Glenn Hughes @ Granada Theater – Dallas, TX

September 9, 2023

Glenn Hughes
Granada Theater
Dallas, Texas
Photos and article by Artur Brakhman

I’ve arrived at the venue on this Monday night very excited to hear the music that I’ve been listening to since I was a little kid.

Opening the night was Bullet to the Heart, a Chicago rock band with influences from Evanescence and similar bands. The band has been around for 6 plus years and has a few releases. The band members are: Audrey Queen (vocals) Brian Benischek (guitar), Tom Monroe (bass) and Draven DC (drums). The band kicked off their set with “Locked Inside” a song from their debut album “Bulletproof”. The rest of the set consisted of songs taken from their “Transcendence” release and the “Death, Oddities & Romance” EP that was released in April of this year. Audrey’s voice is powerful and beautiful at the same time. Their songs deal with addiction, mental health and other personal problems.
It’s awesome that these newcomers get to tour with such hard rock legends as Glenn Hughes and Yngwie Malmsteen.

Setlist:
Locked Inside
Inclement Weather
Birth of a Tragedy
Decay
Death by the Sea
Black Widow
Graveyard Lovers
Revenant

Headlining the show was a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductee, legendary bass player and singer – Glenn Hughes. This show was a celebration of one of Deep Purple’s classic albums – Burn, turning 50 years old! I’ve listened to Deep Purple since I was a little kid, thanks to my dad who introduced me to the music of a lot of classic rock bands. I followed Glenn Hughes’ career and got a few albums he released with different bands and projects over the last few decades. Still to this day, I love listening to Deep Purple albums released by MKII, MKIII and MKIV lineups.

The venue lights were dimmed. The crowd was patiently waiting for Glenn Hughes and his band of incredible musicians to hit the stage. The band kicked off their amazing set with one of my favorite songs – “Stormbringer” from the album of the same title. The whole place went crazy with loud whistles, yells and screams. The band then kicked off songs from the Burn album starting with “Might Just Take Your Life” and “Sail Away”. Next was “You Fool No One” a song that turned into almost a 20 minute medley which had a little bit of blues, an amazing drum solo, parts of “Highball Shooter” and “The Mule”. The crowd, me included, was going insane because they loved every minute of it. Finally I understood what it was like going to rock concerts in the 1970s! Unfortunately I don’t have enough words in my vocabulary to describe the emotions felt that night. I definitely felt like I teleported back in time! People around me were nostalgic and some felt like they were back in their teens, enjoying all the awesomeness on stage. Next came “Mistreated”, another one of my favorites which turned into a 12 minute mind blowing rendition followed by a funky “Gettin’ Tighter” from “Come Taste the Band” album, which also included some blues and a bass solo by Glenn Hughes himself. Next was a sultry “You Keep On Moving”, a song full of deep bass that shook the venue. For the encore, the crowd was treated to a speedy “Highway Star”. The night was finished off with the title song of the album being celebrated that night – “Burn”.

Even though Glenn Hughes is in his 70s, he still has incredible energy and stage presence. His voice is remarkably preserved and sounds amazing! All the screams, all the high notes were performed flawlessly! Although he is touring the country together with Yngwie Malmsteen, he’s making some solo stops, including the one in Dallas. Reason for his solo stop in Dallas, is because he has history here with his first band Trapeze. He told the audience that he loves Dallas and even though he lives in LA, Dallas is home for his soul. The way that he talked about Dallas and Texas was sincere and full of heartfelt emotions.

This night was special for me twofold. I got to finally see Glenn Hughes live and I got to hear some of my favorite classic Deep Purple songs live! Also, I very much wished that my dad was standing next to me, because I know how much he loves Deep Purple but unfortunately he’s a few thousand miles away. If you want to be teleported back to the 1970s and hear what real rock concerts from that era sound like, seeing Glenn Hughes performing Deep Purple’s MKIII and MKIV lineup classics is a must!

Setlist:
Stormbringer
Might Just Take Your Life
Sail Away
You Fool No One (drum solo, parts of ” Highball Shooter” & “The Mule”)
Mistreated
Gettin’ Tighter
You Keep On Moving

Encore:
Highway Star
Burn