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UK reviews 2002 (rescheduled)
 

Praise the Lord - and the rest of the band too

I went to the Deep Purple concert at Plymouth Pavilions last night. I was extremely lucky to have a backstage pass and was sitting four rows from the front.

From the moment Ian Gillan came on stage, the entire room went mad, clapping and screaming. Steve Morse stole the show with his fantastic guitar riffs, particularly amazing when he played Well Dressed Guitar.

Don Airey brought some humour in to the show by playing Star Wars in his solo, a brilliant replacement for Jon Lord... The arrival of Jon Lord brought the audience rushing to the front of the stage and those of us still seated stood, and soon the whole room was standing and clapping and dancing. Even my mum enjoyed the performance!

There was a mixture of fans, some obviously die hard fans attempting to grab the bands hands whenever they were offered and trying to jump the stage, and there were also younger fans, the youngest I saw looked to be 12.

Every single song was stamped out in superb style, the audience were silent for When A Blind Man Cries, and the entire room sang along to the classic Smoke On The Water, and when the show ended with Highway Star the atmosphere was fantastic. The band really looked as though they loved their job.

Backstage, I had the pleasure of meeting Ian Gillan (who I had previously met), Steve Morse and Ian Paice. I may have been on the hysterical side as I told Steve Morse how fantastic his performance had been. [Or maybe it was the truth? Rasmus]

Overall a fantastic night, the music was enjoyed by all, even those who had not previously heard much Purple. I would definitely recommend seeing this tour. I can't praise it enough.

Ellie Booth (17)

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