(Live Reports) DEEP PURPLE AT THE ARENES OF NIMES ON JUNE 29TH 2022 : an article to read on Music Waves

First of the hard rock / metal concerts in the framework of the festival of the arenas of Nimes. It is not really a festival as such but it has the merit to make the city live in summer and to close the traffic, making a part of the city pedestrian all around the arenas, a magic and recognized place that we do not present any more. Tonight Deep Purple has the privilege to perform there before Nightwish and Kiss in a few days.

Here the public arrives quietly. At the first impression, the arena seems huge but once inside, it seems to be more compact and you realize that the audience is quite close to the stage with the rather steep bleachers.

To start the evening, with all the excellent feedback we could read everywhere and especially on Music Waves, we have Ayron Jones, the new phenomenon.

It's still daylight when the band makes its appearance already very expressive as the bassist who does not stop jumping and walking. The band will start with the title "Boys From the Puget Sound" before pleasing the public with the cover "Breed" of Nirvana, and this until the end of their performance. The band is happy to play and will leave a very good impression. The rise of Ayron Jones is on the way and we can't wait to discover a new album to see them on tour in France.

It is with three of its members from the great era that Deep Purple continues to perpetuate the legend - Ian Paice (drums), Ian Gillan (vocals) and Roger Glover (bass). Keyboardist Jon Lord has given up his desk to Don Airey, while Steve Morse recently announced that he was leaving the band to stay at the side of his wife, who has cancer. Even if we all know that the great era is far, far away and that Ian Gillian has some difficulties in live, it doesn't prevent the fans from coming to see them again and it's a good thing because they're coming back for a tour with many dates despite the passing years.

So we discover Steve Morse's replacement, Simon McBride, a young man who took over quickly and who had played on Ian Gillan's solo album and appeared on Don Airey's solo albums among others. He played his first concert with the English on Sunday May 22 and will do the whole tour.

The band hits hard by starting with 'Highway Star' and 'Pictures of Home' at the beginning of the show and immediately we notice a change and even rediscover a freshness that we imagined more. Of course Ian Gillan doesn't have the same energy and the same accuracy but we could see that he was trying to limit the damage. What has changed is the style and the sound of Mister McBride who now gives a great boost with a more modern and aggressive playing while taking a real pleasure. He plays on guitars equipped with double pickups (PRS) and a German ENGL amplification famous for metal; even if apparently he would use Steve Morse's signature head, his playing style dusts off the tracks and the sound that his two predecessors used.

We almost rediscover the titles, the riffs and their impact. Roger Glover moves and walks around with a smile during the songs with a complicity with the new guitarist as when he asks him to come to the front of the stage to play the riff of 'Smoke on the Water'.

Introducing the fifth track, 'Uncommon Man', the band dedicates the performance to John Lord, the original keyboardist who passed away in 2012.
Follows 'Lazy' where Simon McBride doesn't hesitate to come to the front of the stage to perform his part while faithfully respecting most of the solos but also letting loose to improvised parts borderline shredding - never seen in Deep Purple. We are even entitled to some poses with Glover Gillian and McBride all smiling; honestly McBride simply reinvigorates Deep Purple on this tour and we would not have bet on it.

We are entitled to a keyboard solo orchestrated by Don Airey before 'Perfect Stranger', 'Space Truckin' and we finish with 'Smoke on the Water'. The public asks for more and does not want to stop on the world hit. The band comes back to play 'Hush' and 'Black Night' with a solo of the best effect of Roger Glover and Simon McBride on the front of the stage.

Deep Purple showed a stage presence far superior to the last tours with Steve Morse in terms of show. An unexpectedly good comeback of this legendary and mythical band with musicians still having fun on stage and showing it. We are now waiting for the next album with Simon McBride!