"Hush" and "Highway Star" never sounded this great
Deep Purple's Hartford show was the third of the tour for me. We arrived at the Meadows around 6 PM in time for Roger Glover's interview for WHCN. As we were walking through the parking lot I spotted my friend Randy waiting for us, so I jokingly yelled "Skynyrd!" in an exaggerated drunken southern accent. The joke was on me though when I started a Skynyrd chant with other people sounding just like I had!
Glover's interview started around 6:30 and took place at a booth just outside the Meadows where fans could gather around to watch. He happily signed autographs for everyone (including my fiancee's shirt) and WHCN did some trivia questions for backstage passes. My fiancee Amber won two, however they were Skynyrd passes for a meet and greet during Purple's set. Needless to say we wouldn't be using those...
We missed Nugent's set, but gathered inside once he was done. We saw Rich and his wife, Rikk and his wife, and my friends Randy, Pete, and Nora. Purple came on with "Woman From Tokyo" as usual, and sounded great! Gillan's voice was in top form once again. The crowd was still filtering in, but the first section was standing and enthusiastic.
"Knocking At Your Back Door" was again played instead of "No One Came", and was a great version. Steve's intro to "Smoke" once again got everyone hollering and cheering. I still stand by my opinion that "Hush" and "Highway Star" have never sounded this good!
It was a good show, though perhaps missed an extra spark that I felt the Holmdel, NJ show had. Regardless, I feel they are reaching out to a new audience on this tour, so hopefully they get back to the States next year as promised!
[ reviews | the highway star ]