Back to reviews

Ripening 1

Ripening 2

Current reviews

Le Zenith, Paris, France
June 29, 2003

1. Highway star
2. Knocking at your back door
3. Pictures of home
4. Haunted
5. Speed king
6. Well dressed guitar
7. I got your number
8. Lazy
9. Perfect strangers
10. Smoke one the water
11. Space trucking

12. Hush
13. Black Night

Deep Purple in France, Hallelujah!
I've just returned from the Zénith and as Ian Gillan said: "unbelievable!" That was really great!
A wonderful Highway Star to start the show, like in the legendary Come Hell Or High Water, then Knocking At Your Back Door! I didn't expect that, but that was a really good idea, I love that song.
The whole show was great, the medley with Heartbreaker, Hey Joe, etc was super but, it was short! The entire show was incredibly short! Hey guys, I had waited for you for three years.
Everybody agreed: we all wanted Child In Time, but that'll be for the next time I'm sure.
I had never heard Don Airey playing and he's very good. I'd rather see Jon Lord, that's right but...
To conclude, that was really great, you were lucky to have a such audience - we started Black Night before you!
Did you thought about Bercy? It's a big concert hall in Paris. You could do a three hour big show there, what do ya think?
Gabriel "Zenyx" Alaoui

Tonight Parisiens were 100% for DP. I think there are a few reasons;
The first of all, we haven't had a DP concert in Paris (or in France) since October 2001. We have no chances to see DP concert since then. So, tonight's set up is not familiar to the French audience - it was very fresh and something new for us.
Next, we came to concert for fun, to spend nice times with each other, not for critisizing.
Generally speaking, we are french speakers, so we couldn't catch all of IG's jokes...
Finally, I feel all members of DP were performing at ease in Paris. The audience was also relaxed. We are able to rise some special atomosphere between players and audience always in Paris. Can we share the same feelings between players and audience? I believe "YES". ( Did you listen the CD of "Live at the OLYMPIA '96"? )
For tonight set up is the same as another former reviews. I hoped there could be something more after Black Night, but not.
This is the 2nd time I saw Don Airey. Before I saw him in Tokyo in 1980 with Rainbow. (RB and Roger were also there.) I think Don is the best keyboard player there is except for Jon Lord.
And I have to say to Paicy "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU" again. I guess you couldn't hear it from my seat.
Takashi Yokoyama

As a fan of Deep Purple since 1974 I went to Paris to hear the band and it will be the last time because the sound was too loud, the set was very very short and there was no Ian Paice drum solo! To conclude the ticket price was too high!
Sorry folks, but I guess it was the last time for me.
Philippe Yu

The Zenith was hot (around 36 ° C!), and people were hot too!
A lot of them were here to see Skynyrd. The lead singer told the audience that this was the last time that they would come to France so many times that I was wondering why they came at all!? I hope there is no political reasons for it. But a good show indeed.
Now for DP: they came on at 21h00, and left at 22h25! I love Deep Purple, but the ticket was expensive, and the trip to Paris too, so I'm a bit disappointed. And the set list was the same as the days before (nothing from Pupendicular or Abandon!).
But, it was a - short - good show: and Ian Paice's birthday. Don Airey did a nice intro to Lazy, with "happy birthday to you"... IP was laughing: good mood!
I was pleased to hear Knocking at your back door, it worked well. Lazy was less speed than years ago, and it was delightful. Because of the bad sound I couldn't really appreciate the two new songs, Haunted ant I've Got Your Number. The latter seemed to be working well, great drums, but I will have to wait for the new album.
Don Airey did a wonderful job, he's in the right place here. In his solo before Perfect Strangers he played "La Marseillaise". The audience loved him.
On Space Truckin, we had a (too) short solo from Ian Paice, he was terrific all the evening, he's not human !
Hush was good with little jam, and the crowd went crazy on Black Night.
Finally, I have to say that the show was great but really too short. This was the 5th time I've seen DP on stage in the last 7 years, but I don't know if I would do 300 km again to see them playing only 80min!
Il va falloir attendre encore quelques semaines avant de pouvoir poser une oreille sur le nouvel album!
Cedric Isa Billard

Paris is far away from Poland, but as we were on our holidays here it was a great opportunity to meet the band again.
The Zenith is very ugly and very large. No posters again! Good bands don't need any advertising.
It starts with Lynyrd Skynyrd, as usual. The same songs as in Berlin, but the guys are so sympathetic that they get a standing ovation. The frontman drinks our health many times.
Deep Purple enter unawares, as usual. The fans are excited and they start to boil. They keep on doing it till the end of the gig. Over 1,5 hours of shocking music.
"Knocking at your back door" instead of "I'm Alone" and "Mary Long". It would be very nice if they could do all of these songs. Never mind.
I see my "larger half" is happy. It's his first Deep Purple gig.
The crowd starts to dance. Ian says they are superb and fantastic. I think they are indeed. And more polite than German fans.
I love this "Haunted" that always makes me cry. I hear the studio version after the show. I love both versions.
I'm lucky today: I got a pass. Paicey must have had his good time: he allows me to take a photo of him and he signs my records.
I get many autographs and I took a lot of pictures. I'm very lucky today indeed!
I had the time of my life and so did my "larger half".
Merci beaucoup!
Joasia Ostrowiecka

Approx 7.000 people there, and everybody was absolutly enthusiastic!
This was the best rock show I've seen in years. Deep Purple gave an absolutely astonishing performance!
Lynyrd was a bit annoying... southern blues, southern blues and more southern blues... They are a bit outdated and the sound was awful...
But when DP entered in the arena ...wow! I read the reviews of the last shows, but I can tell you that it is surely the best concert DP gave from a long long time!
The crowd went absolutly crazy! Gillan had a wonderful voice... incredible no?
The whole band seemed to be really impressed by the audience response. Yes I can tell it: The French audience this night was MAGICAL. Gillan was very touched by the atmosphere.
France loves DP even if the band doesn't always give back the same sincerity.. But yesterday Gillan said to the crowd that they were delighted being in Paris...
Paul Bouquet

Lynyrd Skynyrd was a perfect way to build up to the main event. Every number was musically tight even though the whole band looked thoroughly relaxed and enjoying themselves. They've got the business of throwing microphone stands across the stage down to a fine art!
The conclusion of their set was a well worked climax with Sweet Home Alabama leading to their encore initiated by the call of "What song do you want to hear". Freebird is a great song, and all the better when you know that the next song you'll hear will be Highway Star.
Purple took the stage with their usual commanding confidence, and all smiles. The familiarity of the first three numbers really set the tone for the evening, although Pictures of Home finished prematurely without the second guitar solo.
Haunted is a welcome addition to the repertoire, and it will be even more welcome once we become as used to it as WABMC (a sad omission).
A lovely moment at the end of Lazy, as Ian tossed his mouth organ to the fans in the front row, but it landed short and was quickly scooped up by one of the security guards. Ian spotted this and expressed his obvious disapproval, and bent down to retrieve it himself. Second time around his throw was more accurate, and a lucky fan had a well earned memento of the evening. Another nice touch was the rendition by the band of Happy Birthday for Ian Paice, who was clearly enjoying the occasion.
The encore came all too quickly, even though it is a joy to hear Hush at any time. Steve's interaction with the audience during Black Night is a vital part of a Deep Purple concert, leaving you with a feeling of having connected with the band.
All in all, another great evening with the band that defines musicianship.
Robin Mather, Edinburgh

Highway Star is THE stage opener! Year after year after year this song still does the same to me, excitement and elation growing as the drums then bass enters, air getting tense with electricity until it cracks with the two chords and Gillan enters... Took me back years ago to my 1st Purple concert (hum, which was my 1st ever concert by the way). Some kind of too good to be true feeling.
Phil Voisin - read Phil's full review

I had already seen DP back in 1996 in the same place, and it was fantastic. For my second DP experience, I brought my wife, with me, hoping she would
enjoy the evenning as much as I certainly would.
The band seemed to be in a great form this night. Ian Gillan sang really well. But the show was too short, about 1h40. I was looking forwrd to hearing the new tracks, and I
was disappointed by Haunted, but very pleased by I've Got Your Number, which fitted perfectly among the old classics, accompanied by the awesome Well Dressed Guitar.
Why don't they play more Steve Morse era songs in their set? I'd have loved to hear tracks from Purpendicular.
Steve Morse seems to be now the main man in the band, his playing is amazing and he shows it on every single track. But I was deceived by Don Airey, who can't make me forget Jon Lord's stage presence and playing. Because of his discretion, I thought the Purple show was too much guitar oriented, and lacked of equilibrium between the keyboards and the guitar. Nonetheless I spent a great evening and my wife too. We now hope to see them on the Bananas tour with a longer set.
Laurent Quint

back to reviews