Review from Hinckley, MN, from the 23rd

Well! What can I say about my evening in Hinckley, Minnesota.

For starters, I'd like to emphasize that Dream Theater, ELP, and Deep Purple are three of my favourite bands. That alone ensured that it would be my best concert experience ever, well before we even arrived at our hotel in Minneapolis.

My nephew and I drove to Hinckley on Sunday afternoon (after my girlfriend hopped the hotel shuttle to the Mall of America...priorities, priorities...). We parked the car as close as we could to the main road leading out of the Grand Casino parking lot, and spent the next two hours marveling at the diversity of the fans: mainly teenagers and people in their early 20's, from as far away as Texas, were there for Dream Theater; could-be school teachers and business people who pulled their tie-dyed T-shirts out of mothballs to see ELP one more time; and--most diverse--bikers, families, hoodlums, hippies, skaters, jocks, cowboys, programmers, and probably a priest or two, who were all there for Deep Purple. Vive la difference! The concert kicked off with Dream Theater a full fifteen minutes ahead of schedule, while the sun was still up. The song in no particular order consisted of (to the best of my memory):

• New Millennium
• Hollow Years
• Metropolis, part 1
• Peruvian Skies
• Pull Me Under
• 6 O'clock

What's to say about this band? They're the only band I can think of where two hundred people would rush the stage an hour before the concert just to take notes on their stage gear. The base player played the first song, New Millennium on a ten-string bass that looked like it was crafted on the planet Vulcan. They were the most technically perfect band I have ever seen. The sound quality was absolutely incredible in the amphitheater, especially from fifteen feet from the stage where we, and a thousand more fans, found ourselves in the first minute of the performance. Still, after their 45-minute set was over and the hair on the back of my neck started to settle back down, I was left with the feeling that I had just witnessed the world's best bar band the great Spirit had ever assembled. They were all completely involved with their instruments and the demand of such a level of performance, and with the exception of the drummer, it really didn't look like they left themselves enough room to enjoy their time on stage. They need more experience playing to large crowds and forming a stage presence. They certainly don't need any more practice on their instruments. Wow.

After the set ended and we found our seats again, I had the opportunity to scan the crowd. I was told it would be a sell-out, and I had warm fuzzies when I realized that a young group of virtuosos and two bands with members old enough to be my dad could quite easily sell out over 7,000 seats in the middle of Nowheresville. But I had little time to contemplate this, because replacing the huge drum kits and keyboard rack of Dream Theater, was an even larger drum kit, a synth that looked more like a mid-sixties telephone operator's switchboard, a grand piano . . . time for ELP!

I'll say this first: I was extremely disappointed that the crowd that immediately gathered at the front was pushed back to our assigned seating before ELP'S second song finished. There were two guys in the front row that obviously were there to see their favourite band, and every time they would even attempt to head bang or stand security made them calm down. Hello! Guitar or no guitar, these guys rock and I felt sad that fans in the front were not allowed to express themselves.

That said, these boys still have it. I was so happy to see them; during their Black Moon tour, I missed the opportunity to see them in my home town of Winnipeg (central Canada), and two months later there were reports that Emerson was quitting because of carpal tunnel syndrome. Ack! I feel it's a miracle that I could finally see them live, if only for a 70-minute set consisting of (I think) the following songs:

• Karn Evil 9
• Hoedown
• C'est La Vie
• Lucky Man
• Tarkus
• Fanfare for the Common Man/ 21st Century Schizoid Man

Lake's voice was impeccable, booming yet so expressive. Emerson rocked, although after seeing a band like Dream Theater I couldn't help but be more aware of the periodic "my-fingers-are-in-a-knot" syndrome. But what Keith has lost in technical prowess over the years, he has certainly not lost in showmanship. During C'est La Vie, which was primarily a Greg Lake song, Emerson emerged from the darkness with a beret and accordion, and just a little hint of a smirk. During Tarkus, which went on forever, and 21st C.S.M., he came alive, playing two keyboards simultaneously, jumping on the piano, throwing his Hammond around like a lunch box with tubes, playing from behind the keyboard . . . 'nuff said. He rocked. Even my GnR- listening, headbanging 20-year old nephew admitted it. Palmer's drum solo was, in a word, powerful. He looks so young, and built like a brick port-o-potty. He stayed away from a lot of flashy drumstick-twirling antics and focused his attention on striking the skins as hard as he possibly could. Observation: Emerson and Palmer hugged and exchanged smiles throughout the set, while Lake was strangely detached. Has it always been this way, or was someone just a little cranky tonight? Otherwise, all three were in very good spirits and really projected well to the crowd.

Again, I am so glad I had the opportunity to see them live. Lucky Man almost had me in tears, and the standing ovation after their encore, from both young and old alike, really drove home just why, thirty years ago, they sold out stadiums. Kudos, boys. Don't stop.

WELL...

That brings us to the headline act. As soon as they were announced, some people rushed the stage. Josh and I stayed back in the fifteenth row, certain they would get pushed back by security. But when Gillan walked on, all smiles, and shook everyone's hands, it was open season. We got up and walked to within ten feet of the stage where we remained for an hour and a half, through (in no particular order, and perhaps with an omission or two):

• Strange Kind of Woman
• Bludsucker
• Watching the Sky
• Any Fule Kno That
• Speed King
• Smoke on the Water
• Woman from Tokyo
• Lazy
• Highway Star
• Pictures of Home
• Perfect Strangers
• Almost Human

I don't really know where to start, or where to end. This was my first live concert, but with about twenty albums in my collection, including Live at the Olympia '96, and after watching their RealVideo archive from the House of Blues tour, I felt as though I was just jamming with the boys. It didn't hurt that the whole band absolutely overflowed with stage presence--they, more than any band I have ever seen, truly looked as though they thoroughly enjoyed performing together. Smiles, waves, a wink and a nod from Glover . . . Morse was all grin and Gillan danced around like his black sweats were full of ants. Lord played with so much expression, lip-syncing to the whines, growls, and pops of his organ while the Leslies whirled behind his head. Paicey was right on time, again lip-syncing to every drum beat. The result was that all 7,000 fans were instantly adrenalized. To my right, a shirtless biker banging his head; to my left a teenaged skater jumping up an down like he was at an Offspring concert.

The highlights of Deep Purple's set included a chest-pounding version of Watching the Sky, a blistering rendition of Speed King including the requisite keyboard/guitar duel, and a Morse/Gillan duel (Morse won due to a technicality--"That's fine and all, but I can't do chords!" exclaimed Gillan). Gillan was obviously suffering from the flu or a cold that night, trying hard to cough between lines but occasionally missing a cue during a coughing fit. It didn't seem to affect his vocal performance, or his sense of humour--"Don't stand too close!" he commented after a coughing fit during the second song. I commend him for continuing where many singers would have called off the show.

The show ended with an encore performance of Highway Star--what a way to end the night! My nephew and I agreed that the three bands touring together can only benefit from the diversity of their listeners; many young people walked away Sunday night with a fresh taste of two seasoned but rather non- commercial bands they might never have seen otherwise, and many of the old crowd hopefully left with a good feeling, knowing that not all 90's bands wear big pants and play two minute songs about nothing in particular on two guitar strings--all things return.

Doug Hamm

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