Pine Knob Aug.15
Well suffice to say when I was turned back at the gate with my Nikon in tow I thought it was a sign of things to come. Boy was I wrong! ELP played for just over an hour and things started to look up. We took our seat after "Lucky Man" (sans camera) to see Carl Palmer put on a great percussive show. After a quick change-over (too quick to stand in the beer line which was longer than the French army retreating from Moscow) the house lights dropped and Purple started on their opener Hush!
In the 30 or so times I have seen the band, since I was a youngster spending summers in Holland in the early seventies until now, I have never heard Ian sing so well! He was spot on right from the start! Ian made those patented screams and high notes look easy in Bludsucker, Woman from Tokyo, Lazy etc.!! He never ceases to amaze!
All the classics were superbly rendered and I particularly enjoyed POH and Lazy (yes a great harmonica solo!). Sadly Ted the Mechanic was dropped from the set but was replaced by a great number with a nice hard edge from Abandon - Watching the Sky. Roger and IP were very tight as usual. Jon Lord outstanding on the Hammond. I brought along a couple of Purple fans who have not seen them since HOBL in 1987, and they just could not believe how great Stevie was! I told them after the show they would say, "Ritchie who?" and they whole-heartedly agreed that they had witnessed one of the masters of the instrument!
SKOW was great to hear early in the set and Ian's vocal play with Steve during Speed King as the last number was fabulous! The great but too short set was concluded with encore's Any Fule and Highway Star. There could have been another couple of tunes but who can complain? (always leave them wanting more!) IG was at the peak of his powers and I feel privileged to have been there! Just a great show! As IG said many times last night "SUPERB", just superb!
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