Deep Purple brought The Long Goodbye Tour to Orlando, Florida’s Dr. Phillips Center for The Performing Arts Thursday September 26, 2019. MNPR Magazine wasn’t about to miss possibly the last chance to cover this iconic band. Mark Horan of MarkHoran.Pictures LLC was sent to report on the action and share his experience through his eyes and ears with their readers.

First, a bit of my background with Deep Purple. In 1973, at the age of 12, my mother took me to see the musical opera, Jesus Christ Superstar, in the theater. On the way home, we stopped and bought the album. I listened to the recording repeatedly, drawn to the vocals of Jesus, sung by Ian Gillan. The emotion, range and depth of Gillan’s voice was moving and intoxicating. I researched and found out Gillan was the lead singer of Deep Purple. The following summer I went down to Woolworths and purchased my first vinyl LP, “Machine Head”, Deep Purple’s sixth studio album. By 1974, Gillan had left the band and had been replaced by David Coverdale. It was an opportunity missed. 45 Years later, with now 74 year old Ian Gillan fronting Deep Purple again, I wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip away.

The Dr. Phillips Center for The Performing Arts is a 2,700 seat theater in downtown Orlando, used mainly for Broadway shows and ballet performances. Not the venue you’d expect for rowdy rock and roll bands and their fans, but perhaps they felt the wild days of the baby boomer generation had passed and fans would appreciate a comfortable chair for the evenings’ show.

The evening started with the band, Joyous Wolf. There is rarely a time that I am sorry to see an opening band take their bows, but this night was different. I was so highly entertained that when the bands short opening set had concluded, I was sorry to see Joyous Wolf leave the stage. So often, the opening band is seen as just a time filler to allow the crowd to enter the venue and settle in before the headliner of the evening hits the stage, but these four men out of Orange County, California brought down the house. They didn’t fit the typical filler role. Singer, Nick Reese, was in overdrive from beginning to end of their 8- song set. With somersaults and cartwheels, he was in perpetual motion and wasn’t going to be denied the opportunity to entertain the crowd as they settled into their comfortable seats. The performance was riveting.

Joyous Wolf signed a major record deal with the Roadrunner Records label of Atlantic Records last year, and I was trying to size up the band beyond the visual entertainment of their front man. Joyous Wolf is not your typical, contemporary band searching the genres for an identity. No, this is a rock and roll band, plain and simple, not in need of a newfangled moniker.

As I was trying to determine what it was that I was watching, with Reese jumping and diving in and out of my camera lenses field of vision, the band launched into a cover of the classic “Mississippi Queen” by Mountain. That was the pinnacle moment, as I had never before seen a band over Mississippi Queen. This band is for real and the state of hard-hitting rock and roll is in good hands. Get out and see Joyous Wolf when they come near you. You won’t be sorry, and at the very least you will be highly entertained.

Band:

Nick Reese – Vocals

Blake Allard – Guitar

Greg Braccio – Bass

Robert Sodaro – Drums

Set List:

Deep Purple

As I eluded to earlier, Deep Purple has had many incarnations with some great musicians over the years. Past members include: Jon Lord – keyboards 1968-1976 and 1984-2002, Ritchie Blackmore – Guitar 1968-1975 and 1984-1993, Tommy Bolin – Guitar 1975-1976, Joe Satriani – Guitar 1993-1994, Rod Evans – lead vocals 1968-1969, David Coverdale – lead vocals 1973-1976, Joe Lynn Turner – Lead Vocals 1989-1992, Nick Simper – Bass 1968-1969, Glenn Hughes – Bass 1973-1976, Nick Fyffe – Bass 2011. Today’s core of musicians have been together since 1994 or 25 years, the longest uninterrupted stretch the band has ever experienced.

The show began with a long, recorded instrumental intro of “Mars, the Bringer of War” by Gustav Holst. It was very ominous yet powerful, with a military feel to it. Anticipation was building to a crescendo when the band appeared on stage and burst into “Highway Star” from the “Machine Head” album. A video on the backdrop had a simulation of riding in a vehicle at high speed and the audience was on their feet, expressing their glee. The show was off to the races! The band played 4 more songs from their 1972 release, “Machine Head”, and I couldn’t have been happier.

My biggest question of the night: How could anyone ever replace the late great Jon Lord on keyboards? Well, that question was answered mid-show by Don Airey and his mix of classical favorites in his solo intro to “Uncommon Man”. Airey was also obviously classically trained like Lord, and it showed. The next question was Ian Gillan’s vocals at 74. Although the screams weren’t there, his vocal performance was impressive, carrying a resume that included the 1960’s and 1970’s.

The show ended with Steve Morse pounding the greatest opening riff of all time and the audience on their feet, singing along to “Smoke On The Water”. Everyone, and I mean everyone, sang along. The band exited the stage for two to three minutes then returned to play a three song encore, completing the evening with “Black Night”

Overall the show started on fire, slowed down in the middle, and finished strong. Expectations of seeing the 1972 Deep Purple in concert wasn’t realistic, but I did get to see the next best thing.

Band:

Ian Paice– drums (1968–1976, 1984–present)
Roger Glover– bass (1969–1973, 1984–present)
Ian Gillan– vocals, harmonica, percussion (1969–1973, 1984–1989, 1992–present)
Steve Morse– guitars (1994–present)
Don Airey– keyboards (touring member 2001–2002; 2002–present)

Set List:

Mars, the Bringer of War (Gustav Holst song)
Highway Star
Pictures of Home
Bloodsucker
Demon’s Eye
Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming (Guitar solo outro – Contact Lost)
Uncommon Man (with Organ Solo outro)
Lazy
Time for Bedlam
Perfect Strangers (Keyboard solo intro)
Space Truckin’
Smoke on the Water
Encore:
Green Onions (Booker T. & The MG’s cover)
Hush (Joe South cover)
Black Night