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The Geriatric Tour/Follow-Up
Deep Purple live at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion (Woodlands, USA 2017-08-18)
Back at home after a Great night of music for the most part. I will start with Edgar Winter. I previously said a 30 minute set. Actually was 45. 5 classic songs if your old enough to know them. Band was very good. Lots of vocals/guitar banter between Edgar & the guitar player which was entertaining for a while but drug out a bit. Would have been better had they opted to play a couple more songs but overall the songs & the band were tight. Edgar sang, played keyboards, Sax & a little drums on Frankenstein.
Next came Alice & Alice didn’t disappoint!!! I previously said that Alice & DP would play for about 1.5 hours. Not the case as both bands played short 70 min sets. Alice threw everything at us but the kitchen sink but sadly NOT the Guillotine! For some reason it was left out of the set but with the triple guitars led by Nita Strauss, Dolls, Frankenstein, confetti, guitar pics flying it was quite a spectacle. Nita is a very capable guitarist in her own right, I was wrong about her. The band Alice has assembled for this tour is just as good as the original band which I got to see in 73. Under My Wheels was very good but the highlight song was Halo Of Flies. The 2 new songs went over very well but like I said before I still didn’t like Poison & Feed My Frankenstein.
Now the hard part of my follow-up.
I feel in love with Deep Purple around 1970 right before In Rock came out & have been a loyal fan sense. I had to wait 33 years before I ever got a chance to see them, luckily with John. Last night was only my 4th time to see them. Right out of the gate you could tell that Ian was struggling with the high notes on Highway Star & Fireball. SKOW was next & was a bit easier for him. Uncommon Man is a great tune but it took the energy right out. Lazy will always be Lazy but next up was The Surprising which works well in the set. Then it was time for Don to star & star he did.After a very enjoyable solo, he ushered in Perfect Strangers.This is hands down the song of the night. I won’t get all technical but Steve’s guitar playing on this song is as good as any guitarist on any song ever!!! Then came Space & Smoke & I had to walk away. It’s kinda like hearing Freebird & Stairway on the same night. They’ve just gotten lame. KAYBD followed which I came back for, then Bedlam & Hush. Goodnight, no encore. They just played the whole set & left. Other than Ian thanking the crowd there was very little love from the band, they waved & walked off. 1st time of the 4 shows I have seen that they did this. If this is truly the end, would have been nice for a little more love from the band.
Overall Purple’s show was good, not great & left a lot to be desired!! I really think they are tired, can’t see them doing another tour like this. I also think they’re regretting booking a tour with a Showman but that’s just my opinion.
I hope I’m wrong & they continue but I can’t go see this band that I will love till I die…again
review by Sammy Romeo
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
& in the going down of the sun… we shall remember them…
Lest we forget.
August 20th, 2017 at 11:5970 minutes is not enough. The best Purple concert I ever saw was a few years ago at the Hard Rock in Orlando, Florida. It was just Deep Purple there was no other band on the bill, no opening act , nothing. 2 hours of solid Purple and that was it. Everyone there agreed that’s the way a concert should be. What should have been done on this tour if you really wanted Alice Cooper on it is to have Alice on stage at 7:00 sharp, play till 8:30. Purple hits the stage at 9:00 and plays till 10:45. I think that’s fair and everyone would be happy with it. I too think this is Purple’s last tour in America. Don’t get me wrong nobody loves Purple more than me but Gillan does look tired. Hell I’m tired and I’m 10 years younger than him. But if this is what we get this is what we get. I’ll see them next week.
August 20th, 2017 at 13:22I was at the “Chelsea”show in Vegas and I think it was a good Deep Purple show but Alice Cooper was the star of the night no question about it. ( I have been a Deep Purple die hard fan for the last 30 years) Now, Alice Cooper is surrounded by musicians who are 20 to 30 years younger than him, so a great performer like Alice and the energy and good musicianship of his band made him take the came home that night
August 20th, 2017 at 14:18I’m sorry , at the end of my comment a meant to say that Alice Cooper took the cake home that night,
August 20th, 2017 at 14:21It could well be sharing a bill with Cooper (and Winter) limits what DP can do. To be fair and, as the reviewer says, Cooper is a great showman. An audience craving stage antics may not fully appreciate the current DP lineup. I saw Cooper about 6 years ago – incredibly entertaining show with lots of effects and very competent (if not invested) players. I also recently saw DP in Rome, early in the current tour. They were amazing – the band was ‘on’ with some new songs and clearly enjoying playing for us. They were fresh, sounding great, and let their performance and the music stand on its own merits.
The show touring the US sounds like a bit of a catch-all circus, which really doesn’t serve the Purps well. It may well be getting close to the time when DP ceases to be a ‘working band’, as Roger used to say, and transform into a more selective range of performances. I still think (harkening back to posts a decade ago) that DP can and should base their shows on the catalog of the current musicians. True, that might not sell to the ‘classic rock’ shows of North America, but I would travel to see such a show. (I travelled from Singapore to see them in Rome. It was a great show and worth it.)
Its also true that none of us are getting younger. Age does take its toll, and players need to adjust. such is life.
August 20th, 2017 at 15:55Thanks for your thoughts,Sammy.
August 20th, 2017 at 19:12I sense the part concerning Purple was hard to write.
I’ve read a few reviews of the US shows that have gently suggested that Alice Cooper won the night and/or that it’s time for the Purps to bid farewell to the road.
In the end,time is on nobody’s side….
You lost me by saying Morse’s guitar playing on ‘Perfect Strangers’ was as good as anyone’s ever. What a load of rubbish.
August 20th, 2017 at 23:20Ian is struggling clearly. Hard to watch/listen to. I mean he is 71 and all, but still tough to witness.
August 20th, 2017 at 23:42The videos on you tube look like the crowd loved it. They toured Europe several times headlining with Alice cooper so they know what the got into. Really, drop uncommon man, few know the song and add any two of well dressed guitar, women from Tokyo and black night. Purple is really a pro outfit. There must have been a reason they didn’t do the encore game yet played all the songs. I bet it was time as they added a tune.._knocking at you Backdoor was a smart move. Now drop the uncommon man and the key board solo…most of it… and add the two hits they’re leaving on the table. Through blacknight behind highway star and then go into women from Tokyo and it would be a killer short set.
August 20th, 2017 at 23:53What got me is that I contacted the Pavilion the day before the show asking if they knew how long each bands set would be. When I got the return email telling me the length of each set, I emailed back & asked if there was a curfew in place since the sets were rather short & was told that the bands set the length of the set, not the venue. Now I don’t know if this is just the way it is @ The Woodlands or if it’s like this all over the world but Purple had to know what they are going up against on this tour. Fine to let Alice do 70 minutes but Purple should have done the full 2 hour show like the other shows I have seen them play. That way they could have played more from Infinite as well as a couple more Morse/Airey era songs. Will never know why they chose 70 minute set for themselves also. Do any of you know if this same bill will be continuing on after they wrap up in the States? If it does, other than a couple fanatics I think the majority of reviews will be similar to mine. Without any kind of show the music can only take DP so for & unfortunately it just wasn’t enough. BUT…. the other 3 shows I saw were all spot on epic & I will cherish those memories for ever!!!!
August 21st, 2017 at 01:16I saw them in Las Vegas 8/12/17 and the band did not act like they were enjoying it. Ian Gillan definitely performed like he didn’t want to be there. Like Sammy, I too have been a fan since 1969, with my first concert May 5, 1973 and 74 Burn tour, 85 Perfect Strangers and so on, over 20 shows total in several cities and countries. My point is that 67 minutes is too short for any headliner. Alice Cooper stole the whole show. A lot of people left for the exits after Alice Cooper played and even more after the first Deep Purple songs. Maybe Deep Purple should kick Alice off the tour like Cream did to Purple on their first US tour so they can play a longer set with more classic songs for the radio listener fans and a few more newer tunes. If this is the last US tour, Deep Purple should be going out with a bang instead dying a slow death. I spent a small fortune to fly one third across the country and stay at the Cosmopolitan where the 2500 seat venue was only to half of a Deep Purple show. I love Don Airey but he was the only person to have a solo and with such limited time, a couple more songs would have helped along with a little bit more energy. Set list for the Vegas show 8/12/17:
August 21st, 2017 at 04:04Highway Star
Fireball
Strange Kind Of Woman
Uncommon Man
Lazy
The Suprising
Don Airey Solo
Perfect Strangers
Space Truckin’
Smoke On The Water
Encore
Time For Bedlam
Hush
No Black Night, No Roger Glover solo, No Paicey solo, not even Steve Morse solo. Deep Purple has quite the catalog of songs with 20 studio albums so a set list like this a bit strange. A bit disappointed but was glad I could see them one more time. I also attended the meet and greet and it lasted about ten minutes, quick and fast, just like the concert.
Hey Guys
August 21st, 2017 at 16:07Once again we are faced with a huge difference between Europe & America.
Deep Purple did allways in their European tour a 1.5 hour on their gigs and i can assure you, it was super, great and awesome.
Uncommon man, the surprising, Birds of Prey & times of bedlam were smoothly integrated in the classic setlist.
So, I am absolutelly totally disagree, Deep Purple is still on high standard.
The only shit is that Deep Purple is not longer HOT in the USA & they need support acts as Edgar Winter & Alice Cooper to have enough people to watch & see them.
In Europe Deep Purple is still HOT and it is no problem to have 10000 people without any support act.
However God Bless you but Deep Purple will ever RULES!!!!!
I was at the Greek Theater date in LA. I agree with much of Sammy’s review. Edgar Winter was great, but the question/answer back and forth between Edgar’s vocals and musicians was too drawn out. Nice tribute to Johnny when they did Rock and Roll Hootchie Koo. Alice Cooper’s band was very tight and Alice is a great showman. They put on a great show (my first time seeing him as I was not a big fan growing up). Lots of swapping lead guitar work, and Alice brought out all his props (including the guillotine). I was frankly worried about Deep Purple having to follow what was a very entertaining set. However, DP took command of the show from the start, and the crowd responded well. The full setlist is available online – same opening trio of Highway Star, Fireball and SKOW. Ian can’t sing like he used to, but I expected that going in. Don’s solo, leading into Perfect Strangers was a highlight. I thought the songs off InFinite were great – The Surprizing and Time for Bedlam (part of the encore, with Hush). Very bummed not to have Birds of Prey in the set. May never get a chance to see it live. It would be tough to retire SOTW and Space Truckin’ on a “goodbye tour”, but I personally would have appreciated something else (but leave Lazy in!). All in all, Alice Cooper gave a great show, but I think Deep Purple won the night with great music and excellent instrumental performances.
August 21st, 2017 at 17:14US audiences, who aren’t all that familiar with Cooper or Purple’s catalog, are fascinated by the spectacle of the Cooper show. The show opening sounded good to me (there opening blast of 3 songs sounded just as good as the European gigs (well based on You Tube)
If you don’t know the material and you have a lot of high energy younger musicians running around acting crazy with props and such…well you get the kind of reviews we are seeing here.
I’m looking forward to the show…despite the reviews…
I will see them Wednesday in Bristow. I’ll post a review.
August 21st, 2017 at 19:52Take out Uncommon Man and put in Hell to Pay – shorter and better in my opinion. Take out Don Aireys solo – He kinda does a intro to Lazy anyway. With that time saved you can add All I got is you and if you don’t want to do another new song throw in Woman from Tokyo. Glad they found time for Knocking at your back door after Smoke. If they really had the guts to do it I’d drop Strange kind of woman and put in Smooth Dancer but that would never happen in a million years. Could you imagine the first 4 songs being Highway Star, Fireball, Smooth Dancer and Hell to Pay? How great would that be!
August 21st, 2017 at 21:56Deep Purple has always been number one for me since 1972 when Machine Head was released in my senior year in high school. I was just saying that Ian Gillan should stop if he is not having any fun anymore. I just don’t want to see Deep Purple’s legend to whimper into a has been band. People were leaving after Alice played and leaving early during Purple’s show and listening to the crowd as we walked out of the venue expressing their dissatisfaction with Deep Purple and talking how great Alice Cooper was. Ian was struggling all night and seamed displeased with the audience. I enjoyed the show even though it wasn’t the best one I’ve seen throughout the decades.
August 22nd, 2017 at 03:42I agree 100% Luc appelen. I remember Abandon Tour , when I could see them in June 1998 in Poland , and 2 months later in New Jersey with ELP and Dream Theater. European show (only with local support bands): crazy crowd 10000+ , 17 songs; American one: after ELP 1/3 people left venue, 14 songs , Deep Purple half enthusiasm on the scene comparing to show in Poland.
August 22nd, 2017 at 07:12Then I saw big diffrence in US and Europe about Deep Purple.
Excuse me :not 17 songs but 19 songs (!) on European show mentioned above.
August 22nd, 2017 at 07:16Hi guys
August 22nd, 2017 at 10:15Do you remember DP Australian tour that DP did with Status Quo.
This is no difference. By the time DP took the stage the crowds were buzzing excited and full of energy on a high from the previous acts but DP could not sustain the same level of crowd excitement as they are mainly an instrumental band as Ian Gillan described.
Alice Cooper is a big show off stage act so it’s a desaster to put DP after them.
They should have gone on stage before Alice Cooper.
@12 – Right ON!! That is 100% correct! I have been dying to go see DP in Europe where there is a rabid fan base.
Here in Canada or the US they just don’t draw well. I have seen every DP show in Toronto area since the got back together during their Perfect Strangers tour. Besides the PS tour, the next time they had a rabid crowd was at Live Eight and Rock the Park – Both FESTIVAL gigs, full of young people. When I go to a DP show most “fans” sit there with their arms folded and a golf clap at the end of each song. Sometimes they might stand but probably not until the encores. SO if their is floor seating, I doubt anyone will stand for long. A see of BLUE HAIRS we like to say, even though i am getting close to them in age, we are very different concert goers. I like to ROCK! They like to sit….Reminds me of early 1970’s era video clips where the crowd sits there and applauds like there at a play!
August 22nd, 2017 at 13:21And another thing, I don’t remember the last time DP did 2+ hours at a concert… 1hr 45 minutes is tops the past 10-15 years….
http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/steve-morse-says-it-would-be-nice-for-deep-purple-to-play-with-ritchie-blackmore-one-last-time/
August 22nd, 2017 at 16:58In response to #10,in the US, concerts usually end by 11 PM, due to union rules and the like. No one wants to pay overtime.
August 22nd, 2017 at 17:53RE: “Alice threw everything at us but the kitchen sink but sadly NOT the Guillotine!”
The Guillotine had an Epic Fail at the LA Greek Theater show that i was at and you can see it on You Tube. The blade stopped about 2 ft short but his head still “came off” so that may be why they did not use it.
As for the show, I commented on that DTB Blog and these later show reviews are in the same jugular vein. Alice did the better “Show” and his band was TIGHT, like the Guitar Army of The “American” Outlaws back in the day!! Of course the average age for the bands is a big difference and that has to be part of it, ‘Nuff Said.
The Purple show (my 5th) was just a bit of a let down, especially if it was the last time around. Although my thoughts on it have mellowed a bit since that DTB post I still feel a bit bummed. The opening graphics behind them for Highway Star were distracting as hell. I was almost dead center in the crowd and I thought that the Keyboards were a bit too loud, but that may just be me. They were good for the most part, but not great except for little things from the guys here and there (did like what what they did w/SKOW). I would have liked some more new material (Birds of Prey!?!) and if you are going to sell Johnny’s Band t-shirts maybe you should play the damn song! We did not get KAYBD so at least you got a little more. I can only hope that they stick around long enough to do some one-off “Big City” shows where they play for 2-1/2 hours with an intermission to rest up. Hopefully Ritchie makes it to L.A. next year.
As for them touring together, I think that a look at the souvenir stand bags tell you why. It appears that Alice’s new album is also put out by Ear Music so there is a little corporate synergy going on here.
This was the first time to see either band for my Country Girl and although she enjoyed DP since she recognized a lot of the set she said that she would rather see Alice a second time and that is a shame.
August 22nd, 2017 at 19:13James Gemmell should know that he’s definitely in the minority if he really doesn’t believe Steve plays PS well. I’ve enjoyed his ability to enhance the song over many years, with the dive bombs and extra nuances that RB used to leave out. Not that you’ll go back and read this, but thanks, ’cause now I can go back and appreciate all the versions even more!
August 23rd, 2017 at 03:03All the reviews, of which there are several in the US media of all the gigs, are all about the same. Winter was a good warmup, Cooper was amazing, and Purple was ok. The writers seem to focus on Gillan when they get negative. This tour seems to be backfiring on Purple. I think if they took the second slot they would be better off. It seems the energy level drops considerably for Purple and folks start heading for the exits halfway through. The fan/reader comments in the articles are even more brutal. Too bad for sure.
I see them tonight.
August 23rd, 2017 at 10:35To echo Sammy’s review, as a lifelong Purple fan this is tough for me to write. I went to the Atlanta show Monday night 8/21. It was really hard to watch. I brought two of my kids because I wanted them to see some living legends. They don’t know many of the songs but even they could tell something was wrong. We had the chance to move up several rows because the stalls were pretty empty…in fact we could have moved up about 20 rows…but we just sat there…first time I’ve ever not taken the opportunity. We were late and missed Alice Cooper who was supposedly fantastic…and I’m happy we missed it. It was hard enough watching Ian struggling but to also watch them getting blown off the stage would only have added insult to injury. The worst part was masses of people clearing out right after Smoke, while they were still playing Time for Bedlam and Hush. My 11 year old daughter asked me why everyone was leaving and I just didn’t know what to say. And you know what, the new album is the best thing they’ve done since Purpendicular. On a positive note, Don and Steve blew my kids away…they really carried the show. I’m glad I got to see them one last time.
August 23rd, 2017 at 18:44Hi folks…..a bit of info for you….
August 23rd, 2017 at 19:35@ #10…….you were given incorrect information……there is a strict curfew in place at the venues on this tour….the show has to be done by 11 pm, hence DP doing 70 minutes. This is also why they don’t waste time going off and then coming back to do the encores….instead, the decision was taken to play straight through……..a simple choice….drop a song and walk off for a couple of minutes before coming back, or don’t drop a song and play straight through. This is also why most of the solo spots have been dropped.
I would agree that Uncommon Man may be a bit too profound for this crowd. Coming off the shock and awe of Alice Cooper, you gotta come out blazing from start to finish.
August 23rd, 2017 at 20:46I saw Deep Purple in Chastain Park, Atlanta on Monday, 08/21/2017. Edgar Winter was first on the stage and he and his band put solid show. I was surprised that Edgar is in such a good shape. Very professional and well rehearsed band. After short break Alice Cooper came and audience responded very well. A lot of people with Cooper shirts and hats, obviosly recognized all songs. I’ve never listened his music, but I have to say that he put entertaining show for his audience. Band was real tight, each band member knew what to do to make great show. Not a music that I enjoy, but it was fun to watch like entertainment.
August 24th, 2017 at 18:40Deep Purple came on stage around 9:15pm and played until 10:35. I saw them several times and last time was a couple of years ago in Orlando. One of my favorite bands. Always great live band. This time they put good show with all members playing really well, specially Ian Paice and Don Airey .Except Ian Gillan. His voice was shot down form very beginning of the show. Highway Star and Fireball were big tusk for him and you could barely hear his voice. I am not sure if his voice was damaged because of too many recent shows or this is permanent damage? He sounded a little better on new songs, but most of the time he didn’t even tried to hit higher notes.. He sounded a lot better in Orlando a couple of years ago and this was really surprise for me.
He is my first concert back in 1979. I love him a lot, but it is time to stop. It was hard to watch entire show and it is hard to type this. It is hard to sing those songs. They wrote those songs 40-50 years ago and you can’t do that any more. They should get a short break and by the end of this year make one more big show and say goodbye, because they should stop while they are still excellent act.
I saw the show in Bristow, VA last night. I love Deep Purple, but I have to admit Alice should have headlined. It was impossible for Purple to follow that level of showmanship and stage production. The only way Purple could compete would be by really stretching out, jamming a lot, and showing off their superior musicianship. But jam they did not, at least not until the final song Hush. That left us with a bunch of older guys mostly standing still with almost zero stage production or theatricality. And of course Gillan’s voice; his attempts at the higher pitched parts were comically bad to non-Purple fans in the audience, which made me honestly depressed, and he no longer even has the breath or energy to sing Fireball at tempo. Clearly they made their decision to continue past their prime long ago as Gillan’s voice was going by the early ’90s, but last night left me with the impression that this is just not the way for a great band to go out.
August 24th, 2017 at 19:32I saw Purple WED night with Alice Cooper and Edgar Winter at Jiffy Lube Live. I’d estimate a crowd of 4000-5000 in attendance. There were a lot of empty seats. It was my 7th time to see Deep Purple — 1985, 1991, 1993, 2005, 2011, 2015, and 2017. I read a lot of the reviews of the tour leading up to this concert. I read in both US Media accounts and fan responses that Gillan struggled at times and the show lacked the energy of Alice Cooper’s set. One media reporter even stated he saw more fans wearing Cooper T-shirts than Purple t-shirts. I saw several comments from fans on how disappointed they were in Purple and how the audience started leaving during the Purple set. I was hoping Purple would not get blown away….but I kept thinking….how is that even possible?
Edgar Winter was one thing that got me excited about the show. I made sure I arrived early to get his entire set. It was nothing special. I see a lot of concerts and this show was simply ok. The fans who bothered to come to their seats seemed to really enjoy his set.
Alice Cooper was solid, really good. He started and ended strong. I was expecting a 70 minute high energy foot stomping set. The middle part of his set saw the energy level dip a bit, his antics on stage are a bit campy, but his encore (School’s Out) got the best reaction of the night from any band.
Now, Deep Purple! Purple delivered a tight hard charging set, This show was the standard set for this tour without Knocking at Your Backdoor and again no standard encore. There were a lot of Purple fans at the show, I’d dare say the majority. Lets get to Gillan. His voice was solid. Obviously at 70+ he was not hitting the notes he did in his 20s but he was just fine. Ironically, I saw nothing in past Media articles about Cooper’s voice just shots at Ian Gillan. Cooper’s voice is highly processed. There are a lot of effects going on behind the scenes and he’s lip synching or maybe there are backing tracks of his voice at some parts of songs. He’s singing but definitely is getting help. Gillan sung his parts, which are much more difficult, with no mistakes, always in key, no issues minus his legendary screaming was rare. I saw Black Sabbath at the same venue a few years ago and Ozzy was completely out of key all night. Gillan was amazing in comparison. Morse was his usual awesome. Cooper also has 3 lead guitar players including an attractive well endowed blonde young lady. Morse easily matched all three with his tone. That sound was in my head all night. Glover and Paice were their typical solid. Airey was good but his solo is too long.
I do have criticism of the band. I was intending this to be my goodbye to the band live but now I’m going to have to fly to Europe to see them near the end of this tour because of the 7 shows, this one comes in 6th place. No way this is how I want to remember Purple. There was something weird going on and its not that Alice Cooper blew them off the stage. They more then held their own and really left a lot on the table. Why do that at a co-headlining show? They seem to be holding something back. Gillan hardly spoke during the show and when he did I could not make out what he was saying. He maybe said 30 words to the crowd. The show ended at 1055 but the no encore appearance did turn off some fans. I heard people complaining on the way to the parking lot. Most band members quickly exited the stage with only Roger doing the usual good bye. The no love from the band comment is true. They were polite but not into the audience. Unfortunately, I estimate that 25-30% of the audience left throughout the Purple set. Most people returned to their seats for the start of the Purple set but starting with the ass kicking Highway Star, its was a constant flow of a few people at a time leaving. It was distracting to the folks who stayed. It does suck the air out of the room when people are climbing over you to get out of the venue. The 70% or so who stayed were really into Purple. Maybe the band senses the crowd noticeably thinning during the show but what they should also know if the majority stayed and adored them. I saw a lot of singing and dancing. And, yes there were at least as many people buying Purple shirts as Cooper shirts.
In hindsight, I did sense something strange. I really don’t know what it is. They played and sounded great and in reality, it was a Purple crowd. Are they reading the mixed reviews? They shouldn’t. I think the headlining position on this tour is a tough one. The band’s fan bases are not so similar and Cooper had a resurgence in the 80s with some hair metal anthems. Purple and Cooper are really different acts. I do think its an American thing, at most concerts and sporting events I’ve attended people start leaving halfway through. I saw Boston a few weeks ago at same venue and as soon as he played More than a feeling the flow of people to the exits was noticeable. If Cooper closed out the show, you would have seen the same thing. There were 4 or so songs in the middle of his set where the energy level dipped and that’s all it would take, sadly.
I do think Purple left a lot on the table and they could have played a more recognizable set to an American audience that was not the typical 100% die hard Purple fanatics. Highway Star, Strange Kind of Women, Lazy, Space Truckin, Smoke on the Water and Hush were all really well received and were known by most of the fans. Fireball got little recognition. Few knew Uncommon Man, The Surprising or Bedlam. Airey’s solo was too long. Gillan recites a poem at the end of SKOW that was about a minute long, was hard to hear and distracted the casual fan. They only tweaks I would make is I’d drop fireball and play Black Night, followed by Women from Tokyo. Highway Star, Black Night, Tokyo, SKOW….great start. The only other changes are dropping Uncommon Man and do a proper encore. Uncommon is a great tune, emotional but completely unknown to this audience. They should do an encore after Hush and Well Dressed Guitar with the clap along Gillan does would have been great and high energy.
Final Analysis — band sounds great but had me wanting more.
August 25th, 2017 at 07:29Man, All of you Purple fans have a really big list of demands! Purple is perfect just the way they are! They are beautiful inside and out and forever! Long Live Purple ……They will always be the most brilliant rock and roll band in the universe!
August 25th, 2017 at 21:50I always prefer attending Purple gigs in smaller venues when they give the opening spot to a new upcoming local band, The setting is more intimate and groovy! Purple doesn’t need any circus antics like guillotines, monsters and scary dolls! Their virtuosity is eternally brilliant!
August 25th, 2017 at 22:03I’m reading awful reviews from the show in Atlanta…especially about Gillan, Alice just blew them away and Edgar Winter was also much better. I dont have a good vibe about this tour but will know more after the St Louis show Sept 8 I hope I’m wrong and its not just about the MONEY
August 25th, 2017 at 22:28apparently Gillan was hurtin’ in Atlanta, upper respirtory infection! Get well soon Big Ian…
August 26th, 2017 at 17:07Starplex in Dallas 8/24/2017. Great seats as part of the $200 ticket package. The band was professional and tight as always but lacked any emotion and had little to no crowd interaction. Powerful start with Highway Star. Ian couldn’t get the vocals right on Fireball but otherwise was on good form apart from the mumbling at the end of SKOW ! No idea why they play Uncommon Man as it sucked the energy out of the crowd. Don Airey was the only one who had a solo and it made the crowd even more restless. Lazy and The Suprising are good but out of place in a shortened set. Perfect Strangers was spot on. It began a string of classics as they built a strong finish. Liked the new video they played as a backdrop to SOTW. Would have preferred Black Night or Woman from Tokyo as encores. Not enough seen of Steve Morse . And Ian and Roger just seemed to be in the background. Set list I noted was :
Highway Star
Fireball
Strange Kind of Woman
Uncommon Man
Lazy
The Surprising
Keyboard Solo
Perfect Strangers
Space Truckin’
Smoke on the Water
Knocking at Your Back Door
Time for Bedlam
Hush
I have been a fan since 1969 and have had the great pleasure of seeing them over 30 times all over the world . This was not Deep Purple in their finest hour but they are still worth the price of admission. Their set is just too short for them to get going and truly shine. If they know its a short set why don’t they just pack it with the songs people know? If this was farewell then it leaves me feeling a little mistreated !
They did have a hard act to follow . Alice Cooper was fun and put on quite a show ! But that should be no excuse . They could and should feed on the energy his band creates.
Edgar winter was also a worthy opening act. Overall as the concert was very good. Just expected more from Deep Purple.
August 27th, 2017 at 17:53I saw Purple at Jones Beach, Long Island on 8/26/17. The band seemed to play their best on the newer songs, Uncommon Man, The Surprising, and Time for Bedlam. I would have liked to have heard more recent material in the set list especially Johnny’s Band and Raptures of the Deep.
August 28th, 2017 at 21:37Getting in a little late on this one but I saw the show at Chastain Park in Atlanta. It was only my third time seeing Purple (4th seeing Ian Gillan perform live). After seeing a Gillan-fronted Black Sabbath in November of 1983 in Rockford, Illinois, my first DP show was back in August of 1985 on the Perfect Strangers tour in East Troy, Wisconsin, and they were nothing short of astounding. My ears rang for something like four days after that. The next time was almost 20 years later, in July of 2005 in Rockford, IL and, again, they were stellar. I bought our tickets the night before the show and got reasonably priced seats at a table nearly dead center from the stage. To be honest, I didn’t care if we got there in time to see Edgar Winter or even Alice Cooper because I was never a fan of either of them. No offense to those who are, I just never bothered to set aside any time to become acquainted with their music. But Purple has been a huge favorite of mine since I began listening to rock music 40-plus years ago, so they were really the only reason for my interest at all, particularly since Infinite has been yet another really great release and obviously this is being advertised as their final tour. I have to be honest, though, in saying that I had only one actual fear going into this show and that was Gillan’s voice. How well would it hold up? Would this be a good night or a bad one? Would the humidity be an issue? All that went through my mind ahead of time. I had no reservations about whether the band would be up to the task because when have they ever not in the post-Ritchie era? So I was 100% confident that the band would be totally spot on and solid. I was concerned about Gillan. I knew that him having already crossed into the other side of 70 would mean that adjustments would need to be made to get through a set as demanding as theirs no doubt is. Back in 2005 he performed very very well, adjusting brilliantly in those places that the much younger version of himself could reach well relative ease. Every singer eventually reaches a stage where they must improvise and adjust. But I’ve always seen Gillan as a guy who tried to push himself beyond the supposed limitations of age because he does have high expectations of himself. Needless to say, he’d either knock it out of the park or he would fall horribly short. The night would eventually reveal the reality of the situation in due time.
To say that Edgar Winter and his band exceeded my expectations would be an understatement. They were enthused, excited, and hungry. Very impressive opener and the crowd seemed to appreciate their energy and performance. If the Edgar Winter troupe were impressive then Alice Cooper and his relatively youthful band – sporting three guitarists no less – were jaw dropping. No, I did not expect to be as impressed as I was by them. I was only hoping to make it through till Purple could take the stage and show everyone what real band sounds like. Obviously Cooper has never ever been one to possess a technically great singing voice, but he is quite the showman and the musicians he’s recruited for this tour are tiiiight. The drummer, Glen Sobel, I recognized from Chris Impellitteri’s band from several years back, but everyone else was unfamiliar to me. I also thought it was great that he brought in a very well qualified female axeslinger (Nita Strauss) as well. Whether that was simply as a novelty or not, she showed she had the requisite firepower to resurrect the sound of the mid to late 80’s MTV Headbanger’s Ball era quite well. All the staple songs were played very effectively and they owned the stage as if they were the true headliners. I even bought one their shirts because, well….they actually were the coolest shirts available for sale. Obviously I got one from DP, too…..
As for Purple, I can only say that the band was exactly what I’d expected: Excellent. However, Gillan’s voice proved to be in rather rough shape – to put it mildly – and in the end I felt really bad for him. I can’t even count how many times he left the stage throughout the set but with things going so unfavorably for him, the rest of the band had to fill in the gaps and fill they did. Problem is, this crowd did not come to see a band playing several long instrumental breaks and solos. They wanted to hear the songs. The ones that had words in them. The ones they grew up with. And they did not get nearly as many of those as they probably expected to. I know singers have off nights. I’d heard that Gillan was fighting some kind of infection. Unfortunately people don’t really care about that in the end. four songs into Purple’s set, people were leaving in what seemed like a steady stream. In the end, I was disappointed, too. I wish I’d known that the sets were cut short and that there was little banter between songs. It felt weird to hear “Smoke On The Water” near the end of what I’d thought was the set. When they left without coming back for an encore and next to no acknowledgment of the audience, it felt very wrong. I could only assume that there was just as much disappointment in their dressing room afterwards as there was in the crowd. That’s obviously not how they want to go out but then there’s probably even less of a desire to cancel or postpone shows either.
In the days that have passed since, I am glad I went. Sure I wish things would have gone differently but you’re not always going to get the best show in return for your money. Bands are human, too, and that’s the major difference between seeing them in 1985 and seeing them 2017. We all become more aware of how infallible we are not. In ’85 I viewed them with 18 year old eyes as though they were gods. Now that I’m 50 I consider it a privilege to still be able to see them even on a bad night and realize how human they really are, and how lucky I am that they’re still around to try and do it one last time.
August 29th, 2017 at 19:01The old houndog has lost it’s bark….
August 31st, 2017 at 08:20Saw DP for the 5th time in my life at Jones Beach in NY. Overall good show. Never saw Cooper before and must admit very entertaining and good song selections for him. Brought my kids who enjoyed seeing the actually people behind the music I blast in my car and home. No encore disappointing, seemed to plow through the last few songs. I know DP has to play the favorites in the US in order to fill the seats but this line up does have some good songs from other albums over the last 20 years would be nice to include some of them(feel like screaming, ted the mechanic, bananas, 69, Vincent Price, Simple song) to name a few.
August 31st, 2017 at 17:26They need more time on the stage to do that (but at 70) may be hard to do that long term.
As far as all this reunion stuff with RB doing a show, it’s funny how they all say “we get along with RB”, “I have no problems with RB” that’s because no one has spoke to each other in 20 years. This is why it will never happened. Maybe if at the RRHOF they played together then MAYBE but it didn’t get pulled off for that and for that reason is why it will never happen.
RB wants to do what Roger Waters did many years ago… just one more live performance with his old band….
September 4th, 2017 at 14:10