Two Blackmore’s Night shows — Newton, NJ, on November 15, and Wilmington, DE on November 20 — have been postponed for “medical reasons”. The announcement on the Newton venue website reads:

SHOW UPDATE:
Due to a medical emergency, tonight’s show with Blackmore’s Night has been postponed. Please keep your tickets, a new date will be announced shortly. We apologize for the inconvenience and we will update all buyers with a new date as soon as possible.

[Update Nov 19]: The remaining shows in Cohoes, NY, on November 23, and Tarrytown on November 29 have been postponed until further notice as well.

Thanks to Blabbermouth for the heads-up.

Here’s what happens when a jazz musician learns on the fly how to play Highway Star, from scratch. On Hammond.

Jazz legend Larry Goldings takes on the challenge of learning Deep Purple’s “Highway Star” as fast as possible. Known for his soulful touch and deep harmonic vocabulary, Larry breaks down the driving rock energy of the song, learns every part note for note, and brings it to life through his own jazz-infused style.

Of particular interest is the second (guitar) solo, where they decided to completely forego the original and just improvise.

Thanks to Pianote for the video, and to Uwe and Simon for bringing it to your attention.

BraveWords reports, citing Brazilian journalist Igor Miranda, that Glenn Hughes’ show in Belo Horizonte on November 13 was cut short after Glenn falling ill onstage.

Hughes reportedly began feeling unwell due to dehydration. Fans in attendance reported that Hughes left the stage during the fifth song of the night, “Can’t Stop The Flood”. After a brief break, he returned to address the crowd, explaining that he had not consumed enough water throughout the day, had drunk too much coffee, and was affected by the intense heat in Belo Horizonte, where temperatures reached around 30°C earlier in the afternoon.

Despite attempting to continue the concert with “First Step of Love” from the Hughes/Thrall project, Hughes struggled again and ultimately had to cut the show short. The audience waited for approximately half an hour as the production team evaluated the situation, eventually announcing that the performance could not proceed with the frontman.

To avoid leaving fans empty-handed, Hughes’ backing band remained on stage and played several songs. A roadie stepped in on bass, while Guzz — vocalist for Brazilian group Electric Gipsy, who is opening the tour — joined in to help complete the night.

The press release issued by Brazilian promoter Dark Dimensions insists that it was an isolated event and that the rest of the tour will continue as planned. The next scheduled stop on the calendar was Rio de Janeiro on November 14, which, according to Glenn’s Twitter, went ahead.

The original story is from Igor Miranda’s blog, and it is in Portuegese.

Music News publish some quotes from an interview that Ian Gillan gave to the UNCUT magazine.

It’s one of those things. I’ve only got 30 per cent vision. That won’t get better. It makes life mysterious. The hardest thing is working on my laptop. I can’t see anything on the screen unless I use my peripheral vision – I pick up a line by looking at it sideways. But you find a way. You adapt. But it’s achingly tiresome. It takes a long time to do the work.

It’s hilarious this growing old thing. It’s a laugh a minute. Well, sometimes yes and sometimes no. I walk down the road and hear something drop off – clang, there’s something else gone. Nothing’s changed really apart from I can’t pole vault any more. Other than that, things move a little more slowly. But nothing’s changed. If you’ve got a sense of humour, you can get by with most things.

I think if I lose my energy, I’m going to stop. I don’t want to be an embarrassment to anyone. We’re not far off that. It creeps up on you – you don’t really notice. But then this isn’t like a normal job. It’s all in your mind. The writing certainly is, and the ability. And these guys who I work with just seem to keep improving. The hard thing is to keep them down.

Thanks to NME for the heads-up.

Steve Morse Band (or, rather, their label) has posted another video to promote the new album Triangulation. It is for the title track, featuring John Petrucci (who is not in the video). Continue Reading »

Candice Night was a guest on the Rock of Nations podcast. It was announced some time ago as a Ritchie Blackmore interview. In reality, it was Candice who sat down first, talking about many things, their children among them — they are very musical, with Autumn singing opera and playing some guitar, and Rory playing drums. Halfway through the session, her hubby drops in rather unexpectedly to tell some war stories (yep, including the one with Ozzy’s runny nose). It’s a long one, and we’ve heard some bits and pieces before, but is worth it.

Thanks to Mike Whiteley for the heads-up.

David Coverdale embraces his natural hair colour and announces his retirement. No more, no less. Continue Reading »

A boutique Dutch label Music On Vinyl has announced a 4LP Deep Purple Greatest Hits compilation with a rather curious track list that is light on the hits and heavy on deeper cuts.

Side A
1. Highway Star (Live at Schleyer-Halle)
2. The Cut Runs Deep
3. Vavoom: Ted The Mechanic
4. Ramshackle Man
5. A Castle Full Of Rascals

Side B
1. Perfect Strangers (Live at Schleyer-Halle)
2. Truth Hurts
3. Solitaire
4. Loosen My Strings
5. Anyone’s Daughter (Live at the NEC)

Side C
1. A Touch Away
2. Black Night (Live at Schleyer-Halle)
3. Nasty Piece of Work
4. Slow Down Sister

Side D
1. Child In Time (Live at Schleyer-Halle)
2. Anya (Live at Schleyer-Halle)

Side E
1. Love Conquers All
2. Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming
3. Wicked Ways
4. The Purpendicular Waltz

Side F
1. Speed King (Live at Schleyer-Halle)
2. The Battle Rages On
3. King of Dreams
4. Soon Forgotten

Side G
1. Knockin’ At Your Back Door (Live at the NEC)
2. Fire in the Basement
3. Time to Kill
4. Cascades: I’m Not Your Lover
5. Fortuneteller

Side H
1. Lazy (Live at Schleyer-Halle)
2. Somebody Stole My Guitar
3. Hush (Live at the NEC)
4. Smoke On The Water (Live at the NEC)

The set is due out on January 16, 2026, and is said to be limited to 1,500 copies on gold vinyl. The small print also says “Due to rights restrictions, this item is only available in Europe.”

It can be pre-ordered from the label.

Thanks to BraveWords for the info.

Wendy Dio was a guest on The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan podcast (and Billy is a huge fan of Deep Purple, Rainbow, and Dio himself). Here is their long and interesting conversation.

In this powerful and emotional conversation, Wendy Dio joins Billy Corgan to share the brilliance of her late husband, Ronnie James Dio — from their first meeting at the Rainbow to the creation of Blackmore’s Rainbow, following Ozzy in Black Sabbath, and his breakthrough with his own band, Dio. Wendy reveals how Ronnie stayed true to his vision, refusing to chase hits, and how his humility, brilliance, and devotion to fans made him a legend. She and Billy discuss the origins of the devil horns, the making of “Holy Diver” and “Rainbow in the Dark,” and the enduring legacy Wendy continues through the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund.

Thanks to BraveWords, Uwe, and CN for the heads-up.

Blackmore’s Night show in Alexandria, Virginia, on November 9, 2025, morphed into an impromptu “request hour” shortly after it started. Continue Reading »