The band was almost as tight here as on the Montreux set. But singer Ian Gillan had a hard time reaching some of the high notes and staying in key, most notably on "Highway Star," which was otherwise brilliantly performed by the rest of the band.

Some newer songs were performed during both shows, including the social justice-themed "Wrong Man," from Rapture of the Deep (2006). It is definitely the heaviest, meatiest number on both DVDs, with the guitars and bass in drop D tuning. It's solid all around but the verse riffs are a bit stronger and more memorable than the chorus sections. And the exotic title track of the Rapture record was a spot-on performance, even if I didn't really care for the song all that much.

A hot and lively performance of the jazz-inflected bluesy hard rocker "Lazy," was another standout on both the Hard Rock and Montreux shows. It's one of a few old favs Gillan played harmonica on, and although he isn't the greatest harp player I've ever heard, like many great singers, he's got the natural talent to express himself through other means. And his playing style fits right in with what the band is doing and thus, is not a liability by any standard.

For the final song of the evening, "Smoke On The Water," the London crowd came alive during the show-stopping performance, singing the song's chorus with a clearly British accent back to an iconic band that formed not far from here, in Hertfordshire, England.

If you couldn't figure it out by now, I high enjoyed the Deep Purple: Live At Montreux 2006 2-DVD set. As someone who was too young to see Deep Purple at their creative peak in the '70s with their core lineup, just the fact that the band is still going and kickin' ass after four decades is amazing and something every DP fan should be grateful for.

You can't go wrong with three hours of Deep Purple, even at this stage in their career. Plus, it's a big improvement over their Live at Montreux 1996 DVD release as well, which was about half as long as this release. So hunt down a copy at your record store of choice and buy it in standard DVD form, HD-DVD, or Blu-Ray. Then put it in your DVD player and let it transport you to a world where great rock bands once ruled the world.