Review: Deep Purple, 05/06/1999 Weissenfels
I'm back (more dead than alive) from the DP-Show in Weissenfels.
Nice low stage in a castle court yard, Rob did a great job on the sound.
The set was the same as Heppenheim, so just a fast rundown:
PoH
Ted
SkoW
Bludsucker
69
WfT
SIflS
WtS
ST
Guitar solo
Lazy
"A Parade"
SotW
Keyboard solo
Perfect Strangers
SK
SH
HS
Some comments
The best show in a long, long time.
Paicey brought again his extra set of arms (must be an extra set, you can't play like this with just two arms, can you??), the drum solo and all the little stuff he does besides his "normal" job, it's just unbelievable.
Steve must have found out what this little switch "distortion" an his amp means...his guitar "tone" or "sound" or whatever the technical term is, which some has complained about being too clean, has changed a good deal to the "dirty" side (what did he sound in Australia??) and combined with his perfect playing he creates an amazing sound. But not only his "tone" has changed, also his stage appearance has improved, he is much more moving around, physically leaning into the music, moving with the music and working with the crowd. Amazing.
Jon wore his hair open (like on the solo tour), which together with his dark glasses and dark clothes is an impressive sight in itself and when he goes full steam into the music, leaning into the keyboards and getting some sound out of the Hammond like no one else can, if you didn't see you wouldn't believe it.
Ian was one better than in Heppenheim, putting on a great show, jumping around, joking with the audience and was screaming like there is no tomorrow.
Roger was, well he was Roger Glover on bass, perfectly fitting into the music and his lines in PoH and SkoW and in all the other songs were perfect.
Short summary
The best Purple on stage for at least 12 years. Two minutes into PoH they had me blown away like only MiJ or LiL or SN have done before.
The music was heavy but not simple, fast but subtle, complex and rich but not boring, partly the loose jamming was back, they were working together and with each other, Paicey following Steve or Jon effortlessly wherever they went, Roger and Paicey jamming with Steve in his "Parade", Paicey going from fast to slow to fast to really really fast ("this drummer goes to eleven") in his drum solo, Steve pulling some stunts most guitar players would kill for, Jon showing in his solo what you can do with a piano and a Hammond...I could continue endlessly like that.
Last night they showed perfectly what DP (in whatever lineup) was always about...that's IMHO of course.
I just wonder what would have happened if "the banjoplayer took a hike" several years earlier...
Enough for now, I'm going to enjoy the two days off, see you in Dresden.
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