DEEP PURPLE, KANSAS, JEFFERSON STARSHIP In Mansfield, MA With Photos!

Saturday, August 22, 2026 at 8:46 AM

By George Dionne, The Rock Is George Podcast

Shades Of Purple SPLATter The Summer Night Sky At The Xfinity Center On August 13th

All Live Photos By George Dionne / @rockisgeorge

DEEP PURPLE live performances and I have a troubled history. I first saw the British Prog Rock act in 2002. I wasn’t into Prog as much as I am today. Sure, I enjoyed “Smoke On The Water”, “Knocking On Your Back Door”, “Burn”, and other Rock radio hits by the group. In 2002 their openers were DIO and SCORPIONS. You can see where this is going.

After rousing performances by the legendary Ronnie James Dio and German Rock stalwarts the SCORPIONS, I was not ready for the arena to get as mellow and chill as it did when DEEP PURPLE took the stage. I was so bored with the performance, I walked out half way through.

I decided to give DEEP PURPLE a chance again in 2017, because I really wanted to see the opening act. This seems to be a recurring theme with DP and I. The opening act was ALICE COOPER. Tough act to follow. I wouldn’t say DEEP PURPLE was boring this time around, but they did not sound good. They opened with “Highway Star” and Ian Gillan was struggling. That didn’t change with the next couple of songs either. I left again.

You may ask yourself, why see DEEP PURPLE again in 2026 after walking out twice in the past? Well, it was once again, the opening act. I have never seen KANSAS live, and this was probably going to be one of the last times I would have the chance. Was the third time a charm for DEPP PURPLE? Let’s see…

The current version of JEFFERSON STARSHIP looks far different than the Paul Kantner, Grace Slick, Mickey Thomas days. Though technically guitarist David Freiberg was an original member of the group after they changed their name from JEFFERSON AIRPLANE to JEFFERSON STARSHIP. That counts.

Band members aside, I’ve seen this version of the group before. Outstanding musicians that bring classic Rock songs to life. Their performance at the Xfinity Center on this night was no different. Vocalist Cathy Richardson is a powerhouse on the microphone and captures the crowd with her dulcid tones. Guitarist Jude Gold was also a standout with his interpretations of Kanter’s unforgettable solos of the ‘80s.

If I had one complaint about their performance, it was that it was too short. Seven songs. Decades of great music, spanning all three versions of the group, summed up in just seven songs. At least Cathy breathed new life into the JEFFERSON AIRPLANE hits “White Rabbit” and “Somebody To Love”.

Setlist:

“Find Your Way Back”
“Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now”
“White Rabbit”
“We Built This City”
“Jane”
“Jet Pack”
“Somebody To Love”

https://www.jeffersonstarship.com

You won’t see any KANSAS live photos from this night. The band’s representatives couldn’t make a decision on allowing photographs prior to the band going on. It was disheartening because there was so much going on up on that stage between the seven proficient and prolific musicians bringing KANSAS music to the masses.

Unbeknownst to me, there are no original members performing live with KANSAS. This is something I’ve come to expect in today’s day and age, and there’s nothing wrong with it. At least there are a group of people keeping the band's music and legacy alive through live performances. Do you want to see a local tribute? Or do you want to see the guys hand picked by the original and surviving members of the KANSAS?

I don’t know the entire KANSAS catalog. I know the songs from the radio and a little more beyond that. I was happy that they opened with one I know, “Point of Know Return.” “Fight Fire With Fire” is my favorite KANSAS song of the John Elefante-era of the group. Current vocalist Ronnie Platt did do the song justice. In addition, I was very impressed with Platt fronting the group. He handled all the music with ease, not just on the microphone, but on the keyboards as well.

Platt claimed from the stage that “Song for America” was the most difficult song in the band’s catalog to play live. Well, you could have fooled me. Every member of the group had their moment to shine on this number that probably lasted a good 10 minutes, with multiple time signature changes. KANSAS owned the night with their multipart melodies, deep cuts, and radio friendly hits.

Setlist:

“Point of Know Return”
“Paradox”
“Play The Game Tonight”
“Fight Fire With Fire”
“Jets Overhead”
“The Wall”
“Song for America”
“Dust In The Wind”
“Hold On”
“Down The Road”
“Portrait (He Knew)”
“Miracles Out of Nowhere”
“Carry On My Wayward Son”

https://www.kansasband.com

As I sat in the pit waiting for DEEP PURPLE to take the stage I thought, there’s no way they're going to open with “Highway Star” again. It’s probably better that they work their way up to it after their performance in 2017. Then the opening notes of “Highway Star began….and Gillan killed it! Not in a bad way either. He sounded great. Then my thoughts started to drift to, then this show is probably going to be boring. I had to eat those words.

I think the big difference was that DEEP PURPLE played a good amount of music from their newest album, as well as the album that preceded it. These songs are what the band is capable of today, and I don’t mean that as a knock. It's just better than a band of today trying to recreate the band they were 40-50 years ago. The material from their current album ‘Splat!’ made me want to buy the album (which I did).

Of course you can’t go to a DEEP PURPLE show and not hear the hits. On this night, the band performed the material at their best, within today’s abilities, and they sounded fantastic. Their somber rendition of “When a Blind Man Cries” out performed their recorded version. Two songs in the set with “Lazy” in the title is a bit…lazy, but I loved both of these songs. It was the first I heard of either.

Kathy Richardson and David Freiberg joined DP on stage to sing “Diablo”. No, there wasn’t an appearance by original guitarist Richie Blackmore tonight. That was the night prior. I was hoping maybe he’s going to make the trip from New York to Massachusetts. No such luck. It didn’t matter. Current guitarist Simon McBride is a virtuoso in his own right.

Now you would think two keyboard solos would slow things down a bit. That was not the case when the spotlight shined down on Don Airey. They don’t call him “The Maestro” for nothing. The sounds this man can pull out of his equipment is awe-inspiring. There wasn’t a boring moment during his segments. On a side note, I was equally impressed with his last solo outing ‘Pushed to the Edge’ (2025). It was an honorable mention in my albums of the year list for KNAC.COM

Fists were thrown in the air for “Space Truckin’” and of course everyone sang and air strummed along with “Smoke On The Water”. It is truly amazing how one simple guitar riff is still so recognized over 50 years later. DEEP PURPLE closed the night with their classic cover of the 1967 Billy Joe Royal song “Hush”.

Go figure. It only took me 24 years to really enjoy a DEEP PURPLE live performance. Now that’s not entirely true. On the side (since 2017), I’ve been slowly collecting some of DEEP PURPLE’s live vinyl releases. The ones I have collected so far have impressed me. These releases did have some influence on me giving the band one more try. If they could be that good on those recordings, then maybe there was something I was missing.

Setlist:

“Highway Star”
”A Bit on the Side”
”Into The Fire”
”Arrogant Boy”
”Lazy Sod”
”Lazy”
”When A Blind Man Cries”
”Diablo”
”Perfect Strangers”
”Space Truckin’”
”Smoke On The Water”
“Guinnesis”
”Hush”

https://deeppurple.com

The tour continues on in a town or city near you…

AUG 22 - SALAMANCA, NY
AUG 24 - INDIANAPOLIS, IN
AUG 25 - HIGHLAND PARK, IL
AUG 27 - PRIOR LAKE, MN
AUG 29 - WINNIPEG, MB
AUG 31 - CALGARY, AB
SEP 02 - ABBOTSFORD, BC
SEP 04 - LINCOLN, CA
SEP 05 - MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA
SEP 06 - HIGHLAND, CA
SEP 08 - CHULA VISTA, CA
SEP 10 - LAS VEGAS, NV
SEP 11 - LONG BEACH, CA
SEP 12 - SPARKS, NV

JEFFERSON STARSHIP