Toronto

Part 1 - Pre-Show

Well, what can I say.....???

This post is quite long, so bear with me, but I have quite a story to tell. I've just lived through 2 of the best days and nights of my life, thanks to Dave Hodgkinson and a lot of good friends on this newsgroup, and to the band - especially Roger and Ian Paice. I'll never forget this as long as I live.

     Wednesday morning started out quite hectic, up at "O dawn hundred" (06:00). The fact that I didn't get to bed till 01:30 the night before didn't help matters, either. The last thing I did before retiring was check the newsgroup, and John Nash had posted his little tongue and cheek comment, telling the other guys on the newsgroup to recognize us by description and the red rose in my lapel. I figured that I'd oblige him somehow. My wife has some silk red roses adorning the gazebo attached to our house, so I cut one off and *stapled* it to my lapel. Everyone should recognize us now :-) Time to pack everything I want to bring...clothes, CDs, adaptors, cleansing materials and, oh yes, something for the band to sign, should I be lucky and honoured enough to meet them - a bottom drum skin off my kit that has reverberated to many a note amidst the playing of Purple tunes. So we're all set. Check and make sure I have John Nashs & Nicks(Soveiko) correct address, and all the various hotel phone numbers of the amd-p members that I knew were going to the "big shoe." Post my final pre-show "P minus 0" note, and we're off.

     It was snowing quite a bit here in Ottawa, so traffic was slow, and I unfortunately didn't manage to get Nick until about 07:30. He was waiting under the canopy of his building. Sorry I made you wait, Pal. It was then off to deepest, darkest Nepean to pick up my Purple soul-mate John Nash who has become a very good friend of mine over the last year or so. All is in order, & off we go down Highway 16 towards the 401(how DID we end up in North Gower anyhow?). The first order of the trip is to get all CD systems functional and The Purple Rose of Hanau got the nod as the first of 4 titles that got the speaker magnets hot on the trip. The trip was fast and fun as we learned all about each other. A bonus was that it stopped snowing around Kingston, and the sun started shining. Its going to be a Purple day for sure! The other CDs that we played were Welcome Joe, Sunbury and Rainbow's Black Shadows. It was great.

     We arrived at the Quality Hotel at 12:30 on the dot and Jesse Flowers is there to meet us and he has two friends, Colin and Mark from Labrador with him. The first thing John and I thought was," They're so *young*!(This in a relative sense)." We all piled into room 306 and I immediately hooked up the CD player to my travel speakers. Jesse had brought Fireball 25 along with him. That got the nod and we just had to hear Slow Train right off the bat. Jesse and the boys were quite impressed with our collective CD collections. Hell, I was impressed with it! We already had the makings of quite a party. It could only get better. We werent in the room 5 minutes when Carl Kottmeier called and said he was coming over. He was in from Vancouver on business, and arrived in about 10 minutes. Carl's a drummer, too. Someone to talk "the lingo" with :-) Live in Japan disc 3 was the next spin and then we all headed, after considerable discussion, to the Hard Rock Cafe` on Younge Street, as mention of it on the newsgroup had been made for a 3 pm meeting.

     Trying to cover all bases and not wanting to miss anyone, we stayed there for a while, chatted-up the waitress about the show, and asked our waiter if there was any Purple memorabilia in the house. He said, "No.", however, right beside our booth on the wall was a gold record for House of Blue Light. One of the lads took a picture of it. Picture?! Jumpin' Jesus, that's what I forgot, my bloody camera! I have 2 SLR's, a goof-proof, and a cam-corder - all of them sitting in my house. How's that for anal retention?

     When the lad came back with our drinks, we kibitzed about with him telling him that he lied to us, and then asked him if they had any Purple to throw on the CD player. He said there may be some on the rock compilation tapes they have, but it would be hard to find.

     No problem - Colin pulls out _|_ and asks if they would play it...and they did right up to, I believe ACFOR. This should draw someone out of the woodwork...and in no time Glen Miller from Calgary came waltzing in and joined us, and shortly after this, his friend Steve. We had a couple of pints and some lunch, all the while discussing concerts we'd been to, drums, guitars, etc. etc. etc. Glen is a huge Gillan fan, and was looking forward to a possible meeting with Ian.

     Still MIA was Dave Hodgkinson, who had to work late, and told Carl and John he would meet us at the show. The young lads, Purple "virgins" all, were getting real nervous about not getting into the line soon enough. We assured them there was lots of time. We decided to pull the plug and go check out some CD stores. The bill comes, and Carl picks up the WHOLE tab on his VISA! Thanks a lot Carl. I still say you didn't have to do that; and I never even got a chance to by you a beer. Next time, Brother. As were leaving, there's a couple at the bar - the woman wearing an '85 tour T-shirt. Turns out they're in from Ottawa for the show as well.

     We hit HMV. They had Fireball 25 for $53.95. Ouch! We all said to Hell with that. Rip-off, pure and simple. There were some gems in there, though. Jesse picked up the Mark 1 box set, and Nick grabbed the Green Bullfrog CD with the bonus tracks. He also lucked out with Rainbow's Ariel/Temple of the King(Live) EP CD. I should have had that, but I'm getting slow in my old age :-) By now Carl, Jesse, Mark and Colin really wanted to get to The Warehouse, so we parted company and Glen went with them. It was quite chilly and the rose in the lapel of my sport coat, and my "virgin" (and now tight) '85 tour T-shirt weren't doing the job in the warmth department. We checked out Sunrise and Tower Records as well, but found nothing of note. After a full-circle walk, we ended up back at the hotel. The guys are going to by me a compass :-)

     John had a nap, and I was too wired to sleep, so listened to some more of F25. It is good. Before we knew it, it was 18:00 (6 pm for all you non-24 hr. types;-)) and time to head to the show. We walked down Jarvis and I needed some cash, so I crossed the street and used the machine in some little grocery store. When we came out this fellow passes us...John goes, "Dave?" He says, "Yes!" He had been at the sound check(I thought, lucky bugger/shit, we missed it) and he was looking for some food and a beer.
How's that for fate for you, people!? It's good to be broke sometimes :-)

     We found a little bar, and shot the breeze over 3 pints and a pizza. Took pictures, and listen to Dave tell stories of hob-knobbing with Roger and the band...to very green eyes. We decided to leave. Took a cab to the venue as it was downright cold by now. Dave paid for the cab. The generosity of the people on this newsgroup is outstanding. We get there and the line-up is right around the corner. We shuffled up the line, trying to explain to various people that TMIB wasn't going to be there, but they were in for a treat anyways, if all the reports are correct. Dave was freezing his @#$%s off, so he and his backstage pass left to get into the warmth.

     One thing I HAVE to mention here - is that I have never met a nicer, more generous bunch of guys in my life as these amd-pers. You are all a credit to yourselves and this newsgroup. This ensures me that amd-p will continue for a long, long time. Classic fans of a classic band! Thanks for a great time guys!

Part 2

     We get inside The Warehouse, and I immediately buy a tour shirt - the one with Big Ian on the front and the tour dates on the back. I asked for a tour programme, but they hadn't made it in time. The fellow said that he doubted that they'd have them before Hartford. That was a little disappointing. There is a crowd at stage front, but not a "mosh pit" by any means of the imagination, at this point in time. John, Nick and I decide to go up to the bar and have a couple of drinks. Were not there 5 minutes and Dave joins us, as promised. We talk a bit and I just keep looking at my drum head. He took it from me,and went to see if he could get Paicey to sign it for me, but returns and tells us that the band hasn't arrived yet. Thanks for the try, Dave.

     Wild T comes on, a guy that is a cross between Bob Marley and Jimi Hendrix in looks. They are quite good. Their drummer was really good and got the most out his 4 piece kit. We thought about moving down to the floor, but were gonna wait till after the opening act.

     Significance comes in small packages sometimes, and when I went to the washroom, all the cases were piled in the room beside it. "Jon Lord" is stenciled on them. Things are starting to hit home now!

     The house lights come on and we move to the floor. Dave sort of thought that we may have had a better view from where we were. He may have been right in some ways, but we did end up right in front of Rogers amps and I had a good view between heads of where I thought most of the guys would be. I could see Jesse and Carl at stage front. Good for them. They waited long enough. They deserved to be there. Anticipation grows....

     Finally, the house lights go down and the band walks on stage. Roger and Paicey wearing bandanas, Ian Gillan now TSIB, Jon with an Apple t-shirt and sunglasses, Steve in t-shirt and jeans. The crowd goes wild and the coyote howls out of the speakers...Hush! That's a switch. Everyone(in the know)was expecting Fireball. Hush will do. A good choice. After all it was their first hit. It was quite apparent from word go that Purple were out to impress us, and that they did. Lots of power and prowess and Ian's voice is superb. Fireball isn't far off - actually next. Paicey just floors me again with his superb drumming. I don't know how he does it, but am I glad he does it. I had chills watching him...the whole band as a matter of fact.

     There's been reviews of of the show, so I won't do another one suffice to say that Steve is a remarkable guitarist and fit right in. I'd be less than truthful if I didn't say I wished he'd played a *few* more places in the Blackmore vein, but that can't and shouldn't be expected. Change for the better has come to Deep Purple and I more than accept that. Highlights for me - Fireball, Pictures of Home, Woman from Tokyo, Ted, Rosa's, Speed King, Perfect Strangers(Jon's intro always gives me chills)and Highway Star. Paicey's drumming was just magnificent the whole way through. I'd give my right @#$ to be able to play like that! They blew me away.

     After the lights came up we hung around for a bit. Carl and Jesse were sporting Pro Mark "Ian Paice" drumsticks. Good for them. They came a long way, waited a long time, and deserved a souvenir to remember it by(even if it was one that I would dearly love to have). That guy that got his drum head signed in the middle of the show had me just a tad green. I was too far back for that to happen, but I'm sure Roger saw me waving mine around a few times. We all had a beer while Dave went to see what was happening, and true to his word, he came back and we mosied over to where the backstage entrance was. Security was fairly tight, but to their credit, they were a bunch of nice guys. They all kept asking me if I got the skin signed.

     Dave went in and I saw him talking to who I thought was IG. He came out and got Glen Miller who is a huge Gillan fan. Glen's trip had just been made:-) Security started to place the barricades up. Dave came and got us and we went through the adjoining door. We waited for a bit and Roger came out. I looked at him and introduced myself. He said, "You're Jim Corrigan?" Flabergasted, I said, "Yes." He said, "I wanted to meet you, I don't know why, but you're guilty of something." with a big grin. I said, "I hope it's not bad." He said, "Of course not." Dave got all the others in and Roger went back and got us all a beer. Right from the start, I couldn't believe what a nice, down to earth guy he was. I've read it on here many times, but it still amazed me when I was confronted with it. Here is a guy from a band I have loved for 28 years, talking to us like our next door neighbor. I felt quite sad when the boys were discussing different cities they could have played, and Roger said, "You know, we're not that big a band, when you look at the overall scheme of things." It's a sad state of affairs when a band of that calibre has trouble filling the arenas. It's great for us, because we get to see them more up close and personally, but when some band with half the talent can...it boggles the mind.

     We all talked for a while and Roger signed my drum skin and various things(like amd-p T-shirts:-)) for all the guys. No hint of intrusion, or boredom; genuinely interested in *us*. Told him that I'd have my whole family out to the Montreal show, and he said he'd look out for us. I saw Jon Lord down the hall and walked over. He was signing some girl's midrift. I shook his hand and asked if he would sign the skin for me. Told him about being a long-time fan and that my son plays keyboards because of him. He said, "That's great, God bless him. '68? I was 5 about then." with a wicked grin and wink. Boy this night is turning into one of the best ever. Security was now trying to clear the hallway outside the dressing room, so we all had to go outside. I figured, "That's it." Talked to Carl and Jesse who somehow hadn't gotten in with us. Then Dave opens the door and brings me into the dressing room to meet Ian Paice!!

     I introduced myself and went through the spiel, and Ian signed my Drum skin. YES!! :-) We started talking drumming and he was genuinely interested in ME? "Your a man with all the rudiments..." It turns out he knows some of the drummers from the pipe band world, that I know, and asked me how much practicing it takes for me to keep my proficiency up. I said about an hour a day, if I can get it in. Told him that things are getting harder the older I get. All the young "kids" with the lightning-fast hands make things pretty rough on us old guys. The average age of a drummer in a Grade 1 drum corps is around 25. He explained a lot of how he does some things and that I was probably going about some of the Purple stuff the hard way. He likened it akin to a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat. We all know there's no rabbit in the hat, but it looks good anyhow. In turn the placement of the notes on the various drums, including the bass give the impression of more speed than is actually occurring. I just couldn't believe the time he took to talk to me and he was INTERESTED. Another great quote was that speed *kills* in that *pure speed* is the single most impressive thing to the audience, and to get that speed you have to play light. We talked for about 20 minutes, and he never once tried to excuse himself, or look disinterested. I suspect Dave or Roger may have told him in the past how big a fan I was. It was truly an experience, and an honour to talk to him. Dave took a picture of us together. I mentioned about Montreal and left it at that. Thanks Ian, you're a class act. I'll never forget that night.

     Next, I went over to ask Ian Gillan if he would sign my skin. He asked where I was from. I said, "Ottawa," and that we were going to follow the band to Montreal." Ian was visibly moved, with the utmost sincerety, about so many people travelling so far to see the band. I guess that Glen must have mentioned that we had people from Vancouver, Newfoundland, and Labrador. He was also more than impressed with the crowd response to the show. We talked for a bit, but I didn't want to intrude on his conversation that he had going with an English fellow when I came over; shook his hand and then talked again to Roger and Dave and got in on some pictures Dave was taking of the gang with him.

     Steve was at the door about to leave. I caught him and he signed it for me. Glen had a good talk with him(discussing the Guitar interviews), and he was saying how honoured he was about what Ritchie said regarding him; and how honoured he feels to be in the band. I just can't believe how nice and down to earth these 5 guys are. They are one class act. Even Colin Hart was a gracious host and I thanked him, too. He has a hard job that goes unnoticed sometimes.

     Alas, all things must end, and Colin mentioned it was time to leave. I get outside and Ian Paice is *still* talking to the guys. We said goodbye to Carl and the others that had to leave. Grabbed a cab and went back to the hotel. What a night!

Take Care.
Jim

(Continued in Montreal...)

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