[% META title = 'Tour Reviews' %] 
<CENTER>
  <H1>Orlando, Florida, USA</H1>
  <H2>3. March 1995</H2>
  <H2>Meeting the band</H2>
</CENTER>
<PRE>From: sportcam1@aol.com (Sportcam1)

Newsgroups: alt.music.deep-purple

Subject: Backstage w/Jon Lord, Ian G.

Date: 6 Mar 1995 22:42:49 -0500


<CITE>By Eric A. Eisenstein</CITE></PRE>
Since there are several other reviews of Orlando at this time I will not bother 
with mine as yet, but I will pass on the highlights of conversations I had with 
Jon and Big Ian before the show.
<P> I met them backstage at the sound check. I arrived from NJ, checked into my 
  hotel, then went out to the Tupperware theater. A member of the opening act 
  said Purple's tech were just finishing and the sound check should be any minute. 
  I found an open door back stage and wondered in. Low and behold, the first person 
  I see is Jon Lord . We chatted for over ten minutes and he had one of the crew 
  take a picture with my camera. He was very friendly, and seemed genuienly surprised 
  about the internet newsgroups, etc., and asked how to aceess them.
<P> <STRONG>Anyway other highlights of the conversation were:</STRONG> 
<OL>
  <LI> He said the band has been in the studio writing and that after the 3 Florida 
    shows, they were going to "Korea of all places", Africa and India. They would 
    then return to Orlando in May to record the album which would probably be 
    released by Christmas.
    <P> 
  <LI> They will make at least "one more round" of the States beginning early 
    next year after the release of the album.
    <P> 
  <LI> <STRONG>He</STRONG> did not consider the "Slaves and Masters" tour Deep 
    Purple, and he feels the band now, even without Ritchie, <STRONG>is</STRONG> 
    Deep Purple. 
</OL>
<P> After saying goodbye, I wandered into the theater. Steve Morse and Roger were 
  tuning up and Ian Paice was just wandering around.I sat down in the audience 
  with the guys from the opening act and acted like I belonged, and was able to 
  stay for most of the sound check.
<P> They started just jamming and then rehearsed what I later learned during the 
  concert were three new songs. I went out side and eventually Ian Gillan came 
  out and I again introduced myself. He only talked for a few minutes but said 
  they have fourteen new songs written or being worked on for the album, and that 
  he was looking foward to these live shows and he felt the band needed to get 
  out and play before an audience. I was able to get backstage after the show 
  and he aautograped a copy of the set list for me that i got from a crew menber.
<P> Briefly about the show, Steve Morse is <STRONG>very good</STRONG> and handled 
  the material beautifully. Ian G. apologized for the show being somewhat sloppy, 
  but the crowd was into it and did not seem to mind. They did a complete version 
  of "Tokyo" that had the crowd going nuts. Surprisingly, though, "Back Door" 
  was without question the crowd pleaser of the night. "Space Truckin and Mandrake 
  Root" were droped from the set list that I have, which would explain the sloppy 
  opening to Speed King, with Ian missing the vocal at the top.
<P> >From my seat in the 5th row, I could see alot of hand signalling and communication 
  between Morse and Lord. I am sure that they will be more in synch as they do 
  more shows. But I will not complain about Mr. Morse, especially his effects 
  driven solo to open "Lazy". For a fan of over twenty years like myself, it was 
  a night I will not soon forget. 
<P> <CITE>Comment: Hand signalling between the band members have always been a 
  part of Deep Purple's live act. Ritchie and Jon used to do this all the time. 
  </CITE>
<P> 
Review written by<BR>
  <a href=mailto:sportcam1@aol.com>Eric A. Eisenstein</a> 
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