Deep Purple: Live at Montreux (2006)

Few bands are more closely associated with Montreux than Deep Purple and there was simply no other contender when it came to choosing the act to headline the closing night of the 40th Festival in 2006. In response, the band delivered one of their finest concerts including a show-stopping performance of "Smoke on the Water". As an added bonus, this special set features the whole of Deep Purple's 60-minute show at London's Hard Rock Cafe earlier in the year.

Almost 40 years after the band's original formation, Deep Purple is in fine form in They All Came Down to Montreux. The band's history is intimately connected with the legendary Montreux Jazz Festival (which also includes rock music), so it was only fitting that DP was invited to headline the closing night of the festival's 40th anniversary on July 15, 2006.

DP's 100-minute Montreux gig is included in its entirety, and even those who prefer the band's earlier "Mark II" lineup (which included previous keyboardist John Lord and guitarist Ritchie Blackmore) will agree that this band can still rock your socks off. By the time keyboardist Don Airey launches a playfully jazzy prologue to the band's biggest hit "Smoke on the Water" (a song inspired by a spectacular fire that occurred while the band was preparing to record Machine Head in Montreux in 1971), DP has the packed Montreux in an arm-waving state of hard-rock bliss.

While it's obvious that lead singer Ian Gillan's voice is not what it used to be (he's obviously struggling with the high notes in "Highway Star"), he still makes it through the set with his vocal cords intact, and he's got stellar support from Airey, bassist Roger Glover, drummer Ian Paice, and guitarist Steve Morse (the latter joined DP in 1994), all delivering the kind of ace musicianship that can only come from years of diligent touring. Morse is especially strong in this concert, while Glover and Paice achieve a flawless symmetry of rhythm. And while this is essentially a "greatest hits" gig, the performance of tracks from DP's 2005 release Rapture of the Deep suggests that this band could be going strong for years to come, if fans don't mind the occasional misstep and a stage full of aging rockers with expanding waistlines.

As a bonus feature, 25 minutes of band interviews are also included. Also featured is an hour-long gig from London's Hard Rock Café, recorded earlier in 2006. With the exception of two tracks ("I Got Your Number" and "Fireball"), it's a shorter version of the Montreux set-list, more intimate in its club setting, but equally indicative of Deep Purple's impressive longevity.

--Jeff Shannon