Glenn Hughes - Cheltenham town hall, 22/11/19

Elements that a great rock gig will give you include feelings of exhilaration, melancholy, adrenaline, reflection and pure joy. All of these can be checked off the list watching Glenn Hughes singing the songs of Deep Purple tonight.

The set list includes Stormbringer, Might Just Save Your Life, Sail Away, Mistreated and more; all of the songs which, as Glenn tells us, you don’t find at a current Deep Purple show, consisting of Ian Gillan, Roger Glover and Steve Morse. And that’s something special; Glenn is bringing the classics to new audiences and giving the ones who were there the first time around the chance to reminisce.

Speaking of which, the two guys in front are having a hearty exchange about ‘the good old days’ - rocking out at the front (not seated as it is tonight) and taking a toilet break when the self-indulgent ten minute drum solo starts.

Gone are those days - tonight Ash Sheehan earns a standing ovation for his drumming efforts. Reminiscent of the scene in Wayne's World when Garth takes a seat behind the skins in the guitar shop ; it was, ‘amazing, dude.’

Guitarist Soren Andersen does the songs more than justice with 100% dedication in each moment. Let's not forget he is one of the most technically adept players out there (see the recently released Guilty Pleasures instrumental album as an example.) Especially during Smoke on the Water, he is playing with obvious awe and delight and giving it the respect it deserves.

Mixing songs with stories of spiritual gratitude, this is as much a lesson in life as it is a gig. It’s easy to tag along with Glenn on his journey of awakening, he makes you feel part of his family as he sings the songs that are ‘written for you’ as he says. 

It’s an honour, a miracle even, to witness the original voice of rock in all of his glory. Thank you Glenn for keeping rock alive and letting us indulge in the origins of British rock for as long as possible.