AS they say, age is only a number. Deep Purple's rousing performance at The Star Theatre on Tuesday evening was testament to that.
Despite having an average age of 64 - a number that puts the members firmly in the "rock dinosaurs" category - all five of them played harder for about two hours than men half their age.
The largely middle-aged expatriate crowd were equally determined to match the band's energy and enthusiasm. The moment the house lights went down, those in the front rows sprang from their seats - ushers and no-standing policy be damned - to form a makeshift moshpit near the stage.
Flashing spotlights broke through the dark hall as the band with a pioneering role in British metal and rock music launched into the opening number Fireball, the title track of their 1971 album.
An energetic and fast-paced number, it showed off singer Ian Gillan's trademark banshee shrieks. Dressed comfortably in a T-shirt and sporting a short, grey crop of hair, the 67-year-old has aged gracefully into a hippie grandad, looking a far cry from the rocker with the long, shaggy locks of his younger days. The crowd cheered him all the same, each time he nailed a high note perfectly, just like old times.
The venue used for church services on weekends, just for this evening, became a place where it was apt to flash the devil's horns with one's hands.
There was also plenty of headbanging - even from middle-aged women - as the band tirelessly tore through its classics, such as Into The Fire and Maybe I'm a Leo.
While frontman Gillan's soaring vocals were impressive, the rest of the band held their own and showed finesse in their craft.
Guitarist Steve Morse, the baby of the group at 58, demonstrated nifty fingerwork as he effortlessly shredded away fast riffs. His skill truly shone in the poignant Contact Lost, a song dedicated to the astronauts who lost their lives in the 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia incident.
Drummer Ian Paice, the remaining founding member of the band, was a beast on the drums; the 64-year-old indefatigably tore through his extended solo at the end of The Mule.
Roger Glover, 67, played the part of a cam whore by striking a rock star pose gamely whenever a camera was pointed his way, all the while not missing a beat of his chugging basslines.
Don Airey, 64, pounded away on the ivories, at times infusing the songs with a jazzy, bluesy vibe and improvising with a segment from Mozart's Rondo Alla Turca during his solo.
Space Truckin' and Smoke on the Water from the band's landmark 1972 album Machine Head drew the loudest cheers and singalong; Black Night rounded off the evening for a legendary act which has been a mainstay in the music industry for more than 40 years.
These English rock veterans may have recently missed out on being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but in concert, they more than proved worthy of their status as true rock stars.
