Plock: ‘Storming version of Child in Time’

‘“Child In Time”, performed as an encore, after nearly two hours of carefully selected compositions from “Sarabande”, “Pictured Within” and “Beyond The Notes”, came as a very big surprise. Some of us, lucky to have witnessed the rehearsals, got a hint of what was going to happen in the evening but still, when Jon started playing the song, rearranged for the inclusion of the orchestra and two singers, the shivers went down our spines.’ writes Bartosz Kazana in his review of Jon Lord’s concert appearance at Plock, Poland on July 6.

By Bartosz Kazana

The concert in Plock took place last Sunday, three days ago, but I’m pretty sure the aura of the event is still there among the fans who attended the show. It’s a very rare and precious feeling that signifies the size of the cult with which Jon Lord is surrounded by fans of all age and sex. The wise men would of course explain that as a natural need of group experiences but there’s certainly more than this in case of Jon Lord. The fascination revolves not only around the obviously admired musical output but also around the friendly personality of his – kind for even most insistent fans, always there to shake a hand, answer few questions or give an autograph. As opposed to many contemporary artists and bands, the music of Jon Lord simply has a humane face that we – listeners – need so much in order to found emotional relation with the music. The respect is mutual, that’s for sure, and it creates an extremely firm bond between Jon and his devotees. And good Lord, it’s great to be part of this ‘hysteria’.

I think the concert eventually turned out to be something more than what it was planned to be. I’m pretty sure it felt like a kind of resumé for many Polish fans, who in many cases hadn’t been lucky enough to hear the complete “Concerto For Group And Orchestra” – the brainchild of Jon and a turning point for Deep Purple back in 1969. But that’s not all. Jon also treated us with the storming version of “Child In Time” – the trademark Purple anthem and possibly the best song to sum up the celebrations of the 40th anniversary of the band Jon co-founded.

“Child In Time”, performed as an encore, after nearly two hours of carefully selected compositions from “Sarabande”, “Pictured Within” and “Beyond The Notes”, came as a very big surprise. Some of us, lucky to have witnessed the rehearsals, got a hint of what was going to happen in the evening but still, when Jon started playing the song, rearranged for the inclusion of the orchestra and two singers, the shivers went down our spines.

The Purple classic was a great conclusion to the already striking performance that included “Sarabande”, “Gigue”, “Pavane” (with the original guitar intro played on the piano), smashing version of “Bourée” with a wonderful work from Plock Symphony Orchestra conducted by Misha Damev (already known for working with Jon on the “Durham Concerto”), “The Telemann Experiment” and songs featuring Katarzyna Laska stepping in for Sam Brown (”Wait A While”, “One From The Meadow” and Jacek Kotlarski taking over from Miller Anderson in “Pictured Within”.

The show marked Jon’s first performance in Poland under his own name and it was his first visit here since 2000. Sincere thanks go to the organizers with special kudos to Roland Bury, a long time animator of Purple-life in Poland and a true fan. The Who to Blame section must also include the Plock Symphony Orchestra and Misha Damev for a very engaging and impressive performance and a positive attitude that could be seen from the audience.

Jon, thanks for a wonderful day and the evening performance. It was great meeting you again, shaking a hand and simply saying hello. See you next time and good luck!