Newsgroups: alt.music.deep-purple
Subject: THEY SAVED THE BEST FOR LAST: 12/8
From: key2fun@aol.com (Key2fun)
Date: 13 Dec 1996 06:10:30 GMT

     Greetings, DP fans, I am the original author of "I didn't think the 11/27 show was fanstastic." I prayed that I would have a different opinion following the 12/8 show, and, thankfully, I did.

     Not that the 11/27 show at the Beacon was bad, mind you, but it was not quite as spectacular as the typical review in this newsgroup. But the final show of the tour, on December 8, in Asbury Park, NJ, was indeed a special treat.

     Here are some of my thoughts:

IAN GILLAN: For those of you who haven't seen him live this tour, YES, he can still sing! He can still hit the high notes. Maybe his voice has lost a tiny bit of power, but not much. And he can still blow any "grunge" singer off the stage.

ROGER GLOVER: What can I say about good ol' Roger? Consistent as ever. The backbone of this band. He's there through thick and thin, ever the steady bassist. Quietly marvelous.

JON LORD: Even those without the slightest bit of musical interest in the rest of the band (apparently those who are deaf, or mentally disturbed) marvel at Jon's virtuosity. A true maestro of the keyboards, the only weakness about his organ wizardry was that the solo was too short. Should have been a bit longer - like, three days longer.

IAN PAICE: Unequivocally, a monster on the drums. He, too, merely teased the fans with a short solo. Like Lord, gets even better with age.

STEVE MORSE: A better replacement for Ritchie would have been hard to find. Not many exist. Steve is a very talented guitarist, and engages in good, natural stage banter with the rest of the band. And on _|_, he is so good, I hardly missed Ritchie. But not so, live. While Steve is very good, he lacks the stage presence and electricity of TMIB.

     Then again, few gave heavyweight boxing champion Larry Holmes the credit he deserved because, after all, he had big shoes to fill - Muhammad Ali's.

     As the final chords, beats, and screams descended upon the Paramount Theater, and DP concluded their illustrious world tour, I stood there, three rows from the stage, and all I could think to say was THANK YOU.

     And again, to Ian, Roger, Jon, Ian, and Steve: THANK YOU! YOU HAVE SAVED ROCK AND ROLL ONCE AGAIN. AND JUST IN THE NICK OF TIME

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