Sydney Review - 10th of March 2001
Hi Guys,
We saw the band last night - Saturday March 10, 2001 - in Sydney Australia. They were excellent. Ian Gillan's singing gets better every time I see them.
The crowd was very receptive - our side of the arena was on its feet for the whole show. The sound was great. The band really seemed to enjoy the performance - particularly Steve - who, by the way, is probably the only guitarist able to fill Ritchie's shoes. For fans who haven't heard some of his other work please get hold of "The Introduction" by the Steve Morse Band. It's a great album and you will see why Purple snapped him up.
They opened with "Woman From Tokyo". They also did GREAT versions of "Lazy", "Mary Long", "Fools", "Black Night", "When A Blind Man Cries" and "No One Came". The new classics included in the show were: "Ted The Mechanic", "Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming" and "Hey Cisco". When they launched into "Perfect Strangers" it brought back memories of their shows here in 1984 (we saw them three nights in a row - the second of which had an old friend, George Harrison, joining them on "Lucille").
The "Smoke On The Water" intro from Steve was great with the usual classic rock brew - amongst others he mixed in: "Sweet Home Alabama", "Back In Black", "Satisfaction", "Dazed And Confused", and the solo from "Stairway to Heaven".
"Speed King" was a blast with "High School Hop" thrown into the middle of it. The solo slots from Roger, Jon & Ian once again showcased these fine musicians and helped explain why even 30 years after they started they can put on shows that are the best of the best.
The encore was "Hush" (never thought I'd get to see them doing that old classic again) and "Highway Star".
A great night of rock - played by the most professional musos touring today.
On behalf of all the Purple fans in Australia I would like to say to the band - THANKS for visiting us again and we look forward to seeing you again soon. Take care.
Cheers,
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