"I've seen Purple about 40 times and that was the worst I've ever seem them!".
Not my views, but those of a disgruntled punter in the bar after Purple's gig at Manchester Apollo last week. As you know, I'm no expert on Purple,still a little bit of a perfect stranger to some of their albums, but I felt his comments were perhaps a little cruel, as were those of another review I read on the web complaining that Purple didn't play a "play some old" - greatest hits set!
You can't please everyone;they opened with the classic "Highway Star" (now a car favourite in my old Vauxhall Carlton) and we also heard The Battle Rages On, Hush, Black Night and an underwhelming but surprising choice in Wasted Sunsets, to name but a few of the golden oldies.
I went to the toilet 20 mins in and saw four people walking out, my toilet break was an emergency after a few pre gig ales, or I could have found myself in Dire Straits during the rest of the gig.
If they'd just played the hits and nothing off Rapture Of The Deep or Purpendicular or latter albums, surely this version of Purple would just be classed as a tribute touring act by now?
I admit Steve Morse is a great technical guitarist, but his playing style does wash over you after a bit. The crowd talked amongst themselves as he twiddled with himself onstage and I felt my bladder stirring again. This solo moment, before a spine tingling "Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming" did give Ian Paige a rest backstage; his voice struggled with the the high notes and playing a tambourine looks like hard work for the poor chap , but he looked enthusiastic, fresh faced and happy to be onstage. Which is more than can be said of a lot of acts half his age these days.
Ian Paice still sounds marvellous, solid as a rock, although I couldn't hear his cymbals from where I was standing.Don Airy (constantly smiling,seventies porn beard) played most of Jon Lord's organ parts note perfect. Infact, he looked so confident I'm sure he could master space travel if required. His organ/synth/piano solo section (to give poor Ian another rest) included a brief excerpt of the Coronation Street theme, which was another of the pissed off talking points of some of the rockers in the pub afterwards. Wearing a coat with a Franz Ferdinand badge on it, was perhaps not my wisest move ever, as I waited to be served next to some more vexed old rockers.
I for one really enjoyed it,I know it wasn't the classic Purple lineup, but fair play to them. They played a well mixed set of old and new songs and I reckons there's a couple of years on the road left for them, or maybe not.......
Two Spinal Tap moments last Tuesday evening; Roger Glover walking off stage for a working bass, walking back on with another bass which didn't work either, walking back off stage to fix the problem, then finally walking back on with bass instrument properly functioning. And tired old Ian Gillian, who was so pleased that the first night "of a long tour.......... until Christmas" had gone so well. I guess when you're sixty, less than two months is a long time on the Purple road.
Excellent venue,(in an ideal world where I would love to see Springsteen) but now just a distant memory, as was the poor cooked (deep fried everything) breakfast the following day. I guess going to an Italian Cafe for an English Breakfast is never the best move, sausages with white fillings are never an attractive proposition after a night on the ale in a post gig rockers pub.