I really admire Uwe too. Politically we’re on the same way, but what does that matter, or have to do with anything, on a forum about the greatest band in the universe? 
1 Like
Does anyone know if they had a soundcheck with Ritchie before the show, or if he “just” showed up and played?
No one needs to admire me, I just like to ramble! That is why Karin, differences in opinion about how famous Ian Gillan really was in the Kingdom of Denmark in the 80s aside, is my baby sis and partner in crime …
His guitar tech set everything up and soundchecked for him. I believe DP no longer soundcheck themselves either, they have their professionals for that.
I actually thought that Ritchie‘s guitar came out surprisingly well in the mix, it looked like the necessary time and care had been invested to ensure this, you think different?
With this you’re absolutely right Uwe and I agree with every word. Only thing that I dare to beg to differ is that this isn’t place for these debacles! Even if every time is the right one for these. But we’re here for another matter - and it’s called Deep Purple.
1 Like
Jan, reportedly there was no soundcheck. That’s why Mr Airey never listened to his own ex-Boss and crushed his fledging attempt to solo some more in the end. Something he never did on his Rainbow stint; they all listened and waited for the cues! But here - he completely and shamefully slipped into his head.
Martin, I envy the genuine passion with which you write, but doing or not doing the soundcheck does not preclude a priori the possibility of expanding parts of a song in Jam style to give Ritchie (or anyone else) the chance to perform his digressions.
the reality is that no one wanted to do it or even thought about it.
Don certainly wouldn’t have done it, Paice would have complied with anything, Ritchie, even if he had wanted to, didn’t want to cause any disorder, as he himself said the day before.
and so it was.
that we wanted that disorder so much is another story, a romantic story
2 Likes
You’re right, I was probably wrong to submit the comparison of the two videos to you, but it’s always a point of reflection for THS users!
More importantly, this whole move allowed DP to destroy Kansas and Jefferson Starship in the “original band members present onstage” ratio, by about 1.000.000 to 1.
(it would have wiped Yes and Foreigner too!)
2 Likes
Dear Flavio! A romantic story of wanting a Blackmore disorder. This is a gem! Thank you for this. And you might as well be right! Still, in all fairness, most of us wanted him to go on plotting his unique notes for a bit more. Come on, admit it! 
Julio! Headshot again!!!
1 Like
You’re irresistible!
Like my daughter says every January 1st: “Dad, are you finally maturing this year?”
2 Likes
Did she ever say that it’s finally looking like you would?
1 Like
Of course I would have liked it too,
who wouldn’t have liked a solo digression from the Man in Black on the tail end of Smoke on the Water?
Unfortunately, no one wanted to take any risks yesterday, but that’s okay!
Yes Flavio, I know you’re right… But this clutching to the safety net every second drives me nuts! It’s so NOT DEEP PURPLE. To me they always were a band who loved a bit of taking risks on stage and thrived on it. Well, until 2001, that is. Anya on the good nights of 1993 Vs the castrated old witch of a track in 2024… Intro written out of script and guitar solo shot down to 6 bars. 4 minutes 50 seconds (shorter than the studio version!!!). Thank you, good night.
I’d like to see all the risks you gonna take when you’re 80 
2 Likes
About these concerts on Splat!Tour.
I like Gillan with armonica in Diablo.
So cool Don with some Rainbow pieces in his solo.
Going back to the “little help” that Simon gave Ritchie and any doubts about the guitar sound, in this video you can clearly see that the initial riff of Smoke is played only by Ritchie
and Simon like a true gentleman, is listening, so the intro is 100% Blackmore sound!!
then when Roger and Simon come in, Ritchie immediately takes the space to do his little gorgeous 100% improvised solo lick before BigIan starts singing!
This is the instinct of the great guitarist that has resurfaced from the past!
This video is very nice and shows the interaction between the two guitarists throughout the rest of the song, and shows when Ritchie misses an attack and stops, but Simon is immediately ready to help him!
1 Like
Thinking about it and looking at Smoke’s videos, I really believe that there is a person who wanted to take a risk:
Ritchie Blackmore!!
calculated or not, it certainly wasn’t easy.
He could have been more confident with a pre-show rehearsal with the whole band,
but he still put his balls on stage, and he reminded everyone who The Man in Black is.