The mysterious intro, Mars, the Bringer of War, from Gustav Holst, announced the arrival of Deep Purple, and before you knew it, you were crusin’ fast with "Highway Star." This song is the ultimate opener, and always sets the mood for the evening. Deep Purple quickly went into an overdrive, they meant business, and were here to deliver a solid rock concert.
All of the eyes were quickly on the new guitarist, Simon McBride, who made his first appearance in the Chicago area. McBride proved to be a natural fit, and quickly won over the fans with his very aggressive approach to the classic tracks, and his contributions to the new songs. He is a very much a riff driven player, who is able to balance all of the greats that came before him, and add his own signature on top of it all.
Ian Gillan was definitely in great spirits, as was the rest of the band. Gillan however is the focal point of the band, and one of the finest vocalists in the history rock music. At 79 years old, it is simply astonishing that he is still willing to record and tour. Ian continues to break every rule that is put in front of him. Yes, there were moments of struggle, let’s face it, those signature screams he did 50 years ago, do not come as easy now, but the effort was there. There is no doubt, Ian Gillan put his heart into this performance, and he came out victorious. The newer songs are sung in his mid-range, and he delivered those with absolute perfection. Gillan definitely fed off the energy of the crowd, and they just loved him. Gillan was chuffed, full of energy and good will. It was a monumental task he performed this evening, and the only word that comes to mind is superb!
Ian Paice was completely in control of every song performed that evening. What a monster of a drummer he still is. His timing, and the strength with which he hits is simply mind blowing. One of the most solid and dependable drummers of all time. When you have Roger Glover with you on bass, you know you’re in good company. Paice and Glover quickly locked in a very solid rhythm section, and they often would stretch things left and right. What a way to have fun guys!
Keyboard player, Don Airey, truly came into his own over the last two decades. In fact, he often comes across as a key player. He can definitely summon the spirit of Jon Lord, but adds that something extra of his own as well. All of this makes up for a great mix of styles that complement Deep Purple. Airey’s improvisations are very creative and adventurous, and you can see and feel that he is having a great time. He’s bit of a joker too. At one point, he left everyone hanging on a note, while a waiter appeared with a glass of wine for Mr. Airey. Here's to the best of times!
The set included a combination of old and new. When you have so much to choose from, creating a balanced set list can be a headache. What Deep Purple did was great, they focused on new tracks from the excellent “= 1” album, and then added classic tracks to round it up. The total of five new songs were performed, and they went over great, which tells you the fan base is keeping up with the band. This was no bathroom time, but full participation from the audience. “Portable Door,” “Lazy Sod,” “Bleeding Obvious,” “A Bit on the Side,” and “Show Me” went down great, all of them included some great introductions from Ian Gillan, who related the lyrics to his personal experiences. Of course, there were the timeless classics like “Lazy,” “Space Truckin’, or “Into the Fire.” The biggest surprise of the set was the inclusion of “Anya” from “The Battle Rages On” album. And yes, the song with the greatest riff of all time was played too. If you’re not getting the drift still, it’s that tune that has to do with smoke and water. The band encored with “Hush,” and “Black Night.”
When reflecting back, this was a magical night! When it comes to bands like Deep Purple, you simply never know if this is it. The end could come at any moment, but in the meantime, let’s enjoy this great group because there simply won’t be anything like it anytime soon. This writer certainly hopes for more albums and few more shows before the inevitable end comes.
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