Deep Purple
Total Abandon - Live In Australia '99

THE REVIEW

The ancestral sound of the didjeridoo serves as the backdrop to the vision of the mystical Uluru (or Ayers Rock). This, and much more, is Australia. The land where dream and reality blend into a single, millennial element. Incomprehensible to man.

Who knows if Deep Purple asked themselves some questions or if they visited the mysterious Australia when they arrived in 1999. Still on the road, continuing to play.

Performing is the Mk VI, with Steve Morse, an American talent on the 6 strings, taking up the legacy of Ritchie Blackmore, who wants nothing more to do with Deep Purple.

If, for many, the departure of the "Man In Black" marked the end of Deep Purple, surely Steve Morse managed to bring back that serenity and desire to play just for fun to the four aging colleagues. It is appropriate to say that the American guitarist has represented a turning point for the way Deep Purple lives: releasing good albums (nothing exceptional, but excellent technical works) and embarking on tour after tour.

With Morse, the Purple release two studio albums, "Perpendicular" (1996) and the controversial "ABandOn" (1998), and an official live album, "Live At Olympia" (1996).

At the end of the millennium, they release "Total Abandon - Live in Australia '99", documenting the "ABandOn" tour. The concert immediately presents itself as the best live performance of Deep Purple in the '90s (probably on par with "Come Hell Or High Water" from the Blackmore era).

The setlist contains only 4 pieces from the Mk VI, a clear sign that DP has entered the "Hall of Famers" phase, dedicating ample space to the great hits of the Mk II. The four tracks from the Morse era are the funky and exhilarating "Ted The Mechanic", the solid hard rock of "Almost Human" (rehabilitated thanks to this live performance), in which Morse provides a performance worthy of his talent; another successful track is the sweet "Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming", one of the best tracks of the nineties; there's also room for "Watching The Sky", a song that builds up based on the solid opening riff.

After these songs, Deep Purple perform the masterpieces of the '70s, excellently executed by Steve Morse, who feels at ease in improvisations with Jon Lord (after all, Satriani suggested him to DP for this very reason). Thus, in this concert, songs like "Strange Kind Of Woman", "Woman From Tokyo" are elevated. The epic "Pictures Of Home" is finally resurrected, driven by the two jugglers Lord and Morse and well supported by Roger Glover on rhythm (of course). In "Fireball," Ian Paice does with one pedal and one bass what many drummers can't do with two, while Glover and Lord perform phenomenal solos.

The extensive use of wah-wah on Steve's Ibanez makes "Perfect Strangers" even more elephantine, a tracked vehicle of sounds in the air. The same guitarist draws inspiration from the best riffs in rock history to introduce the most famous one, the three chords of "Smoke On The Water", always powerful and exhilarating, with the audience singing the chorus enthusiastically.

Jon Lord opens the second disc (a total of 16 songs) of the album, drawing sweet notes with the piano, then transitioning imperceptibly to the cadenced blues of "Lazy". To close this magnificent concert is what many consider the best song by Deep Purple: "Highway Star". The right ride to triumph. Morse doesn’t make you miss Blackmore for even a second. He blends southern rhythms, bluesy vibes, and high-class classicism into an explosive mix.

Despite the age, despite Gillan's weakened voice, despite the relatively unremarkable studio albums, DP remains DP, lords of Hard Rock, masters of technique and great entertainers. The advent of Morse is a breath of fresh air and a desire to have fun (and amaze), so much that it draws plenty of young fans. A generous 4.5.