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DPAS
LIVE REVIEWS Deep
Purple - MMRDA Grounds, "Around 9pm last night at the MMRDA Grounds, Bandra-Kurla Complex, Steve Morse began having a ball. He played a medley of quickfire riffs, taking the audience completely by surprise. There were bits, pieces and even lengthy snatches of 'Day Tripper', 'Sweet Child Of Mine', 'Money For Nothing', 'Honky Tonk Women' and 'Stairway To Heaven'. And, just in case you thought he'd temporarily forgotten he was playing for Deep Purple, he quickly moved into the group's classic 'Smoke On The Water', with vocalist Ian Gillan suddenly taking charge.
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Everyone
knew the group wouldn't leave before playing 'Smoke On The Water',
but the way they kicked off the song was a supreme example of live showmanship.
The rest of the concert had many highs and a few lows. The most positive
thing was the sheer power. From 'Woman From Tokyo' at 7.50 pm,
until they concluded with 'Highway Star' at 9.35 pm, the band
displayed a level of energy equivalent to a thermal power station. The
songs 'Hush',' Black Night' and 'Perfect Strangers' wowed
the hard-rockers.There were times when the group moved into a slower
and more experimental mode. 'Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming'
with its varying tempos and 'When A Blind Man Cries' provided
a change of pace. Each member contributed to the charm. 56-year-old
Gillan was unbelievably agile and supple-voiced. Morse's guitar
playing was an amazing blend of aggression and aesthetics. Ian Paice
and Roger Glover were both tight and bang on target. Keyboardist Don
Airey had a few good moments - though one clearly missed the charisma
of his predecessor Jon Lord.
Where
the band disappointed was in the selection of songs in the first 45
minutes or so. Yes, they played 'Ted The Mechanic', 'The Aviator'
and 'The Well-Dressed Guitar' rather smoothly. But surely,
the crowd was looking for more
familiar material all through. Perhaps, in the attempt to showcase their
newer songs, the group omitted much-awaited masterpieces such as 'Child
In Time'. That, probably, will always remain a problem with great bands
like Deep Purple. One can never be satisfied with a 100-minute show.
The way the musicians played last night, they only proved they're never
too old to rock 'n' rule."