Deep Purple

OVO Hydro, Glasgow

10 November 2024

Tonight was my 50th Deep Purple concert, and my fifth this week. Starting in 1985, I have seen them on every tour, and usually multiple times on the tour, and never been disappointed. Fifty shows sounds like a lot, but honestly I wish it had been more, and hope it will be many more. For a band in its sixth decade, with many of the members pushing 80 years old, I don't realistically know how many more tours they will do. But on the strength of this week, they're not slowing down, and sound as fresh and exciting as ever.

I did wonder if five shows in the space of one week would see "tour fatigue" set in for me, as I became too accustomed to the set and stopped appreciating it. But it hasn't happened. I felt exactly the same sense of nervous anticipation tonight as I did before the Birmingham concert one week ago. Physically I am a wreck—I don't think there is any part of me that doesn't hurt, I couldn't walk in a straight line back to the hotel, and I am so tired I'm not even sure what I'm writing now—but mentally and emotionally I'm ready for more. Five shows wasn't enough. Fifty shows hasn't been enough. I'm crying as I write this, and I'm not sure if it's from happiness or sadness. It's probably a bit of both. Deep Purple concerts are the best thing ever.

Reef deliver another perfect warm-up set, suitably pleased by the crowd reception and humble in the knowledge that they're "just" the support band and we're here for Deep Purple, but owning the arena stage for their brief 45 minutes. It's crazy that I never knew a note of their music one week ago but tonight half their songs feel like old favourites, and I'm all emotional at the thought that I won't see this set again.

Needless to say I'm a (living) wreck by the time Deep Purple come on. I don't think I can say anythng more about the music at this point. The set is the same—six new songs (which I know some people say is too many, but I'm happy with) surrounded by (most of) the inevitable classics. (Don teases with Child in Time when Ian talks about Jon Lord, and Ian just says, "Nah".) I know I'm never going to hear Child in Time again, and I'm ok with that, but I never expected Perfect Strangers to be dropped from the set and find that I'm fine with that too. The songs they play really don't matter, it's how they play that matters, and that has never changed. It's still the joyful, playful, jaw-dropping musicality of the jams and solos that made me fall in love with this band in 1985 and makes me love them as much or more today. Every song, whether 56 years old (Hush) or six months old (everything from =1), sounds new and fresh and like half of it is made up on the spot. Even five gigs into the tour, I still find new things going on.

Don Airey plays a medley of Scottish folk tunes, and makes a Moog sound like bagpipes.

What more could you ask from a concert?

This has been the best concert of the best tour I have ever seen. I wish there was one tomorrow so I could say that again.

That's it, I have no more to say.