It was the warmth of the 5,000 fans in Como last night, and above all the timeless music of Deep Purple, that warmed up the cool lake evening. Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Steve Morse, Ian Paice and an unreleased <>Don Airey on keyboards, fitter than ever, they gave the people of the Monsters two hours of great music, alternating tracks from their new album 'Bananas' with old classics that have made rock history: 'Woman from Tokyo', 'Highway star', 'Lazy', 'Blind man', 'Deamon's Eye', 'Perfect stranger' are just some of the songs that those present at the Sinigalia Stadium were fortunate enough to hear, played with the same joy, tranquillity, energy and skill as always, which indeed seem to increase as the years go by.
Particularly touching was the moment in the show when Steve Morse performed an instrumental piece he had composed, "Contact lost", written in memory of a friend of Deep's who died in the tragic explosion of the space ship Columbia, to whom 'Space truckin'' was also dedicated, played with a totally exceptional charge and emotional transport.
And to end on a high note, the eagerly awaited 'Smoke on the water'.... you might say, the whole thing could have ended like that and instead the D.P.'s gave us a respectable encore: 'Hush' e 'Black Night' (in which Glover was at his best) and then everyone went home with another wonderful Deep Purple concert to remember.
To warm up the crowd, at 6 p.m., here on stage are the locals Setteviteexcellent sound impact and stage presence as an American band.
Cheap Trick e Status Quo were the icing on the cake of a day of hard rock that, even as the years go by, continues to thrill the crowds as if for the first time.
