Posted on 07/18/2006 2:36:33 PM PDT by Shermy
WESTPORT, CN, USA -- Despite the fighting in Lebanon, English rock band Deep Purple says that it plans to perform at the Baalbek Music Festival outside of Beirut later this year.
A press release from the band confirmed that Deep Purple would indeed honor its July 28 performance near the war-torn city, also promising an immediate makeup date should the festival's promoter choose to cancel the show.
Deep Purple is currently one-quarter of the way through a planned two-year world tour and to date has not canceled a single show, a trend that it hopes to continue.
Ian Gillan, lead singer of the legendary band, said that the band's commitment is driven by the idea that music is the universal language of the world and through its hopes to honor the loyalty of its fans through performing.
"There is a moment that begins on stage, when there are no managers, no journalists, no outside distractions - just the band and the audience," Gillan said in the release. "This is the time when there is an unspoken exchange of energy between the fans and us that words can not describe. That makes all the other parts of the job worth it."
That's not what I heard.
Royalties from Steve Morse's own material could not sustain the rent to a simple storage unit unfortunately.
YEAH YEAH YEAH SPACE TRUCKIN'!
Yes, byt the Bekaa Valley produces fine wines!
I saw him 4 years ago and he looks pretty good for a 60 year old.
Happy to hear that he is keeping himself in shape.
Yes, my source could be wrong.
He's got over 60 releases out there not counting Deep Purple. I doubt that he makes less than 3k a night for live performances.
Make that 40 releases, DVD and CD's.
Are you aware of the events that inspired the song?
SHOOT ME NOW.
Sorry. I read the rest of the thread after posting....like everyone else.
BTW, a request for gunfire on FR is likely to get you more than a few reports.
On stage, Gillan now looks more like a business man on Holiday in the Caribean than a Classic Rocker.
He does look good and brings a lot of energy to the stage, along with the rest of the band. They are better now, in their "Social Security" years than many of the new "Bands"
I'll bet the Lebanese over sixty crowd is on pins and needles, or pins and missiles, or just sort of uncomfortable.
The story behind Steve Morse's entry to Purple is much like Joe Satriani's rushed entry as a sub for Blackmore.
The band sought them both out and they jumped at the chance to play with a band that not only helped form their style, but impacted Rock.
Both have enthusiastically endorsed the bands musical ability.
Yeah, as always, money is a factor, but being able to be part of history has to be in the mix when you are a musician of the caliber of Satriani and Morse
I saw Deep Purple with Coverdale and Gillan. No comparison between the two, Gillan has command of the full octaves, Coverdale is about two steps down from him.
REO's Gary Richrath was a smoking guitarist in his own right before he was crippled by alcoholism.
Dio stayed away from the chemical excesses that Ozzy indulged in. This might explain it.
Toward the end of Purple in the 70's, Glenn Hughes kept trying to horn in on Coverdale and take over. Coverdale has his moments (Burn, Stormbringer, the songs, not the albums), but Gillan will always be the lead singer for Purple.
Hughes travels from band to band-he's done some nice stuff with Tony Iommi, but he'll always be a second stringer to me
Dio still did his share. You couldn't be a rocker in the 70s and 80s and NOT do that stuff.
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