Deep Purple in Stockholm
Deep Purple isn’t a bunch of lazy sods. They are a hardworking veteran rock band that still delivers.
Deep Purple at Gröna Lund, Stockholm, Sweden on 6th August 2024
Last year, as I stood backstage at the legendary Budokan in Tokyo, I asked keyboardist Don Airey: “Deep Purple at Budokan. Does it get more classic than this?” He replied: “No, it doesn’t. It’s one of the great gigs to play and I’m very glad to be here. Thrilled and excited and all that good stuff!” Purple delivered a legendary, hard-to-repeat, show that night in Tokyo. With that in mind, I went to the Gröna Lund amusement park in Stockholm, Sweden with high, but not too high, expectations as this was not a Budokan gig. Backstage a few hours before the gig, Don Airey was in a good mood. It was a good indicator that we were in for another great show. Once the band kicked off their Stockholm show in front of a large and excited crowd, it was obvious that this was going to be a fabulous evening with Deep Purple.
Ian Paice on drums, Roger Glover on bass, Don Airey on keyboards and Ian Gillan on vocals are in the current line-up joined by Simon McBride, the 45-year-old Northern Irish guitarist who has the impossible job of being the “new” lead guitarist in Purple. He once again did a fab job. Cool as a bucket of ice and with truckloads of talent, he has brought new energy to a band that started touring in 1968.
The setlist in Stockholm was excellent. They opened with “Highway Star”, a song they have played live since 1971. I was happy to see that Purple didn’t just “play the catalogue”. They showed the audience that they have some excellent more recent material, such as “A Bit on the Side”. “Lazy Sod”, “Uncommon Man”, “Portable Door” and “Bleeding Obvious”. From the good old days, we got favourites such as “Smoke on the Water”, “Lazy”, “Into the Fire” and “Hard Lovin’ Man”. “Space Truckin’” was the show’s highlight for me. We also got an excellent version of the 90s song “Anya”. Don Airey’s extended keyboard solo was as good as ever. This evening he paired the usual “Star Wars” theme with some tips of the hat to Swedish pop legends ABBA.
Deep Purple in 2024 is a seasoned band that has aged well. In Stockholm, they delivered a set built around what they can do well here and now. Songs such as “Child in Time”, which may be tricky to do justice in 2024, are wisely left out of the set. Deep Purple 2024 is a great band that knows what they can do. They still deliver a world-class show and they still create fabulous new music. A terrific evening in Stockholm was rounded off with “Hush” and “Black Night”. Backstage after the show, Don Airey and Roger Glover walked around with big smiles. They are still enjoying themselves. I don’t think Purple will stop touring any time soon.
