![[hand]](/hs-pics/portraits/hands/gillan9.jpg)
![[face]](/hs-pics/portraits/faces/mcbride3.jpg)
Seeing a bunch of old friends in Copenhagen
Falconer Salen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
I went to see the band last night in Copenhagen. It’s been a few years and I actually enjoyed it. Sound was the best I’ve heard from them and like seeing a bunch of old friends I delighted in the reconnect, not knowing if and when I would see them again. Even though there will probably be more chances.
Staying home seemed like a crazy consideration once at the show. Those who say “it’s all over, they’re just going through the motions” would likely change their minds if they saw them. I doubt anyone walked away saying that was a bad show.
Quite the contrary, once there it was evident to me they’re really in some sort of zone now where they’re enjoying their playing. And that they could go on like this for a long time, possibly even releasing new albums. Now What?! is a defining album for them and the vibe of those songs set the mood for the concert. Along with the solos of which there were plenty.
One comment I saw about them being the only true jamming band left like that on an arena level rang true with me as well. The show was ’70s’ in that sense even though the improvisation and playing of Airey and Morse is different from Lord’s and Blackmore’s. With Gillan now going offstage more, there seems to be a heavier focus on soloing and it was a bit overpowering at times. On the other hand, the sheer assault from Morse and Airey (massive Hammond sound really) was the ‘hard rock’ ingredient in the show. Otherwise it would have been closer to jazz 😉
Paicey sounded powerful still, with him and Glover really grooving, even more so now than before? Gillan’s lung capacity decreased but tone intact (and dignified because of the latter). There is only one Gillan and there’s no faking it, nor will there be. So if he has to go to the tent every now and then in order to recuperate, then so be it…
Airey now almost the driving force with his sound, his solos on the Hammond often manic. In fact, when his proper solo spot started I thought he had already had one (starting Lazy). By the time Hush came around I had lost track of the number of lengthy workouts he’d had, but the solos are the format of the show now and will continue to be I think. A slight reduction of these with Gillan singing a bit more and the balance would have been perfect. Switching Apres Vous out for another opener would also be wise.
Perfect Strangers a crowd highlight, Gillan’s singing making it sound majestic. Paicey’s snare hit at the ending, Gillan front of the stage hands raised, lights out, classic. All hands in the air clapping after this one.
Goosebumps for me as well when Paicey closed out his solo, the fast part. He just sounded so powerful, sharp and one of a kind.
I actually enjoyed the newer songs more than say Space Truckin (played too laid back), just to hear Gillan pull these off close to the studio versions, and really giving it his all in order to do so. The tent beckoned afterwards…
If I were to sum up the show with one word it would probably be dignified.
Rating by DP standards: 4/6
Rating by normal standards: 5/6
🙂
Review by Daniel Bengtsson
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Sounds like Copenhagen was a good show and also YouTube vids from recent shows prove the Now What?! tour is doing well. Will the US see Deep Purple this year?, March no, (Airey tours this month) April prob not, (Japan) May? June?. I thought Roger said they would swing thru the States after the first of the year (did I read that here?). I sure hope to see them with the Now What?! material, but can’t wait too much longer to schedule my vacation days 🙁 Keeping my fingers crossed and checking web sites daily………..
February 13th, 2014 at 22:03IMO Apres Vous is the best opening track since Highway Star and Fireball, and for me it really set the standard for the show 🙂 I don’t think they should change it.
February 14th, 2014 at 07:05I saw them in Helsinki the second show of this tour with my girlfriend who had never seen them before and we also really enjoyed it! they seemed very eager to play and jam.
To me Don was the star of the show, no doubt! Great sound and fantastic playing! Steve had a wrist band of some sort on his right hand and I thought maybe it was strained or something. It was evident in his playing but didn’t really bother because he had to play a bit slower 🙂 His vibrato is also now slower and more musical in my opinion.
Suprisingly the drum solo was quite early and for some reason IP seemed a bit tired at the end of the set with Perfect Stranger slowing down and the snare almost non audible at times (this was not a mixing issue!).
IG sang well, I like his tone and lower register a lot… I didn’t miss the screams at all, although the “In to the Fireeee!” scream was worth the ticket price on it’s own 🙂
IG had a few suberb speaches like after The Mule and IPs drum solo “… and now for something slightly more exiting…” IP almost fell of his drum stool laughing!
A very enjoyable night indeed.
Ben Granfelt
February 14th, 2014 at 07:56Hope they come to the USA!
February 14th, 2014 at 17:58Again, Thanks Daniel!
February 15th, 2014 at 17:20Comment at number 3 Ben Granfelt: Are you the former guitarist of Wishbone Ash? Before Muddy Wishbone Ash had (just like Muddy) a guitarplayer from Finland with the same name. Or is it just a coincidence and do you have the same name?
February 17th, 2014 at 12:34Hey Stoffer @1,
Yes Roger did state the US was in store for some dates in an interview earlier somewhere. All we can do is hope he is correct. how far are you willing to travel? When we saw them at the Ravinia Park in Chicago and ran into you there, it was a 9 hour drive for us. I’m hoping they come to Nashville since they recorded Now ‘What’ there, which is just over an hour for me. Will gladly go on a trek though if need-be. Maybe we’ll cross paths again. Hopefully they will add some more New Tunes also, Would love to hear Weirdistan, Blood From a Stone, and Out of Hand (great opener). Hell, I wish they would play the whole album and throw in a few from the previous 4 albums. Yeah, I know…….
!Ch-BeerZ?
February 20th, 2014 at 17:41Tracy, agreed… have Purple will travel……………hope we do meet again
Cheers
February 21st, 2014 at 10:49ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!! looks like July is filling up for DP but not in the US 🙁
March 5th, 2014 at 23:18Hey Stof:
“Ooooooo, No Worries. Mmmm, No hurry. Here we are, with the last half of the year still to go”…….
!Ch-BeerZ?
March 7th, 2014 at 18:33