Glenn Hughes, Dirty Pagans @ The Gov, Adelaide 13/10/2024
Kudos to Hardline Media for bringing the legendary Glenn Hughes to Adelaide and topping that off by playing in the intimate surrounds of The Gov. The magnitude of the occasion was not lost on those that were there to hear the classic Deep Purple songs (MKIII and MK IV) played live and commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the album Burn. The history of this much loved iconic band is extensive and when you can boast of a line up that back in the day included the likes of Ritchie Blackmore, David Coverdale, Jon Lord, Ian Paice and the great man himself Glenn Hughes there’s no doubt that would make you feel ten foot taller and invincible.
Openers Dirty Pagan hailing from Adelaide flew the flag proud jagging the national tour support (well deserved) and finishing in their hometown would have been the icing on the cake. I thought they were great but looking around the room they might have been lost on a few of the more “mature” members of the crowd. I’ve seen them a few times now and they’ve upped the rock swagger with a live set that is will drilled and super tight. They did try valiantly to rev the crowd up by having half the room yell “Glenn” and the other half yelling “Hughes” which sounded good. Set highlights included I Am The One, Dump Truck Mother and Forever High. Look forward to new music from these guys in 2025.
Glenn Hughes needs no introduction taking to the stage with his band who are all elite players. The crowd members who were quiet early found voice and were up on their feet as they tore apart Stormbringer. With a “Hey Adelaide” and a constant “tell me how you feel Adelaide” it was hard not to be in awe of this legend. Might Just Take Your Life was scintillating, Hughes is the ultimate pro and at seventy-three years young he’s still got it and runs rings around artists half his age. Hughes was quick to point out that this was the end of the tour right here in Adelaide and “let’s make this one special” in celebrating fifty years of Burn.
There was plenty of adulation from fans yelling out “love you” at different stages of the show. It was hard to believe that this was happening in Adelaide! Music history! Sail Away was incredible as was You Fool No One which featured snippets of Blues, Lazy, The Mule, Highball Shooter and Drum Solo giving the rest of the band to shine. Hughes remarked that he used this break to go and pee but getting to watch this every night even after eight years was just as captivating.
Hughes also took a moment to talk about why MKIII and MKIV reunions never happened despite numerous attempts leaving him as the last man standing deciding to give it one hundred percent starting and finishing this celebration in Australia ending this legacy before moving on to what’s next.
Mistreated and Getting Tighter were rock solid and Hughes answered a question about why he smiles a lot flashing those pearly whites, responding “because I’m happy!”. Then adding that he was getting a hair cut for the new album described as his best work (saying “it’s just hair”). Hughes still refers affectionately to his former band members saying he still loves them even if they don’t love him. The final song You Keep On Moving, written with David Coverdale, was a stellar set closer which could only be topped off the only song in the encore by way of Burn. With a promise of a return visit those who were there witnessed something quite incredible.
Live Review By Rob Lyon