DP at Helsinki Icehall, Finland
The setlist seems to be similar all over Europe, so I'm not going to repeat it.
Supporting act was Guitar Slingers who plays 80's style hard rock with clear vocals and 90's sound. I've seen them before and they're usually great but... It was DP what we all came for.
And it was Deep Purple that we got. At first Gillan's vocals were a bit unclear but after warming up during the first two songs The Voice was there. The band really enjoyed themselves playing in front of the the audience of approximately 5.000 fans.
Ian G was making jokes in between the songs; dancing and banging bongos whilst not singing. And Steve really seemed to be the engine of the band, all smile throughout the gig. Ian P showed perfection in drumming and played excellent solo before the end of the show. Jon is and has always been a real gentleman. He played his parts and solos with deep passion and came in front after each song bowing politely towards the audience, enjoying the applauses. Roger? First I felt that Roger spent most of his time on his own, but my wife reminded me that he was always chatting with someone of the band, enjoying his precence there too. DP's part lasted 1h50 and it was non-stop entertainment.
So what did I miss? Nothing really. I would have liked to hear Hush and Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming (which seems to be the most liked track on Purpendicular amongst our friends) but hey, you can't expect to get everything. Most definitively this was one of the best rock shows I've ever witnessed. The one that still is closest to my heart is DP reunion show in Stockholm '85; it was magic to a 17-year-old Finnish boy who spent most of his spare money that summer just for a weekend in Stockholm...
And Stockholm is where I'm now heading... See you there.
[ reviews | the highway star ]