[% META title = 'Tour Reviews' %]
Conga mantra
Wow, what a show. Standing five rows back, stage left, in front of the speakers and being able to behold Ian Gillan in all of his nuances. What a treat.
Ian was really in top form. He has turned into some type of spiritual shaman/he-man rocker headbanger proto-type. I don't think his voice could have been in any finer form. At one point he went back to his congas and mouthed some type of spoken word mantra, cocking his head, offering up a silent communiqué. To whom?
Speaking of congas, I'm still miffed at the fact that his congas are never turned up in the mix. What's up with that? After all these years? Could any other reviewers on this site let us know if they have or have not heard his playing on stage? [Ian's got an enthusiastic sense of rhythm too much for us to hear? Rasmus] He is really walloping those things and it looks as if they would sound friggin' amazing.
At any rate, I agree with the earlier reviewer who wrote "Man, I hate to see those guys leave the stage." The band was a lot tighter than the House of Blues Tabernacle show a while back. Steve seemed more relaxed and not so much the main focus. Roger is really timeless and Ian Paice was ever reliable. Isn't he the most underrated drummer in the biz?
And Don Airey? Hmmmm. The jury may be out on this. He is certainly talented, but I can't help but make comparisons to Jon Lord. Nevertheless, he deserves heaps of praise for even attempting to fill those shoes. Perhaps when some new material comes down the pike, we can get a look at what he can actually offer.
A truly splendid and superb show. I left with the most pleasant ringing in my ears.
P.S.
People probably already know this, but Ian mentioned that they would be recording
around Christmas time. [Let's hope the rest of the band heard him! Rasmus]