long time ago, I friend of mine said, “You’ve got to keep forever changing. Keep forever changing. Because music is the healer. Ladies and gentleman, my award is dedicated to the fans. God bless you all and have a lovely lovely evening.
The current lineup then performed a short set of Highway Star, Green Onions jam, Hush, and Smoke on the Water.
The grand finale jam was a cover of Fats Domino’s Ain’t That a Shame rendered in the arrangement from Cheap Trick’s live album At Budokan. Roger Glover, David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes took part:
Hughes and Coverdale at the press conference:
Lars Ulrich at the press conference:
Thanks to Blabbermouth, BraveWords, Rolling Stone, and Billboard for the info and to MarchofTheRashbaum, Oscar Arias, and Artisan News Service for the videos. Photo credits: Theo Wargo and Timothy Clay.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
About fucking time!
April 9th, 2016 at 16:35yeha 🙂
April 9th, 2016 at 16:42This is not an honour -it’s a total farce that should have been put out of its misery years ago.
April 9th, 2016 at 16:43Brilliant speech from lars. Long live deep purple!
April 9th, 2016 at 16:44Hi everyone, another clip has surfaced on youtube: Deep Purple performing “Highway Star”, you can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6QTAqnFYPs
If you like to read the words from Lars Ulrich: http://www.metallica.com
The entire show will be aired at the end of April on HBO.
Have a nice Day!
April 9th, 2016 at 17:04There is no Deep Purple without Ritchie Blackmore. They should have invited him and let him play.
April 9th, 2016 at 17:11He has created the greatest rocknroll riff ever: the Smoke on the water riff. Without Ritchie … No purple. Sorry
And then Dixie Dregs featuring three DP members went on to perform two songs, written mostly by Ritchie Blackmore. What a shame that Coverdale and Hughes, whose voices today are in arguably better shape than Gillan’s were not invited to perform. The current lingering version of Deep Purple should disband.
April 9th, 2016 at 17:16What about Simper/Evans???? ?
April 9th, 2016 at 17:26I can understand Gillan and Bruce Payne position of not allowing Ritchie to perform on stage with DP. But in Gods name those people who are running this RARHOF business didn’t even have the decency to record or do a live 30 sec Video clip with Ritchie and show it on stage. Did they just bend backward to Gillan and his management.
And what about Gillans hypocrisy by naming every one who played a part in DP then going on stage and signing Hush which is not his song and even Rod Evans is not getting a single penny in royalties after the lawsuit in the 80s while Coverdale and Hughes are meters away from the stage and we not invited to sing and play Burn!!!
Why the Hypocrisy Mr Gillan!!! Your DP shows are sold out and fans are still buying below standard album just because they love the name DP!!!
April 9th, 2016 at 17:26You didn’t win that award single handily everyone played a part and you said it in your speech.
No one is out staging anyone you have invited endless musicians to play on stage and jam with DP on stage so why Glenn and David aren’t worthy enough.
Very sad but long live DP and long live the pure love and honesty of DP fans!!!
Looks like this particular question for discussion is over. Or is it? I’m happy!
April 9th, 2016 at 17:45Wasn’t the real DP there without Ritchie,just the
April 9th, 2016 at 18:01Ego Gillan Band there.
Well, that looked and sounded pretty lame.
April 9th, 2016 at 18:10Oha. Well, very cheeky from Steve (and maybe Don), but what was that performance meant to prove? That they are indeed the legacy? Or was this cover of the studio version targeted at the ignorant Americans and their one-hit-wonder theory?
April 9th, 2016 at 18:14I just feel it did just NOT prove what Ulrich and Gillan held so high: that this is the still-breathing and still _dangerous_ DP… First performance with no improvisation since… ever?
I agree Ritchie should have been there, and a huge Jam should have happened with every one who turned up. However have to ask is Ritchie back playing yet after his op?
April 9th, 2016 at 19:16Ironic isn’t it how the members who were not invited (Nick Simpler, Don Airey, Steve Morse, Joe Satriani, Joe Lynn Turner) were the ones who would likely have turned up! Such is life and it’s lessons. Nobody is above or below status. Respect and treat people equally as the rest is myths.
April 9th, 2016 at 20:08Ritchie refused .
April 9th, 2016 at 20:50Ian only arrived, because he is a gent.
April 9th, 2016 at 20:51Deep Purple, deserved this recognition years ago. They don’t need it. True deep purple fans, hold there music in there hearts. Xxx
April 9th, 2016 at 20:53You would hope for someone a little classier than Ulrich to waffle on in such a immature way! He was an embarrassment, no class at all! Such a shame it couldn’t have involved a few other critical members. Life eh? Cheers.
April 9th, 2016 at 20:57Debbie he refused because they would not let him play. he should have played. Jon Lord said Ritchie was the creative force behind Deep Purple. He should have played with everybody else. should have been a great jam, with Hughes, Coverdale playing as well.
April 9th, 2016 at 20:59But especially Ritchie … the Riff maker … he could not attend a show, supposed to celebrate his work and watch other people play the songs where he was the so important in terms of composing. Smoke on the water, blacknight, lazy, Burn, … come on … he was the genious behind these riffs that sparked the fire of Deep Purple.
They should have transformed such a show in a tribute for all the Deep Purple legacy, with Hughes, Coverdale, and especially Ritchie jamming with the current line up.
they lost a big chance for this. new generations would have love it. big mistake. unfortunately they did think in a small way. too bad. if I would have been Ritchie I would not have attended the show like the rest of the audience. Ritchie should have been asked to play. big , huge mistake.
Ritchie Blackmore , the best guitarist solo , and the best guitarist riff
April 9th, 2016 at 21:09Lars did a quite a decent job I think!
April 9th, 2016 at 21:15Did you ever think you would see members or MK2 and MK3 on stage Together. Absolutely Incredible.
April 9th, 2016 at 22:53Camera guys a real Ass. Say’s “Gillan You Suck” as Gillan starts talking.
April 9th, 2016 at 23:03I was also there. I have never missed a Purple event since 85 and I was not going to miss this. It was a great evening. Talking to people afterwards that only knew DP as SOTW, they were amazed (as they rightly should be). It would have been nice if David and Glenn joined in on SOTW. Lars’s speech was great. As Kid Rock said later in the evening, who knew that Lars Ulrich would have the most eloquent induction speech of the evening. I have a video of the evening (part of Highway Star, but all of Hush and Smoke). If the site wants me to upload to here, please contact me at my e-mail (the same for Ain’t that a Shame).
April 9th, 2016 at 23:08Congratulations!
April 9th, 2016 at 23:30Yeah, they did alright… I liked Steve’s solo in SOTW, he nailed it. Congratulations guys, you deserve it. Smiles to y’all!.
April 10th, 2016 at 00:06Nice to see Hush performed & rightly so. Not too bad a version of Highway Star, considering. A raw & basic Smoke version was nice to hear. Good comments from Gillan, Glover & Paice & Coverdale! Nick Simper being mentioned also was critical. An insult to him not being ‘inducted’! Cheers.
April 10th, 2016 at 00:10I’ve been there. Left the event right after Deep Purple finished their set. And I wasn’t alone.
April 10th, 2016 at 04:51Tell people they’re appreciated and recognized while they’re still around. Shame on the RnR HoF for not doing this while Jon Lord was still alive.
April 10th, 2016 at 04:54the induction stinks without RB !
April 10th, 2016 at 05:16Viva Deep Purple!
April 10th, 2016 at 05:24Really, Ritchie was right to not go to this…
April 10th, 2016 at 07:03Much as it is nice that Deep Purple are now in the Rock Hall, I feel a tinge of sadness that somehow people in the band, both past and present, could not have put their differences aside for a mere 15 or 20 minutes, and perform together for one or more songs at the ceremony.
The fact the Ritchie Blackmore was in the band in 1968 when their first hit “Hush” came out, and the fact that it was he who created the riffs for Smoke and Highway Star; all of which were played on Friday night in his absence, just makes the whole performance seem somewhat hollow.
Where were the Morse & Airey era tunes? Why weren’t any of those played at the induction ceremony? Uncommon Man perhaps anyone???
Why did it have to be so? Why did there have to be that tug of war back a couple of months ago between the 2 or 3 camps? One which was then belatedly repaired by a revised missive on the Caramba site. But the damage was already done and too late to be repaired.
Apart from receiving some trophies on Friday evening, what will anyone take away as being memorable about the event? It was simply another awards ceremony like any other.
It could have been so much better. It could have been such an historical moment – a convening of all living Deep Purple members, past and present, burying the hatchet for a few minutes to celebrate the larger more important issue, the honouring of their band. The band being the much greater sum of ANY of its parts.
But no, it was if there was some insistent imperative to assert proprietary rights over the band, rather than celebrating achievements. So instead of being a momentous occasion, it was just another night like any other. Nothing special. Too bad. A lost opportunity indeed.
Very disappointed.
April 10th, 2016 at 07:20At last….From a 14 year old teenager hearing Highway Star for the first time, and wondering what band was that? To at 55 year old middle aged man, seeing the band still playing that same song 41 years later and being acknowledged in this way at last. It’s been a lifetime, but what a life time of incredible music from a band who cared for the music and the fans. Fans for whom sometimes rock and roll dreams do come true. Thank you Deep Purple for being a part of the soundtrack our rock and roll lives.
April 10th, 2016 at 07:33Irony rules with no Blackmore and Lord (obviously) at the induction ceremony. What a charade! But bearing in mind how Gillan “the (would-be) great leader…”/Glover try to rewrite/manipulate Purple history it’s perfectly fitting the clownish image this group of people communicate.
IMO Purple shouldn’t have reunited in 1984 and their legendary status would have been much bigger than it is today (and although I personally don’t care, I also believe they would have been inducted already many many years ago).
With no disrespect to easy-going Paice, it was the unique Blackmore (60%)/Lord (40%) combination that established the Purple legend. If other band members say differently, despite their sometimes great contributions, they should be identified and positioned as imposters.
April 10th, 2016 at 09:29WELL DONE, WELL DESERVED, WELL DRESSED..lol ..now lets get back to business..new LP, US tour?, Soon to be 50 years of great music!! Thank You Deep Purple
April 10th, 2016 at 09:39Marvellous. What a band. We’ll not see the
April 10th, 2016 at 10:30Likes of them again. That perfect blend of what
Makes rock n roll so imperative: excitement, rebellion, unpredictability, musicality and above all raw belligerent talent. Congratulations to THE greatest rock n roll band in the world!!!
rod evans??
April 10th, 2016 at 11:14I think it was disappointing.
Gillan and Blackmore are 2 spoiled children, that they couldn’t burry the hatchett for just 15 minutes.
Not giving DC and GH THE opportunity to perform at the induction.
Now all we got a band that lives on the memory of mark II, despite all the albums they made.
April 10th, 2016 at 14:27100% agree with DeeperPurps. Blackmore’s absence, Morse’s omission and overlooking Simper are shameful. Finally it’s time to move forward and forget one of the saddest chapters in Purple history. Such a great opportunity missed.
April 10th, 2016 at 14:33A great performance from a great lineup. Long may they continue!
I can’t understand why some “fans” aren’t able to move beyond Blackmore. He was invited to play Smoke with the band and he, or the strange people surrounding him, decided not to accept. Besides, he probably would have done something to embarrass the band, like walking off stage because someone looked at him sideways–or refusing to solo because the audience didn’t “deserve” it.
April 10th, 2016 at 14:56Thing missed was that DC and GH didn´t Play Burn with the current Band. (they were already there!! so sad…. Gillan could had been headbanging and playing the bongos meanwhile he he)…Steve and Don were Great Playing their parts like the original record, as a tribute to Ritchie and Lord (Maybe?) sad they were not inducted… anyway that´s in the past, so…..Now What?!
April 10th, 2016 at 18:53How many uniformed people do we need in here besides the all itself? No Blackmore no Purple, Dixies Dregs, etc. Try following the dam situation you pathetic excuses who aren’t saying a word on point. Those who were there have an opinion, and those who follow have an opinion. Those living in Swiss caves do not. Just get out of the old Blackmore/Gillan war that isn’t half what you think it is, and just shut up! The ignorance happens when people talk about something they’re not following the pace of, but rather living in the deep past. DP did the HOF proud, as bemused as the crowd were expected to be, as are ALL American DP crowds, sans a couple of hundred hardcores per show at best. See life for what it really is, not your fantasy. Now What?! Gillan lays his vocals down in Toronto and the new album goes post production THIS MONTH!
April 10th, 2016 at 19:19The final sell-out. My heroes of 45+ years turn up at a “scampi in the basket” cabaret night wearing suits & still relying on the original banjo player’s riffs.
Remember all those Sounds, NME, Melody Maker etc polls when they always claimed it was the fans not the critics who mattered.
Long Live Rock n Roll.
April 10th, 2016 at 19:30Does anyone know the story behing Rod Evans? Was he invited and just did not want to show up? I know that I have read that Rod is staying away from the spotlight. I think he should have been at the ceremony.
I did not hear Glenn acknowledge Tommy Bolin. Did anyone catch this?
Richie, does not matter much to me. I would have rather seen Tommy be awarded instead of Richie.
April 10th, 2016 at 19:59Screw ‘Ego’ Gillan and the lot of you. Were it not for Ritchie there would be no Deep Purple. If you don’t appreciate all that Blackmore did, then quit cashing the royalty checks from the songs that Ritchie wrote. Try to make money off the dreck from the last 15 years. Bugger off.
April 10th, 2016 at 20:17Well done Mr.Blackmore …
Only without you, this was the right place and the right time to make a bad-as-us-comedy-show …
What a shame it would be, if you have had stay together with this people to “honour Deep Purple”
What a bullshit (sorry, but I have to say this so directly).
My only (little) thank goes to Lars Ulrich for his laudatio speek … (LITTLE because – sorry Lars – you are a part of this comedy)
But many many thanks to your words:
“And then there was Ritchie fucking Blackmore. What he did with the guitar did not seem feasible. He played it straight. He played it sideways, upside down and all around. His fingers, hands, arms in a constant ballet of movement and unpredictable moment. The sounds, the screeches, the pitch slides grind against the speakers, playing it with his ass, his boots, throwing it in the air. All the time, projecting a peculiar mix of showmanship, control and aloofness. It was like Blackmore was showing off, but mostly for himself. Harboring on the edge of electric narcissism. At the same time, he was so beyond cool. It was just impossible to look away. These guys could play. That’s right. I’m ready to go all night.”
and
“…You know, one total mindfuck is the difference between the studio and the live versions. If you take “Space Truckin’,” for instance, on Machine Head, it clocks in at just around four minutes. On the legendary album, Made in Japan, it’s almost 20 minutes long. What happened to that era?…”
AND NOW … STEVE MORSE HIMSELF HAS BEEN A SLEEPY GUITARRIST WITH NO IMPROVISING INITIATIVE FOR ABOUT MANY YEARS … GO HOME NICE US-BOY … ONLY TO SMILE AND TO PLAY IS NOT ENOUGH …
And sorry to Ian Gillan … bad performance (as I look at your Highway Star singing …) … very bad.
Have a nice sleep Deep Purple … R.I.P.
Now its the best time to get retired …
They have an album in the pipeline …
Okay, no problem: Finish it and then bye bye, but without promo-touring !!!
LLRnR
LLRitchie
no chears
kraatzy
April 10th, 2016 at 20:34Yeaaaah! Great show! And great speeches!
I love the speech of big Ian… Just saying thanks and then… mentionning the name of every purple-member! “Now listen: that list is purple, not just the inductees!” Maybe it’s my interpretation, but I like to believe that!
Great performance, by the way! I totally respect them for how they pay tribute to the stuff!
Thanks DEEP PURPLE for still beeing here and playing out so much great stuff, may it be from ancient or new times! Looking forward the new album! …And looking forward the Rainbow gigs! So much great things to happen! Yeaaaaah!
April 10th, 2016 at 20:43@6, totally ridiculous. Purple is playing the Budokhan this year without Ritchie. He been long gone and they put out 5 albums since he left with one in production. The last album went gold in four countries and #1 in several more. Wake the f$?ck up dude.
April 10th, 2016 at 20:47^ Chill Scott.
I think they handled the whole thing beautifully inc. Blackmore. By NOT showing up, it keeps the rebel attitude in clear view. Everyone else who was inducted (apart from Rod Evans) did it for the fans, families, etc. Also, bringing Jon Lord’s wife on stage. and to hold the award was a beautiful touch. Also mentioning Lord’s name numerous times was a wonderful thing to do.
I only wish I could have heard Gillan’s speech a little better, but the microphone was set up for a midget. Lars? It was a blown opportunity not to have some hot chick come out on stage and raise up the microphone. I’m sure Gillan would have come up with a quick cute comment, breaking the ice for the evening. Oh well.
Finally, I’ve come to the conclusion that nominating Rod Evans (and not Nick Simper) was a cruel joke by some of the folks who run this show. Seriously. It’s as if they wanted to see if inducting Rod Evans would bring him out of the woodwork. Very odd. IMO, he didn’t deserve induction; especially with his actions of the short-lived bogus Deep Purple in 1980.
April 10th, 2016 at 20:56The current lineup does not rely on the songs they wrote with Ritchie – it is the other way around. The fans go to the shows and expect the band to play them and they enjoy to please the audience as well as they enjoy playing the songs because they are really great.
There would be enough material written by the previous and current lineup to fill an evening with great music (there are five studio albums featuring almost 60 songs). And to be honest: I would really be up for experiencing that. In my opinion Deep Purple should have reduced the nostalgia part of the setlist to, let’s say, three songs long ago and saved it for the encores. People have been arguing for over two decades whether or not they are still able to pull them off anyway.
And besides: Not only is it very very difficult to replace Jon and Ritchie but in addition it can be a very unrewarding job too. Most comparisons are really unfair and have a negativity to them which is just obnoxious. This is not supporting the band, this is bitching around – and for what?!
This whole RRHOF-thing was fucked up from the very beginning. Considering that they still handled it somehow.
Thank you Steve and Don for playing at the ceremony!
April 10th, 2016 at 21:00DP lost quite a bit of respect from my end for not including Blackmore, and then playing songs he had contributed majorly in….I was quite disappointed…
April 10th, 2016 at 23:38Such a letdown, but the way it played out was entirely predictable. Gillan has never acknowledged the considerable importance of Mk3 and has refused to play any of that material, which has always greatly aggravated me. The 3 year legacy and wonderful music produced by mk 3&4 will always trump anything the band has done since reuniting in 84, and ignoring it has got to frustrate most of us fans….? Nice to hear Tommy mentioned by Gillan and Coverdale. Very surprised Hughes didn’t say anything about him, as he has consistently waved the Bolin flag high all these years.
April 11th, 2016 at 00:05Kinda says it all when the ‘living breathing Deep Purple’ didn’t play a song from their illustrious past 23 year history! or did they?
Congratulations to the band anyway and about time the induction actually happened but 30 years too late
April 11th, 2016 at 07:00Thank God it’s done and it’s finally over! Ritchie could come, nobody banned him from collecting award in person, instead he chose not to. That’s the way he is, and that’s why we love him. Now we should rather be looking forward to a) Rainbow shows in June, and b) new Deep Purple album (earMUSIC promises some exciting news in days time 🙂
April 11th, 2016 at 07:07It’s interesting that so many people on the forum know what happened and who said what to whom, but the none of the newspapers have found any of this out.
Or are people just fantasizing about what may have happened to justify their opinions of certain member and ex-members?
April 11th, 2016 at 07:21Having read an awful lot of well informed comment on this subject, and an awful lot of not so well informed. It would seem to me that putting aside the rights and wrongs of who should play and who should not, the bottom line and incontrovertible truth of the matter is that Mr Blackmore chose not to receive his award. He is his own man and has every right to make that decision, which would be in keeping with his lack of any respect or wishes of the ever faithful Deep Purple audience. So I would respectfully say to everyone , Get over it ! Enjoy what you listen to, enjoy the gigs you attend, and stop concerning yourself with what Ritchie might or might not do , he is has no interest in you or your views !!! His genius is born out of a single minded selfish attitude. As 42 rightly says , move on! And as LRT said the guys did the HOF proud. Congrats guys well played and well deserved.
April 11th, 2016 at 08:47Scott @47
April 11th, 2016 at 10:47I couldn’t agree with you more.
23 years of the Steve Morse era with DP and not a single permanent song from his era played live. They just sing and play the odd song every show just to justify the line up.
Take away MK2 songs from a DP shows and you will end up with garbage.
Unlike Glenn Hughes when he done three cracking BCC albums with enough live material to rock live shows for years.
@44 well said..ready for ?!II
April 11th, 2016 at 12:00LRT @44
April 11th, 2016 at 12:13There are different types of precious metals and some like to wear Prada and some like to wear Walmart cloths.
Mk2 and Mk3 are the real deal and if you take MK2 from the current DP line up shows you will end up with garbage but some pigs like to eat garbage as well so there is a market for everything my friend!!!!
There is no constant song in DP live performance from Steve morse 23 years era with deep purple and you only get songs played from their last album as fillers to shows and a way of saying hi we produced an album.
Get the guys to do 90 min shows from the current Lind up albums and let the audience be the judge…
As for the Ritchie and Gillan feud …this is current and real and will never die and if you put the two in one room all hell will break loose.
Get real and go and play Bannnas which in my view the best of the garbage. As for perpendicular it’s the machine head of the Steve morse era but sadly it’s has not got even live material in it to justify it as a real live album.
Peace on Earth and may God have mercy.
What a farce. What a cop out.
1. Too late, much too late.
April 11th, 2016 at 19:182. No Simper, Bolin, Morse, Airey. Despicable and completely inconsistent with previous inductees. See RHCP and Metallica where people barely in the then-current band were included.
3. It’s no “honour” to be “inducted” by a purely commercial organisation that will be leeching off our heroes. If it were a charity that honoured as chosen by music fans, then completely different.
4. Why even bother to show up? Will one more ticket ever be sold because they got inducted?
5. Check out what Cheap Trick and Steve Miller had to say. Not complimentary to this “piss stain” as Lydon put it.
Believe Rod Evans is now receiving royalties again, but to invite him, yet not include Simper was simply wrong!
Kudos to Lars – very affectionate speech.
April 12th, 2016 at 00:36Ritchie, Ritchie … black Ritchie
To be reborn,again chosen Deep Purple
April 12th, 2016 at 06:07thanks guys
DP lives forever
Well I noticed Steve Morse played the Smoke on the Water solo almost note for note to the original Machine Head record. I’ve never heard him do this before as he always puts his own spin on it. To me that was a tasteful tribute to Ritchie Blackmore- Good on ya Steve !!
April 12th, 2016 at 06:21https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOcoGotfabc&nohtml5=False
April 12th, 2016 at 06:26Long live coverdale’s “Musical Mentor”!!! DC is a Gent and not a wimp like ig – if he would once in a lifetime not only be a loudmouth but walk the Talk he would not have attended….ridiculous lame Performance of the Songs w/o a Singer… so: no News at all
April 12th, 2016 at 20:44@44 If a lot of us are living in a ‘fantasy’ then why do the current Purple play at least 80% of Mk11 music in their shows? and if Gillan allowed the band to play the famous Mk111 songs ( Burn, Mistreated, Stormbringer, Soldier of Fortune ) then that would make up possibly 99% though my calculations could be all wrong ha
April 12th, 2016 at 21:18Happy Birthday Ritchie
April 14th, 2016 at 05:04None of us have heard the behind the scenes conversations as to exactly what was said, BUT, we can put 2 + 2 together and come up with 4. Ian Gillian published in a public statement that the current version of DP would play onstage….everyone else could gather their awards and play in the finale.
What is Ritchie supposed to say? thank you thank you thank you sweet Ian!!
There would be no Deep Purple without Ritchie Blackmore, period. He even named the band, let alone wrote every meaningful riff that they continue to play every night. Him being told he could not play was the ultimate slap in the face so I agree with him not to show up. Let the “living breathing” version continue on playing Blackmore tunes, in a second rate fashion.
April 14th, 2016 at 05:30Ivica@69- well said, birthday greetings to TMIB! Sheeesh, he is in the news a lot of late, someone should present him with an award or something! Hooray! I see a Rainbow Rising. Cheers.
April 14th, 2016 at 09:55Ritchie did not show up because Gillan and Payne made it very clear that they did not want him there. Not only did they refuse to let him play, but they simply did not want him there at all – period. Gillan is the biggest ingrate. Were it not for Ritchie (remember, Mick Underwood recommended him when Purple was thinking of replacing Evans), Gillan would be a nobody. As Jon said, you can’t put those 2 in the same city let alone the same room. I have always thought that Gillan was the bigger jerk, and though I love the MK II lineup, Gillan has always been my least favorite. Besides, his voice is shot and he really has not sung well since 1973. DC did take care of his voice and sounds better today than does IG.
April 14th, 2016 at 16:36Ritchie was the driving force behind Purple. As to why Purple does not play more material from the Morse era, ask Gillan. He calls the shots, decides the set list. He is doing what he always did not like Ritchie doing. As Ritchie said, the 2 of them are alpha types, so they were bound to clash. I do think it is an insult to Steve (and Don) to play mostly MK II material.
I have been following Purple since 1968 (yes, I am that old). I saw the Machine Head tour, the Burn tour, CTTB, Perfect Strangers and HOBL. (I now live in Alaska, so seeing concerts is difficult). The Machine Head show was spectacular and along with the Brain Salad tour remain the 2 best concerts I ever saw. Burn was good. In both of these shows, Richie amply showed why he is the best. The playing by Purple on the Machine Head tour – all 5 of them were great. CTTB was not good. Perfect Strangers was excellent, HOBL was good. In looking at the Morse era shows, the concerts are good, but the performances are done in a safe manner. I do not see that tension, that sense of excitement as to what the hell will happen next? The energy level is simply not there. Almost pedestrian. Though Steve is an excellent guitarist and is now the longest serving guitarist in Purple’s history, I still maintain that this gig is really not suited to his strengths as a guitarist.
Now to induct Ritchie (and Rainbow) on his own merit.
And shame on IG and BP for their shabby attitude and treatment of RB.
Razi @70
April 14th, 2016 at 17:19I agree 100% with you.
Take MK2 songs form the current living and breathing line up and you will get a 10 min live show and a very weak one.
23 years of the Steve Morse era and not a single live song worthy to be played permanently in their set list.
When the curtains goes down one day only MK2 and MK3 and some MK1 songs will stand the test of time.
Truth Hurts as Jo Lynn Turner sang on slaves and masters.
Well, I have watched all the YOUTUBE vids from the Lars introduction to the acceptance speeches, to the Purple performance, to the ending Cheap Trick All-Star Jam along with the after show comments from Lars, Coverdale, Hughes, Gillan, Paice, and Glover. Here are my 2 cents in a nut-shell…
1. The Introduction;
LARS, whom is not only a highly talented and successful musician himself from the mega-successful band Metallica, is also a humbled fan. He did a fantastic job introducing the band and relating his appreciation to their influence in his career and love toward music in general. You couldn’t ask for a better opening and I couldn’t agree with him more regarding how late and criminally overdue it is. (SAD BUT TRUE!)
2. The accepting speeches in order;
GILLAN…. He did a good job regarding mentioning almost all (it was hard to hear it all due the mic stand being so short and away from his mouth) of the members of Purple, past and present. Special mention to the 3 main founding members, Ritchie, Jon and Paicey was nicely done. Loved his specificity towards how long current members Steve Morse and Don Airey have been with the band. (NICE TOUCH!)
GLOVER…. As usual, the consummate eloquent expressionist. Love his first couple of lines; “Well finally, finally we are here” and “Thank you Lars for reading what I wrote”. Then of course thanking all the proper people and especially the fans for their commitment and support over the years. As usual (BRILLIANT!)
PAICE…. First of all, including, acknowledging and presenting the award to Vicki (Jon Lord’s Wife) in his behalf was a class act in itself. Then stating he has been there through it ALL and stating how bands sometimes don’t get along but when it is right, great music comes out while looking over at DC and GH was classic. Again, thanking the fans for their support and making the connection towards this ceremony being like a Sports Team getting notoriety or a pat on the back and the relationship between the fan feeling good about their team getting that pat on the back was spot on. (NAIL ON THE HEAD!)
COVERDALE….. One thing I was a little miffed about was Coverdale getting away from his Purple tie in and centering a large amount of his time on thanking his Whitesnake compadres. Then it hit me… I have to believe it was to promote it for a future RRHOF induction consideration. (DUHHH!)
HUGHES…. First, I noticed that he must be auditioning for the sequel to the movie “Beetle Juice”. Then his ramblings about his manager, his best friend DC, his living in the US and thanking Roger Glover for giving him the position in Purple due to being fired.. (OUCH!).
3. THE BAND PERFORMS;
And here we go…. The present PURPLE hit the stage. First up, HIGHWAY STAR. As I listened to this, right off the bat I noticed that they chose to stick to the original studio version as much as possible. Steve played very reminiscent to the Blackmore version. Much more so than he does on tour whereby he puts the Morse stamp on. Gillan sounded superb and solid as the whole tune was a great kick back to the album version. Then came Green Onions leading into HUSH. Another version which was performed more like the original mixed with the 1988 version mixed with present day appeal. Then the closer.. SMOKE ON THE WATER. My previous thoughts were confirmed. This version was as close to the original version from the album I have ever heard. Even from the original line-up. It was obvious at this point that they chose to show that if they wanted to, they could emulate that era. Steve pretty much replicated the original Blackmore sound on this including the main solo part. You close your eyes and listen. Blackmore did show up through Steve’s fingers. Don Airey did the same. He reproduced and stuck to the Jon Lord parts. Hey, Jon and Ritchie were there through the good blessings of their replacements. Steve really did it up great. And surely nobody can state anything negative regarding Gillan. He was as close to the album as I have ever heard. Really took it all back to those periods. Not to leave out Glover and Paice by any means. They too did the exact same thing. Pulling off the songs in that way was a really smart way to go. It shows the contrast to how they change these songs in regard to their present way of playing them as apposed to the original but also shows how close to the original they can actually sound… (PURFECT!)
OK, now for a short list of obvious things that should have taken place. Simper, Evans, Blackmore and JLT should have attended. They didn’t. Present Purple should have included a MK8 song in their set. They didn’t. Hughes and Coverdale should have performed something from MK3/4 with Paice, Steve and Don. They didn’t. The last big All-Star Jam song should have been a Purple song. It wasn’t. Last and most importantly, the induction should have taken place many years ago before Jon Lord passed away. It didn’t. (SO BE IT!)
In closing, all-in-all I am thoroughly pleased that it finally happened and that those that showed up did so, and that it was done with some dignity and maturity. I am thrilled for them. I am really pleased that they elected to show up, receive this long overdue acknowledgement and perform on stage with the present line-up. Yes I would have loved to see the rest of the past members jam on stage too. But doing it as it was done is bitter sweet in a way. Steve and Don got to play a well deserved major role in this event. Both of them have each been a consistent member of Purple longer than ANY of the past members whom are no longer members. Still making beautiful music together with an album soon to be released hopefully this year.
“2016”. What a great year for us Purple fans whom as Ian Paice said, get to share in the moment whereby our Heroes get a pat on the back, and it feels friggin’ GREAT!
Congrats to ALL of the PURPLE members that can now say they made it to the sham RRHOF and to all the fans like LARS whom without our bitching, would probably still not have come to fruition.
F..K the R&RHOF and AMEN to Purple for basically pulling off showing up and also throwing up the middle finger between the lines with diplomacy yet still casting out some stingers.
Ch-BeerZ
April 14th, 2016 at 21:09@ 70:
Please stop bashing, the induction was really uncomfortable for everyone involved (go watch Steve Miller, he might give you some insight). Could you imagine being inducted and paying 10000 $ entrance for each family member which is not on the guest list of the RRHOF?
I agree that Ritchie could have taken over when they played Smoke On The Water. But at some point it’s a band decision and they chose to handle it as save as possible. If it was my decision to make, I had gone for:
Current lineup: Highway Star
David, Glenn, Don, Steve, Ritchie and Ian P.: Burn
Ian G., Ian P., Roger, Don and Ritchie: Smoke On The Water
Encore: Hush (everyone on stage)
Now it’s pointless to argue why everything went down the way it went down anyway. Someone else already said it: It’s just another controverse chapter in a very long band history. We all agree that things could have been handled differently by the musicians but the RRHOF made that very difficult to begin with. Who cares anyway if said RRHOF institution is treating legendary musicians like garbage. They didn’t make it feel like an honor, it’s just the money they’re interested in.
April 15th, 2016 at 08:19