Two Words.....DEEP PURPLE

Yes, that's right. Deep Purple made its presence felt in Sofia on Thursday evening, in front of a sell out crowd. Mullets were rocked and the smell of leather was in abundance. Who would of thought that I would have to travel half way around the world to see one of the pioneers of heavy metal. The last band I saw play was The Police at Wrigley Field. Any who, I was invited by a group from the Община (Municipality) to attend. There were about 80 people that made the 4 hour trek to Sofia. I was without my counterpart that speaks relatively good English, but did however have a couple of people that spoke some English and wanted practice on the way. We finally arrived in Sofia, after multiple smoke breaks and slow moving traffic, and to much of my surprise there were a ton of people waiting for the rock legends. If was pretty amazing to see so many people. We grab a cocktail at a local drinking establishment and preceeded to the show. Once inside, my coworkers and I rushed to the floor area. I haven't felt this rush of excitement since the Offspring show in 98 at the Pavilion(man, I am old).

The lights dimmed and the music started. I braced myself for the madness that was sure to insue. I looked around at the people in the crowd and the age range was from 14 to 70. Pretty diverse group. Please take note, that I have never seen Deep Purple and was only vaguely familiar with their songs. Out came the band and everyone cheered. I was thinking, "Dang, this is pretty awesome, Bulgaria, Deep Purple and a cigarette burn on my pants." I started to pump my fist as the song played. I was hoping to hear "Smoke on the Water" first (Probably because it was the only song I knew the title for) but instead heard the blond haired lead singer say something that was in a language not familiar to me. I listened more closely to the lyrics and thought I heard some Bulgarian. Heck, it wasn't Deep Purple, it was a Local Bulgarian rock band. I felt like an idiot because 1) I am from America (though Deep Purple is from England) and felt i had a responsiblity to know what the band looked like and 2) I kept shouting "Deep Purple, Deep Purple" to a random Bulgarian band. No worries though because as I looked around I realized that no one really cared and maybe they thought the same as well.

The show went on and Deep Purple eventually came out and rocked the house. I was surprised on how many songs I recognized. There were several things that crossed my mind as the concert went on. I was thinking that Bulgarian rock shows aren't that much different then rock shows in the States. Here are a couple of things I noticed:

1) Bulgarian Bands' lead singers have long wavy rocknroll blond hair just like ours.
2) The random shout out to the crowd from the band, no matter the language, always insures a roar of a response.
3) Steve Morse is a pretty darn good guitar player.
4) The 250 pound person standing next to you doesn't smell of sweet roses whether you are in Sofia or Chicago.
5) People at concerts all over the world tend to stand as close as possibly to you, so much so that your clothes pick up sweat from the person in front, behind, and side to side.
6) The universal rock symbol, is truly universal
7) Any slow rock ballad requires a lighter and raised arms that go side to side.
8) The lead singers voices is much better then the crowds, that’s what he is paid to do.
9) The line for the bathroom is long, always.
10) The rule still applies that you don't wear the t-shirt of the band you are going to see, Period.

All in all, I had a great time. The 4 hour bus ride home was a bit challenging when the seat only comes to your mid back and you are comfortably wedged between a window and a man, but hey, what’s better then passing out at 4 in the morning and going to work at 8 the next day.

Happy Halloween,

Take care and remember You stay classy, Chicago!