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North America 2

Verizon Wireless Theatre, Kansas City, MO, USA
Aug 25, 2004

by Jim Collins

1) I saw Deep Purple Wednesday night in Bonner Springs, Kansas.
2) They were excellent.

"Hmmmmm, no. Just stating the facts doesn't quite do it."

I saw Deep Purple Wednesday night in Bonner Springs, Kansas. They sounded better than I've ever heard them.

"Whooaaaa! Stop right there! You've said THAT before!"

Jim saw Deep Purple and had the best seat in the house! Photo: Peggy Collins

Ok, I saw Deep Purple Wednesday night in Bonner Springs, Kansas. It was the 2nd time I've seen them this year and the 10th time total. They played with a passion and energy that would make anyone envious. They're playing and sounding like they're in their 20's and hungry for success. They performed with the precision of a Swiss watch, the power of a Force 5 hurricane and the passion of a pair of young lovers locked in a twisted tangle of limbs. The sound was mixed immaculately, with everyone audible, but no one dominant. Just incredible. The setlist was a mix of standards and material off their new album, Bananas. While I could complain about the lack of newer material and too much reliance on the oldies, watching the crowd respond to the familiar standards makes that argument a moot point. So, to the show:

After great sets by both opening acts, which were accompanied by massive rainfall, severe lightning and some of the meanest and most ominous clouds you could imagine, Purple took the stage. Mother Nature wisely backed off, unwilling to tangle with a force like this band. Not a drop of rain, not a rumble of thunder, not even a hint of the winds which had been present earlier in the evening. The lights went down, the crowd roared and the band exploded onto the stage with "Silver Tongue". A veritable wall of sound, pulsing with a visceral energy that wrapped you in a sonic blanket and took your breath away. The audience didn't appear to know the song, but that didn't stop them from dancing along to it, with smiles on their faces and hands in the air. As the song ended in an extended jam of swooping, whammy-bar dive bombs and swirling keyboard effects, any hope of a brief respite were dashed when they launched into "Woman From Tokyo" like a Panzer Division with a grudge to settle. THIS got the crowd ignited. No cheesy, "I don't wanna see anyone sitting down" cliché's were necessary. People were into this song. I have to mention that Gillan's voice is superb tonight, maybe better than I've ever heard at a Purple show. WFT ends and after a brief hello, a thanks to the other bands and a bigger thanks to the crowd who'd stayed through the monsoon, they played "I Got Your Number". I use the word "played", because how do you describe a sledgehammer blow to the soul? The experience of seeing them perform, with such conviction and grace, is far past "thrilling" and well into "this can't be real" land. The music, the backing vocals, everything is flawless. Again, a general look of unfamiliarity with the song was very evident on most of the crowd, but that had no impact on the way it was received. A thunderous applause and the band proceed to take it up a notch with "Strange Kind Of Woman". While not as immediately recognizable as WFT, the song is greeted as the certified classic that it is. Steve finally has a handle on how to approach these songs, marking them with his own style, without detracting from their core identity. I haven't heard a version as bludgeoning as this since the halcyon days of the MkII line-up. I say that without hesitation, despite the fact the SKOW is (to me) the quintessential Deep Purple song. Tonight it is simply a monster, running over me like an invisible bulldozer, crushing my senses and causing tears to form in my eyes.

Ok guys, how about a break? I mean you're killing me over here. Nope, not tonight. When they launch the title track of "Bananas" into the crowd, like a torpedo into a freighter in an old war movie, the results are devastating. The song explodes into the audience through the verses, with the frantic solo section machine-gunning the survivors, Don and Steve taking turns destroying the few non-believers left standing. The song ends, to almost total, stunned silence, then strong, appreciative, applause. Are there any people in the audience that don't believe this is a killer band, almost dangerous on stage? If there were, they are chopped into pieces by a killer version of "Knocking At Your Back Door." Purple's firing from the hip now, like a gunfighter on a dusty Kansas street. With six-guns blazing, they cut a swath through the crowd, no mercy asked for, none given. Then, a short break from the fire and brimstone being hurled from the PA. When Gillan introduces "Contact Lost" and references the shuttle disaster, there's polite applause, then respectful silence. As Steve begins the song, I'm amazed to see lighters held aloft throughout the crowd. As the song develops, I find myself getting goosebumps, with electricity almost visible in the air. The song ends, and just as the crowd starts to cheer, the band unleash the "Well Dressed Guitar". Not including this on the album may be one of the biggest mistakes Purple's ever made. When the song ends, the response is immediate. Hands down, the largest, most appreciative response of the night. People are screaming, yelling, beating their hands into bloody pulps. I don't know if I've ever been prouder to be a Purple fan. My band. Getting thunderous applause for a new song, not an oldie. If I grin any wider, the top of my head will fall off. What next?

Now the massacre begins. Without mercy, without warning, without any hesitation, the band unleashes a deadly barrage of heavy artillery. "Perfect Strangers", "Highway Star", "Space Truckin'" and "Smoke On The Water". Each is played to perfection, and placed methodically in the formula to form a lethal concoction. A whirlwind attack that strikes the Kansas crowd like one of the tornadoes that often drop out of the Midwestern sky and leave a trail of destruction in their wake. Only Deep Purple could do, or would do, this to an audience. The crowd looks like they just got off the world's most vicious rollercoaster, shaken to the core, but entertained as well. So what do you do with someone who appears to be in shock, after an experience like this? Well, most civilized societies would offer aid, assistance or counseling. But who said Deep Purple was civilized? They took a pulverized and shell-shocked crowd and slapped them in the face with a brick they like to call "Speed King". A long version of this classic, with excellent performances by everyone. Special note must be made of Roger's bass solo here. I fully expected for him to be arrested the minute he walked off stage. The way he attacked his bass here was undoubtedly illegal in most countries. He caressed it, he mauled it, he stroked it, and he attacked it. I've never seen anything like this. It's always the soft-spoken ones you have to watch out for. Remember, everyone said Ted Bundy was a nice guy too? Anyway, this was spectacular and absolutely unbelievable. The entire amphitheater was boogying along with him, caught up in the rapturous moment. Then they left the stage, appearing satisfied the way conquerors always do and walked off into the night. Done? No, not quite. A brief return and a scrumptious version of "Hush" that had the exhausted crowd on their feet like religious zealots at a church revival. Then?

"Then it all was over, we had to find another place"

How do they do it? Why do I see them every chance I get, only to walk away convinced that it was the best show I've ever witnessed? It's not right and it's certainly not fair. My heart just can't take this kind of stuff. For 34 years and counting, they've been touching my heart, mind and soul. I walk away, content and very, very, proud.

Thanks guys.