Deep Purple, Polivalenta Hall, 20.02.14

I wasn’t expecting too much from this concert, considering I was going to see a positively ancient band with a lead singer who’s almost 70. But then again, it was a positively ancient band, on the back of which was built all the music I nowadays adore, so I wasn’t going to miss this for the world. And I don’t regret it a single bit, as it was a beautiful night.

A lot has changed from their golden era, Ritchie Blackmore and Glenn Hughes are gone, Jon Lord is dead and Ian Gillan can’t sing Child in time anymore, but they still rock almost as hard as they did years ago! I have to tip my hat to Ian Gillan who, although can’t reach the high notes that made him famous anymore, gave a good performance, cleverly avoiding all the problematic spots and seemed very excited to be there. I also have to mention Don Airey. Stepping in for Jon Lord, he had to meet huge expectations, but he proved he’s the next best thing with an excellent keyboard solo that earned him a standing ovation.

The highlight of the night for me was Perfect strangers, which is one of my favourite Deep Purple songs and that sounded in my years for days before and after the show. It would’ve been great if they had played Child in time as well, no matter how many changes they should’ve needed to make to the melody to accommodate Gillan. All in all, it was a good show and a nice trip back to my childhood when I would listen to Deep Purple day and night, courtesy of my parents. It was probably one of the first rock bands I ever came into contact with, so there were definitely a ton of nostalgia and respect present last night.