Deep Purple/ELP/Dream Theater - Fiddler's Green, Denver, Colorado, Aug 26, 1998
Finally! The last time I saw Deep Purple was in 1985 during the Perfect Strangers Tour. Since then, events have conspired against me to prevent me from seeing them again (Ritchie's broken finger in '87, canceled tour in '91) - until now. Last night's performance made up for 13 and a half years of futility. They were (to quote Big Ian) "superb."
Dream Theater opened with a 45 minute set. As with all the other US tour stops, they started the show 15 minutes early (6:15 PM). The more I hear this band, the more I like them. To these ears, they sound like a cross-between of Queensryche and Metallica (not a bad thing). Their set list: New Millenium, 6:00, Peruvian Skies (w/ snatches of Pink Floyd's "Have a Cigar" and Metallica's "Enter Sandman"), Pull Me Up, Hollow Years, and Metropolis Pt 1 (I thnk). Their sound was crystal clear, almost perfect. Once they were done, there was a 15 minute set change. Next up was ELP.
I'd been looking forward to seeing ELP for a long time, but I must confess, after a very tight performance from Dream Theater, ELP was a disappointment. They had a promising beginning with a new song that segued into Karn Evil 9. Hoedown was the next song, and things started to go downhill from there. This will sound like heresy to hard-core ELP fans, but here's how I sum up last night's performance - too much Emerson, not enough Lake. The rest of the set list: Piano Concerto #1, Knife Edge, C'est La Vie, Lucky Man, Tarkus (all 20 minutes!), 21st Century Schizoid Man, Fanfare for the Common Man, Carl Palmer's Drum Solo, Rondo. I thought the numbers featuring Greg Lake worked well, but I could've done without Hoedown and Piano Concerto #1. To be fair, I am in the minority here as all numbers were well received by the crowd. Carl Palmer played like a madman. I usually detest drum solos of any kind, but Carl Palmer was very impressive. Even though he played the same solo he's played for the last 20 years, he still impressed. Afterwards, during Rondo, Keith Emerson abused his Hammond and he jumped all over his other keyboards as well. Great showmanship, but not great music.
After a 20 minute set change, Deep Purple hit the stage.
The Setlist:
Ted the Mechanic
Strange Kind of Woman
Bludsucker
Pictures of Home
Almost Human
Woman From Tokyo
Watching the Sky
Any Fule Kno That
Steve Morse Solo/Cascades
Smoke on the Water
Jon Lord solo/Lazy
Perfect Strangers
Speed King
Encore:
Highway Star
Big Ian started off the evening sounding great, but the evening belonged to Steve Morse. Magnifique! Wonderful! Superb! All the adjectives Big Ian used to compliment the crowd could have easily been used to describe DP's set. The new numbers sound great live, and they hold their own in comparison to the standards. DP's sound man definitely had his act together. After making some adjustments during Ted, the sound was great. You could even hear RG's bass. By the middle of the set, Big Ian's voice began to fade a bit, and he sounded very rough during Perfect Strangers. But, he recovered and finished off Speed King ("a Chinese/Irish lullabye") and Highway Star with gusto.
Everybody had a chance to shine. After witnessing the excesses of Keith Emerson, Jon Lord was the model of tasteful restraint. He nailed his spots during Woman From Tokyo (you could hear a pin drop during the quiet section), and his call-and-response with Steve Morse was simply breathtaking. When Speed King started, I told my wife to prepare to be impressed. We were both so impressed, all we could say was "WOW!" Little Ian had his own solo during Speed King. The great thing about his solos - they're short, and they aren't boring. His arms were a blur all night. RG was rock-solid throughout. His bass cut through the Morse/Lord "wall of sound" - not an easy thing to do.
Steve Morse - what can I say? His playing made me think "Ritchie who?" His volume-control "Cascades" solo was simply stunning. It reminded me of his work with his own trio. Also, he has taken the old songs and made them his own. He's a perfect fit for this band. Whether he was soloing or playing with the band, the night belonged to him.
This is a band that is enjoying themselves. If you haven't seen these guys yet this year, you're missing out on a great show.
Cheers!
Tony Howard
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