Much better than "Made In Japan"
Set list:
"Woman From Tokyo"
"Ted The Machanic"
"Lazy"
"Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming"
"Fools"
"Perfect Strangers"
"Hey Cisco"
"When A Blind Man Cries"
"Smoke On The Water"
Encore:
"Hush"
"Highway Star"
What a killer show! Deep Purple is without a doubt the greatest band in the history of the universe! I almost had a fainting spell when I first glimpsed my heroes taking their places on stage. I had the best view of the band in the house, being that I was dead center against the barricade right at the bare feet of Ian Gillan.
Launching into "Woman From Tokyo", the band played with an energy that no other band could dream of possessing. The crowd was loving it, and sustained their enthusiasm throughout the entire show! "Ted The Mechanic" went down really well also. It's great that this song has already been accepted as a major Purple classic.
"Lazy", as always, was seriously cool with the band allowing their virtuosity to really show. "Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming" and "Fools" were both simply unbelievable! The band played with such emotion throughout those two numbers that I nearly had tears welling in my eyes. "Hey Cisco" followed and was loads of fun! Jon Lord and Steve Morse's fingers can move at the speed of light! Next, was a short (way too short!) solo from Jon which led straight into "Perfect Strangers". It's such an electrifying song in a live setting.
We were then transported back to 1972 with "When A Blind Man Cries". Gillan's voice is lovely on this one. And if Mk 2 had been able to play this song as well as Mk 7, I feel it would would have been a single a-side instead of a b-side.
After a little riff raff from Steve, the band sent everyone over the edge with "Smoke On The Water". I have no idea if the band is tired of playing "Smoke", but they sure don't let it show if they are. You would have thought that they recorded it yesterday from all the energy they put into it! After a brief break, the band returned with "Hush". The orginal recording from Mk 1 had nothing on Mk 7. Gillan's voice fits much better than Rod Evan's.
Last, but certainly not least, the band rocked out on "Highway Star". Before this show I considered the "Made In Japan" version to be the best. No longer do I hold this belief. In fact, this entire show was much better than "Made In Japan"!!
Mk 7 is without a doubt the best Purple line-up ever! Not only has Steve Morse filled Blackmore's shoes, he's going to need a bigger pair. He's that good! This was the most exciting concert that I have ever attended, and the quickest 80 minutes of my entire life. Ian, Roger, Jon, Steve, and Ian, you guys are the best musicians the world will ever know! Please consider coming back to the US soon!
[ reviews | the highway star ]