There are many projects that Glenn Hughes has been associated with aside from being a very prolific solo artist.  His last stop through Houston was with THE DEAD DAISIES but he also fronted BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION, CALIFORNIA BREED, BLACK SABBATH, TRAPEZE, and where he got his big break, DEEP PURPLE.  Every one of those groups is great but for this tour, Glenn Hughes is focusing on his time in DEEP PURPLE.  I’ll admit I was a little young when those three records came out but when I heard them in the late 70s, I fell in love with all of them.  That iteration of DEEP PURPLE was my introduction to the band so it will always have a special place in my heart.  Knowing that I was going to get a song selection culled from those three disks made this a “must see” tour for me.  Based on the crowd that attended the show, that sentiment was held by everyone there as well.

Glenn Hughes and company started their set with the title track off “Stormbringer” and right from the start, Hughes had the crowd in the palm of his hand.  The chugging riffs were a great backdrop to that stellar voice.  He pulls off notes that would make a young singer struggle and he makes it look so easy cracking a smile the whole time.  The “Burn” record was the most popular from that era of DEEP PURPLE so it only makes sense that half the set was taken from that album.  “Might Just Take Your Life” and “Sail Away” were next and while Hughes was co-lead vocalist on the records, he sings them perfectly handling all the vocals himself.  The studio versions are great but somehow Hughes breathes new life into these tracks and improves upon something that was already awesome.  Following up on those tracks, the guitars get a little spotlight as the opening riffs of “Mistreated” kick in.  There have been two vocalist aside from Hughes who have recorded versions of this tune (that I know of) with David Coverdale in WHITESNAKE and Ronnie James Dio in RAINBOW.  All three have done a great job with this track and the version performed on this hot September day in Houston was no exception.  Again, his vocals throughout the show were superb and “Mistreated” really showcased his voice and singing abilities.

The next material came from an album that, until recently, was criminally overlooked and that record is “Come Taste the Band”.  First up is the funky “Getting’ Tighter” that Hughes wrote with the late-great Tommy Bolin.  He quickly followed up that funked up rocker with the slow building “You Keep On Moving”.  Both of these songs were the highlight from the set for me as I never in a million years would have thought that I would see those tracks performed by a member of that line-up.  The show closed with the title track from “Burn” but before that song was performed, Hughes ditched his bass to just sing on “Highway Star”.  He did a great job (as always) but I would have preferred something off of “his” three records with PURPLE.  I’m really nit-picking here because truth be told, I was just ecstatic to see Glenn Hughes in concert so he could have come out and sang the headlines form the National Enquirer and I would have walked away happy.  All in all, a fantastic concert by a fantastic artist.  I have read that Glenn Hughes is the “Voice of Rock” but I would shorten that to just “The Voice” because no matter what he sings (rock, funk, or soul), his voice is golden.  I highly recommend seeing Glenn Hughes in concert whether headlining or as special guest like this show.  You will have a great time just like I and the Houston crowd did on this hot, sweaty night.

After a brief intermission, Yngwie Malmsteen charged onto the stage with columns of smoke and his white Stratocaster flying.  Opening track “Rising Force” ushered in our guitar maestro as he took center stage with a backdrop consisting of a wall of Marshall amplifiers.  His band consisted of a drummer. Bassist, and keyboard player who also sang lead on a few of the songs.  Yngwie sang lead on most of the tunes performed but let’s face it, we were there to see him play guitar.  And he did not disappoint as he effortlessly launched into “Top Down, Foot Down” from his latter day release “World on Fire”.  While he did play tracks from more recent records like “Relentless Fury”, “Into Valhalla”, and “Smoke on the Water” (DEEP PURPLE track that appeared on his 2019 “Blue Lightning” disk), he performed a healthy selection form his earlier records along with a few that aren’t as popular.  He dusted off a couple from the Mke Vescera era with “Vengeance” and the title track of “The Seventh Sign”.  The band also played "Like an Angel – For April" from the overlooked “Facing the Animal” record.  I was happy that he included those tracks in the set list and judging by the crowd reaction, so did the Houston audience.

The main focus of the show was Yngwie’s guitar playing so a good majority of the material was instrumental.  Since he has decided to forgo getting a lead singer, the focus is solely on him and that is just the way we like it.  He not only spent his time on stage entertaining us with classical pieces like “Paganini's 4th” and “Toccata” but he must have thrown of kicked out a hundred guitar picks.  Visually and musically, he is the same artist who came onto the scene back in 1983 (well, maybe a little older) and I don't see him stopping or changing anytime soon.  The main concert ended with a truncated version of "You Don't Remember, I'll Never Forget" but Yngwie was not done and he came back for an encore of “Black Star”.  The significance of that track is it was the first song on his first solo release so he ended the show with something from the very beginning.  I have heard others say that Yngwie Malmsteen is predictable and that it is all guitar wizardry and to that I say “So What”.  I like the fact that I know what an Yngwie concert will consist of and if you are going to guitar hero show, there is no one better than Mr Malmsteen.