Location: Graz, Austria
Concert date: 25.02.2007
Attendance: 600
Ticket price: 25 eur
Watching Mr. Ian Paice, totally absorbed in the relaxed joy of rediscovering all the charms of the old Deep Purple classics about two weeks ago in Treviso, was truly unforgettable. Well, none of that comes even close to what the rock legend and his Demon’s Eye colleagues had in store for us on Sunday night in Graz, where we were all witnesses to a magical evening, packed with humorous and often playful moments that, in the safe haven of a totally carefree atmosphere, woke the nostalgia in us all over again. The kind of feelings that make you close your eyes and vividly picture yourself in some far-too-tight bell-bottoms, the seams barely keeping up with your bouncing around in a daze, somewhere in the front rows of California Jam ’74.
Still, just to remind us we’re only in Graz, Austria after all, around 8 pm the local warriors Fiction Play start hammering our heads. It’s a trio of interesting uncles whose musical roots sit somewhere at the crossroads of Radiohead, System Of A Down, Rage Agaist The Machine and at moments even Green Day. Definitely an unexpected way to open the night, but the guys clearly wanted to squeeze as much out of it as they could, which you could tell above all from the frontman/guitarist’s exuberance, since the dude was deep in his element. The same goes for his guitar playing, which at times really surprised everyone who was so eagerly waiting for the main act. The trio also deserves credit for a quality vocal delivery, with every single member of the band chipping in – besides the guitarist, the bassist and drummer too, who nicely kept the vocals balanced. Fiction Play’s set was just the right length, both for their fans – who, apart from a few wet teenage girls standing right behind me, weren’t exactly thick on the ground – and for all of us Purple devotees, who by now craved a decent dose of good old rock & roll even more.
And that came at ten to nine, when the church-like silence of the Orpheum was suddenly torn apart by loud cheering for the figures who had just appeared on stage. Ian joined them last, of course, and unlike in Treviso, this time he even took the time to kindly address everyone present. After the expected thanks to the Demon’s Eye lineup, in the style of typical British humor he apologized in advance for any mistakes he might make over the course of the night: “enjoy yourselves, we’re among friends here and this isn’t a serious gig”! Sure thing, Ian… And then Burn caught fire, finally revealing the face of what the guys themselves like to call the self-declared only professional Deep Purple tribute band. And what a face it is! Looking at the right side of the stage, you really have to strain your eyes, because trusting your ears isn’t enough this time. No, the guitarist up there isn’t Ritchie Blackmore, but a gentleman named Steve Curly, who in his meticulous re-enactment – or imitation, if you like – of the famous guitarist nails every last detail. Even his facial expressions strongly recall Ritchie’s “especially warm gaze”, and, most importantly, Curly’s guitar sounds divine. On the other side, we’re entertained by a sort of shrunken Glenn Hughes figure, constantly moving to the sharp rhythm of the song, keeping company with Michael Bocher’s confident Hammond. Special attention, of course, goes to the vocals of Robby Walsh, an amusing Irish gentleman whose pose, heavily borrowed from Gillan, gives the whole thing a slightly comical look. When Burn gives way to Ready ‘n’ Willing, the whole thing feels much more authentic, especially Walsh’s voice, perfectly adapted to Coverdale’s lines. If both opening tracks are absolutely indispensable in any set from the crimson family, however “unpredictable”, then what can you say about Sail Away! A song none of us would have dared imagine hearing live even in our wildest dreams finally sets the crowd off. Next comes one of the funniest moments of the night, Lazy, which gives the performers the usual room to shake out all their “frustrations”. The Hammond more than excellently fills the gap left by the absence of Gillan’s harmonica, and arms the song with a full dose of dance energy. Excellent, and once again excellent! As the laziness, with the usual Blackmore blues ending, slowly leaves us, a lass named Emaretta invites us to dance. It’s hard to put into words the feeling that takes hold of you listening to these long-forgotten Deep Purple songs. Most satisfying of all is the view of the back of the stage, where Paice is having fun like a little kid who’s found his favorite toy after a long time. A feeling that, given that Ian is the only one in the current Deep Purple who actually took part in the “glorious” Mk1 days, takes things to a new emotional peak.
The long-awaited moment, which most vocalists these days would probably rather steer well clear of, arrives with Child In Time. A nicely executed Hammond intro, more or less a Made In Japan copy, slowly hands the initiative over to Walsh’s very convincing voice, which in the end doesn’t quite go for Gillan’s highest notes. Still, it’s a moment Curley had obviously been waiting for. His fiery playing, even after all these years, still points to the incredibly wide influence of the man in black himself. And maybe even Ritchie would be pleased with how things are going, because Paice sure is. He convinces us with the uncompromising determination with which he launches into the chase after his guitar colleague. A nice lead-in to a demonstration of Ian’s wide bag of tricks, for which Paice this time picks The Mule, at the end of which Walsh reminds us that it’s been no less than 30 years since its last Deep Purple performance! Crazy, no question. When Paice leaves the stage for a while and Andree Schneider, the original Demon’s Eye drummer, settles in behind the kit, the guys serve up something strongly mystical, at the end of which Curley appealingly toys with motifs from Grieg’s Morning, which he later boldly carries into In the Hall of the Mountain King. A bit lost, but fun all the same. Anyway, Paice’s return, in the form of The Battle Rages On, heralds a new surprise, though the sound suffers badly because of Walsh’s noticeably tired voice. But there’s no time to rest, because after a mystical, Rainbow-style guitar intro, Curley furiously swerves straight into Mistreated. Robby’s angry vocal, whose interpretation of this Mk3 classic spices up the atmosphere with even stronger emotion, gives no hint of his earlier troubles, just as little as of the unexpected leap into Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City. An original twist which, sadly, gets completely watered down by a lukewarm performance.
When Walsh, in his typically humorous style, announces yet another karaoke moment, the band, as if to remind us of the “unforgettable” Joe Lynn Turner era, sways into Hendrix’s Hey Joe. The guy wasn’t joking this time, since this easygoing version probably served the gents more as a quick bit of messing around in the style of Keith Richards. Well, Paice himself warned us at the start that this isn’t a serious gig! “Well, seriously, not seriously,” says Walsh: “this song is for you, maybe you don’t know it yet.” Of course he’s talking about some Smoke On The Water, whose worn-out riff still drives the vast majority of those present nuts without any trouble. A wild finish, after which Ian once more sincerely thanks everyone. Needless to say, the loud chanting of the frenzied yodelers won’t let the guys leave the stage just yet, so the gents treat us to Soldier Of Fortune too, with a gorgeous solo that lacked the usual Ritchie slide, but never mind. The performance was excellent, especially Robby’s emotive vocal. The perfect evening wraps up with a little “jam” on a Sweet Home Chicago theme, which soon breaks into Black Night, in which the guys play around with their instruments once more, again showing off their incredible individual skills, effectively fused into a compact, life-filled musical whole. Just like the once-famous Deep Purple. Astonishing!
Setlist
The Fiction Play: 1.Bring Back Baby 2.Some People 3.Boy In The Mirror 4.Why?! 5.Trip Of Nature 6.World Of Light 7.A Great Escape Demon’s Eye: 1.Burn 2.Ready ‘n’ Willing 3.Sail Away 4.Lazy 5.Emaretta 6.Child In Time 7.The Mule 8.Grieg Medley 9.The Battle Rages On 10.Mistreated 11.ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City 12.Hey joe 13.Smoke On The Water 14.Soldier Of Fortune 15.Black Night 16.Perfect Strangers
