![[hand]](/hs-pics/portraits/hands/gillan4.jpg)
![[face]](/hs-pics/portraits/faces/airey.jpg)
The beginning of the end?
Deep Purple live at Romexpo (Bucharest, Romania 2017-05-13)
The band was in the hungry mood for audience energy :)))
Ian was in his best spirits muttering “superb” at least twice after the songs, giving a summary a dog (gie style) encounter from his rich memory bank at the end of Strange Kind of Woman :)., Vocally at his best too. Don was the darling of the show having incorporated a traditional Romanian melody in his number. Roger was very elegant in his black shirt delivering an incredible bass solo. The show has simple but effective video background support. One hour and 40 mins sharp.
Long live the gentlemen of hard rock!
Bedlam
Fireball
Living Wreck Bloodsucker
Strange Kind of Woman
Johnny’s Band
Blue guitar (Steve’s solo)
Uncommon Man
Surprising
Lazy
Birds of Prey
Hell to Pay
Don’s solo
Perfect Stranger
Space Truckin’
Smoke on the water
Encore:
Highway Star
Roger’s solo
Black Night
Hush
review by Eugen Thielmann
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Take out Birds Of Prey and put in All I Got Is You and take out Living Wreck and put in Smooth Dancer and I’m good with it. For me Birds of Prey and Living Wreck are really not good songs for the stage, they drag to much for live performance.
May 14th, 2017 at 10:54hi
saw this setlist in another site. little different maybe. Just looking for correct one ,thanks/ Whats blue guitar?
http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/deep-purple/2017/romexpo-bucharest-romania-3be794bc.html
May 14th, 2017 at 10:55+ “All I Got is You” ..
May 14th, 2017 at 11:19Fantastic setlist, the 4 newbies & Living Wreck?…. SUPERB, SUPERB!. Bravo DP, you little beauties!.
May 14th, 2017 at 13:01The didn’t play Living Wreck, it was Bloodsucker!
May 14th, 2017 at 14:56Good to hear that all was well on opening night.1 hour,40 mins,Gillan in good voice.
May 14th, 2017 at 15:08Decent set list,but I could do without Space Truckin’ and Black Night. All I Got Is You + Above & Beyond would be great replacements.
A good slice of inFinite.Hopefully,3 or 4 new tunes will remain by North American tour.
Not likely,since Purple will only have 75 minutes or so on a 3 act bill.
They didn’t play Living Wreck.
May 14th, 2017 at 16:02They played Bloodsucker.
It’s cool they left in two songs from Now What?! I’d swap out Uncommon Man for Hip Boots, but that is a quibble. It’s a good set list and I have to disagree with #1. Birds of Prey is a must for the live set. It could be a concert burner similar to “On The Turning Away” by Pink Floyd. Steve’s outro solo is so great, that 1.5 minutes of playing on the studio cut seems like it is tragically short.
Glad to see they retired Well Dressed Guitar.
May 14th, 2017 at 16:32set list isn`t correct.there wasn`t living wreck..that was bloodsucker.blue guitar mean well dressed guitar.
May 14th, 2017 at 19:37Gillan’s vocalc are in shambles, and I do not think it is kind to let this go on. Please do not humilate the fan any longer if you are going to mumble and fumble like a drunken sod.
May 14th, 2017 at 22:35Aside from the replacements I mentioned @ #6,,Lazy and Perfect Strangers should switch places.Lazy after Don’s solo and Perfect Strangers between The Surprising & Birds of Prey.That would make an extremely heavy and strong middle to the set.
May 15th, 2017 at 02:32The demise of the well dressed guitar was premature it seems…
May 15th, 2017 at 02:35nice setlist …
Blue Guitar ???
(I don´t know this …)
LLRnR
kraatzy
May 15th, 2017 at 06:24Pat is right.
May 15th, 2017 at 14:18The Romanian “traditional melody” was a fragment from Romanian Rhapsody composed by George Enescu, brilliantly adapted by Don.
Good show.
It is sadly true to say that “birds of prey” is badly cutted…it is a pity.
May 15th, 2017 at 17:32@ 5: Well, that’s a pitty because Living Wreck would have been a very interesting choice.
May 15th, 2017 at 17:45At #1… Birds of prey is the highlight of the show… believe me, saw it twice, lol
May 15th, 2017 at 19:28I would love to hear AIGIY and some piece from Purpendicular. Its time to play something from this album.
May 15th, 2017 at 19:36# 17
To each his own, to me Birds of Prey just isn’t that good. I’d bet when they tour through America it gets dropped from the setlist.
May 15th, 2017 at 21:14Lots of amateur video of the show. Ian messed up the beginning of Time for Bedlam…but other wise sounded OK. The Surprising went over well, but Ian’s vocals were off a bit. Johnny’s Band was a bit better vocally. No recording of Birds of Prey. The band was great Ian was a little rough around the edges vocally. From what you could tell from amateur video.
May 16th, 2017 at 04:58Im really disappointed.
May 16th, 2017 at 11:27The stage is just unacceptable and ridicoulus.Mixed gay and madonna style backround and video effects,the lightning is terrible.
And im sorry,but how Deep Purple can start a show like this?No intro,no power.Just get on the stage,and start time for bedlam…Gillan seems very very bored and “don`t want to do”.he just don`t give a sh.t about it.I don`t say they should stop or something,if they want do for 10years more,but not like this.I miss the power,the feeling,the smiles,i miss deep purple.They are tired.
Ian Gillan is the driving force of purple and his voice will get better as the tour worms up. So to all of you who criticize one member you better wise up and grow up in your way of analyzing some mobile phone video clips. Ian Gillan is notoriously known for forgetting lyrics so what he makes them up as he goes along. After all he always adds the words to instrumental pieces that’s how the band been producing records for years.
May 16th, 2017 at 12:02Infinite is great album which will have a great live songs on stage. Instrumentally the music is rich and powerful so I don’t mind if Gillan makes up any lyrics on stage.
Get real and enjoy the band live on stage.
First show, cut them some slack. They had no live shows for some time, the machinery will be oiled in a few days. Tomorrow is the gig in vienna, I’m very looking forward to it. Enjoy the music and the opportunity to see them, full stop. An era is ending in a predictable time, just enjoy it 🙂
May 16th, 2017 at 20:52Ian sounded a lot better from the Zagreb clips I checked out as #22 predicted. The opening barrage of Bedlam, Fireball and Bloodsucker was great. Ian sounded great on Bloodsucker as he didn’t try to over sing the bit after the solos. As for Birds of Prey, everyone has an opinion but I’ll be sorely disappointed if that is not in the set as it might be my favorite reunion era song.
May 17th, 2017 at 12:23Gillan is indeed getting better now
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8Tq1iRmX94
Full show. Good stuff
May 17th, 2017 at 12:33another day, another dollar. no thought or seriousness or pride in what they toom months to produce. Gillan’s voice is strained and he is struggling badly to even pronounce or remember words. this is not how a great band should go down… simply a strange kinda band.
May 17th, 2017 at 14:37@21 pat, mate, they’re all old & worn out, none more so than big Ian. They keep doing this because we the fans demand it. They’re giving us the last drops of fuel left in the DP tank… just enjoy them for what they now are… Granddad Rock. Nothing mortal lives forever. Last chance to see…. Don’t waste it. Cheer up dude.
May 17th, 2017 at 16:07Fireball!!! Can’t wait.. New Jersey here we come!!
May 17th, 2017 at 20:47I saw the band yesterday in Vienna, Austria. The setlist was more or less the same, but they didn’t play Highway Star. Instead they startet the encore section with Green Onions. Still it was a very nice concert and IMHO Gillan was in good form, apart from some minor mistakes. Also they had a special guest: Lidia Baich (on violin). She played “The Surprising” with the band which was indeed interesting. As far as I remember she also participated in “Lazy” (similar to what Stephen Bentley-Klein from the “Neue Philharmonie/Frankfurt” was doing during the orchestra tour a few years ago) and Don’s solo spot. Funny thing: When Don wanted to end his solo section, he’s always doing that explosion thing using the keyboard on top of the Hammond which didn’t work out this time (obviously there was something wrong with the sound he selected). He took it with humor. In some ways I enjoyed this concert more than the last one I saw at this very venue in October, 2003 (back then they promoted the “Bananas”-album and Don was the new guy in the band). What I didn’t like though was that every solo spot was used for a speed competition as if life was depending on how many notes were played. After the forth solo a thought: Man, is this necessary?
May 18th, 2017 at 06:45@29 Tommy H, that was a great review Tommy, one of the best I’ve read. Succinct, to the point & your observations were appropriate. You should be writing more reviews….
May 18th, 2017 at 16:17I just don’t understand the tired comments. Sure Ian isn’t the vocalist he used to be (he is 72 years old FFS) But he seemed to be quite engaged and sounded really good for most of the show.
The Zagreb show was crackling with energy from the whole band. The new songs went over well, particularly Birds of Prey and the Surprising.
I am looking forward to August when they hit the states.
May 19th, 2017 at 04:06In Zagreb , guys were a fantastic.Magic moment of the DP rock night
“Bird of Pray”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoDhskn7M_o
May 19th, 2017 at 05:34Can someone please explain to me in a nice way why everyone seems to love Birds of Prey so much? What am I missing here? No one loves Purple more than me but my God, Birds of Prey is the most boring flat song I’ve ever heard in my life. To me there is nothing to it. It sounds like something to throw on when you can’t come up with anything. Again explain what I’m missing here in a nice way, just don’t tell me I suck. Other than that the album is great and I can’t wait to see them live. Long live Purple!
May 19th, 2017 at 21:03@30 Blackwood Richmore:
Thanks ;-). At least my views seemed appropriate to you. I recently wrote a review of the current album on Amazon and I was surprised that the people there would be very sensitive about every little critism – even worse than in most forums. For quite a lot of fans you have to like everything, no matter what is served. That’s very dishonest or at least blinded. By the way, among the new songs in the setlist “Johnny’s Band” was the weakest by far and, which is consistent with most reviews, “The Surprising” and “Birds of Prey” worked very nicely. I was interesting to watch the audience from where I was sitting (from the tribune) while the new songs were performed. The turning from a cheering crowd to a calm, listening crowd – fascinating. Back in the early days a Purple concert was for the most part ferocious and rousing, while the improvisational/instrumental sections played a demanding part in terms of listening, which was an entertaining mixture. The new material is almost solely something for the listener and I think to play an entire concert with these songs would be boring to the lionshare of the audience because the entertaining part would be missing. This task is fulfilled by the old songs where the vibe was much more intense.
May 20th, 2017 at 10:53George…as a big fan of Birds of Prey…I’ll endeavor to tell you what I see in it.
Lyrically it is really good. An interesting treatment of man’s destructive nature.The song musically builds up tension throughout with a great atmospheric solo by Don. Then there is the unexpected brightening of moods with the “dawn of a beautiful day” section. Man is capable of great evil and good…and the musical changes works brilliantly with the lyrics.
The concluding blast of angst is brilliant lyrically and is powerfully delivered by the band and Ian.
Then when the emotion can’t be expressed by words, Steve steps in with an amazing outro solo. This is one of Morse’s finest moments in his time in Purple. The solo soars and emotes like few solos from Steve. I complained the first time I heard it that the solo was tragically too short. Then I realized it was 1:30 long. That solo could roll on forever as far as I am concerned.
So that is why I like it. Tastes differ and I doubt my post will change your opinion…but you asked. 🙂
Cheers
May 22nd, 2017 at 03:09@34 Tommy H, fair enough… In all honesty, Infinite has really grown on me, more so than Now What!?. I feel more in touch with the new album & I love every track on it… including Roadhouse Blues… possibly because I’ve always loved Blue Oyster Cult’s version of that Doors song. You can check it out on B.O.C’s “Extraterrestrial Live” album, which Robby Krieger guested on…. I’m old, fat & lazy nowadays… So Infinite tickles my balls like no other new album at the moment. Maybe I’m just an oddball, but gives a shit anyway?!. Be happy Tommy!.
May 22nd, 2017 at 06:27@33 George G Martin, don’t worry mate, if Birds Of Prey doesn’t grab you… then it’s just personal taste I guess. At least you’re not really slagging off the song or the Purps… It’s a bit of a slow cooker. Hang on a sec… didn’t you produce all those Beatles albums?… & more recently pass away in your 90’s from old age?. Wow, you really are incredible… Be happy!.
May 22nd, 2017 at 08:46@ 28, Fireball, who cares? Gillan can’t sing it. He sounds like a lounge singer now.
May 22nd, 2017 at 12:14@6 mike whitely:
Mike, What time does you tickets say the show starts? I don’t know where you will be seeing the Band but I wouldn’t be pessimistic about the amount of time Purple will be on stage; I’m seeing them @ The Greek Theatre in L.A. (almost 500 miles from home) and the start time is 5:00. In my experience the Greek has never shut down before 10:00 pm. 3 bands with 5 hours allotted to play seems to me like we’ll get a full set from them, as well as from Alice Cooper & probably a truncated set from Edgar Winter.
May 22nd, 2017 at 19:32When Now What?! came out I was really excited. But many of the songs didn’t stick with me. Out of Hand (for example) was one I loved up front. But I tired of it quickly and I rarely play it now. The only songs that really stuck with me are Hell To Pay, Vincent Price and Simple Song.
A month plus into Infinite, I am still playing it star to finish often. There really isn’t a song I don’t really like (aside from Roadhouse Blues and Paradise Bar) It really is a remarkably good album.
May 23rd, 2017 at 01:09@ 35
Chip, thanks for such a good honest answer. I will listen to it and try to keep your review in mind while I do.
@ 37
If I had a dollar for every time someone mentioned the Beatles producer George Martin I would be a wealthy man by now. I am an American but my ancestors do come from England. Who knows maybe were distant relatives.
Again to both of you Deep Purple will always be to me my all time favorite!
May 23rd, 2017 at 17:43@41 George G Martin, I’m sorry George, I couldn’t resist…. I kinda know, but then what’s in a name?. “Hahaha, not Ritchie Blackmore”. NO, I’m not!. And yet he’s my favourite plank spanker… but, I can still play those famous three chords…
May 24th, 2017 at 12:02I believe this album Infinite is a real thing of beauty. It’s definitely one of DP’s best IMHO. It’s just so damn listenable. Bob Ezrin is the difference. Praise be to Bob!. It doesn’t matter how worn IG’s voice is, just look at Youtube to see how large the audiences are at the concerts. DP have become an institution in rock… & not just for the politically insane (never to be seen again!). Lol. Smiles to ya!.