Thin Lizzy was supposed to be the support act but we got a local band instead. They weren't very good, to my ears. I don't know what happened to TL but it would have been nice to see them too, no matter the lineup.
DP, OTOH, blew the roof off the place. Funny how a bunch of old geezers still have enough in the tank to show a the youngsters how it's done. There were quite a few Old Schoolers with graying hair, patched, denim jackets that were obviously pulled from the back corner of the closet for the show. The nice surprise was the number of younger fans. They were definitely not the majority but they held their own nicely.
The setlist was a very nice mix of old and new. Favorites of mine were "Knockin' at your Back Door", "Perfect Strangers", "Highway Star", and the obvious, must-be-included "Smoke on the Water." The surprise was "Hush" as the final encore. I did not see that one coming.
The individual players were much better than I expected them to be. Ian Gillan did not hit all the notes but he hit far more than I thought he would, given the difficulty of some of the songs. Roger Glover more than held up his end and added a fair bit to the overall stage presence. Ian Paice was a freakin' mad man. Steve Morse filled Blackmore's shoes nicely and his solo was one of the best I've seen in a while. There was continuity to it rather than a mish mash of riffs and blistering fingering up and down the neck. I was really apprehensive about John Lord being replaced with Don Airy. Lord's key style is a very integral part of DP for me. Airy didn't toy with Lord's sound much, carried it off nicely and added his own touches.
Typical metal (rock) show for me -- show up solo, start talking to someone there, and make a new friend, if only for the evening. I met a dude that delivers seafood from Denver to resort towns in the mountains. He managed to win tickets, drive the work truck down from the mountains, using their gas, and sell the extra ticket for beer money.
DP, OTOH, blew the roof off the place. Funny how a bunch of old geezers still have enough in the tank to show a the youngsters how it's done. There were quite a few Old Schoolers with graying hair, patched, denim jackets that were obviously pulled from the back corner of the closet for the show. The nice surprise was the number of younger fans. They were definitely not the majority but they held their own nicely.
The setlist was a very nice mix of old and new. Favorites of mine were "Knockin' at your Back Door", "Perfect Strangers", "Highway Star", and the obvious, must-be-included "Smoke on the Water." The surprise was "Hush" as the final encore. I did not see that one coming.
The individual players were much better than I expected them to be. Ian Gillan did not hit all the notes but he hit far more than I thought he would, given the difficulty of some of the songs. Roger Glover more than held up his end and added a fair bit to the overall stage presence. Ian Paice was a freakin' mad man. Steve Morse filled Blackmore's shoes nicely and his solo was one of the best I've seen in a while. There was continuity to it rather than a mish mash of riffs and blistering fingering up and down the neck. I was really apprehensive about John Lord being replaced with Don Airy. Lord's key style is a very integral part of DP for me. Airy didn't toy with Lord's sound much, carried it off nicely and added his own touches.
Typical metal (rock) show for me -- show up solo, start talking to someone there, and make a new friend, if only for the evening. I met a dude that delivers seafood from Denver to resort towns in the mountains. He managed to win tickets, drive the work truck down from the mountains, using their gas, and sell the extra ticket for beer money.
