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North America 2

Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto, ON, Canada
Aug 21, 2004

Silver Tongue
Woman From Tokyo
I Got Your Number
Strange Kind Of Woman
Bananas
Knockin' At Your Back Door
Contact Lost-Guitar Solo
Well Dressed Guitar
Don Airey Solo
Perfect Strangers
Highway Star (with extended opening jamming by Roger and Steve)
Space Truckin'
Smoke On The Water

Speed King (guitar/keyboard duel, an extended bass solo, Gillan's 50's songs)
Hush

First I 'd like to mention that three and a half hours before the gig started, Steve Morse made an appearence at Long & McQuade in Toronto. He appeared at 4 and Igot there at about 4:30 because of the horrible traffic in Toronto.
Plenty of seats available (I guess the word didn't get out). I expected just a Q&A, but he was up there with his guitar answering questions about music equipment, and giving tips on playing and what kind of gear he likes. And then he played a song. He played Hylian Wedding and it was amazing. I felt priviliged to be there in a room with maybe 30-35 people. It was practically a private concert. At one time he was talking about scales and as he's talking he's playing a scale and not even looking - and he played it extremely fast too. He played the scale in five positions down the fretboard in like ten seconds.
Eventually he moved onto signing autographs. While walking by he shook my friend's hand. He was speechless - and so was I (slightly out of a little rage). I didn't have time to get an autograph or I 'd be late for the concert (I didn't have anything for him to sign anyway). So I waved goodbye to Steve, he waved back and we started to walk out. I turned to my friend and said "He shook YOUR hand?! Before today you've never even heard him play!" He replied, "what are you talking about? I listened to Very Best Of Deep Purple last night. " Then I said, "that was all Blackmore, you tool. Steve's only been with the band since '94. " Then I said, "well, at least let me shake your hand since you shook his!!
And then there was Deep Purple. . . Wow. Almost as good as last time I saw them, but then again that was just because of a longer set and it was at Massey Hall (great acoustics there). As I 'm writing this five hours after, my hearing is just coming back!
There were a few songs I was hoping to hear, but it's hard to live up to there February performance when they did all of Machine Head and more.
Altogether one of the greatest days of my life.
Ian Paice is making an appearence at the Long & McQuade store in Brampton tomorrow. He's giving away an Ian Paice Signature Snare. I was really hoping to go, but my dad has to pack to go up north before we see Rush.
Cobalt Blue

You ever have the feeling of deja-vu? I certainly did tonight at Toronto's show with those lads from Purple.
When I was a wee wee of a lad in 73, I broke into my brother's bedroom to explore what hidden treasures I could find. One of these treasures was Machine Head. I looked at the cover, my little eyes popped out of my head and I thought "I wanna give this baby a spin", and that I did. To my surprise this piece of wax changed my whole world. I was given a gift from the Gods. From the opening of Highway Star to the ending of Space Truckin' I was in awe. Who were these five guys and where were they from? So many questions running through a child's mind.
I wanna say to these mates of mine that tonight in Toronto you brought back a world of memories, and once again you are the Gods I heard many moons ago.
The show got off to a rockin' start with Silver Tongue, then adding a touch of the days of gold with Woman From Tokyo, showing the many fans that whatever they play this is the Purple we grew to love.
Don, and Steve have done justice filling the shoes of Richie and Jon, this is the beginning of something magical.
Ian, I must say that your voice and words have have always been an inspiration, but tonight your kindness was a touch of class.
Ian Paice and Roger, nobody can touch the best rhythm section in rock 'n'roll, a non-stop machine of pure thunder.
All the classics were here tonight, but some of the new tracks took the younger crowd by surprise Bananas, and I Got Your Number just really proved that classic rock is today's rock, and Deep Purple are number one.
Opening the show were the Irish lads Thin Lizzy [English John Sykes and American Scott Gorham don't really carry much of an Irish tradion, do they? Rasmus] and being a fan of them through the years I must say even without Phil (RIP) they did a great job of keeping the spirit alive. Second in command was Joe Satriani the guitar extortioner. Joe gave us the attack of the six string, offering us a taste of his beginnings and his latest, a fine show indeed.
I walked away tonight being reborn, seeing my childhood before my very eyes, seeing how I grew and having a realization that Deep Purple are Gods after all. Thanx for the little piece of heaven tonight.
Until next time - I wish you well.
Rod, Toronto

This was Purple's second Toronto show within six months. Not much had changed from February. The set was a shortened version of the Machine Head set from Massey Hall, delivered with passion, precision and power.
Perfect Strangers and Highway Star exploded from the stage. Unbelievable!
Ian Gillan remembered the 1st verse of Woman From Tokyo (one more verse to go, Ian. :-)
The Purpendicular and Abandon discs remained Missing in Action. I'd still like to hear Contact Lost segue into Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming or Seventh Heaven.
That being said, The Well Dressed Guitar had folks on their feet, cheering Steve on.
Yes, I'd hoped for a surprise or two in the setlist, and a solo from Paicey. (Drummers in the crowd were surely disappointed).
Still, if you haven't caught Purple on stage recently, get your tickets now!
Mike Whiteley

This was my second time seeing Deep Purple this year and I couldn't ask for more seeing as how they are my favorite band.

Thin Lizzy were too loud and very unclear. While I was waiting for Joe Satriani to take the stage I went over to the merchandise stand and bought a $40 t-shirt and two Roger Glover CD's (Butterfly Ball and Snapshot). I got back to my seat in time for Joe Satriani, and I must say I was impressed and very entertained (for the most part) by his act. By the end of his set I was getting a bit bored of the all instrumental songs though.
Deep Purple hit the stage with Silver Tongue from Bananas and then followed that with Woman From Tokyo. The latter probably sounds better now then it ever has.
I Got Your Number, Strange Kind Of Woman and Bananas were next. I really enjoyed the alternating songs from new to old. The new songs seemed to fit right in with the classics. Knocking At Your Back Door was next and the crowd was really into this one.
After this song Gillan sat down and explained the story behind Contact Lost. This then led into a fantastic solo by Steve Morse who is an absolutely stunning guitarist. Don Airey's solo was very entertaining and included Oh Canada! which brought the big Canadian crowd to their feet cheering.
Perfect Strangers is a great song that sounds 100 times better live. Highway Star had a new extended intro that was a nice surprise. Followed by Space Truckin and Smoke On The Water, the three Machine Head songs back to back really got the crowd into it.
The encores started with Speed King, a great song. The middle part included the guitar/organ duel and several very old songs such as High School Hop, Sweet Dreams Baby and Now or Never. After this Gillan sang some lyrics that got the crowd laughing; "I had too much sex last night. Noooooooo, I had too much to drink last night. Noooooo, I had too much fun last night. Noooooooo!"
Gillan said the next song was something a little older than Speed King which could only mean one thing - Hush. Not my favorite song but it was a good way to close out the concert.
I give this concert a 9½/10. Deep Purple is still on top of their game and have fun doing it. It's so nice to see the band joking and smiling. They played for one hour and 30 minutes and that was not near long enough, but it was still great.
If Deep Purple play near you, I strongly suggest that you try to make it. I also should add that Ian Gillan was singing very very well last night.
Brad Kennedy

Compare this show to the February show at Massey Hall, it was like day and night. Attendance was approx. 17.000 to my estimation.
I had brought down to Toronto my seven-year-old twin daughters, Courtney and Meagan. And they were part of it all the way!
Thin Lizzy and Joe Satriani performed for more than 2½ hours. It was like leading us to the point of extacy.
And Deep Purple came on sceen with a pretty well known Bananas album song. It was an awesome experience overall.
My best part to listen to was when Steve Morse finally hurdled his fingers up and down on his guitar to the Highway Star solo!
The band members seemed to be happy, willing to improvise for us. It was very special, when Don Aeiry played the Oh Canada riff.
Overall it was my best Deep Purple concert.
Steven Laszlo

The perfect night. My fourth DP show and as usual I was rocked.
I always wanted to take my children to one of Deep Purple's shows and this time it happened. It was their summer vacation with dad and they will never forget it. I 'm no rock critic, don't have any special access or friends in high places. Just your average Joe who's a big fan and took an hour off of work to be first in line when the tickets went on sale. It was their big suprise for the summer and they loved every minute of it.
The show was fantastic. I can't explain to my son why the English bands sound so good in concert as I 'm not in the industry, but the fact is that they do. It's just pleasure to my ears however they do it. My kids got to experience it all, as we pregamed at the Hard Rock Cafe and they got their picture taken with Andy Frost (one of the best Q107 DJ's). Then we took the double decker shuttle busses to the show. They had DP trivia quiz on the bus for prizes and we were fortunate enough to win a prize. That trip alone was a hoot.
Then we walked into the Molson Amphitheatre and their eyes were wide open. Deep Purple fans are the most comfortable people in the world. People would stop me and my three children just to shake their hands and give me a high five as I was passing on the torch and showing my kinder what rock is all about.
I'm not much of a show critic - I was too busy dancing, fist pumping and rocking. I thought the set list was a little short compared to the last show I saw. No Ian Paice solo, No When A Blind Man Cries, no Black Night (which I've been waiting for) and last but not least, no Lazy (then again I could name another 40 songs I wish they'd play).
The band was tight as usual. My 12-year-old daughter wants to meet Roger Glover who provides the thunder. If it's still OK for a 40-year-old man to have an idol then Steve's mine.
"Dad, Steve Morse smiles a lot and has fun onstage."
"That's why we're here son, to smile and have some fun."
Steve Driscoll

What an amazing show! I just saw Deep Purple in Saratoga Springs four nights before, and I thought that was a great show! But this was really something else! All three acts were just great.
At 9:00, Deep Purple hit the stage, and they held nothing back from the start!
There was nothing technically wrong with the Saratoga show - they all played perfectly and I really thought it was a great show. But the band's level of energy just seemed so much higher in Toronto. The crowd was much better, too. I didn't see any empty seats.
The best part came during Don's solo, when he played O Canada. I've seen Don with Purple five times now, and I have never seen a crowd react like that to his solo! Everyone was on their feet and cheering - it was really something to see.
Another high point was Roger deciding to take a bass solo during Speed King. Gillan also added a couple of additional songs into Speed King like he usually does. I think the only thing that was a let-down about this show was that it ended far too soon. I could've stayed and listened to them play for at least another hour.
Far and away, this was the best concert that I 've ever been to all the way around. I only wish I was able to see them some more on this tour. Hopefully, they'll come back around the US soon.
Stephanie Burch

I just saw Deep Purple in Toronto Canada and for the first time and they were excellcent
Roy Britten

The last time I saw DP was in 2001 when they co-headlined with Skynyrd. That was a good show, but this time it was a Deep Purple concert and the guys sounded fantastic!
Interestingly the audience enjoyed the material from the new Bananas album and they couldn't get enough of the classic material. Some brilliant guitar work by Steve got everyone on their feet. He was very distinct and clear which is unusual for the Molson Amphitheatre. Brilliant finger work and Contact Lost was hair rising.
Don was spectacular with his classical pieces, Mr. Crowley, Oh Canada! and the Star Wars theme.
Gillans pipes sang every note perfect. I havent seen a nice guitar and vocal dual in ages… it was perfect!
Roger was just pumping out that hard bass and was having a blast on stage. He played a really nice bass solo too.
And finally Paicey… Nothing gives you shivers like when you hear him belt out Perfect Strangers.
It was great to see the guys in full form performing a perfect Purple style concert with guitar, bass, keyboards and drum solos.
There was an amazing Highway Star intro with Steve and Roger.
Speed King and Hush were a pure adrenalin rush to end a show.
I really wish they played Ted the Mechanic and Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming.
The audience thoroughly enjoyed themselves. I was really surprised to see so many teens and pre-teens just rocking on with their parents. The band was having fun as well as delivering a solid performance onstage. It actually looked like it's the first time performing together.
T thanks for the spectacular evening Deep Purple!
Brendan Clutton