Whitesnake - "The Purple Tour [Live]"
Hot on the heels of the Whitesnake (1987) box set and re-issue, Rhino Records has released The Purple Tour Blu-Ray and CD. It’s a bit strange since Whitesnake‘s The Purple Album was issued by the Italian label Frontiers Records. The Purple Album (2015) of course was David Coverdale revisiting his time with Deep Purple (Mark III and Mark IV) and culled music from the Burn, Stormbringer and Come Taste The Band records. David Coverdale and co. embarked on tour to support the record which mixed both Purple material as well as Whitesnake classics. While a full-on Purple set would have been ideal for those of us that loved Mark III and Mark IV eras of Purple; there’s simply no way that a legacy act can avoid performing the ‘hit’ songs that the casual fans are familiar with.
As per usual, the band is tight and deliver an outstanding performance. Drummer Tommy Aldridge is back, mainstays bassist Michael Devin and guitarist Reb Beach (Winger, Dokken) are superb as expected, guitarist Joel Hoekstra (Night Ranger, Trans Siberian Orchestra) has been in the band for a bit now but is still hard to accept him as a replacement for Doug Aldrich. Rounding out the band is keyboardist Michele Luppi and of course the ‘head snake’ David Coverdale.
Those that have been following Coverdale over the past few years have heard a dramatic decline in Coverdale’s vocals. He’s getting older so, it’s to be expected. However, since blowing out his voice in Denver, Colorado in 2009 while supporting Judas Priest, Coverdale‘s voice hasn’t been the same. I have to point out that there’s little to no sweetening (in terms of vocals) has been done to the subsequent live recordings since 2009 and The Purple Tour is no exception. You can hear Coverdale‘s thin, weakening vocal being supported by Beach, Devin and Luppi throughout the performance. There’s no trickery or smoke and mirrors; it’s pretty transparent. The guys in the band do a fantastic job helping Coverdale with the heavy lifting.
The Purple Tour highlights include “Burn,” “You Fool No One” and “Mistreated” from the Purple album and classics; “Bad Boys,” “Love Ain’t No Stranger,” “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City,” “Fool For You Loving,” and “Here I Go Again.” Whitesnake close the performance with a cringeworthy rendition of “Still Of The Night.” Coverdale should consider dropping that from the set. It gets worse and worse with each subsequent tour. If you’re not expecting the Coverdale of 1984, or even 1987 for that matter, you’ll enjoy The Purple Tour. As I stated the band is top-notch, the set is a good balance of Purple and Snake and the footage is glorious.
Ruben Mosqueda for Sleaze Roxx, January 2018
01. Burn
02. Bad Boys
03. Love Ain't No Stranger
04. The Gypsy
05. Give Me All Your Love
06. Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City
07. Mistreated
08. You Fool No One
09. Soldier Of Fortune
10. Is This Love
11. Fool For Your Loving
12. Here I Go Again
13. Still Of The Night
David Coverdale - Lead Vocals (ex-Deep Purple, ex-Coverdale and Page, ex-Fabulosa Brothers, ex-The Government)
Reb Beach - Guitars, Vocals (Black Swan, The Mob, Whitesnake, Winger, ex-Night Ranger, Dokken)
Joel Hoekstra - Guitars, Vocals (Joel Hoekstra's 13, Echobats, VHF (aka Vinciguerra Hoekstra Franklin), Whitesnake, ex-Night Ranger, ex-Foreigner (live), Trans-Siberian Orchestra)
Michael Devin - Bass, Vocals (S.U.N.)
Tommy Aldridge - Drums (ex-Ozzy Osbourne, ex-Hear 'n Aid, ex-M.A.R.S., Whitesnake, ex-Patrick Rondat, ex-Thin Lizzy, ex-Vinnie Moore, ex-Yngwie Malmsteen (live), ex-Motörhead, ex-Oliver Weers, ex-Black Oak Arkansas, ex-Elements of Friction, ex-Gary Moore, ex-House of Lords, ex-Lynch Mob, ex-Manic Eden, ex-Pat Travers Band, ex-Hughes/Thrall (live), ex-John Sykes (live))
Michele Luppi - Keyboards, Vocals (ex-Vision Divine, ex-Killing Touch, ex-Skull Keeper, Michele Luppi's Heaven, Mr. Pig, Whitesnake, ex-Secret Sphere, ex-Thaurorod, ex-Los Angeles, ex-Umberto Tozzi)
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