Revel in Deep Purple's rock nirvana

AH, DEEP Purple. Your hair follicles might be a tad grey and your teeth a mite long, but you sure can rock. In fact, what you gave to your audience on Wednesday night was, dare I say, nothing short of a religious experience.
Now, one might not think that such a statement would come from one who has just hit the age of 30. After all, Deep Purple formed in 1968 - more than a decade before this reviewer was born - and most of its current line-up are in their 60s.
But for those who grew up listening to their dads' Best Of Deep Purple compilations, the British hard rockers' 100-minute concert at the Indoor Stadium was sheer rock nirvana.

When the band ripped into the opening crescendo of sound that led into Highway Star (1972), all one could think of was that Deep Purple, along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, spawned the birth of heavy metal and hard rock. It doesn't matter that the line-up has changed: The only founding member remaining is drummer, Ian Paice, 61, while vocalist Ian Gillan, 64, joined in 1969, left in 1973 and returned in 1984. Bassist Roger Glover, 64, joined in 1969, and guitarist Steve Morse, 55, came on board in 1994. Newest member, keyboardist Don Airey, 61, joined in 2002.
Gillian, looking lean and spry, sang his heart out hitting every shriek and growl effortlessly. Morse, the successor of the iconic Ritchie Blackmore for the last decade, showed his chops with his near-flawless rendering of familiar guitar licks and searing solos.
As Paice drove the beat on in his trademark roaring style, one could almost begin to smell patchouli and leather in the air. With the crowd ranging from baby boomers to teens in Avenged Sevenfold T-shirts, everyone (particularly one guy in his 20s who spent most of the night pogo-ing to the beat) had a blast.
The crowd's enthusiasm was most evident on classics like Strange Kind Of Woman and Fireball (both released in 1971), but they also gave a warm reception to newer tunes, like the title track from their latest album, Rapture Of The Deep (2005).
However, the crowd really started going when the band played Space Truckin' (1972). This was followed by the unmistakable opening notes and driving bassline of Smoke On The Water (1972).
Gillian worked the crowd, screaming: "I can't hear you!" He whipped the crowd into a frenzied sing-along with the
chorus, while his bandmates bounced around like they'd never heard of hip-replacements.
After a three-song encore that included the Billy Joe Royal tune Hush, covered by Deep Purple in 1968, and Black Night (1970), which included a blistering guitar solo from Glover, the band bid the crowd goodbye.
Paice tossed drum sticks into the crowd, while Morse and Glover threw guitar picks to the fevered fans gathered by the front of the stage.
Ultimately, Deep Purple showed that age ain't nothin' but a number. And I know I'm not the only one who went away with ears ringing, and with the inability to whistle nothing but the riff from Black Night for the next few days.