England rock legends Deep Purple and Yes rolled into Bridgeport, Connecticut, on a cool evening at Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater. With Hannah Wicklund joining as support, this is indeed one of those must-see tours.
Deep Purple – Yes – Hannah Wicklund
Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater, Bridgeport, Connecticut – 3 September 2024
Words And Photography: Jody Wilk
Deep Purple
Deep Purple, one of the original and most iconic Heavy Metal bands, hit the stage at The Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater at 9:15 pm and gave the fans nothing less than a stellar show. Deep Purple is also a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee since 2016 after having been nominated three times before. Their current tour is billed as the =1 More Time Tour in support of their new album, =1.
I was highly anticipating this show, as the last time I saw Deep Purple was at Giants Stadium in New Jersey in 1988, where Guns N’ Roses and Aerosmith were playing when I was 17 years old. Having been formed in 1968 and still performing is an amazing feat.
They kicked off the night with the powerful, make-you-drive-fast song Highway Star. This song brings back memories of cruising the strip at night with my high school friends.
Next, they played A Bit On The Side, the first song of the night from their new album =1 which was released on 19 July 2024. Throughout the evening, they played a mix of their hits, songs that didn’t get as much mainstream radio play, covers, and songs from the new album.
With staple members Ian Pace, Roger Glover, Ian Gillian, and Don Airey who has been in the band since 2002, the most recent addition, and a brilliant one at that, is Simon McBride on guitar. This is a band boiling over with talent.
It was great to see Airey, a keyboardist in a Metal band, performing on stage, and it was amazing to see his talents showcased with not one but two solos.
Ian Gillan received a standing ovation for his passionate vocal abilities on When A Blind Man Cries. I have to say that this was a standout moment for me. I was not familiar with this song, and to see the passion Ian sang it with was just amazing.
Next, Gillan told a story about the song Portable Door from their current album. He explained that when he was a kid and could not get into places, he invented a “portable door.” He would carry this around, which would allow him to get into those places and also get out of places that he didn’t want to be.
Since Purple started the night on a high note, they had to end the night on a high note with songs probably everyone has heard multiple times in their life, Space Truckin’ and Smoke On The Water. The crowd were on their feet and singing along for both songs.
But wait, there was more. Purple came back out to play Green Onions, Hush, and finished their encore with Black Night.
Deep Purple have only a couple more dates in the US with YES on their =1 More Time Tour, and then they head back overseas for many more dates without YES.
This is a must-see tour you cannot afford to miss.
Yes
Progressive rock icons, Yes, hit the stage at 7:30 pm to play to a packed crowd that finally filled the theatre. They were the first of two Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees to put on a stellar performance for Bridgeport, Connecticut this Tuesday night.
Yes played an hour and fifteen minutes in a set consisting of 8 songs. It was no surprise that half of the set consisted of songs from 1971’s iconic The Yes Album. However, I was surprised that they did not at least touch on one song from recent release, Mirror To The Sky.
That being said, this current lineup of Yes consisting of Steve Howe, Geoff Downes, Billy Sherwood, Jon Davidson, and Jay Schellen really put on a captivating performance.
Steve Howe can still play the guitar with the best of them, and longtime keyboardist Geoff Downes is probably the only musician in a rock band on tour to play 9+ keyboards on stage in one performance night after night.
Jon Davison tears up the lead vocals with ease song after song. The crowd were on their feet and singing along to I’ve Seen All Good People and again for Roundabout during the encore performance.
Hannah Wicklund
The parking lot filled up quickly, and there was an abundance of fans tailgating to get ready for this evening’s performances by two Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees. I received my media credentials at the box office and saw that we were to meet up with our escort at 6:20 pm, which I thought was strange as the show was listed as starting at 7:30 pm.
This was when we found out that Hannah Wicklund was starting her performance at 6:30 pm. Unfortunately, the word had not gotten out, and many people were still outside the venue socializing with their friends.
Hannah hit the stage barefoot, wearing a long flowing rope and pants with a print that featured a floral pattern with bees, leading me to believe that Hannah is a person who is very in tune with the earth. I assume it was just a coincidence, but shortly after she began playing, a butterfly started flying around above her head, which caught her eye, and she donned a smile.
Another incident happened shortly after, which I do not think she was aware of. A squirrel hopped up on stage and climbed up the entire side wall of the amphitheatre, perched itself on the top rail, and turned around to watch her performance for a minute.
27-year-old Hannah has been playing gigs since the young age of 9. She is a seasoned musician, and it shows. This vocal powerhouse from South Carolina also has crazy guitar skills, making her a force to be reckoned with. There were four songs by her band, Hannah Wicklund and The Stepping Stones, two solo pieces, and an amazing cover of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s Ohio.
Hannah’s new album, Prize, is out now and can be found on her website and most major music platforms.
