Glenn Hughes Leamington Spa Assembly Rooms 3-10-18

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First up was Laurence Jones and his excellent 3 piece band who did a great job warming up the large Wednesday crowd with a 40 minute set of original material and a couple of covers including Jim Hendrix's All Along The Watchtower and Fortunate Son from Creedence Clearwater Revival.Both expertly played with Laurence vocal and guitar playing only adding to the ambience.

The lengthy Thunder In The Sky showed off the band's sense of dynamics with the song ebbing and flowing from a whisper to a roar and the mid song guitar solo showed Laurence's undoubted talent and class and the Hammond sound gavew the sound great depth.

Live It Up was a little more classic rock and finished off a set that can only have got them more fans.

 

 
Photo Credit: © Christie Goodwin and used with thanks.

Glenn Hughes toured the UK in early 2017 playing new material and classics and I was lucky enough to see him in January this year with Black Country Communion too but this is part of a world tour playing classic Deep Purple live and his 3 piece band Soren Anderson (guitar) and Jesper Bo Hansen (keyboards) together with new drummer Fernando Escobedo and they do a very fine job.It can end up being a karaoke session but with a fine setlist this was something to add to Glenn and Deep Purple's legacy.The songs were all respected with some extended jamming or soloing whether that be Hammond,guitar or Glenn's wonderful accapella  vocal delights.

Should he only play songs that he appeared on cd doing well that is one for the purist's to discuss but I know over the course of 100 minutes the large crowd were royally entertained with the following set list.

Stormbringer , Might Just Take Your Life, Sail Away, Gettin' Tighter,You Keep Moving On ,keyboard solo,You Fool No One solo,Guitar solo,High Ball Shooter,Mistreated,Smoke On The Water,,Georgia On My Mind with encores of Highway Star and Burn.

Stormbringer is an excellent opener with Glenn's vocal delivery spot on he really is getting better with age and from my vantage point you gorget that not only being The Voice Of Rock he is a wonderfully gifted bass player too.

Gettin' Tighter was for his brother Tommy Bolin who Glenn hyperboled on one of his many chats to the crowd telling us how grateful he is to be here after not remembering a great part of his career and we got a lot of love sent our way too.

To his left Soren Anderson is an ever moving superb guitar player who adds enough of his own talent to the songs with out just copying the original which I like.

You Keep On Moving had a breath taking vocal from Glenn that showed off his entire range before a California Jam 1974 take on You Fool No One that included  guitar and keyboard solos with yes knee and thigh used too.

Mistreated was a show highlight with the song ebbing and flowing and Glenn's vocal superb and more accapella vocal histrionics at the end.

Smoke On The Water was thankfully not the extended version before it veered off into Georgia On My Mind and the set closer.

Opening encore Highway Star saw a bass player added leaving Glenn as the front man with some Coverdalesque microphone stand waving before a rip roaring Burn with Soren left us all screaming for more.

A superb night with Glenn on fine form and with the tour now extended back to the UK in May 2019 everyone should get along and see a man reborn and enjoying life and for that we should all be thankful.

 All photos Mark Evans unless stated.