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DPAS
LIVE REVIEWS Well... Having read the mixed reviews posted on the website for the previous Deep Purple gigs, I must admit I approached the Glasgow expecting to be disappointed; however these fears were unfounded.
I'm sure Deep Purple realise how well Skynyrd are going down on this tour but last night, I think it spurred them on to greater things..(competition is a great thing!) From the opening drum beat to Highway Star, Purple were in great form. Gillan's voice was in great nick. He interacted well with the crowd and appeared genuinely appreciative of the classic Glasgow fan base... I
thought the whole band played really well, especially Roger Glover
and Don Airey. I suppose my only gripe was the set list...but that's
a personal thing..However, If I was Steve Morse, I'd be a bit peeved
at not playing anything from Purpendicular or Abandon. .And no drum
solo, which I thought was a pity... review: Peter Fergusson, Dumfries scan: Nigel Young
After Whitesnake’s recent atrocious show & sound in one of SECC’s barns last month, I was really dreading this, especially with some of the early UK reviews & comments about the sound, but ...
It’s a really brave move to go out with a band of the stature of Skynyrd, but kicking off with "Highway Star", re-instated to it’s rightful place in any DP set, right through to "Space Truckin", Purple delivered in spades. The sound was loud - and excellent. I’ve seldom heard Gillan sound better. Roger & Paicey were rock solid as usual, Morse proved yet again what an incredible replacement for Ritchie he is & Don now really sounds a part of the band. He doesn’t sound like Jon, but then again David was no Gillan & neither Tommy nor Steve ever attempted to emulate Ritchie’s sound, preferring to add their distinctive own styles to the distinctive DP soundscape. Set list was much the same as elsewhere, but resequenced: an excellent "Knockin’ at Your Back Door" was a surprise as the second song in. No long solos (except Don’s intro to Perfect Strangers & Steve’s "Smoke..." intro) & I can’t help but feel this added to the much punchier, song-driven set. A slightly late start so I didn’t wait for the encores sadly, but I’d seen more than enough to prove the band have pulled off the old rejuvenation trick yet again. I can’t wait to go Bananas! review: Robert Brown scan: Nigel Young
As for the show, much tighter than Birmingham, audience was very up for this and the band fed off them, even Don's intro to Perfect Strangers was good. he also added I Belong to Glasgow in his solo, which went down well. Gillan screamed all night and seemed to be having a ball. review & photo: Michael Richards
Well thanks to the vagaries of the rail network and the usual shocking inadequacies of the SECC organisation, we arrived too late for The Darkness. Fortunately I had seen them earlier in the year, so can still boast years from now about how I remember them in the early days.
So how would Deep Purple match up to that? Well, they obviously knew they had a fight on their hand and come out pumped up and ready to rock. This is where it all went a bit wrong, because Deep Purple are not a heavy metal band. But that’s what they were at the SECC. Ian Gillan acknowledged at the end of “Highway Star” how good Skynyrd were, and it is to their credit that they seemed considerably more motivated than on last year's visit. However, with Steve Morses guitar screeching at every available opportunity forcing Gillan to struggle to be heard above the din and power chords permeating “Woman From Tokyo”, it was a losing battle. Yes, it was good to hear “Pictures From Home”, and Don Airey turned in a sterling performance, but the steady stream of people leaving told its own story. Lynyrd Skynyrd won by the length of Sauchiehall Street. review:
Stuart Hamilton, www.zeitgeist-scot.co.uk. scan: Nigel Young
As far as I'm concerned, they just didn't make it. Morse is a great guitarist but Ritchie Blackmore he ain't! Gillan's vocals were lost in the mix too often and he seemed to be really struggling to hit the top notes. Don Airey is an able replacement for Lord and I still rate Paice and Glover as the best rhythm section in the business. It was a good set but they never really raised their game and it almost felt they were rushing to reach the end so they could leave the stage. Gillan's platitudes about us being the best audience were also a bit much - did he really need to mention it after every song? Maybe I'm just a dinosaur living in the past, but how come Lynyrd Skynyrd can still make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up when probably my favourite band of all time can't? review: Les McIntosh, Edinburgh |
Whilst
the sound in the SECC does not match that of the Armadillo next door
where Deep Purple played last year, the sound guys tried their hardest,
and the sound was as good as I've heard in that particular venue.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
played really well and had the place rocking with their blend of good
time Southern Boogie. I would say there were a lot of Skynyrd fans
there last night and I'm sure they went home very happy. They ROCKED
...3 guitars.. and great tunes (ncluding a few from their new album).
So
then it was Lynyrd Skynyrd. And to the naysayers who whinge about
it not being the ‘real’ Skynyrd, just count up the number of original
members in Deep Purple! Now, I’m not going to mess about here. It
must be twenty years since I have been so emotionally affected by
a concert. Skynyrd were absolutely outstanding. And judging by the
number of people who left after their set I wasn’t the only one. From
“What’s Your Name” onwards, spurred on by a rabid crowd, there were
moments when the three lead guitars locked together to create moments
that transcended mere music. No, it wasn’t perfect. An overly comedic
“Gimme Three Steps” grated a bit, but the memory of “Simple Man” is
something I’ll take with me to the grave. Alongside Gary Rossington,
Blackfoot's Rickey Medlocke and the Outlaws' Hughie Thomasson helped
make this an epiphany. However, what must Gary Rossington think when
he looks stage left and sees the new bass player, who is a dead ringer
for 1976 vintage Allen Collins. Freaky. Even the two new songs fitted
in perfectly and how can you go wrong with a chorus of “"My hair's
turning white, my neck's always been red, my collar's still blue.
We've always been here tryin' to sing the truth to you. Guess you
could say we've always been red, white and blue". 
I
have to agree with Stuart. Lynyrd Skynyrd were amazing. Watching them
play Freebird almost brought tears to my eyes - it was an awsome performance
and Deep Purple would really have to pull something special out of
the bag to match it.