A bit of a treat this one.
When, in 2015, Whitesnake decided to pay tribute to the Mk III & IV line-ups of the feted Deep Purple, it was the perfect opportunity to hear David Coverdale let loose once more on a series of classic songs which, whilst treated with the due respect, were, nonetheless, given a hard rocking ‘snake make over. ‘The Purple Album’, one of SonicAbuse’s albums of the year, was a spectacular success. A tribute to the raw power of Deep Purple in their pomp, it also gave Whitesnake the chance to really dig deep into the heavy, bluesy core that has always given their own music such a potent edge. Thus, when Whitesnake toured the album alongside a selection of classic hits, it was not only a must-see tour, but also the perfect opportunity for the band to compile a new live album / blu ray.
Released by Rhino, ‘the purple tour’ comes in a digipack featuring either CD/DVD or CD/Blu Ray. The blu ray edition (reviewed here) is region free and features the thirteen-track concert, an interview (with Reb and Joel), the official music video for ‘burn’ and four bonus live audio tracks (three of which are additional Deep Purple tracks not featured on the main concert film). The digi-pack also features a fourteen-page booklet complete with live photos and liner notes. In short, it’s a substantial package from a stunning tour.
Video
Opening in grainy black and white, the blu ray explodes into vivid, eye-popping colour as the title screen plays out over the band’s intro. Whilst not up there with the almost surreally clean video of efforts by Slipknot and Rammstein, the video is still vivid, with steam, sweat and spit rendered in impressive detail. Occasional long shots look a touch murky as the cameras strain to penetrate the darkness of the vast auditorium, and some odd focusing decisions (presumably for artistic effect) occasionally blur things to a much greater extent, but on the whole, ‘the purple tour’ looks pretty damn good. During the concert itself, the editing is as fast-paced as you’d expect from such a high-octane show, but the camera lingers enough on the various musicians (with particular focus on virtuoso guitarists Joel Hoekstra and Reb Beach) to give a decent impression of their technical wizardry. It’s definitely a concert you’ll want to watch often.
Audio
The most important thing when representing a hard rock concert is to balance volume against dynamic. No one wants, or needs, an overly compressed performance at the expense of the vital dynamic between the instruments and here the job is done pretty well, albeit with the emphasis very much on the surround mix. Put together by Michael Mcintyre with Reb Beach keeping a watchful eye on proceedings, the LPCM track is pretty standard, if a little flat, but the difference in the surround mix is considerable. Encoded in Dolby True HD, Whitesnake sound massive with solos, vocals and keys all given plenty of space above the thunderous backdrop of Tommy Aldridge’s drums. It’s a shame there’s no DTS option, but it’s a pretty blistering soundtrack and surround is undoubtedly the way to experience this concert.
Concert
If you’re going to start a show, start it with a bang… and what bang could be bigger than the ripsnorting ‘burn’. Whitesnake do a phenomenal job of taking a classic track and turbo-charging it with guitarists Reb and Joel unleashing six string hell over an audience eager to face the fire. With Michelle Luppi’s wide-eyed keyboard excursions drawing the audience right back to the seventies and David Coverdale once again proving himself the master when it comes to showing youngsters how this hard rock thing should be done. ‘Burn’ perfectly lives up to its blazing title and it sets a cracking pace for the set. Heading straight into a run of classic ‘snake hits, David Coverdale and his boys deliver what may be the definitive live version of ‘bad boys’ (the first of a number of cuts from 1987’s self-titled album), before heading into live mainstay ‘love ain’t no stranger’. In all honesty, it’s not one of my favourite whitesnake tracks, but it’s as if the whole band are so fired up by the Purple material they they’ve added extra bite to the classics, and it is delivered with a power that really works in its favour. It’s back to Deep Purple material for the elegant stomp of ‘the gypsy’ and you can tell from the smiles on the band’s faces that they’re really enjoying both the material and the remarkably enthused reaction from the audience. Keeping the audience on the edge of their seats, the band then surge forth into the classic ‘give me all your love’, a track given a turbo-boost by the Whitesnake choir who all but overpower the band with their massed vocals. The first half of the concert concludes with another giant singalong, ‘ain’t no love in the heart of the city’, one of the band’s earliest recordings and a track that still finds a way to lodge itself into my brain for days on end.
With the band firing on all cylinders and the audience all but foaming at the mouth, we get three Deep Purple tracks back to back next. Delivered as a mid-tempo metallic monster, ‘Mistreated’ is simply gargantuan, the band really digging deep to deliver a performance that blazes with energy. Whilst not quite upping the ante, the taut crack of the drums that introduce ‘you fool no one’ are sure to bring a smile to the face. This really is a band on the form of their lives, and the deft way they weave herculean riffing and svelte melodies is pretty much unsurpassed. Finally, we get an emotional, predominantly acoustic ‘soldier of fortune’ – another track that needs no introduction – which wraps up the Purple set nicely.
As the band head into the home stretch, it’s wall-to-wall hits, three of which are drawn from the unstoppable self-titled album. First up is ‘is this love’, a super-powered pop-rock monolith that still manages to stun with its razor-sharp guitars. From there we get ‘fool for your loving’, an emotional ‘here I go again’ and a blazing, metallic finale in ‘still of the night’ wrapping up a show that leaves no room for disappointment.
Overall, ‘The Purple Tour’ is a fine package. Filled with classic cuts, it does much to pay tribute to a classic band in Deep Purple and a classic album in 1987’s self-titled album. With impressive video and sound, the prime reason for buying this package is the exceptional performance of the band and, in particular, David Coverdale who delivers his vocals with an unflappable power that belies his age. A consummate performer and artist, he continues to demand the very best from his band and deliver the very best to his audience – this translates into a phenomenal blu ray that you’ll be watching time and again. 9
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