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06 Oct 96 Deinze
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Around
16:00 we were at the Brielpoort and could easily walk in and out the hall.
Somebody (we could not see who) was soudchecking the microphone and was clearly
having a good time. Johan thought it was Gillan, I was not sure: his voice was
too low. There
was food ready for them: lots of cold vegetables (cauliflower, carrots…)
salami, ham cheeses,… After checking out the tour bus (without any problems)
we learned that when you are tired of watching the Jurassic Park video, you
could use it to keep the window of the bus open.
We then went to the fair – or better: past through it, direction pub;
for a few beers (in my case: tonic! Cos I was, as usual, driving. Johan can’t
drive; he would be a real danger anyhow). How
do people get video cameras in? Do they dismantle them? Johan had it difficult
to smuggle a pocket camera, a can of Coke and a tiny bottle of Vodka in (he
should be ashamed!) And me? Well they stopped me because I had pen and paper in
my pocket! At
20:03 “Bad Music Habit” started their act, a Dutch band. I must say that
they were the best Purple support so far (I missed Uriah Heep in Rotterdam).
They were quit good; with some imagination one could hear Uriah Heep, especially
the guitar, but then heavier. The parking outside was fairly empty, when we came
in; but people were entering all the time, and so the hall became very crowded.
The Brielpoort has one major fault: during the support act, you can’t withdraw
to the bar, cos the bar is in the hall. BMH
ended their show at 20:42. Purple
started their last gig of the European tour at 21:09. During Fireball the
light fell out and they played for a short time with only some red lights.
People were a bit disappointed, I think, when they recognized “No No No” and
the band did not carry on with it. By the
time they played Ted The Mechanic it became cleat that Morse
played heavier than we used to hear from him in Deep Purple. When Ian
announced “a song we recorded in Montreux” People were expecting Smoke, but,
according to my notes, I prepared at home (no, no remark about the Blackmore
play list) it had to be Pictures of Home, which was correct. During
Black Night the crowd really went wild, and the hall became hotter
and hotter. Here my fears, that every show would be the same, disappeared: the
Lord-Morse-duet was completely different than the one in Lille. Morse even did
Blackmore’s finger-vibrato; he used to play in the early Purple days (sadly he
stopped doing that later). Very good one! The lightshow was equally different
with lots of lights shining into the public. Gillan told us we were
“superb”; but he did not try to speak any Flemish, what a cunning linguist! “The
next song is about a pub, between the naughty girl’s legs, iet gooze laaike
ties cuscuds” Cascades. Steve’s solo got a lot of well-earned
approval by everyone. During
Sometime I Feel like Screaming, some one was trying to take a
picture of Ian, who saw it, and turned to the other side of stage. ‘Bout the
two blokes in front of me, who were also trying to take pictures, but were as
drunk as two Swiss; both little and one is trying to lift the other up, during
this movement he tried to make a photo, and another one during the movement
down. The next one he took while dancing; then they got the smart idea to sit on
his mate’s shoulders, they both fell, and so on… Again Gillan was standing
way back during the high notes, but he was using the same mike. We
had then ace versions of Woman From Tokyo, The Aviator, Rosa’s Cantina and
No One Came which was announced stuttering. The
prelude of Smoke On The Water was much longer and very different
to the one in Lille; and really mind blasting! Later on everybody talked about
it. Gillan tried to let Lord sing, but in vain. Jon’s solo was also very
different, but shorter L During
Blind Man someone throws a little fur lion on stage, but she
really chose the wrong moment: Gillan was in full concentration, he then picked
up the animal and putted it aside without saying a word, I felt sorry for that
girl. Instead of waving with their lighters, there were 2 snobs waving with
their lightened up cellular phones, a new way of bootlegging? But
during speed King Ian took the little lion and gesticulated
“thank you” and putted in front of the soloing Steve, and started their duet
roaring like a lion. Again this duet is quite different. They did only I
Rock’n’Roll song (the one I couldn’t title the last time, and still
can’t). After a
3-minute break we had an amazing Perfect Strangers. I must say
that I kinda miss the laser beams. People were asking for Child in Time, but
after Cisco (during which Lord was playing air guitar) and Highway
Star it ended at 23:06 Everybody
was real content, it was a superb concert; even the best of the three I saw in a
row. The others I had been talking to (and who did also witness some other gigs)
agreed with me: the very best one! There were a lot of Belgian fanclub members
present, also the chairman of the German fanclub. Marc, our chairman, did not
get a backstage pass, though he was phoned by Gillan, earlier that week, who did
promise him one (it was his birthday that week). Yet he could enter the
backstage. The
sound was very good with lots of bass. Everybody on stage was enjoying
themselves, as were the crowd. Of course the Deep Purple – Rainbow dilemma was
there again. Someone said that DP is playing premier league and that Rainbow is
only second. In a way he was right when he explained it: in Purple they are all
first class musicians, and Rainbow is kinda Ritchie Blackmore with a backing
band. I had a great time too. After all I’ve been witnessing the worthy close
of the tour. Thanks
Ian(s), Jon, Roger and Steve. Pity
we have to wait now longer for another one of both bands, we were really spoiled
the last two years over here! Next
appointment Glenn Hughes in Vosselaar on 15 November. I found only 1 newspaper review of the gig, and I really had my doubts if this guy was at the gig himself, cos he did not write a word about the gig itself.
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