The Manchester Apollo was designed as an cinema / variety hall, later become a concert venue. It's one of the old theater-like places and so has it's own charm.
No drum riser, no keyboard riser... Everybody in Deep Purple will be on the same level, that was a surprise to me, coz usually you see the headlining bands using drum risers and pedestals for keyboards... Anyway, they kicked off with Highway Star! What an opening! But early in the set - I think it was during the 2nd song - there were some problems... But they are professionals and so they just kept going. If a band is around for decades you have some expectations... And even this Deep Purple line-up is around for a few years, but I still miss Jon Lord. Especially as Don Airey's Hammond sounds too honky-tonky for me... But don't think I'm just hanging on to the old classic Deep Purple line-up, coz I really dig Steve Morse's guitar play! At Strange Kind Of Woman his play made me shiver! Or the interaction between Don Airey and Steve Morse at Wring That Neck! That was a real travel back in time! And even if Ian Gillan's screams aren't so high any more and less in number, he's still an excellent singer. And great entertainer. As usual everybody got his chance to shine - beside Ian Paice who didn't do a solo - and it doesn't matter if in long instrumental passages or solos. But that's also something Deep Purple fans - and that includes me - expect.
The set list offered old and new songs, classics and a few surprises like The Well Dressed Guitar which was only at the 2006 tour edition of Rapture Of The Deep, an instrumental which was recorded during the Bananas sessions. Another surprise was Wasted Sunsets which they played early in the set. Old classics like Fireball and Space Truckin' sounded fresh and vivid. But when they kicked off Smoke On The Water the response was incredible! The house was on fire! But the song also marked the end of the regular set! Luckily the gentlemen came back for some more and pleased their fans with Speed King, Hush and Black Night. With these ones the roof came off!
Deep Purple still know how to rock the stages! And I have seen quite a few young bands who seems to be in coma compared to the British rockers! Another great night of Deep Purple songs and hopefully not the last time they hit the road! God bless Deep Purple!