There's life in these old dogs yet!
St list:
"Woman From Tokyo"
"Ted The Mechanic"
"Mary Long"
"Lazy"
"No One Came"
"Black Night"
"Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming"
"Fools"
"Perfect Strangers"
"Hey Cisco"
"When A Blind Man Cries"
"Smoke On The Water"
"Speed King"
encores:
"Hush"
"Highway Star"
On the day of the Malaysian Grand Prix the Ferrari boys are not the only speed kings in town. Deep Purple are out on a short Far East tour kicking off Down Under and stopping for tea in India.
Some 12,000 fans are crammed into what is basically a giant car park (I kid you not). There are European leftovers from the Grand Prix plus the multi ethnic Malays including buddists, sikhs, hindus and muslims who seem to have brought the whole family for this rock legend treat.
The riot police at the front to try to calm the crowd by politely waving their sticks at fans to get back into the plastic seats, but as soon as the first riff from "Woman From Tokyo" blares out, it's time to get up and forget those berret wearing buffons!
The band certainly seem to be enjoying themselves, Ian Gillan is in the holiday mood wearing a nice loud shirt and jungle shorts strutting the stage barefooted. He misses a few lines when a giant dragonfly decides to park itself on Gillans shoulder.
Songs that rarely get an outing come unfolded namely "Mary Long" and from "Fireball" "Fools" which wasn't even performed live way back in 1971. Only three songs from the Morse era are aired and Purple seem to have completely abandoned their last studio opus.
Steve Morse looking much more comfortable in the Purple family comes to the fore during "Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming" reaching axe hero status in the eyes of the Malays. "In the absense of pink it's time for some blues" (yes, Gillan is still using that line); "When A Blind Man Cries" getting one of the loudest applauses tonight.
A little teasing from Morse with classic rock riffs and a snippet of "You Really Got Me" before launching into the mutha' "Smoke On The youknowwhat" send this party into overdrive and now it's the turn of the police to look worried as this crowd looks un-controlable!
Theres a little "Hush" before it's time to send everyone racing home with what else "Highway Star"!
The last time Purple performed a rock gig in the UK it was bland and bloated but a little sun does everyone a bit of good. There's life in these old dogs yet, matey!
[ reviews | the highway star ]