Glenn Hughes / Rock City / Nottingham
A night out (again) and a trip in to Nottingham and the cathedral that is Rock City, this time for the visit of Rock God legend Glenn Hughes, legendary bassist and singer with Deep Purple. Amazingly, this is our first time seeing Glenn live and I can’t wait.
After catching up some ‘tog friends it’s into the pit for tonight’s support, The Damn Truth. Consisting of Lee-la Baum (lead vocals/guitar), Tom Shemer (lead guitar/vocals), PY Letellier (bass/vocals) and Dave Traina (drums/vocals), and hailing from Canada they are a frequent visitor to these shores. I’d heard good things about them as a live act, and the room kinda reaffirmed that, with a big crowd in early to catch their set.
Playing good old rock ‘n roll, they are deep down, hippies at heart and deliver a distinct and psychedelic sound rooted firmly in the 60’s. A hugely entertaining band live, delivered musically, with Lee-La’s powerful vocals , often compared to artists such as Janis Joplin and Beth Hart, and the clever and powerful guitar riffs from Tom Shemer. They also deliver a lively and extrovert performance, all three at the front (Lee-La, Tom and bass player PY Letellier) bouncing round the stage, pulling shapes together and being generally theatrical and fun. Backing it all up is Dave on drums, who delivers a powerful performance pulling everything together.
I was blown away, the set opened with the brilliantly titled This is Who We Are which with its high energy levels perfectly set the scene for the rest of the set. What an introduction !. Highlight tracks for me were Only Love and final track Tomorrow.
The Damn Truth didn’t disappoint in any way. Fun, loud, and so so very talented.
A quick drink and before we know it, it’s time for Glenn Hughes. We file back into the pit and eagerly against his entrance.
It’s been 50 years since Deep Purple released “Burn” in 1974 (yeah ok, I know its 49 years since it was released, but it was a work in progress in 1973…. And Glenn says its 50 years, ok ? lol). Its crazy and hard to believe, and here he was Glenn Hughes, striding out onto the stage before us. The place is jammed to the rafters now, with old rockers and new fans alike. He’s worked recently with the likes of the Dead Daisies, but tonight is all about Deep Purple, and pure nostalgia. Most of the setlist comes from the icon “Burn “ album, but there’s a couple of others with Stormbringer (1975 “Stormbringer), Highway Star (1972 “Machine Head”) and You Keep On Movin’ (1975 “Come Taste the Band”).
Right from the first words in Stormbringer, it’s clear that time and age has not diminished Glenns vocal abilities one bit. For a moment I just stood and listened, and completely forgot about taking any pictures. The tone, the range… its all still there. It continues song after song, with the likes of Sail Away and You Fool No One great examples of the power of the one of the greats. As the set develops, there’s no weakness, the performance doesn’t dip one bit, the voice remaining as solid at the end as at the beginning.
Other great tracks include the emotionally charged Mistreated which is delivered with power and intensity, and Highway Star where Glenns loses the bass to deliver a faultless vocal performance. Stunning. Each and every tune is a classic.
Backed by a great set of musicians, none more so that the talented Soren Andersen on guitar who has great style and personality, bringing his guitar to life, with the biggest smile in rock ! Bob Fridzena on keyboards and Ash Sheenan on drums also delivered stand out performances.
Glenn delivered a stunning set – plain and simple. With the psychedelic stage backdrop, long curly blonde hair and shades, you could have been at a late 70’s Purple show. He commanded the stage and let his persona shine through and the crowd loved every second of it.
But all good things come to an end, and of course we had to go home with the title track Burn ringing in our ears, and it sent the crowd wild. It was exhilarating.
The crowd were going crazy, expressing their love for a true rock icon. For his part, talking to others around the place, Glenn delivered one of his best performances.
It was the kind of show I’ll remember for the rest of my days. Iconic !
The tour continues through October, and you can check out where you can catch Glenn and the band HERE.
Setlist
Stormbringer
Might Just Take Your Life
Sail Away
You Fool No One
Mistreated
Getting Tighter
You Keep On Movin’
Highway Star
Burn
