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Whitesnake + Foreigner UK 2020 poster

Perhaps by popular demand, perhaps not, Whitesnake will tour the UK in 2020. It will be a double bill with Foreigner, with Europe listed as special guests (oh, the irony).

There are 6 confirmed dates between May 31 and June 8. Tickets go on sale to general public 8th November 2019 at 9am GMT, with presales starting Tuesday, November 5th at 9am (password is fleshandblood). The VIP packages include some swag and either ‘premium reserved’ seats or early access general admission. There are no meet-and-greet packages available.

Further details in our calendar.

Fireworks at the Armory

The final show of the US tour in Minneapolis (Oct 19, 2019) was a high energy performance by the five virtuoso musicians who clearly look like they are enjoying playing together for us. The big surprises were Demon’s Eye, which I hadn’t seen performed before, the guitarist from the opening band joining in on Smoke on the Water, and an extended encore of Hush and Black Night with a medley of jams leading into each. This was the 9th time that I’ve seen the band and 4th time during the Long Goodbye. If this really is the last time that I’ll see them live then they went out winners at the top of their game, and it doesn’t get any better than that.

Robert Brodman

Smoke on the Wiltern

Deep Purple live at The Wiltern (Los Angeles, USA 2019-09-04)

Finally a headlining tour for the US so no shorter co-headlining sets. Actually got 85 minutes start to finish!!! (90 if you count how long it takes Roger to toss all the guitar picks and wave goodnight. Love that guy!) No offense to “Joyous Wolf” but it was nice to have them on and off in 30 minutes. Short and sweet.

So with a headline and smaller theater setting, more hardcore DP fans than recent US tours and more knowledgeable love for the band. In the five decades the four of us have seen DP, it was a nice treat to get our first “Demon’s Eye”. Up front in the set and after the three pronged Highway – Pictures – Bloodsucker intro, Demon’s kicked the appreciative crowd into a higher gear.

After Demon’s Eye, Lazy and Smoke were highlights as Don and Steve were on fire and the crowd singing really on top of the Lake Geneva shoreline…

Its been a bonus to see the Boys four times in two years. You always hope there’s one more chance out there but thank goodness for the video capability of the smart phone.

To end the evening the usual head shaker. As the crowd queues up for the restroom prior to leaving, there was *the*guy. We’ve all seen *the* guy. He’s at every Deep Purple concert in different forms. In all seriousness – “I’m so pissed they didn’t play Burn!”. A testament to the song and the ability of the band to continue to draw the fringe!

So many years down, so many shows, scores of albums, the band has been a common thread thru the friendship the four of us attending the shows have had since high school.

To sum it all up:

“You’ve been great, superb, magnifique, we love you, take it easy, bye bye”

(No matter what we get out of this, I know we’ll never forget…)

Martin Paretti with Kerry Frohling, Bob Grabar, Dave Krutcik

review by Martin Paretti

Whitesnake in Australasia

David Coverdale with Whitesnake in Shizuoka, October 10, 2016; photo © Kei Ono cc-by-nc-sa

Before heading to Japan in March 2020, Whitesnake will tour Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, and Singapore on a double bill with Scorpions. Tickets for Singapore are already on sale, the three Australian dates go on sale to General public on November 1, with New Zealand and Indonesia ones on November 11.

Thanks to Lutz Reinert for the info.

More summer dates

Deep Purple, Oslo Spectrum, Feb 4 2014; photo © Trond Strøm

More dates have surfaced for the Deep Purple summer tour of 2020. In addition to two appearances in Austria, we now have six more dates in Germany:

  • Stadtpark Freilichtbuhne, Hamburg, on June 24;
  • Kunst!rasen, Bonn, on July 10;
  • Sommerfestival, Rosenheim, on July 11;
  • Peißnitzinsel, Halle, on July 14;
  • Volkspark, Mainz, on July 15;
  • Stimmen Festival, Lörrach, on July 22.

Tickets for Lörrach are already on sale, the other dates are supposed to go on sale on October 24. See our calendar for further details.

Please note, that none of the summer appearances have been confirmed by the band’s management, albeit All these dates come from a pretty reliable source and are confirmed by the band’s management.

Thanks to Lutz Reinert for the info.

This post was updated on Wed 23 Oct 2019 23:39:27 UTC regarding July 14 gig location, and on Mon 28 Oct 2019 01:42:47 UTC regarding confirmation status.

Bob Ezrin sells his rights

Bob Ezrin; photo courtesy of BraveWords

FYI Music News reports that Bob Ezrin has sold his music publishing and “other rights” to a New York headquartered company called Primary Wave Music Publishing. Being a very hands on producer, alongside with production credits he got songwriting credits on many albums he has worked on. His resume includes producing and co-writing Alice Cooper’s Welcome to My Nightmare, Kiss’ Destroyer, Pink Floyd’s The Wall and Andrea Bocelli’s , all charted at number one (presumabley, in the US). This, of course, also includes the last two (hopefully, three) Deep Purple albums. It is not immediately clear what “other rights” are also included in the deal, but it is quite possible that producer of his stature can negotiate royalties instead of a fixed fee.

Thanks to BraveWords for the info.

Japanese Whitesnake dates rescheduled

Whitesnake have new dates for their Japanese tour, rescheduled from October 2019 to March 2020. The new dates are booked from March 9 to 20th. Old tickets are still valid, except for Fukuoka (change of venue) and Toyota City (change of venue as well, and moved to Nagoya proper), both of which have to be returned for refund and new ones purchased. As for the rest of the dates, refunds will be issued on request, but are not mandatory.

Whitesnake JAPAN tour 2020 poster

Tickets for rescheduled dates go on sale December 7, 2019. Full details in our calendar.

Thanks to Akemi Ono for the info.

Fantastic (farewell?)

Deep Purple live at Fox Theatre (Detroit, USA 2019-10-15)

After last nights performance I can’t help wondering (perhaps hoping) if there maybe yet another leg of this long goodbye tour. The energy , the quality of the show all around was among the top performances I’ve seen from these gentleman! One moment at the end of Perfect Strangers, the band silhouetted by back lighting, Ian with arms outstretched , it felt timeless. Neither young nor old, just pure joy in the music. Space ‘truckin was another highlight as they waved the crowd to “Come on!” With smiles on the whole band. The entire show was filled with great moments. Don and Roger gave incredible solos, Paicey drove space truckin into an intensely amazing place, Steve’s solos were alternately fun and beautiful, Ian having a great time and when they did “Sometimes I feel like Screaming “ , well I was a bit emotional don’t mind saying. Thanks gents, for all the decades of music and great shows! Who knows? Maybe one more goodbye?

review by Victor

Ian Gillan: A Visual Biography

Another book from WymerIan Gillan: A Visual Biography — is due out on December 6, 2019. It is a limited edition 128-page photo book in a slipcase, and comes with a set of prints.

Ian Gillan A Visual Biography

Promo blurb:

Without doubt Ian Gillan has proven to be one of the greatest and most enduring rock singers of all time. From his early career in sixties pop band Episode Six, through to Deep Purple, as well as a brief period with Black Sabbath, he has continued to surprise and delight millions of fans around the world.

Forays into unchartered territory, such as his role in the original Jesus Christ Superstar, as well as a variety of solo projects, including the jazz inspired Ian Gillan Band have proven that time and again, Ian Gillan is more than just the lead singer with Deep Purple.

This publication plots his career from the early sixties through to the present day in a visual timeline that charts his extraordinary and colourful career. Digging deep into the archives we have managed to pull together a vast array of photos and imagery, much of which has never been seen before. This includes many previously unpublished photos from his days with Episode Six and beyond. Off stage and backstage photos from his early career, through to Deep Purple and his solo projects are all included, alongside on stage photos capturing Ian doing what he does best.

A Visual Biography also includes many rare items of memorabilia, including a full itinerary from the Ian Gillan Band’s 1977 Japanese tour, plus posters and cuttings that help to document over fifty years as one of rock’s most iconic frontmen.

What: Ian Gillan: A Visual Biography
When: December 6, 2019
Where: Wymer Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-912782-30-7
Format: hardback, 297 x 210 mm, 128pp
Price: £59.99 + S&H

The book can be ordered directly from the publisher.

4½ out of 5 stars

DP1, Chiba, Japan, Oct 14, 2018; photo: Kei Ono

Connecticut paper Republican-American has a review of the Deep Purple show at the Mohegan Sun Arena on October 9:

Deep Purple is on its “Long Goodbye” tour, wrapping up a career that has seen many personnel incarnations, spin-offs, and imitators over its five decades-plus career.

And the Purple will be missed by the rock music universe because it unintentionally provided a template that a generation of bands that followed. The group also provided a reminder of the creativity that can be harvested from crushing volume, crunching guitar riffs, pounding drums, and soaring vocals.

It’s unlikely that we’ll ever see groups like Deep Purple again. With no disrespect to the new generation of rockers, in today’s music industry climate, most groups are lucky to get three albums out before the labels say farewell or the fans migrate onto another trend.

Continue reading on Republican-American.

Thanks to Yvonne for the info.

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