Deep Purple Concert review (December 6th, Orlando)
Well I see a few people have already reviewed this show... I'll kick in my two cents...
I've been a fan of DP as long as I can remember. I had the good fortune of seeing the band right before the release of Purpendicular at the Tupperware Convention Center in Kissimmee, FL a few years back, so I knew that Steve Morse was more than capable of handling the older tunes, and was curious to see if they great spirit of camaraderie I'd witnessed on that tour would still be there. I definitely wasn't disappointed! The show was incredible. I do the weekend warrior thing in a band along with four other engineers, and my admiration for DP (especially Mr. Gillan) drives the rest of the band crazy. So what would any self respecting DP fan do ? I dragged them and six of my other "non-believer" friends along to witness the experience. As expected, they were all amazed. ..
The band was incredible! Sure, there were a few funny moments... Ian Gillan looking down at his lyrics, Steve Morse getting lost during one guitar solo... Roger and Ian Paice horsing around, Steve sneaking up on Jon Lord and scaring him half to death, but they never missed a beat! The set list was pretty much the same as for the Atlanta show. Bloodsucker was a welcome surprise, and Lazy was, alas, missing. The new songs were hot, and I'm sure 7th Heaven will be a show highlight in years to come.
I stood in the second row next to a guy named Tracy Heyder, who has an even larger collection of DP paraphernalia than I do... hopefully he'll be bringing some of his pictures, sound bytes, etc. to the net soon.
I encourage everyone to see this tour. I do have a few nitpicky comments , but they aren't about the band.
Standing so close to the front I couldn't hear the keyboards very well, but my friends who didn't brave standing for three plus hours said the sound was perfect where they were. The biggest problem was the crowd. I was right near the front, and everybody around me was like a family, swapping stories about the band until the show started, and standing there mesmerized once the music began. Maybe it's because I haven't been at a concert where I had to stand in ten years, but the crowd behind me was vicious. After the show a pair of drum sticks went flying over my head and a serious fight for ownership broke out. The acoustics were good, but I think the choice of having the show in "Tourist Central" (The Orlando House Of Blues is on Disney Property) probably wasn't the greatest. I hope they come back again soon, to a larger venue.
The new songs are great and I can only hope they receive more airplay than "Purpendicular."
I can't understand how a band as incredible as Deep Purple can record an album in Orlando, and the Orlando radio stations can't even play it! Well, enough complaining. Deep Purple is alive and well, and they put on a fantastc show !! Don't miss it!
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