Live Review: Deep Purple - Utilita Arena, Birmingham
25th October 2022
Support: Blue Oyster Cult
Words: Paul Hutchings
Photos: Pete Key
Originally scheduled for two years ago, it’s clear on finding the seats that this gig is far from capacity. Large sections of the arena are curtained off, whilst the stage has been brought forward by at least a third, causing much frustration to many, myself included, as we are now afforded a restricted view at the side of the stage. This is a shame as both bands on the bill are legends of the rock world and deserve to be playing to a full house. Disappointingly, there are probably only about 3000 in the arena when Blue Oyster Cult walk onto the stage.
The New Yorkers rival Purple for longevity although only Donald ‘Buck Dharma’ Roeser and Eric Bloom remain from the band that released their eponymous debut album in 1972. Alongside Bloom and Roeser, long serving members Richie Castellano, Danny Miranda and Jules Radino are all ensconced into a couple of decades of service, with the exception of Miranda whose second stint with the band began in 2017.
The band are cramped at the front of the stage, but seem to have enough room to move around. This isn’t some athletic prowess proving competition anyway. It’s an exhibition of musical quality, for which BOC have few peers. They open with ‘Transmaniacon MC’ from the debut album and roll back 50 years in an instant. Bloom takes lead vocals for most of the set, but Roeser and Castellano add backing for most, the the duo also taking lead roles. Castellano is the most animated, unsurprising given his 30 year age advantage. His lead vocal on ‘Hot Rails to Hell’ superb, even though he wasn’t born when ‘Tyranny and Mutation’ from which the song is drawn was first released. The band pleasingly throw in a couple from 2020’s excellent ‘The Symbol Remains’ which confuses the older school but delights some of us contemporary types.
He may be 74 but Roeser shows no signs of ageing with some fine guitar work throughout the set. It’s particularly fluid and dexterous on the second track from ‘Blue Oyster Cult’, the majestic ‘Then Came the Last Days of May’ where the whole band morph into one musical entity. Roeser takes the applause for some incredible fretwork but it’s a team effort, and an ovation is the least they deserve.
Roeser asks how many of the audience have held onto their tickets from the original show and thanks the impressive show of hands. “What’s that noise” asks Bloom. A rather tepid squawk pops out of the speaker. “I thought it would be bigger” he laughs, before the roars of the monster increase in volume and Roeser hits the riff to ‘Godzilla’. It remains an absolute classic, as does the inevitable set closer ‘(Don’t Fear) The Reaper’. It may be overplayed and feature on too many driving compilations but there’s no arguing with it. Cowbell or not, it’s a tune of mammoth proportions. I’d say see BOC headline their own show if you can, but this was another sweet performance from an underrated band.
With the stage stripped back it’s clear that Deep Purple aren’t going to wow you with a massive stage show. No, these heavy rock legends have enough in the catalogue to let the music do the talking and the only addition to Ian Paice’s simple drum kit and Don Airey’s bank of keyboards on the stage are three screens at the rear, one which throws up visuals to accompany the songs and the other two showing closeups of each band member. It’s a welcome addition, especially when you consider that the eyesight of most of the audience isn’t what it was in 1975.
The strains of Gustav Holst’s ‘Mars – The Bringer of War’ signal the start of the show. It’s dramatic, ideal for the event and suddenly Ian Paice and Roger Glover are kicking out the intro to “Highway Star’. Don Airey’s keys join in and Simon McBridge hits the riff. We’re off, embarking on a journey that lasts over 90 minutes. Ian Gillan strolls to the front of the stage. He may not have the screams he had in 1972 but he’s tempered the range and still has hell of a voice. Slightly frail of stature, hell,
the man is 77 after all, he can still swagger with the best. Throughout the set, you could see him stood next to Paice at the back of the stage, simply enjoying the musical exhibition unfolding in front of him. He’s a purveyor of fine music after all. He doesn’t shirk from his duties though, with some gentle banter linking songs, and he covers every inch of the stage during the show.
We get a set largely drawn from the seminal ‘Machine Head’ album. Six tracks in total, including a bluesy ‘Pictures from Home’, and the poignant ‘When A Blind Man Cries’. It’s segmented by a range of songs drawn from their more recent works. Two from ‘Whoosh’ are particularly pleasing, a nod to the fact that despite their ancestry Purple can still produce contemporary hard rock of the highest order.
Paice and Glover remain one of rock’s most solid engine rooms. Paice’s jazz fused style has long been a favourite and watching him swing and shuffle whilst hammering out the rhythm alongside Brecon’s favourite son who simply holds the beat like glue. This leaves the floor open for Airey, whose keyboard skills are simply breathtaking. His solos may be a tad overlong, a slight throwback to the time when prog and rock giants ruled the earth, but there’s no doubting the skill on offer. His solo that segued into a powerful ‘Perfect Strangers’ bewitches, full of humour too; where else would you get the ‘Match of the Day’ theme in the middle of a solo?
And then there’s Simon McBride. Drawn in initially as temporary cover for Steve Morse, and now a permanent fixture, the Snakecharmer/Sweet Savage guitarist is so comfortable and part of the band that Gillan doesn’t even introduce him to the crowd. His intro to ‘Uncommon Man’, dedicated as always to the late Jon Lord is spellbinding. He plays it sensible, leaving plenty of the lead work to elder statesman Airey, but when he lets rip, he really goes for it. Throwing in ‘Anya’ from 1993’s ‘The Battle Rages On’ is a curved ball, but it’s one the band are fully equipped for and it’s a beautiful few minutes.
Another Airey solo leaves us wondering for a second, before it dawns that we are being treated to an elongated workout on ‘Lazy’. It’s epic stuff and despite the seated audience, both band and crowd are enjoying every minute. ‘Space Truckin’ pumps the tempo up higher, before McBride, complete with white Fender Stratocaster churns out the legendary riff to ‘Smoke on the Water’. It’s singalong time and like ‘(Don’t Fear) The Reaper’, it’s a track that simply soars in the live setting. It may not be the fastest song but there isn’t anything like it live. Life is forgotten as the audience lose themselves in the moment.
A polite farewell with some lucky front row dudes getting showered with pics and a couple of Paice’s coveted sticks, and then the band are back to deliver a double song encore. They start with ‘Hush’, a cover which has been made their own over the past 50 years before it’s Glover’s turn in the spotlight. A brief solo leads to him and Paice hammering out the intro to ‘Black Night’, from 1970’s ‘In Rock’, still sounding fantastic all these years later. It’s a glorious finale to a glorious evening. It may be a bit of nostalgia, and one can’t help but wonder if these guys will tour again. If it is the end, then it’s a high to finish on. But if not, then next time, get along to see some of heavy rock’s finest musicians before it’s too late.
Photo credits: Pete Key
