It’s been three years since Deep Purple performed at Terra Vibe, and those who were there, at least most of them, realized that the legendary band is still in top form and always knows how to satisfy its audience. That’s exactly what happened at the Telecom Arena and perhaps things went even better there.
To begin with, a band virtually unknown in Greece, which is serving as the opening act for Deep Purple’s current tour, left the audience, to say the least, impressed. Jayler has been around for just six years and released their first album, titled “Voices Unheard,” this year, following the release of an EP. The British four piece band, with clear influences from Led Zeppelin, demonstrated the makings of a truly great band, both through their music and the “ready-for-anything” attitude they displayed on stage during their 45-minute set, aided by excellent sound. Jayler gave a masterclass in modern rock and roll and were one of the very few opening acts I’ve seen that got the crowd so fired up. Closing with “The Rinsk,” featuring a very well-executed interlude of “War Pigs,” all you could see in front of the stage, and beyond, were the audience’s raised hands. It was an outstanding performance, and I’d recommend not missing them if you happen to catch them somewhere, because you’ll probably have to pay a pretty penny to see them in a few years.
Setlist: Down Below, The Getaway, No Woman, Alectrona, Riverboat Queen, Need Your Love, Over The Mountain, The Rinsk
The opening sequence, featuring artwork from Deep Purple’s discography on the main screen, signaled the band’s entrance and sent the crowd into a frenzy, this time for the very reason they had defied the inclement weather and, even more so, the dire predictions of the often-sensationalist media. They kicked off with “Highway Star” as usual, and the band set the tone right from the start, as did the audience. Given that the tour is promoting “Splat!”, the set included four tracks from it, “Arrogant Boy,” “Diablo,” “Sacred Land,” and “Guinnesis,” while they also paid tribute to their previous album, “=1,” with “A Bit On The Side” and “Lady Sod.” The crowd also showed enthusiasm for “Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming,” their most iconic track from the post-Blackmore era. I consider “Perfect Strangers” with Don Airey’s famous intro, which always treats us to “Zorba”, to have been the highlight of the British legends’ performance, followed by classic moments with “Space Truckin’,” “Smoke on the Water,” and “Hush,” before bidding us farewell with “Black Night.”
It was a truly great performance, with Gillan in excellent form, let’s not forget he’s 81 years old, Glover and Paice as majestic as ever, Airey at his best, while McBride demonstrated once again that he has the classic Deep Purple sound down pat. The latter two may have taken up a little more time with their keyboard and guitar solos, but I believe this was also due to the rest Gillan’s voice needs, therefore, it was absolutely welcomed.
During their 110-minute performance, Deep Purple proved that they’re still here, and I’m certain that for a few more years, they’ll continue to fly the flag for rock.
Setlist: Highway Star, A Bit On The Side, In to The Fire, guitar solo, Arrogant Boy, Diablo, keyboard solo, Lazy, Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming”, Sacred Land, Lazy Sod, keyboard solo, Perfect Strangers, Space Truckin’, Smoke On The Water, Guinnesis”, Hush, Black Night.
Dimitris Kazantzis
photos: Giannis Negris
