Deep Purple, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Dream Theater
Camden NJ, August 14, 1998
After hitting the first four shows of the tour, I elected to pass on the Wilkes Barre show, and catch up with the band again in Camden. Gillan had been rough at Jones Beach, but with a night off and decent reviews from Wilkes Barre, my friends Damien DeSimone and Randy hit the road to Camden with nothing to fear.
We arrived at the E-Center to find backstage passes (thanks, Colin!) and front row seats. This is too good to be true, I joked. Why don't I keep my mouth shut?! Just as Dream Theater were due on stage, somebody took the stage to say that the show was postponed due to an illness in Deep Purple. That's all we knew. We hooked up with Ed, Svante, Rasmus and Angie, hoping to find answers. The word came down that it was indeed because Ian had lost his voice.
We all headed back to the hotel that the band were staying at and soon saw Jon Lord. I immediately asked Jon if they would play in NY two nights later. Jon replied, "I don't know, I'm not a doctor. Though I play one on TV!" Jon was funny, but I was even more upset at the prospect of another cancellation. As Jon came back with a glass of water, he joked "Yup guys, I got my water, I'm going to bed. The exciting life of a rock & roll star!"
We continued to hang out, just trying to salvage the evening. Ian's wife was in the bar with us, and possibly his manager, Phil Banfield. We overheard parts of their conversation, and it became clear that Ian just couldn't sing. It was disappointing, but no reason for us to be angry. The five most disappointed people were those in the band.
Roger came down soon after and pretty much confirmed what was going on. "I called him today to see how he was, and I didn't recognize his voice," Roger told us. He also said this was the first time since 1985 they cancelled a show because of Ian's voice. These things just happen. Thanks to everyone who was hanging out at the bar with us making an enjoyable evening!
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