Deep Purple in Atlanta- July 12, 2007

 

We arrive at Chastain Ampitheatre about a half hour before Deep Purple's support act begins. already we can tell that we are by far the youngest members in attendance. This is quite different from our experience seeing Rush a month earlier. We can see DP's amps and Ian Paice's drum kit already set up. In front of the wall of amps there is a small drum kit and what I believe is a Hammond organ. At 8:00, Steppenwolf takes the stage, or John Kay's Steppenwolf, I should say. Due to legal troubles, frontman Kay elected to modify the band's name. They are forced to have their equipment (including the aforementioned kit and organ)put in front of DP's in order to save time. This results in the band being caged in and barely able to move (not that they try). I affectionately refer to this cramped set up as the cubicle of rock. For thirty minutes, Steppenwolf drones on. My friend and I remark that nearly every song sounds the same. Shortly before mercifully ending their set with Born to Be Wild, John kay announces this will be the last show for Stppenwolf. I choke back tears of joy. They end and leave. The already drunken middle-aged crowd roars their approval, and some continue to "dance" (if you could call it that) even though the music has stopped. In the interlude between bands, my friend strikes up a conversation with a couple in their mid 40s. The wife informs my friend he is shifty-eyed and she calls me ginger because of my red hair. rather amused, we talk to her about various bands and I try to preach the message of prog, but I fail.

 

After clearing the last remnants of the once proud band off the stage, the fun truly begins when DP takes the stage and launches into Pictures of Home. My friend and I notice how Gillan's voice has deteriorated, though he sounds better here than in the studio. Glover's bass solo is met with great applause. Morse is not only a killer player, he looks cool when he plays. Most guitarists look like masturbating fools, but Morse projects an aura of confidence and restraint. Th band goes immediately into Things I Never Said. Sadly, I am distracted from the band by a very large man several rows down who has been doing that drunken sway that passes for dancing at these events for quite some time. Being such a heavy man, he jiggled from head to toe with every arm thrust. what diverted my attention is that he suddenly switched arms, which created a counter-jiggle that cancelled the other out. It reminded me of a physics lesson about waves. We howl with laughter.

 

Then comes Strange Kind of Woman, which snaps us back to the band. Morse, Gillan, and Paice really shine here. Into the Fire comes next, one of my favorite Purple tunes. Now, Ian addresses the audience. following the song, A well-lubricated attendee takes a long inflatable phallic device and pokes Ian in the leg as if to give it to him. Gillan declines the offer, quipping "no thanks, already got one." Rapture of the Deep follows, and the crowd is reasonably impressed for a song that isn't one of DP's hits. Again, Morse kills.  Everyone drops out as Airey strikes up the first organ notes of Lazy. Morse and Airey sound great, but Airey doesn't really play any of his own stuff, he just copies Lord's original lines. The band follows up with a beautiful rendition of When a Blind Man Cries. Morse's solo is close to Blackmore's, and it captures all of the emotion of the original. Now, Morse gets the stage to himself  for several minutes of a beautiful and increasingly technical solo that heralds The Well Dressed Guitar, which sounds terrific. At the end, everyone is one their feet (well, except the ones to drunk to stand, and they waved their fists approvingly). Don gets his moment in a little segue into Perfect Strangers. I never realized just how progressive this song sounds. Other than  Morse's solo, this was the highlight of the entire concert. The band wraps it up with Highway Star and Smoke on the Water. The latter begins with an extended guitar break from Morse before the riff comes in. The band exits as th crowd cheers and those who can still speak demand an encore.

 

The band reemerges to play Hush. I always did love that organ part. The band exits once more, only to come back in less than a minute to play Black Night. The concert ends with a bang, and my friend and I make our way back to the car, splitting conversation equally between how much we enjoyed Purple, and how much we enjoyed the crowd.