Deep Purple

 at the Monte Carlo Sporting Club  24 - 26 August 2001 - otherwise known as Deep Purple in cabaret

The reviews on the Highway Star have covered most of  it anyway (though Ian was not wearing a dress as one suggested, at least not on stage). I was surprised Steve did not have something to say about these shows in his ‘notes from the road’. It was all pretty unusual.

The venue was something else: a semi-circle with mostly glass walls, and a glass ceiling with a retractable roof to keep some of the sound in, long rows of tables, long rows of waiters and a drinks menu that caused more than one double-take at the prices.  Could it really be 61 euros for a glass of water and 244 euros for the cheapest bottle of wine? It could, and people were drinking the stuff as if it were going out of fashion.  Given that our tickets were tickets including one drink were just over 61 euros we got a good deal. We made that drink last! It was incredibly, unbearably hot.

Deep Purple were only part of the evening's entertainment, and a not very important part in the eyes of many there I suspect.  I think it was their normal weekend evening out and the music was just a backdrop, though in this case one they could not entirely ignore or carry on a conversation through.

Apparently men did not need to wear a tie, a jacket would suffice, very informal for DP. Women - well the less clothing the better so it seemed.

We took our seats as celestial harpists played behind their gauzy curtain.  The evening also contained 'Dead Loss' - looking like Mohammed al Fayed. - and his Orchestra or so I shall call them, a skimpily metallic-clad hula girl and mime performing to Billy Idol and other loud rock songs.  The gang of ragged left overs from Mad Max were just about bearable dancing on their own, but when they had the effrontery to appear part way through Highway Star that really was the limit. The band did not look too impressed either. Deep Purple in cabaret! That only happened on the Saturday night.

Set list:

Woman from Tokyo
Ted
Lazy
Fools
The Well Dressed Guitar
Perfect Strangers
When a Blind Man Cries
Smoke
Hush
Highway Star

All were superbly performed with Ian singing better than ever. They won over sufficient of the audience to bring the place to life eventually. I think some of the audience were more amused at the way we fans reacted. They had probably never seen anything like this before.

The sound was well-balanced and the keyboards quite clear.  Don did an excellent job. Steve's solos in Fools and Blind Man were outstanding. Ian got the words wrong in Fools as usual.

They were obviously well recompensed for this.  Deep Purple prostituting themselves – surely not?

The same set featured on all three nights. It lasted an hour and they had to leave the stage by midnight on the dot.  There was a firework display on the Friday night. By the Sunday Ian had settled in and was sending up the audience. Of course the Well-dressed Guitar was a great title to play with in such a situation.

It was a unique experience. Monte Carlo is like nowhere else, unreal; a totally perfect place, not a dirty corner in sight, but crawling with the filthy rich. Plenty of old fat men with bimbos in tow. But fabulous fruit - what on earth are those things that pass as nectarines and peaches over here in the UK? We do miss out. Well I am just looking forward to less of the greatest hits in future, a new album and the UK tour.