Deep Purple performed on this day in 2019 at the Merrill Auditorium in Portland, Maine.
The group were at this time on one of the final legs of their Long Goodbye Tour. The group would conclude the two-and-a-half year long tour about two months after this concert. During this leg of the tour, Purple were joined by the California band Joyous Wolf. On this particular night, a member of Joyous Wolf, singer Nick Reese, turned twenty-five!
One member of Deep Purple, Steve Morse, was at this time also on tour with his progressive rock supergroup Flying Colors. In between gigs with Purple, he traveled with the other group. Morse has often doubled up on music before, even taking the stage with two different acts on one night.
Purple’s setlist mostly included the greatest hits from their past. Two songs from their current lineup, “Uncommon Man” and “Time For Bedlam”, also made the setlist. This concert also saw a true rarity in the band’s live performance. Earlier in the day, drummer Ginger Baker had passed away. Before going into “Hush”, Purple played a portion of “Sunshine of Your Love”. This was a fitting tribute to a rock ‘n roll giant, not to mention a throwback to Deep Purple’s roots. Early in their first tour of North America, they supported Cream.
Reviews from the night suggested that Ian Gillan in particular was in excellent shape during the concert, though everyone was in fine form. Keyboardist Don Airey’s solo included portions from Rhapsody in Blue.
There is no public recording of this particular concert.
Thank you so much for reading. If you enjoyed this post, please consider donating on my ko-fi page or becoming a patron on my patreon. I appreciate your help!