Deep Purple/Styx/Thin Lizzy in Manchester

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  • Shaun Ponsonby
    ROTH ARMY ELITE
    • Oct 2004
    • 6343

    Deep Purple/Styx/Thin Lizzy in Manchester

    Its funny...3 classic bands (and I mean classic bands) and not a classic line up in sight. Had it been possible for all 3 bands to have been on a bill together in their heyday, I'm pretty sure this would have been in a stadium.

    Ah, well, it was good entertainment anyways.

    The opening band was (quote-on-quote) "THIN LIZZY". Thin Lizzy without Phil Lynott is like Thin Lizzy without Phil Lynott. It's just not Thin Lizzy. And you had that feeling watching them. In fact, there were more members of Whitesnake on stage than there was Thin Lizzy (John Sykes, Tommy Aldridge and Marco Mendoza). I was half expecting David Coverdale to come onstage.

    However, they did play well. They were good as a support act, even if they were a bit quiet. They were actually better than I thought they would be, probably because everybody in the building knew the songs. The opening trio was "Jailbreak", "Waiting For An Alibi" and "Don't Believe A Word" for Gawd's sake (in fact, at times Sykes sounded like Lynott). They are doing a headlining tour in the winter. I don't know if I want to see them headline. I mean, they were really good, but there was something missing. The best way to view them is as the official Thin Lizzy tribute band. They shouldn't call themselves Thin Lizzy. Queen don't go out simply as "Queen", The Doors don't go out simply as "The Doors", Thin Lizzy shouldn't go out as simply "Thin Lizzy". I wonder how far they can go, cos they will never get away with new material.

    Set List

    Intro/Jailbreak
    Waiting For An Alibi
    Don't Believe A Word
    Are You Ready?
    Emerald
    Cold Sweat
    Suicide
    Cowboy Song
    The Boys Are Back In Town



    STYX came next. I thought they were an odd choice to suppport Deep Purple at first, they're a bit more AOR. I've never been much of a fan. Did a few good tunes, but that's aboot it as far as I'm concerned. And the less said about "Babe" the better. However, I actually really enjoyed the set. Even if Tommy Sure reminds me of Hagar and some of their choreography during "Come Sail Away" was...I don't want to say gay...but, I'm left with very little choice.

    I have no idea who was playing keyboards, but he was the most entertaining person on stage all night. Even more entertaining behind a keyboard than Keith Emerson (headstands and all). And longtime fans were thrilled when Chucky Panozzo walked out to play bass on several songs.

    It must be said they're vocals were spot on, absolutley perfect harmonies, even if they are fucking full of themselves.

    As I said, I'm not really a fan, so I can't name all the songs in the setlist. However, I can say they played Blue Collar Man, Miss America, Come Sail Away, Grand Illusion and Renegade, amongst others.

    They went down well, though, in fact I started to doubt whether DEEP PURPLE could follow it. How do you follow Thin Lizzy's hits and Styx's hits? Easy-with Deep Purple's hits. Of course, the set wasn't perfect. For example, they didn't play all of "Machine Head", like they said they were, and I would have loved to have heard "Woman From Tokyo", "Speed King", "Flight of the Rat"etc, but, hey you can't have it all. They played excellently, and Gillan, although he looked worn out at the end of the set, sounded better than I have heard on bootlegs from the past few years.

    All in all, they played well, had a kewl light show and some timeless songs to top it off.

    Set List

    Intro
    Pictures of Home
    Things I Never Said
    The Battle Rages On
    Strange Kind of a Woman
    Rapture of the Deep
    Fireball
    Steve Morse Solo
    When a Blind Man Cries
    Lazy
    Don Airey Solo
    Space Truckin'
    Highway Star
    Smoke on the Water
    ---------------------------------
    Hush/Ian Paice solo
    Black Night (w/Roger Glover intro).



    Overall, a GRATE night. It was hard to pick the best band. Styx went down almost as well as Deep Purple did, but the only time everybody in the arena was standing up was during Thin Lizzy. 3 sets of classic rock hits.

    Not a bad night, really.
    Fast & Bulbous, Got Me?
  • Viking
    Veteran
    • Jan 2004
    • 1772

    #2
    Shit, nothing from Perfect Strangers, either. They left a lot of good shit off their setlist.

    Comment

    • WACF
      Crazy Ass Mofo
      • Jan 2004
      • 2920

      #3
      Fuck...I'd go see Lizzy just to listen to John Sykes play.

      There seems to be a on and off rumour of a Blue Murder tour.

      Comment

      • binnie
        DIAMOND STATUS
        • May 2006
        • 19144

        #4
        Great review SP, glad you had a good night.

        The Thin Lizzy thing seems a little odd: do you like "Don't Believe A Word"? Seems like you were shocked by its inclusion in the set (or am I reading you incorrectly?)

        One of my fav Lizzy songs....
        The Power Of The Riff Compels Me

        Comment

        • Hardrock69
          DIAMOND STATUS
          • Feb 2005
          • 21833

          #5
          I always laff hysterically when I hear that song....a rock musician talking to a groupie slut....

          Don't believe me when I tell you
          Especially when I tell you
          That I'm in love with you....




          I agree...TL is dead. All that is left is a TL tribute band.

          I woulda thought they woulda just toured with TL and DP and left Stynx off the bill.

          But oh well.

          Nice review!

          Comment

          • Shaun Ponsonby
            ROTH ARMY ELITE
            • Oct 2004
            • 6343

            #6
            Originally posted by binnie
            Great review SP, glad you had a good night.

            The Thin Lizzy thing seems a little odd: do you like "Don't Believe A Word"? Seems like you were shocked by its inclusion in the set (or am I reading you incorrectly?)

            One of my fav Lizzy songs....

            It was meant to be a good thing.
            Fast & Bulbous, Got Me?

            Comment

            • binnie
              DIAMOND STATUS
              • May 2006
              • 19144

              #7
              Originally posted by Shaun Ponsonby
              It was meant to be a good thing.
              Good, just checking!!

              Glad you had a good night.
              The Power Of The Riff Compels Me

              Comment

              • Shaun Ponsonby
                ROTH ARMY ELITE
                • Oct 2004
                • 6343

                #8
                Originally posted by Viking
                Shit, nothing from Perfect Strangers, either. They left a lot of good shit off their setlist.
                I think they cut a song out for time. There was a point where Gillan sort of pointed at his watch between songs.
                Fast & Bulbous, Got Me?

                Comment

                • Shaun Ponsonby
                  ROTH ARMY ELITE
                  • Oct 2004
                  • 6343

                  #9
                  Originally posted by binnie
                  Good, just checking!!

                  Glad you had a good night.
                  So am I.

                  They're doing well, though, DP, considering 10 years ago they were having trouble selling oot the small-ish places.
                  Fast & Bulbous, Got Me?

                  Comment

                  • Hardrock69
                    DIAMOND STATUS
                    • Feb 2005
                    • 21833

                    #10
                    Last time I saw them was the US DP/Scorpions/Dio tour.

                    Had front row seats, and it was an amazing show.....just a few months after Jon Lord announced he was retiring from DP, and Don Airey was on keyboards.
                    Last edited by Hardrock69; 04-24-2007, 02:08 PM.

                    Comment

                    • Shaun Ponsonby
                      ROTH ARMY ELITE
                      • Oct 2004
                      • 6343

                      #11
                      FUUUUCK.

                      Deep Purple are up there with The Stones with support acts making value for money.

                      I think their last UK tour was with Peter Frampton.
                      Fast & Bulbous, Got Me?

                      Comment

                      • Terry
                        TOASTMASTER GENERAL
                        • Jan 2004
                        • 11957

                        #12
                        That Lizzy set looks like it was really short...9 tunes?

                        Styx I can't be bothered with.

                        Odd setlist for Deep Purple...too many great songs left off for lesser ones, IMO, but good to hear Ian is singing well.
                        Scramby eggs and bacon.

                        Comment

                        • Shaun Ponsonby
                          ROTH ARMY ELITE
                          • Oct 2004
                          • 6343

                          #13
                          Lizzy had 40 minutes

                          Styx had about an hour (+ an encore, thankfully it wasn't "Babe")

                          Purple had about 90 minutes.
                          Fast & Bulbous, Got Me?

                          Comment

                          • Wawazat
                            ROCKSTAR

                            • Jul 2005
                            • 5274

                            #14
                            Originally posted by binnie

                            One of my fav Lizzy songs....
                            My neighbors love it.

                            Well maybe not, but they know it oh so well.

                            Never do i hear them complain anyway
                            Day-dreaming's gone commercial

                            Comment

                            • binnie
                              DIAMOND STATUS
                              • May 2006
                              • 19144

                              #15
                              Originally posted by Wawazat
                              My neighbors love it.

                              Well maybe not, but they know it oh so well.

                              Never do i hear them complain anyway
                              Ha!!

                              Annoying the neighbours is always good.

                              Mine love Machine Head at the moment: they keep banging on the wall, which I assume is a sign that they want me to turn it up!
                              The Power Of The Riff Compels Me

                              Comment

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