Sydney Entertainment Centre
Saturday March 2, 2013:
With the city filled of partygoers preparing for a boozy night of Mardi Gras celebrations, it was just down the road where another spectacular event was taking place at the Sydney Entertainment Centre – and it was far different from blokes wearing tutus.
Journey was the first band of the night and although many of the punters were dressed in the headliners merchandise, the reception these guys received was one of great respect from the gathering crowd. It seemed quite fitting to have these two bands on the same bill as they have both been in the industry for around the same amount of time and are two of the most beloved commercial successes from their countries respectively.
New to the band (since 2007), vocalist Arnel Pineda brings youthfulness to the lineup and has an amazing set of pipes. Pineda certainly steps up to the caliber of former singers before him and dominated their hit song ‘Don’t Stop Believin’.
A near capacity crowd from many different generations greeted Deep Purple sensationally. The heavy sound of Ian Paice’s drums echoed the room, leading them straight into one of their early classics ‘Fireball’.
I found it hard to take my eyes off the skills of Steve Morse’s guitar play, as he’s not only an extremely swift and capable guitarist but he’s also innovative with his instrument as he makes the guitar replicate the sound of an organ, much to the crowds amazement.
Vocalist, Ian Gillan, struts the stage like he’s still in his mid-twenties, needing to change his shirt a couple of times throughout the performance probably to hide the sweat patches below his underarms. His vocals were right on the money and it’s clear that even at 67, Gillan doesn’t strain when hitting some of those higher range melodies, proving what a seasoned singer he is.
These guys are true instrumentalists who definitely aren’t shy of showing off, as they dedicated sections in their set to their individual abilities as well as busting out improvised pieces in between.
‘Smoke On The Water’ and ‘Black Knight’ were always going to be the crowd pleasers in the end, as the audience got on their feet, finishing off a magnificent set by singing Deep Purples famous words back to them in unison. This performance proving that you’re never too old to rock!
Reviewer: Sean Frazer
Photographer: David Youdell
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