KILBURNFLYER

The long treck out to the Excel - arse end of London - to see Deep Purple play in a car park. Quite apart from the fact that the location is not geared up to handle such a large crowd - the DLR does not have the capacity to move such numbers quickly hence long queues to get in and out - the sound was pretty dreadful. Since they reformed to play Knebworth more years ago than I can remember I have seen them every time they played in London in the hope that they will recapture former glories - sadly they have got progressively worse. I keep hoping that Gillan's once magnificent voice will get better, that they would play more songs and stop wanking themselves off with dreary solo's, that they would play with more energy and enthusiasm (Glover excluded who still looks like he loves it) rather than go through the motions - but none of these things seem to get any better. The songs seem to be selected according to what Gillan can still sing rather than what the crowd want to hear and it all seems a bit disappointing. On the morning after the show, I am convinced that that is the last time I will see them - I have left the last two shows very bored by it all - and don't want to see any more decline. They were one of the all time greats and have been reduced to a shadow of their former selves - I never saw them when they were really great in the early 70s but early in the reformnation they were a good live act but now it is a bit like watching Elvis at Vegas - once magnificent but no more. Sadly I think the decline is terminal - a bit like Ozzy - and there is nothing left in the tank.

Hated writing this.