Deep Purple Concert, Grand Casino, Hinckley, Aug 23, 1998
It seemed a bit odd to see Deep Purple amidst the corn fields and rural aspects of the town of Hinckley, but what can I say, it was the best concert I have ever been to.
My wife Erin and I got seated about 20 minutes after seven, and sat down to Dream Theatre's opening set. They were a bit too technical for me, and they don't seem to fit in with ELP or Purple. They were boring and lacked stage prescence. Maybe I'm a little too old, who knows. I at first thought they might have been some local band filling the time before the concert. They could easily be dropped. The music was technically proficient but lacked soul, and there seemed to be a lot of "let's see how fast I can play" and "let's see how many different time signatures I can play in" sections. It was during this time, a large fellow dropped a beer on my wife's foot. Not a great start, somewhat reminds me of the Jethro Tull concert where the guy next to me threw up on my feet.
Then, everything changed. Out came ELP. Without the guitars, they still are a commanding prescence. It was good to hear songs like "Knife Edge" and Palmer's drum solo was one of the most amazing I have ever seen. The precision that he plays with is astonishing. My wife (who is a classically trained singer and pianist, and not a lover of loud music) really enjoyed them. We particularily enjoyed Emerson's theatrics when he slayed his keyboard with the daggars! There is a great musicality (is this a word?) to what they do. Great set.
Then...
I have never seen Deep Purple in concert, though I own nearly every live album they have made. They opened with "Ted the Mechanic". The first thing I noticed is that it was so LOUD!!!! After I got used to the bass drum pounding my chest like a baseball bat, it was great! "Bludsucker" was performed flawlessly. Other highlights were "Watching The Sky", "Pictures of Home", and "Speed King."
The band has never sounded better since Steve Morse joined the band. I know there are a lot of nay sayers out there, but Steve seems to be having so much fun and the old songs sounded like the old songs, and the new songs on the last two albums rivals if not beats anything Purple has put out since their 80's reunion.
Another thing that impressed me so much about all three of the bands (even though I didn't like Dream Theatre) is the extent that all three seem so appreciative of the fans! Gillan was gracious and they all treat the fans with such respect and seem truly appreciative for the support the fans give them.
The encores, "Hush" and "Highway Star" were greeted with great enthusiasm, though it would have been nice to hear "Black Night" or "Maybe I'm A Leo" sometime during the night.
I was amazed at the diversity of fans, and how truly nice Purple's fans are.
A minor brush with greatness, I ran into Ian Gillan in the lobby of the hotel in the morning, and I got a chance to thank him for the best concert experience I have ever had. He seemed tired, but he was polite and gracious.
Till next year!
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