Wednesday was classic rock night in Cardiff, as M's treat we ventured to Cardiff Arena for Deep Purple plus guests. Unfortunate that it was the Arena - our moans about the acoustics are well documented!
Turned up a bit late, assuming the staff wouldn't be on time, but - horror -they were, and 1st band Thin Lizzy (yup, what remains of Thin Lizzy) were already halfway through their set. An example, perhaps, why longevity isn't always a bonus? I saw this lineup (John Sykes, Scott Gorham with Marco Mendoza and I can't remember the drummer - oops) in 20o3 at Sheffield's Leadmill on their own tour & they were excellent. This time, the atmosphere wasn't there and their playing, well, it was a bit loose and Sykes sounded tired. Compared to the tight sound & excellence of tribute Limehouse Lizzy - I know who I will see again! Limehouse Lizzy are, luckily, back in Cardiff later this year.
Main support Styx were on shortly afterwards, for apparently their first visit to Wales. Neither of us were familiar with their songs, & their sound was pretty much Journey but a bit heavier. Highlight for me was their cover of I Am The Walrus. This lot were, though, far more professional & did a great job, getting the crowd warmed up. Special guest was founder member Chuck Panozzo. Must mention here their singer/keys player Lawrence Gowan, with his rotating keyboard! Picture below. Styx have a proper website too!
The crowd were well & truly ready to rock when Deep Purple came on. This time, an improvement on last time - saw them in 2003 and was disappointed. There were a few new songs, which are ok but not a patch on the classics! Set included: Strange Kind Of Woman, When A Blind Man Cries, Highway Star, Space Truckin, Smoke On The Water, with Hush & Black Night for the encore. An excellent atmosphere (especially for the Arena), too! Lots of Purple-related websites for more info.
As an aside, Tuesday we tried out Jump at the Wales Millennium Centre, which was a highly entertaining martial arts comedy. A short storyline told through martial arts moves and expressions, including forays into dance (martial arts tango, anyone?), plus showcase moves to an instrumental rock soundtrack. We'd recommend this for theatre with a difference!
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