Event: DEEP PURPLE / JUDAS PRIEST
Venue: Five Points Amphitheater – Irvine, CA
When I first saw this show listed on the Live Nation website, it brought me back to my high school years when I saw Judas Priest in concert a couple of times beginning with the “Screaming For Vengeance” tour. Bad Ass! And to boot, I’ve never had the opportunity to see Deep Purple live before, so without hesitation, I booked the seats.
Package: These tickets were part of the “Deep Purple Merch Package” which included a DP duffle bag, T-shirt, bottle opener & commemorative pin per ticket. These all arrived via US mail a few days before show time. The seats were located in the 12th row/center and the entire package cost around $290 each including Live Nation’s BS fees. Yes, if you want great seats and packages, you gotta pay up. (Actually compared to other more “current” live events ala Maroon 5, Bruno Mars, Adriana Grande, etc, this pricing is very reasonable).
To avoid scalpers from buying all the tickets and reselling at a ridiculous mark up, these types of packages can only be sold to the person(s) actually going to the event. Due to this fact, you must go to the Will Call window before the event with valid ID and the matching credit card used to originally purchase the tickets. This is actually a really good system on keeping costs down for actual fans of the music.
Parking: General parking is free at Five Point but the line of cars is crazy long getting in and out. There is a VIP lot located totally separate from the main lot with its own entrance and exit, but this will set you back $50 per vehicle….. Ouch!
Heads Up: Because Mercury Insurance is the main sponsor of the Five Point Amphitheater, the first 20 cars with proof of Mercury Insurance can use the VIP lot for free. By chance, I just so happen to use this insurance carrier to cover my vehicles. I utilize this perk every single time I come here, just be sure to arrive early to insure being one of those first twenty.
VIP Club: In the past I have purchased VIP packages including pre-parties, meet & greets, etc but this is something different that the venue itself offers. A few days before the event I received an Email offering this add-on to my original tickets. For $100 additional each, this extra includes early access to the venue, a buffet style meal, and a cool place to chill before & during the event. My original thought was “Is it really worth a C-Note per person for early access & some food?” I hesitated for a couple of days, but the evening of the show I relented and begrudgingly bought in. My curiosity got the best of me.
As I mentioned, I have indulged in many VIP pre-parties in the past, but the large VIP Lounge area at this venue was superior. This included: canopy covered seating areas, games, cash bar and an upstairs chill area with a cool view of the stage. Bonus: They had the Thurs night NFL football game live on the flat screen TV….. Nice! Furthermore, the bands are featured on that same screen during the live performances.
The Italian food was above average but be sure to load up, they only allow you to go through the line once using your single meal voucher per person. Even though the VIP cash bar drink prices were the same as in the general population, there are no lines. The bathrooms were nice and clean including free amenities in both the men’s and ladies rooms (mints, toothpicks, feminine products, etc) and again, no lines.
Here’s the true value here; during the show or between bands you can use the john, grab a beer quickly and get back to it. Trust me, if you are with a female companion (which I usually am), the no line, clean restrooms will be highly appreciated by your date as the night rolls on. Overall the VIP Club experience is pricey but worth it if you are willing to spend the cash on this extra.
THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT: As listed above, our seats were located in the 12th row right in the center. No complaints here, Awesome. The opening band, The Temperance Movement, went on while the sun was still shining and did their best to excite the scarce crowd at 7pm. They were a good tight band which reminded me of the Black Crows a bit. They utilized bluesy rock rhythms with a soulful voice. Cool way to start the night.
JUDAS PRIEST: These guys are the main reason why I attended this show (at least originally, more on that later). While waiting for the band to begin, I was pumped to hear Judas Priest rip through their endless career of Bad Ass Heavy Metal tunes. At first I was disappointed because I didn’t recognize the first 5 songs. Evidently they were pushing new material. As I finally heard “Riding on the Wind” break out, I began to the feel music. After that it was one hit after another. I knew every lick as I masterfully jammed the air guitar throughout the set.
The band consisted of only 2 original members: Rob Halford on lead vocals & Ian Hill on the bass. Drummer Scott Travis has been with the band since 1989. The new guitar players were great but one of them played most of the leads while the other stuck to rhythm. One of my favorite aspects of Priest was the way KK Downing & Glenn Tipton used to duel back & forth on the leads. Not complaining, just a flashback.
Rob is getting up there in age but he still has the pipes. He has to push himself harder but was hitting all those wicked screams we expect and respect. I was hoping to hear more of the earlier stuff ala “Grinder”, “Green Manalishi” or “Victim of Changes” to no avail. “Hell Bent For Leather” was the only pre “British Steel” track played. So many killer songs in their arsenal, such little time. Overall, they Rocked the House…. Great Show!
DEEP PURPLE: After Priest had just powered through their set, I expected this part of the show to be anticlimactic. I was wrong. I quickly learned why Deep Purple was the headliner on this tour. They opened with “Highway Star” which got the crowd going immediately. What was really impressive was the awesome level of musicianship. These guys would be in the middle of a song then expertly head in some crazy direction ala “Song Remains the Same” only much tighter.
For example, while keyboard player Don Airey performed his solo section, I was amazed on how great it sounded. I looked around me and saw many of my neighbors with the look of awe on their faces. I high fived the people in my vicinity, we all knew we were witnessing something great. That goes for the whole band, damn these guys are good.
Three of the five members are from the original popular line-up: Ian Gillian on Vocals (I also luv the only record he did with Black Sabbath in 1983, Born Again), Ian Paice on Drums and Roger Glover on Bass. The newer members are not so new: Steve Morse replaced Richie Blackmore on guitar in 1994 and Don Airey replaced Jon Lord on keys in 2002. Again, an awesome cast of musicians with amazing group chemistry.
All the obvious hits were performed including “Space Truckin’” & “Perfect Strangers” along with the song that possesses the most recognizable Rock & Roll riff of all time “Smoke on the Water”. I have been to numerous concerts this year, this show may have been the best of them all and I’m pretty picky these days. If you get a chance to see Deep Purple live…. Do it!
ARTIST VIDEO SHOWCASE
To Showcase Your Music Video, follow the instructions in the Sidebar
SKYE DELAMEY / Detention
SKYE DELAMEY: If you like it Hard, Heavy & Sexy… You got it. Skye is a cool throwback to the original Rock/Sleaze/Punk attitude but with her own modern twist. If you would like to experience the attitude for yourself, here’s your shot:
Sat, Dec 15th, 2018: CIA – North Hollywood, CA
Thurs, Jan 31st, 2019: Whiskey a Go Go – West Hollywood, CA
If you would like to view more videos, get more info on the band or grab some merch; check out the Skye Delamey web site here: skyedelamey.com
Did you Get Your Fix? If you found this article interesting or helpful… Please Share!
Click on the share tabs below to post on the social media site of your choice… Thanx!
