Pittsburgh Concert

On December 6, Deep Purple played the Palumbo Theater in Pittsburgh. They were fantastic. The set list was: Hush, Fireball, Pictures of Home, Black Night, Ted, Cascades/guitar solo, Woman from Tokyo, No One Came, Rosa's Cantina, Smoke/keyboard solo, When a Blindman Cries, Speed King, Perfect Strangers, Hey Cisco, and Highway Star. So, we did not get Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming and The Aviator.

Hush was a full-up rendition, including a great solo from Jon which had the feel of the original studio recording. Fireball concluded with a couple bars of Into the Fire. The solos from Steve, Jon, and Roger in Pictures were very exciting. Ted was even more awesome live than on Purpendicular. Cascades really rocked along. Ian G. grabbed Roger's shoulder while singing "I'm not your lover"! It was a very funny moment. Steve's guitar solo was really impressive, including a lot of atmospherics. Woman form Tokyo was also a full rendition with the quiet middle section and a bopping piano solo. Neat! No One Came was the highlight of the show for me. I wasn't sure how this would sound live, but it was really super. The entire band hopped around like they were sixteen. At the end, Steve and Roger lifted the necks of their guitars in unison during the crashing guitar chords. Steve played the Smoke riff with a lot on new twists, adding many extra little notes as only he could. Blindman went over well with Ian Gillan sounding very good. Speed King really hammered along, including a short drum solo by Ian P., Steve and Jon trading licks, and Steve and Ian G. trading scat licks. Roger and Steve sang back-up on Cisco. Steve ripped into Ritchie's solo on Highway Star. This old gem had abundant new life. At the end, Steve and Roger dropped the necks of their guitars in unison during the crashing chords.

I was literally awestruck by the entire concert. The sound was very good. It proved to me how unique Purple really is. Purple is the only hard rock band where each members has the skills of the finest classical or jazz muscians. Steve Morse was incredible. You could tell that he not only fit perfectly within Purple, but also helping the others to take it new places. His solos are very melodic and his sound provides a very full feel.

The place was packed with , I would guess, close to 3,000 people. At the end of the concert, Ian G. thanked everyone for "being good" during the new songs. I did sense that many people did not know the new songs, but to me they were as good the old classics. I lucked out and met each band member after the show. It was a dream come true. They were all very nice. Steve was very friendly. Ian Paice admitted that he did not remember recording Slow Train. Jon was very appreciative when he learned that I traveled from North Carolina to see the concert and that I attended the DPAS Convention in the UK. He put his arm aound me and gave me a hug! He joked that I must have a little disposable income.

I was so excited I could hardly sleep. Thank you Deep Purple!

Lane Miller

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