![[hand]](/hs-pics/portraits/hands/gillan9.jpg)
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Purple tease the old gods of thunder
OK,… the sky was black and lighning had been igniting roaring thunder. This must be a Deep Purple concert. After Eddy Grant who tried to do a rain dance, we had to wait for Deep Purple to break loose. Let me tell you that the other parts in the country got their share of pooring cats & dogs. Floodings & lightning struck hit the land but now for something competely different.
Tis line up is so no nonsence that’s it’s again brilliant. OK, perhaps they did not realize that they were playing in a Dutch speaking part of Belgium,… but who cares. They came on stage with a roaring version of Fireball, without the whoooosh and kept on rocking Into The Fire. The crowd in Belgium needs nothing more to sheer Ian towards a higher ground. And he gave all he got,… rednecking. Strange Kinda Woman was a bit over-acted but than he showed with Rapture of the Deep what he’s good at these days. Perfect like the rest of the band. Glover was having a ball.
I asked my son (16) if he could imagine his grandfather on stage, powerplaying like that. I think he felt like the title of his favorite song (Screaming, sometimes,… this time). And Ian,… ah,… he chased away the shadows. The old gods ware mild and whike Belgium was trembling under heavy thinder, sugar city was the eye of the storm. Paice still has the rythm & the musscles to be this bands backbone. Impressive athlete. And than came the Steve Morse solo. yesss.
I believe he found some now fans. Steve, you can wet your chest and stand tall next to the other great Purple Players. Toothpaste Steve respectfully altered the DP classics to his likings and his talent is obvious. And than they played “Sometimes I feel like screaming”. I thought,… my kid will roar now. But he did not move an inch,… his eyes were capturing every detail,… how extasis can calm the kid among a crowd of roaring Purple Fans. All respect for Morse. the kid said: “I did not realize he was that good.” Tommy (bless) & Ritchie are in good company. And The Battle raged on. Wow,… they even started to have fun on stage though Ian seems to have less interest in Glover, but hey,… after more than 35 years,… they need to say nothing to balance perfectly. It’s OK.
Now came the moment for Don with a kinda Lordish church music into Sarabandaisch boogy. Gosh,… hidden behind his consoles, performing great music, but when you get solo time,… impress with what you’re really good at. I wanted to hear Don,… and what I heard made me hungry to read what Lord is doing at the moment. It was a great performance,… but it seemed a solo to please the crowd. Message to Don: Don’t underestimate the Belgian crowd.
The was a time when Ian Gillan was not a member of the band, a time when Glover replaced Nick Simper, when Tommy replaced Ritchie and they all added something new on stage. I am hungry to hear more from you. Make us not forget Lord,… but make us remember you. But hey,.. the sixties space ship lift-off clock-ticking sound was fabulous. Go beyond the special effect and blast it into adrenaline.
Perfect Strangers,… ah,… finally. Purple reborn. Than Space Trucking (make this your song Don) with a damn good Ian Gillan as captain of the ship. he even sang tha high notes alone, no help from Roger. Morse and Glover build a huge wall of sound, better than the original. And Ian Paice got his moment of thunder. Me happy. Finally Ian introduced both Glover and Morse into a duet. Fine fleur of the Hard Rock scene having a ball, lthis is when I said,… damn,.. i must write something in the Highway Star. Breking the speeding sound. The night was not over yet.
Ans Morse gave us his version of Smoke on the Water. See Don,… this is how to do it. Wow,… I admid that for a second I forgot about,… what was the name,.. oh yea,.. Ritchie. (Respect.)
Than they left the scene. We knew that thay would be back because the night was black,… and we were hungry for more. Hush rumbled beatifully as tribute to the old Simper / Evans days,… but it sounded fresh as a cat fish out ot the water. It’s not their song, but hey,.. they were great playing South in the sixties,… and they made it their song. To blow my mind and I’m in so deep
That I can’t eat and I can’t sleep. Thats what being an artist is all about. Black Night closed the evening. Obvious.
One more pint of Belgian Beer.
CU next time guys.
What a great band.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
@ moderator, no need to post this story twice.
August 3rd, 2008 at 23:08Feel free to delete this version.
Eddie Grant, I thin he acused Purple mkIV of stealing his stage show.
Thanks for the review.
August 4th, 2008 at 02:31