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DPAS
LIVE REVIEW Just got back from seeing Ian Paice at Tom's Bar in the deepest dark recesses of the Cynon Valley in South Wales. Tom's bar is a tiny ramshackle building used for up and coming local talent and rock nights. Part of the promotion was down to the music faculty at Glamorgan University and for that I thank them.
The evening got off to a somewhat embarrassing start as four local 'star' drummers including Stuart Cable (ex- Stereophonics) formed an 'expert' panel to answer questions from the audience. Trouble was no one was in the slightest bit interested in what they had to say. Indeed the first comment to Stuart Cable was "F*** off and get Ian on"!! The guy who posed the question turned into a bit of a pain, as throughout the evening he wanted to be the only one to ask a question. Indeed at several points calm was asked for as it got a bit rowdy with people just yelling requests out. Ian in his own affable way diffused these moments by going behind his quite small kit and beating seven shades out of it. Bliss!! He
was such a gentleman, totally at ease with the audience though he appeared
a little nervous at first. He took questions from all and sundry including
two rows of kids seated at the front. I asked him about playing with
Paul McCartney and he was fullsome in his praise of him especially as
a bass player. Indeed he said one of the main reasons why the Beatles
were so good was down to McCartney and Ringo. I also asked him about
what tracks he'd like to play Ian did the usual tips and tricks including the one handed roll for one of the kids at the front and also blasted a solo out with the kids sticks then gave them back to him. Nice touch. He played bits of the Mule, You fool no one, Pictures of home etc and a killer last solo to finish the evening off that left me in a state of utter disbelief. The man's a genius. A lasting impression for me in particular was the Pictures of Home intro which he played twice as people didn't believe what they saw the first time! I've heard it many times before but NEVER from only 10 feet away. It just exploded out of the kit, and this was on a very small kit with a 22" Bass drum!! To finish off Ian said he was off to Albania (!?) tomorrow. I hope he enjoyed the evening and as a Welshman I apologise for the few gobby morons in the crowd who couldn't stop shouting out all the time. For me I feel totally blessed to have been in the man's presence. review and photos :Kev Roberts |
First
off was an hour and a half taster of the upcoming Ian Gillan DVD release.
I really enjoyed it and there was some candid moments about Ian and
Ritchie's relationship over the years. It was especially interesting
to hear Roger Glover saying that just prior to Slaves & Masters
he had one throw of the dice to get Ian to actually write some music.
He was given three days after which he said if they didn't come up with
any ideas he'd throw his lot in with the rest and say 'Bye Bye' to Ian
Gillan. We all know what happened next! When they decided to get Ian
back in for The Battle Rages On album, Ritchie's reaction was "I can't
believe you want that little shit back in the band"!! Anyway on to the
main event.
that's
not normally in the set list. He didn't want to give anything away as
he says there will be at least a couple of surprises during the upcoming
tour but he did say he's wants the guys to put The Battle Rages On in
the set. Rat Bat Blue was suggested which I'd give my right arm for
and he said it's a great track and a possibility! He cautioned though
that it's a difficult track to play live and unless you get it spot
on it could turn into a bit of a mess. What the hell - Go for it I say!
For all Mk 3 fans (Me included) it seems very unlikely that will ever
happen again as apart from saying Gillan is THE voice of Purple he also
said he preferred drumming with Roger as his more simplistic style gave
him more scope to play than playing with Glenn would, who he called
a 'Busy' player. I still live in hope.