Montreal, like most major cities, is an absolute nightmare to navigate during rush hour. Getting to the Bell Centre, which is in the heart of the bustling commercial sector, is no exception.
Tonight, two monsters of the prog rock world came to town to perform at a show that started promptly at 6:30 p.m. to an underwhelming number of patrons, many of whom were still filing in as Yes were leaving the stage. Among those latecomers were a high number of folks sporting Yes T-shirts. Either they hadn’t seen the earlier-than-usual start time or couldn’t get to the venue on time.
For those of us in attendance, the night began brilliantly with Machine Messiah—a twelve-minute-long piece of progressive rock genius.
Steve Howe, despite being 77 years young, still commands the stage, doing his best to dance and strut with his guitar while playing incredibly intricate material. He even threw in a few jumps for good measure, though they were more akin to bunny hops now. Howe’s passion for his craft clearly still fuels him, and in turn, the crowd showed their appreciation.
The youngest of the current formation, Mr. Jon Davison, 53, belted out Yes classics such as Siberian Khatru and Starship Trooper, while playing acoustic guitar, maracas, and occasionally sweeping his fingers through a wind chime that hung off his microphone stand.
Celebrating fifty years since the release of their mega-hit Smoke on the Water, one of the most influential rock bands to ever grace a stage did just that one more time here in Montreal.
Opening with Highway Star is a statement on how deep their catalogue is. Although they played five songs off their brand-new record, which dropped only recently, they still had enough time to bang out a slew of hits that the now-packed building was craving.
So much of Deep Purple’s repertoire can be considered iconic—tunes that everyone has probably heard at some point in their lives, perhaps without knowing who they were listening to. Highway Star certainly falls into that category, as do tracks like Space Truckin’, which had everyone who could be on their feet up and cheering. That momentum continued into Smoke on the Water, as the whole building sang along in unison, creating a display that made the hairs on my arms stand up and a shiver slip down my spine. (Seriously. This isn’t some trash AI hodgepodge automated text.)
Following a brief interlude, where nobody sat down nor stopped hootin’ and hollerin’, Deep Purple returned to the stage for a single-song encore: the powerhouse anthem Hush.
And it was glorious.
The legend that is Ian Gillan spoke to the crowd on several occasions, using his time to clear up a misinterpretation of the new song Lazy Sod. Turns out, it’s not about global warming but about him getting, as he put it, “too comfortable at home” and nearly burning his house down.
Following this was a keyboard solo—which would normally be the time where one would visit the bathroom or the bar—but this was Don Airey at the helm. This man is an absolute legend in rock, having played with almost everyone under the sun. From Deep Purple to Black Sabbath, Uriah Heep, and Saxon, it would be easier to name whom he hasn’t played with.
Tonight, Airey had a special treat in store. After playing the introduction to Ozzy Osbourne’s hit Mr. Crowley, which he also played on the album, he gave a cheeky wink to the camera and reached for a fedora—promptly winning over the entire crowd by playing not one, but two Leonard Cohen songs. (Cohen was a Montrealer, in case anyone wasn’t aware of the significance of the gesture.) First came Suzanne and then Gens du pays, as the Bell Centre erupted—for a keyboard solo!
Gillan hasn’t lost a step, despite turning 79 years old a week ago, and his voice sounds absolutely incredible. Sure, some of the higher notes aren’t where they once were, but after a half-century of belting out Deep Purple—and briefly Black Sabbath tracks (by the way, Born Again is criminally underrated)—that’s to be expected. Gillan looks in fine shape, sounds fantastic, and didn’t miss a beat the whole night.
Deep Purple as a whole were solid, in perfect pitch and time, and as tight a band as anyone could have hoped for. I was genuinely astounded, leaving the Bell Centre feeling like I had witnessed something truly special.
Because I had.
Review & photos – Kieron Yates
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