Having owned Deep Purple Made In Japan for many years, my ears had become accustomed to Ritchie Blackmore's gutsy start to Highway Star. To say that I was disappointed in this DVD is an understatement. For what I can say are only egotistical reasons and nothing more, Ritchie's performance on the entire DVD was way short of the mark and a letdown for any Purple fan. Not to mention the disappointment shared by the other members of the band and it shows both in their body language and music. It seems all the way through that Ritchie is playing in one direction and the rest of the band are playing the other although I hasten to add that the other guys do try to bring him into the concert. There are some glimpses of old spattered throughout which is great to see but it doesn't make up for the dismal attitude of a once great guitarist. It was after this leg of the tour that Ritchie left the band for the last time. The professionalism of the other guys showed through in the end to give the crowd at least a performance by a group of well seasoned musicians. Jon tries extremely hard to deliver to the crowd what Ritchie was leaving out. Ian and Roger likewise on drums and bass respectively. For the above reasons, I can only rate this a 7 for finished product in what could have been a sensational concert.
Review of Deep Purple: Come Hell or High Water
