Bangalore Review
I have just got back home to Bombay after going down to Bangalore for the April 1st concert. It was a once in a lifetime experience for most of the 35,000 odd fans attending, as this is probably the last time Purple descend upon these shores again (the last time was at Bombay in 1995).
Personally, it was a great treat to see my idol Morse enjoying himself, esp in the duet with Gillan - which was rather like jugalbandis of Hindustani classical music. Too bad i couldn't get my hands on the picks he was throwing around.
The crowd was not taken in by the band's "Thank you and good night" prank and urged them to come back on stage with chants of "Highway Star, Highway Star". Which they did, of course and proceeded to play "Hush", making the crowd jump like crazy and sing along. They then proceeded to render an energy-packed "Highway Star" - clearly the most popular Deep Purple song amongst Indian fans, judging from the number of covers played by Indian bands at rock shows around the country. The song was also accompanied by fireworks (as was "Smoke On The Water"), and together the song and the accompanying fire in the sky made the perfect end to an evening to remember, if not to the Asia-Pacific tour.
These guys may be getting on in years, but they're sure not wanting in the energy department.
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