Review & photos by Joe Schaeffer
Kansas opened the festivities with a solid band fronted by Ronnie Platt on lead vocals and keyboards. He also ranks as the longest-serving member of the touring band. Opening with their rock-radio staple “Point of Know Return,” they immediately had the appreciative crowd up and grooving along.
“Dust In The Wind” is the Kansas song virtually everyone knows. Responding to the opening acoustic guitar intro, the audience leaped to their feet and engaged in a singalong for the remainder of the tune. It gives the set an intimate moment before the heavier material returns.
Ending the show with “Carry On Wayward Son,” Kansas gave the Vegas audience a well-balanced show by mixing their progressive and classic-rock favorites.
It was precisely 10:00 when Deep Purple hit the stage accompanied by a video montage containing a nod to every album in the 50+ years of the band. Next, we heard the opening chords of “Highway Star,” and the show was off and running.
Following “Into the Fire,” guitarist Simon McBride took his own showcase guitar solo. He’s not trying to impersonate Ritchie Blackmore, and his playing gives the older songs his own identity while still respecting the original arrangements.
Singer Ian Gillan was in top form; he even gave us a quick story of “Mitzi Dupree” who was immortalized in a song on the 1987 album House Of Blue Light. She had recently passed and Gillan reminisced about their meeting and time they spent together in Vancouver.
Don Airey played a short keyboard interlude before starting the opening notes to the Machine Head classic “Lazy.” Later, he returned with a proper solo and included a taste of Ozzy Osbourne’s “Mr. Crowley,” which he originally played on.
The night was a perfect mix of classic and new with a good number of tunes from their 2026 album, SPLAT!, including “A Bit On The Side,” “Arrogant Boy,” and “Diablo” from the album.
The musicianship of the band is second to none. Bassist Roger Glover and drummer Ian Paice have been together on and off for over 50 years and it sounds as tight as when they began.
No Deep Purple show is complete without staples “Space Truckin’” and “Smoke on the Water,” with the famous opening chords to get everyone on their feet.
They finished with Joe South’s “Hush,” a song that goes all the way back to Deep Purple’s beginnings. It’s a fantastic way to end the night playing a song from the band’s earliest era performed by the current lineup.
With the band within reach of 60 years, Deep Purple show no signs of letting up.
