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30 Sep 96 Lille
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Well,
the road to Lille, Zenith arena, was not without difficulties: (not) finding the
way; traffic jams, with lots of police sitting in their cars, doing nothing. In
the end the Zénith is just at the exit of the freeway, though not called Zénith,
but Grand Palais. I
did not know what to expect, on the ticket it says: Deep purple – Ashton
Villa. Is that a football match? Though I don’t like football, that must have
been better: Ashton Villa started punctual at 20:00 It was like the beer they
served: very bad (even Johan did not like it, he even threw it away) and much
too long: 42 whole minutes! There
were a lot of people: the house was full. As we could not get to the balcony, we
tried the front rows. Luckily for me there was a bunch of small women in front
of me. At
21:17 the stage lights turned purple, Little Ian got behind his drum kit, Glover
took his bass, Gillan was the last to get upon stage, all this with a huge
applause. Fireball.
Big Ian
wearing a different costume! T-shirt and a Bermuda. Everything was the same as
with the concert in Brussels 23 Mar 96: Morse amusing himself, a short heavy
bass-solo, a bit of Hon’s organ and Paice hitting the drums hard. Morse
changed guitars for the next song. He did that a few times during the concert). And then
“a song about a barmaid: Deirdre: Ted The Mechanic. Again it stroke my attention that Morse and the others were smiling all
the time. Gillan did a few sexy dancing steps. They left out “Maybe I’m A
Leo” which they played last time. When Ian was speaking he sounded a little
hoarse. “It is a nice place to be here, it feels good here” pointing at his
heart. Pictures Of Home. Again a lot of short solo’s. The hall was not big, and though I am at
the 9th row, I could see clearly how aged (tired?) Ian looked, but
with no trace of grey hair. The Morse solo was very good. Black Night. Again a few solo’s by everyone (not Paice) and every time when Steve
and Jon were exchanging solos the guitarist stood near the organplayer, he even
hid behind Hon’s Hammond. Gillan had troubles all night with his congas: the
shins seemed no to be fixed well to them. Then Steve’s first real solo: very
bluesy and great! The crowd went wild an he had a lot of success with the other
band members: they congratulated him (strange: when I am re-reading my review of
the Brussel-gig, they did the same after Black Night solo then too! But still
well earned). Then “ a song we wrote after
returning from a naughty-girls pub” Cascades. With the solo too short, as usual, pity. During Steve’s Pink
Floyd-solo, the hall was noiseless! I must say that he gets better and better, I
don’t know if I am imaging it, but it seems to me he gets more solos to do
every time I see them play. Again – as in March – Jon was clapping his hand
on the beat of Steve’s music. After this, the rest of the Deep Band applauded
him; Gillan said “well done” (not in his mike, so they mean it after all?
Cos it seems to me they do this after exactly the same songs in my former
review). “A song about loneliness, receiving a piece
of paper you can’t read”: Sometimes I feel like screaming. Steve
made a little mistake, also Gillan seemed to be a few times besides the tight
notes (Yes, yes, YES!! We finally got prove that Blackmore is right after all:
Gillan can’t sing!! I had to wait for it for several years, concerts and
bootlegs, but he was right!) Again a very good guitar solo. When Ian was singing
his high tones he was always more at the back of the stage, a bit hiding next to
the drum kit, I think he is using a different mike to do this, but I am not
sure. “A song written in Italy, as I am a
cunning linguist, iet goze laaike ties”: Woman From Tokyo. Gillan
was dancing like they did in the sixties, with those silly arm gestures, and
puffing during the quiet bit, singing very close to Steve. “A song, not about an aeroplane
pilot, but flying in your dreams” Aviator. (I think he does the
same thing like Coverdale did in his days: announcing every song with the same
words, not with ‘here is a song for ya’, but ‘this is a song about…”
Here Ian’s voice was very similar to that other Ian – Anderson of Jethro
Tull. Steve seemed not to be pleased with the sound of his guitar, turning
knobs, talking to his roadies… Gillan had still troubles with his congas,
which you couldn’t hear anyhow. “Imagine yourself in a bar” Rosa’s
Cantina. All the time, during the concert, Big Ian was waving to the
audience and thanking them in French. He managed to throw twice the same mouth
organ into the public. “A prophetic song:” No One Came. Steve
and Roger were doing dance steps as Mud did in their days. The stroboscope
effect fitted well with Steve’s solo. “This song don’t need no introduction”.
Steve started the prelude of Smoke On The Water but nobody seemed
to have noticed that it would become the world’s most infamous intro. Then the
crowd went really wild! Even the grand-pas who were standing next to me. Jon’s
solo lasted only 5 minutes; he also did a French song, I think, judging to the
applause it got. In Belgium it is known as a song for little children (“in a
small town, very early in the morning, stood a little train..”). Then Steve
joined him for – the too short – intro to When a Blind Man Cries, again
one of the highlights, though the Brussels one was better IMO. Anew there were a
lot of friendly touches and handshakes between the band members. “Every night I sing this lullaby to
my daughter, but she has become too big now, so now I sing it to my dog. Go to
sleep, go to sleep, are you asleep? GOOD GOLLY I SAID…!!! Speed
King .
Steve
and Jon were again a lot at each other’s side. Paice had a little solo (during
which everybody stayed on stage). The song interpolated Peggy Sue, Not Fade
Away, and another one I could not place – though very familiar- with a duel
between the singer and the guitar player. At first I thought Ian could not make
it, but it got better and better and higher at the end. And definitely the
highlight of the evening. This first part ended at 22:25 After a 3 minutes break a very swell Perfect
Strangers, Big Ian sang a very quick happy birthday (I don’t know to
whom). Sisco again with Steve and Roger doing backing vocals. “This is it, thank you for listening
to the old and new songs; you’ve been more than superb (said in a French way).
You’ve been interesting, and FINALLYYYYY!” Highway Star. The concert finished at 23:17. They played exactly 2 hours; not as much songs as the former tour: no Maybe I’m a Leo, no Bloodsucker, no Purpendicular Waltz and no Somebody Stole My Guitar. It was also 12 minutes shorter than the one in Belgium in March, but this one was better, they stretched some songs with some longer solos. I must say that I have had a real good time, and only during Smoke (and not even during the intro) I though a nano-second of … err, some guy on the guitar (quote Dougie). I tried to get a set list, but the ones lying nearby were by Ashton Villa (who cared?) And that security chap would not give me the one stuck on the speaker. I have already ordered a tape of this show. I hope the Deinze gig, on the sixth,
will be as good as this one, without using the same gimmicks. Afterwards I
bought a bootleg T-shirt and went to a café before returning home.
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