By Chyrisse Tabone, Rock At Night Tampa and London
In light of Deep Purple’s Long Goodbye Tour (2017—2019 ) the band has no intention of stopping any time soon. In fact, the band may have gathered up a second wind. During COVID, Deep Purple released Whoosh! in 2020 and most recently an album of covers entitled Turning to Crime.
Rock At Night was fortunate to catch the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers at the Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg, Florida, before the band embarks on the Rock Legends Cruise IX on February 14th. The lobby of the theater was buzzing with Baby Boomers purchasing merchandise and trying to make their way into the main auditorium. There was definitely a fever of excitement in the air—and gratitude—the band made it to Florida in the midst of recent cancellations.
We were pleasantly surprised with the announcement that a support band act was slated to perform prior to the main event. Southern rock band The Georgia Thunderbolts warmed up the crowd with songs from their debut album Can We Get a Witness. Rock At Night’s review of the album can be seen HERE. The band won over the crowd with their singles “Be Good to Yourself” as “Looking For An Old Friend” amidst a grand showing of hair tosses and rock & roll attitude.
The crowd stood on their feet as Deep Purple entered the stage. Ian Gillan walked with the mic stand in hand while Steve Morse and Roger Glover paced around, trading riffs and licks. Ian Paice was absolutely killer on the drums and we cannot forget the distinct keyboard riffs of Don Airey.
The band treated the audience to classic hits from the album Machine Head, including “Highway Star” and “Lazy”. They also performed more recent singles like “Throw My Bones” and “Caught In the Act”.
PHOTO GALLERY
I grew up in a household full of rock music, studied journalism in college, and then became a scientist.Although my science career has served me well, music has always played a major role in my life. I grew up reading "Creem" magazine; I play several musical instruments as a "hobby";and it seems a camera has always been in my hand. Now, I am combining what I love the most--music and photography--serving as editor of Rock At Night. I travel between the US and UK seeking my dream! My motto: life is short...no regrets. Chyrisse
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