Venue: New Age / Roncade (Treviso) / Italy
Concert date: 14.02.2007
Attendance: 100
Ticket price: 25 EUR
Unless you’ve spent the last 30 years living as a hermit, buried some fifty meters under the deep-frozen ground of the Siberian wasteland, you know very well how huge the influence of English hard rock giants Deep Purple is. But just when you think you’ve got at least a halfway decent picture of how far it reaches, a whole bunch of “tortellini” devotees pops up across our western border, and to top it off, they’re backed by the “scarlet depths” engine himself, Mr. Ian Paice! Shocking, right? Definitely reason enough to flee our beautiful homeland for the safe and properly smog-filled embrace of industrial northern Italy. Namely, Treviso, which seems like a very charming place, and the only problem is when, smack in the middle of a scouting tour, you’re suddenly gripped by an unstoppable urge to swap urine samples. Despite all the “torment” we finally made it to the New Age club, where the gentlemen in black first politely turned us away, claiming we weren’t on the “V.I.P.” list, and then, after consulting with some uncle at the box office, finally let us in. Good thing, too, because if anything hits the spot after a draining drive (made all the more exhausting by a “varied” selection of country medleys), it’s an honest rock & roll kick, even in Italian clothing.
The doubts about the power and authenticity of this Italian take on hard rock, which to be honest had been eating at me all day, Filippini & Co. effectively smash right at the start with an energetic Stormbringer, where Matt’s imitation of Ritchie’s guitar moves constantly signals his boundless respect for the man. His fingers grind up everything in front of them with so much power and confidence that you wouldn’t dare imagine any alternative version of this legendary song, and at the same time he reminds everyone who has forgotten just how incredible Ritchie’s personality was, the one the entire Deep Purple image was built on. Too bad there wasn’t a lad named Steve Morse among the small crowd packed up against the stage, since he could have learned a thing or two from his Italian colleague, at least when it comes to Deep Purple. Even Mr. Paice was clearly not immune to the general excitement that suddenly took over the stage, and he squeezes everything he can out of this rare chance to play Mk3 classics. The “storm” has barely died down when some kind of Italian version of a “gremlin” on the Hammond spins us into Might Just Take Your Life, which, despite a confident performance, doesn’t quite come into its own because the vocals are too thin. Tiratni’s voice works much better in Mk2 waters, as he convinces us with excellent renditions of Maybe I’m a Leo, Pictures Of Home, and above all an unforgettable version of Perfect Strangers. Paice follows attentively, with all his typical ease, a similarly confident bass line over which Matt’s playful guitar sails with its tricks, and his thoroughly routine command of the situation gives off, at moments, a hint of drowsiness. It’s a real pleasure to watch a musician of his caliber at work, a master who can’t be thrown off track even by the most unexpected change of plans.
The Deep Purple cover fest is briefly interrupted by Stealer from another English blues rock giant, Free, and Can’t Get Enough from Rodgers’ later band Bad Company, which nicely lighten the whole “scarlet”-tinted atmosphere. But only briefly! The fantastic Speed King, which makes up for the missing “conversation” between guitar and Hammond with a bravura Ian solo, together with Into The Fire awakens Matt’s imitation of Blackmore’s old licks once again, licks the keyboards just couldn’t keep up with. Same with Mistreated, where the unconvincing vocals are what bother most, and this moment can be named as one of the few minuses of an otherwise excellently executed evening. And what about a song we haven’t heard on stage in a very long time? Probably even Ian Paice himself can’t remember when he last played Child In Time. Well, whatever trauma Gillan’s worn-out squealing last caused him is probably only a distant, badly faded memory after Tiratni’s astonishing interpretation. Maybe the guy could work a bit on his pronunciation, though that’s probably too much to ask of the average Italian, who struggles with the English “lingo” anyway. When the guys wrap up the main part of the set list with a raging Burn, they’re back on stage in the blink of an eye, at Ian’s obvious demand. The gentleman was clearly in a big hurry to end the evening, since on Black Night, where Filippini tries himself out as bassist, he flatly refused to grab the bone Matt threw him with the Peter Gunn theme. Anyway, after the closing Hush the guys said their final goodbyes, nicely rounding off an evening that will stay a fond memory for all Deep Purple fanatics for a long time. Thanks, guys!
Setlist
1.Stormbringer 2.Might Just Take Your Life 3.Maybe I’m A Leo 4.Can’t Get Enough 5.Pictures Of Home 6.Perfect Strangers 7.Stealer 8.Speed King 9.Child In Time 10.Into The Fire 11.Mistreated 12.Burn Encore: 13.Black Night 14.Hush
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