Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover writes:
“One band, two crowds, two countries—a tale of two cities indeed. From Germany’s Wacken Open Air Festival, one of the biggest metal festivals in the world and a city unto itself, to Japan and the stately Nippon Budokan, the most revered venue in Tokyo. Each has its own distinct personality.
Wacken is a success story beyond par, starting out humbly by two friends in a field in rural Germany and becoming one of the best organized and attended metal festivals… ever. We were most impressed by the facilities, security, backstage, camping… in fact the whole production was superb.
As was the crowd, an awesome sight from the stage, generating a palpable sense of occasion. In the sunset, we were treated to a great welcome from the sea of tattoos and black leather facing us.
Festival crowds are unique because most people are there for the occasion itself rather than for any particular band. For us that is always a welcome challenge and a chance to connect with many who may never have seen us before. But the real stars are all in the audience. Thank you, Wacken.
By way of contrast, the Budokan is a temple of peace (except for the infamous occasion when all the seating was destroyed). Made in Japan was partially recorded there and we’ve played there many times since. For such a large space, the acoustics are excellent; this special building never ceases to impress.
On this particular evening, we came in at the back door, climbed the cool, marble staircase and entered the familiar dressing room. Feeling like we’re the only people in the building, it’s hard to believe there’s even an audience out there.
But there is, young and old, sitting patiently or chatting quietly—the embodiment of civility. It’s almost like the respectful hush one might find in a cathedral. But they’re here to rock. And rock they do. They may be quiet while they’re waiting, but they are far from shy during the show. They gave us an unforgettable evening. Thank you, Tokyo.”
From the Setting Sun… (In Wacken) has been filmed by 9 HD cameras at Wacken Open Air Festival 2013. For the first time in Deep Purple’s history, the band will release a 3D version of their performance on Blu-ray, filmed at Wacken.
…To the Rising Sun (In Tokyo) has been filmed by 12 HD cameras at Nippon Budokan, Tokyo in April 2014.
The audio of both shows has been mixed in Hamburg, Germany by Eike Freese and Alex Dietz (Heaven Shall Burn) with the supervision of Roger Glover.
From the Setting Sun… (In Wacken) and …To The Rising Sun (In Tokyo) will be made available on 2CD+DVD, DVD, Blu-ray (Tokyo performance), and Blu-ray 3D (Wacken performance) on September 18th on earMUSIC.
5 Responses
Eddie, in case you’re reading this, I really respect you, all you do for the music I love, and especially for my favourite band, Deep Purple. It just blows my mind as I go through your satellite shows and keep hearing something so unbelievably wrong. (Apologies if you’ve since corrected this.)
Deep Purple is nowhere near to having had “twenty” or “thirty” or “forty” members! A couple of online clicks to Wikipedia and you’ll see they don’t even come close to the numbers Black Sabbath have had.
If and when they make it to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, who shows up is pretty much a non-issue. Satriani and California don’t qualify because they never recorded with DP; Lord and Bolin are no longer with us; Blackmore won’t show up; Simper, Coverdale, Hughes and Turner we can safely assume aren’t welcome. The only real scenario approximating high drama would be the re-appearance of Rod Evans, after a thirty-five year disappearance – and you thought Vinnie Vincent was hard to find.
I was kind of exaggerating a bit but my point is it would be high drama who is and isn’t included in induction. Thanks
You’re welcome. My thinking is that if someone from the Hall hears, wrongly, that Purple has had 40 members, he’ll just conclude that they don’t want any more lawsuits from disgruntled ex-members, like that guy who was in Heart, and choose someone like Debbie Gibson instead.
Steve Morse in Deep Purple is A great example of respectfully replacing a key member, with someone who is more than up to the job. I love Blackmore’s work, but I don’t get the whole Medieval rennisance thing. I imagine Blackmore in a castle, drinking Grog, eating a giant mutton leg, watching Game of Thrones, playing the lute, consulting a wizard, and stirring a cauldron by a huge fireplace. He did do some great work back in the day, which still hold up today. Good morrow ma’ lord.
I agree. Steve Morse rejuvenated Deep Purple, there’s no question about that. I’ve been playing guitar for 36 years now and I’m a Blackmore deciple (I learned how to play every song off of Machine Head by age 13) and even I can’t ignore the impact Steve has had on the band. Blackmore is a strange guy. He went from a Fender Stratocaster wielding maniac in a pilgrim’s hat to looking like he just crawled out of Sherwood forest with Robin Hood and Little John.