Deep Purple & YES

Deep Purple Are Celebrating 50 Years+ of Smoke on the Water with Added Bonus of YES

By: Debbie Brautman  |  Photos: Chris Schmitt

The joint tour of English hard rock band, Deep Purple, and English progressive rock band, YES, launched August 14^th at The Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Fl. You gotta hand it to Deep Purple for their excitement of playing their new songs off their latest album and not resting on their tremendous laurels. After 50+ years, they are not done yet. Their new album, which just came out in July, is called =1 which is all about simplicity and unity – everything equals 1. It was produced by famed rock producer Bob Ezrin (Kiss, Alice Cooper), who produced their last five albums. Their current line-up for this 2024 tour is Ian Paice (drummer), who is the only member of the original line-up formed in 1968. In addition, Ian Gillan (vocalist) and Roger Glover (bassist) joined Deep Purple in 1969, so there is a clear link to early Deep Purple. Rounding out the current line-up is Don Airey (keyboards), who took over from the legendary (and sadly, late) Jon Lord when he retired in 2002, and Simon McBride (guitars) who joined in 2022. Simon McBride is an Irish singer and guitarist, who, at 45 years old, is the baby of the band and his infusion of youthful exuberance is welcoming. He fits in perfectly with the band and brings a positive and energetic force. At 76 years old, Ian Paice’s drumming is powerful and surprisingly youthful. Roger Glover, complete with biker/rock chic and blonde hair streaming down from his bandana, looked as cool as a cucumber, and his bass playing seemed effortless. He calls himself a “simple” bass player and his style complements Deep Purple perfectly. Don Airey was mesmerizing and simply brilliant on keyboards.

They started off with their hard rocking 1972 classic, “Highway Star.” Ian Gillan was much better vocally in the lower registers, and his age of 78 certainly shows, but his enjoyment of performing was infectious. He can still rock with the best of them. When interviewed by Marc Zisman of Qobuz, he was asked, “What’s the driving force?” He answered, “Boy, we’re having fun…there are two things in life needed to be happy- a sense of purpose and a sense of belonging, and we have both of these.” He is humble and so happy to be performing. “A Bit on the Side” is a new ambitious hard rock song with interesting guitar riffs, in the Deep Purple vein of classic hard rock. “Hard Lovin’ Man,” “Anya,” and “Into the Fire” were good older songs but included way too many solos. “Uncommon Man” was “dedicated to Jon Lord who travels with us,” said Gillan. It has great majestic rockin’ keyboards, with the lyrics, “It’s good to be king.” “Lazy Sod” is a quirky new song Gillan explained, “about setting fire to my house.” The more you hear the songs from their new album, the better they get. “Show Me,” also from the new album, had its live debut at the Hard Rock Live and is an uptempo and ultra-modern rocker. “Bleeding Obvious” is yet another nice new song but also had too many solos. “Portable Door” is a catchy new song. They thanked the audience for listening to so many new songs, and their excitement was refreshing, as this was not a going through the motions show.

Another older hit, “Space Truckin’,” was especially fun and featured Roger Glover’s simplistic yet epic bass playing, and the synchronized interplay with McBride’s guitar was cool to watch. Those famous chords on “Smoke On The Water” are so iconic and just pure perfection of a classic hard rock song. The jubilant crowd ate it all up. Gillan was asked by Zisman if it ever got tedious playing “Smoke on the Water” at every gig? He answered, “Never, ever…I’ve never been bored.” For the encore, they performed a short version of “Caught In The Act,” the Joe South cover “Hush” that was their first big hit in1968 and also 1970’s “Black Night.” Reluctant to leave the stage, Gillan thanked the Hard Rock Live crowd for their “great vibes” and told them “We Love You!” Deep Purple are such a big part of rock history and proved to be still rockin’ and relevant. Great show!

YES performed a career spanning set with 50 + years of classics, as well as material from their acclaimed album Mirror To The Sky. Members of the current 2024 band are Steve Howe on guitars/vocals, Goeff Downes on keyboards, Billy Sherwood on bass/vocals, Jon Davison on lead vocals/acoustic guitar, and Jay Schellen on drums. No original band members remain in the band, but Steve Howe has been in the band since 1970.  Howe made his guitar sing and his entire body was into it. He seemed to be enjoying every minute with his unique and creative style. The lighting and audio visuals were very simple and sort of cheap. Really seemed like we were in the 1970’s, in that regard. Once again, the sound at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Fl was loud and amazing. Their short setlist began with the heavy duty “Machine Messiah,” from their 1980 album Drama, which was the first album with Geoff Downes on keyboards.  “I’ve Seen All Good People” and “Yours Is No Disgrace” were immediately recognized and are excellent/classic YES songs. “Clap” was Steve Howe’s country picking guitar instrumental that was originally on 1971’s The Yes Album. “Going for the One” featured Howe on slide guitar and was superb. “Siberian Khatru,” from the 1972 album Close To The Edge, was not as recognizable for some but still sounded very intricate and interesting. The encore had dynamite versions of their mega hits, “Roundabout” and “Starship Trooper,” bringing back all those memories from the seventies. As for the future, guitarist Steve Howe will be releasing his new solo instrumental album, Guitarscape, on September 27^th. Both YES and Deep Purple did not disappoint their fans. Great songs and great performances never grow old.