Purple finally returns to The Alamo
This would be Purple's first show in San Antonio, since the "Perfect Strangers" tour. I also saw them headline the Texas Jam in the Dallas's Cotton Bowl during that tour. Since I work for the presenting classic rock station KZEP, I strategically placed myself in the soundboard area and took it all in. I didn't recognize Gillan when he walked out on stage revealing his gray head of hair and looking like a tourist in a Hawaiian shirt, which he quickly changed to a white short sleeve. To use Mr. G's favorite word the sound was was "superb", loud to say the lease, but not distorted like Nugent.
The boys were wonderful and the set was the same as the last few posted, with the exception that "Knocking At Your Back Door" replaced "Hey Cisco". It was a pleasant surprise to hear "Knocking At Your Backdoor", and the crowd responded. I enjoyed the whole set, but I don't understand why they were playing such deep cuts like "Fools" and "No One Came" on a non headlining show like this? I spoke with both Steve and Roger before and after the show. I asked Steve why "Sometimes I Feel like Screaming" (one of my favorites) was pulled from the set and blamed it on "Mr. Superb" (Gillan) and said something about having problems with his voice. Also when I asked Roger why it took a decade and a half to make it back to San Antonio he told me that the band makes more money outside of the States, and that this tour was a good way to reintroduce the band to certain markets. Unfortunately, Purple is like most classic rock bands in that they're not going to get much radio airplay on new material, so the only way they can keep up their fan base and bring new converts into the fold is by staying out there and playing the songs that have kept them active all these years. Thank goodness I have a DVD home theater set up because I can't wait another 15 years to see these guys again!
The set list was the same listed here:
"Woman From Tokyo"
"Ted The Mechanic"
"Fools"
"No One Came"
"Lazy"
"Knocking At Your Back Door"
"When A Blind Man Cries"
"Perfect Strangers"
Steve's Riff Raff: "Voodoo Chile", "Mississippi Queen", "Oh Well", "Stairway
To Heaven", "Heart Full Of Soul", "Sweet Home Alabama", "Tush" (Steve told me
later that he'd intended to play Eric Johnson's "Cliffs Of Dover" but for one reason or
another it didn't happen)
"Smoke On The Water"
Encore:
"Hush"
"Highway Star"
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