Glenn Hughes’ management has announced another leg of his Chosen Years tour — 8 dates in the UK in October 2025. Various presales seem to be already in progress, with general availability slated for March 7th. The powers that be want to steer your money towards the Ticketmaster, however we’ve also included some links to the alternative sources if you’d rather not deal with the cartel.

From the horse’s mouth:

So happy to announce I shall be with you in October for a series of shows. I will be performing songs from my new album coming this August and a selection of my solo catalog songs, in addition to collaborations with other artists, spanning my entire career. It’s always good to return home, to spend some time with you, and see your smiling faces.

Full details in our calendar.

Thanks to CTC and Daniel Bengtsson for the heads-up.

In this video, dated December 1979, Ritchie Blackmore makes some noises for a few minutes, eventually settling upon Beethoven’s Ode to Joy. Supported by Messrs. Glover, Airey, and Powell. Continue Reading »

Ian Paice has appeared on the dopeYEAH Podcast, interviewed by Rob Cass, and it was a very interesting conversation over an hour long. The blurb reads:

What does it take to be the backbone of one of the greatest rock bands of all time? Ian Paice, the powerhouse drummer of ‪@DeepPurpleOfficial‬ and one of the last original members still rocking the stage, joins us for an unforgettable episode! From setting stages on fire—literally—to working with icons like Paul McCartney and Velvet Underground, Ian shares jaw-dropping stories from over five decades in the music industry. 🎶🔥

In this episode, Ian reveals the untold stories behind Deep Purple’s biggest moments: the chaos of recording Machine Head, why the band broke up and how he got fired from Whitesnake. Plus, he breaks down his legendary drumming style and even teases a new Deep Purple record coming in 2025! 🤯 Whether you’re a die-hard fan or just love rock ‘n’ roll history, this is an episode you can’t miss.

We’ve sat through the whole thing, and can attest it is what it says on the cover. Includes bits of the live performance with the house band. Enjoy!

The takeaway you wouldn’t want to miss (at around 1:00:20):

So, what’s next for Purple?

Well, we’re gonna go back into the studio in a couple of months time and knock out another record. Because we have no serious work to do until the end of this year. You know, everyone needs a break sometimes. […] The record will take us March through probably the end of May. And then we got bits and pieces — [playing] a day here, three days there, around the world. And then we’ll see how it pans out. Everything is being slated towards the end of October and November for everything what you might consider a tour. Then we’ll see what happens after that. But they’re already booking 2026!

Thanks to Mike Whiteley for the heads-up.

Speaking of newly restored classic videos, here’s Wring That Neck from the French TV show Chorus on November 14th, 1970. Continue Reading »

A probably final (at least, for a while) instalment in the restored classic Gillan video series. Behold the infamously frenetic version of the rock’n’roll classic Lucille Continue Reading »

That other opera singer is getting awestruck again by Ian Gillan’s take on Gethsemane Continue Reading »

Another single from the upcoming Don Airey’s solo album Pushed To The Edge has been released. Moon Rising Continue Reading »

Globe and Mail writes that Bob Ezrin has renounced his U.S. citizenship and returned home to Toronto from Nashville. The paper quotes his motivation:

In the last few years, it seems as if America is split in half. The voices of a radical right have become so much louder. Conspiracy theories abound, people are armed to the teeth, and it’s just a different place than the place I went to.

Ezrin moved to Los Angeles with his family back in 1985. He became a U.S. citizen in 1990 in order to vote.

I was very engaged, very involved, very committed. I believed in the country and I believed in the American people, in spite of things like the Iraq War and the income inequality I saw growing, and in spite of the racism that was knitted into the fabric of American life. I still believed the goodness of the majority of Americans would prevail.

The paper notes that Ezrin had already made his decision to return to Toronto before Trump declared a trade war on Canada and insinuated about making Canada the 51st state, insulting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as a “governor” in the process.

The article also lists Ezrin’s charitable activities — helping to distribute food from the basement of the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in LA; serving as chair of the California Mentoring Partnership and Los Angeles Communities in Schools; co-founding with Edge (of U2 fame) Music Rising, an initiative to replace musical instruments lost in natural disasters. After the 2005’s Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, he produced the concert for reopening of the city’s Superdome. In a recent announcement of the Governor General’s Award, Ezrin was cited as “a generous philanthropist and a passionate advocate for music education”.

Thanks to The Globe and Mail for the info and quotes, and to Gary Poronovich for the heads-up.

A Glenn Hughes’ South American tour has just been announced for November 2025. The São Paulo date on November 16th has been on sale for a while, and listed in our calendar as unconfirmed. It is confirmed now, along with 10 more shows in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Colombia, albeit the last one with an asterisk.

Curiously, the tour is billed as The Chosen Years in English, but local promoters advertise it as Turnê/Tour de Despedida, which in Portuguese and Spanish means The Farewell Tour. Take it with a grain of salt, it’s not the first time promoters took to gimmicks to boost sales.

Promo blurb reads:

The shows promise to be a dynamic, turn-back-the-clocks, two-hour live extravaganza homage to his illustrious career spanning 5 decades in music – including songs from Trapeze, Deep Purple, Hughes/Thrall, Iommi/Hughes and Black Country Communion – some of music history’s most seminal and influential rock and roll groups. Not only that, the shows will feature brand new music from Glenn’s upcoming solo album due for release in Summer 2025.

Glenn comments:

To all my fans in South America : This is a very special tour for me, and I’m thanking you for all the years of your incredible LOVE and support. You have my heart. I can’t wait to be with you ✌️

As well as Glenn on lead vocals and bass guitar, the touring band features Soren Anderson on guitar, and drummer Ash Sheehan.

Full details in our calendar.

Thanks to Coast to Coast and Daniel Bengtsson for the heads-up.

In this instalment of Tales from the Tavern, Ritchie Blackmore plays a tune that he heard in ’64 or ’65. That’d be 1564-65, presumably. Continue Reading »