Review by Jordan West
Photos by Ron Lyon
On a day that all of us will be reflective of the events that took place long ago on this date, I thought it was interesting that Gustav Holst’s “Mars the Bringer of War” served as the intro music for the evening’s headliner. Maybe I’m just a bit sensitive about that subject, but I am passionate about things that affect me, be it good or bad. That being said, bands like Deep Purple and Kansas, and the music they have produced, has always been kept close to my heart. They have been around a long time, in many shapes and forms, and still to continue to make me smile.
Despite the retirements from the road of original drummer Phil Ehart and guitarist Rich Williams, leaving them with no original members, opener Kansas have continued to move forward. Despite taking time off to recover from thyroid cancer surgery, singer/keyboardist Ronnie Platt, who has fronted the band since 2014, is about as enthusiastic and solid as a classic rock singer there is. The band opened with the title track of their 1977 Point of Know Return release and sounded great. “Are ya kidding me, me Long Beach? Welcome to Kansas! Platt excitedly exclaimed to the still arriving crowd, as he stepped off the riser that held his keyboard setup and led the band in playing “Paradox” another great track from Point of Know Return.
The band, now featuring Tom Brislin on keyboards and vocals, guitarists Zak Rizvi and Scott Bernard, drummer Eric Holmquist, bassist/vocalist Dan McGowan, and violinist/vocalist Joe Deninzon, were excellent and very tight. They literally nailed every note. They would have to, as Platt exclaimed as he prefaced the intricate “Child of Innocence” as being one of the more difficult songs that Kansas performs. Outside of the brilliance of the instrumental performances Kansas now features 6 members who can sing, and at this point in their career, helping out vocal-wise is very important.
Another song with plenty of musical changes was the title track for their second album Song For America that gave drummer Holmquist quite a workout. He’s very solid, and can channel original drummer Phil Ehart’s every move and tempo change. The band is VERY well rehearsed and had no problem pulling this one off, and it was impressive to hear and see. In other words, they were “on point” (of no return, perhaps?).
Ronnie Platt prefaced the hit ballad “Dust In The Wind” by telling a story about original Kansas guitarist Kerry Livgren’s creation of the song, which initially began with a finger-picking exercise. The crowd sang along with the chorus, reminding many of us, what a huge radio hit it was when it was released, way back in 1977. “Down The Road” from Song For America was dedicated to the late Kansas violinist and singer Robby Steinhardt and gave the band a chance for individual spotlight as they turned it in to an all-out jam. This led in to the steady drumbeat and organ intro to one of my favorite Kansas numbers, “Portrait (He Knew).” How many times I have cranked this one up on the car stereo is beyond my comprehension, and got me thinking about how much great and listenable material this band has produced over the years. At songs end, Platt introduced the band members to a huge applause.
Kansas then closed out their set with a couple from their huge album from 1976, Leftoverture. The bouncy “Miracles Out of Nowhere” featured great vocals from both bassist Dan McGowan as well as Platt. And the lovely violin melody is the glue that keeps the song together. Predictably, Kansas mega-radio smash “Carry On Wayward Son” finished things off and brought the crowd to their feet, singing along and using their phones to capture plenty of shaky video’s. Although I was surprised to not hear anything from the band’s latest album, 2020’s outstanding and appropriately titled The Absence of Presence, credit is due to the current version of Kansas. They put on a great set and did the songs justice.
During Deep Purple’s intro, a video that included many images of the band, their album covers, and such, played on a huge screen at the back of the stage. To the right of the stage, (stage left to be precise…) was the majestic retired ocean liner The Queen Mary. Seeing that, and the Long Beach skyline, reflected on Long Beach Harbor behind it, adds to the uniqueness of the F&M Long Beach Amphitheater. It’s an impressive sight, and added to the fact that I would be surrounded by classics throughout the evening.
Immediately after the video ended, the familiar rumble of the long-time rhythm section of bassist Roger Glover and drummer Ian Paice provided the intro to the Deep Purple classic “Highway Star.” Soon, the sharp chords from guitarist Simon McBride and the gigantic sound of keyboardist Don Airey and his Hammond organ fill the arena and make the song swell to an apex that comes crashing down momentarily, before singer Ian Gillan, looking spry at the age of 81 years young, takes that microphone like he’s taking the wheel of a hot rod. This is exactly what the song is about. Even though the song was released in 1972, it never gets old. To me, it has always been the perfect opener to a rock concert.
Deep Purple has been on quite a run the last few years. They released a new record in 2026 entitled SPLAT!, the band’s sixth release since 2013 with producer Bob Ezrin. It’s been called their “heaviest record in years” by critics and I can’t argue with that. They did play three songs from that particular album, but this set compiled songs from a variety of their recorded material, both new and old. There were plenty of surprises for me, such as “Bit on the Side” and the British pub shuffle of “Lazy Sod” both from their 2024 Ezrin produced =1 that seemed to go over well with the curious crowd. Gillan, his eyes twinkling, joked about the latter song being “Number 1 in Scotland” when it was released.
Another unexpected surprise was the performance of and updated version of “Into the Fire” from 1970’s In Rock album. This was not a song I have ever heard them perform live. The band has updated the arrangement a bit, and it sounded great. Guitarist McBride and keyboardist Airey have really given Gillan, Paice, and Glover a boost it seems, in terms of heaviness in the material the last few years. The first single from SPLAT!, “Arrogant Boy,” is very fast paced, and sounds very contemporary, and went over very well with the audience. The abrupt ending of the song made Gillan smile, and he laughingly exclaimed, “Those sudden endings get you every time!”
Airey has been a godsend for Deep Purple. His mastery of the keyboards is legendary, and long before he joined the band, he made his mark with many bands in the hierarchy of British rock. Making good on material from the late DP founder Jon Lord and expanding those sounds, he has succeeded in that quest. Airey soloed on his large rack of keys and it led into “Lazy” the Jon Lord workout from 1972’s Machine Head album. Paice, his drumming sounding like his days of yore, turns the song into a bluesy swing, and, combined with McBride’s stinging guitar, and Gillans vocals and harmonica, make it all the more enjoyable. By now, the band was really cooking. Paice and Glover were totally locked in and smiling at each other as they brought “Lazy” to a crescendo and its eventual ending.
It was then that Deep Purple took a complete “left turn” with the performance of the ballad “When a Blind Man Cries.” This B-side, which was initially left off Machine Head, has been known to be a favorite of Gillan. Unfortunately, his vocals sounded very strained during this soulful number and the song just sounded very dated to me. The droning pace (or Paice is it may be) was an extreme letdown after all the buildup and excitement of the material that was performed before it.
Fortunately, Deep Purple immediately regrouped after songs end and broke into the wonderful “Diablo” the second single from SPLAT! The driving, chunky guitar riffs of the song from McBride especially, brought to mind the “Steve Morse era” of Deep Purple, and hilariously featured a “valet” clad in short-shorts and a construction workers vest and safety helmet, who brought out a box onstage containing a harmonica for Gillan. The crowd loved it. Even the 20-something girl next to me asked me the name of the song when it was finished, and said she really enjoyed it.
Airey again took the spotlight and showed off his incredible skills once again. This time he included amongst other wizardry, a bit of the famous “Mr. Crowley” intro, that he wrote and performed for the late Ozzy Osbourne during his solo. This led into the famous organ intro to the title track of the 1984 Deep Purple Mk 3 “Comeback” album Perfect Strangers that brought out a huge roar from the crowd. Joe Deninzon, the extraordinary violinist for Kansas, joined the band for this one as well. Gillan did his best to duplicate his recorded vocal on the number, but alas, even with the song played about an octave lower than the original version, the octogenarian’s tone seemed a bit off.
But the 81-year-old Gillan is a true pro. He seemed to be still having a lot of fun onstage. His quips and joking between songs kept the smile on his face and kept his bandmates laughing as well. Roger Glover jumped to center stage and led the band into yet another classic from Machine Head, a stellar version of “Space Truckin’” that featured Ian Paice showing off his signature drum rolls that have been described by many contemporaries as some of the best and smoothest in rock.
“Smoke on the Water” which followed, seemed to have been reborn. This overplayed classic was solid, due to Paice and Glover’s letter-perfect drive, combined with McBride and Airey’s mighty tones, and kept the song chugging along. Gillan did his best to recreate the vocal style of Deep Purple’s live Made In Japan version and they mostly succeeded, as the band nailed the famous MIJ ending. McBride then jumped into the pit in front of the stage and presented a fan with a guitar, and posed for pictures with him.
Deep Purple then performed “Guinnesis” a “bonus track” from the SPLAT! sessions that is included on a “boxed set” of the recording. The song is a complete workout for the band and gives each member, sans Gillan, extended room in the spotlight, led by Airey and his keyboards. It was like witnessing an impromptu, but very tight, jam session and I loved it. The band seemed to be enjoying it as well, smiling as opposed to grimacing throughout the performance.
Gillan returned to the stage and led the band in its set-closer, an extended fun-filled-version of Deep Purples first big hit, the 1968 cover of Joe South’s “Hush.” The audience delighted in singing the “Na-Na-Na-Na’s” of the chorus and many were dancing in the aisles. The band, clearly inspired, improvised, and the clever interplay between McBride and Airey especially brought on a lot of unexpected bits of musical fun. I even noticed McBride riffing on a bit of The Simpsons theme song at one point. Glover even had a bit of spotlight for a bit. He and Paice are truly the force that drives this machine and it showed all evening.
“What an amazing evening. Magnifique” Gillan exclaimed as he thanked the audience before serenading them with a bit of Leadbelly’s “Goodnight Irene.” The band and audience were all smiles and clearly pleased with the performance of these Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, who clearly enjoy doing what they have done for well over 50 years.
Although the F&M Bank Amphitheater is in its inaugural season, and, among its issues, has very little onsite parking, it was a very comfortable evening in the LBC. The sound was great, the seating and site lines were adequate, and both acts were terrific. I saw nothing but smiles all around. Credit the legendary Deep Purple as well as Kansas for keeping fans like myself happy.
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