Ian Paice and Steve Morse were guests on the recent Hangin’ & Bangin’ podcast, and that’s with Carmine and Vinny Appice in attendance. Behold the rock’n’roll royalty convention, where Steve tells about learning to fly from the birds, and Paicey explains peculiarities of the Cockney rhyming slang. Continue Reading »

The band has just released the following statement:

As a rule, Deep Purple is apolitical, but on this occasion…

Words of Roger Glover:
‘Like many performers, we have occasionally performed private concerts for fans in various countries. We are an apolitical band and in no way, was our intention ever political. It was music.

These days are different. We condemn Putin’s military for the atrocities to innocent men, women and children in Ukraine. and we apologize to our Russian and Ukrainian fans that the shows have been cancelled. We live in hope that we can fulfill those dates in the future. ‘
RG

Words of Don Airey:
Watching the news that Russian missiles have just destroyed the Opera House in Freedom Square Kharkiv, where DP played almost exactly 20 years ago, memorable for Ian Gillan donning a tutu he found in a dressing room cupboard and proclaiming himself “Deep Purple in Frock”, for the gear arriving at 7pm and somehow the show starting at 8pm, for an old apparatchik single-handedly trying to make the young audience sit back down during the set with such zeal that he had a seizure, and next day on the way back to the airport my asking about a statue ”Is that Lenin?”, Roger Glover replying, “Well it’s definitely not McCartney”.

A different day today

I have just written to Dmitri Medvedev, former President and now head of the Russian Security Council, returning the autograph he gave me at the dinner for Deep Purple at the Gorky Palace in March 2011, in protest at his various statements post invasion.
DA

Words of Ian Gillan:
If speaking out means we shall never see our Russian friends again, then that is a big sacrifice, but nothing compared with never again seeing our Ukrainian friends who are being killed to satisfy the psychopathic ambitions of the Russian leader.

I would like to see Russians on the streets in their millions, to show their disgust at the Ukrainian invasion, and I’d like to dream that very quickly, Russia can find some modern leadership that will bring them back into the world as friends. We have so much in common.
IG

Words of Ian Paice:
What’s happening is beyond distressing. It’s criminal and should be treated as such.
The invasion of Putin’s army into Ukraine, (because that’s what it is), I hope will turn out to bring his ultimate downfall.

And that someone who is “functioning mentally in the 21st century”, can lead the Russian people back into the fold.
IP

Words of Steve Morse:
I’ve always thought music should be non-political, and cross every border as the universal language. As a citizen of a deeply divided country, one thing here that everybody agrees on is: Stop this attack on a Country who voluntarily disarmed their nukes to satisfy all the big players. Stop, lower your guns, turn back, help others on the way back!
SM

The message is accompanied by Child in Time lyrics that we written in 1969, at the height of the cold war.

Upcoming shows in Ukraine and Russia have disappeared from the band’s website a couple of days ago and now are for sure cancelled.

Almost 20 years ago to this day, in March 2002, Deep Purple played a show at the Meteor Hall in Dnepropetrovsk (now Dnipro), Ukraine. These were the vegetarian times by todays standards… Continue Reading »

Remember the petition to install a plaque honouring Ritchie Blackmore? Well, it succeeded:

Hi Everybody, Yesterday, I viewed a plaque dedicated to Ritchie at his place of birth in Weston super Mare. I inspired the writing and the owners kindly sponsored a large metal plaque and placed it on the outside of the building for all to see. We will have a full unveiling on Ritchie’s birthday in April. Thanks again for your support

Can we have the address please?

[Update March 2]: Music Radar has more details on the plaque:

After starting a petition to install a plaque marking the town as Blackmore’s birthplace, John managed to collect over 2300 signatures. However when it was presented to the council, it was rejected on the grounds that Blackmore was still alive and therefore doesn’t qualify.

The story doesn’t end there, though. While the council’s misgivings might have stopped a blue plaque from being awarded, Allendale Nursing Home on Beach Road – the building where Blackmore was born – has decided to step in to realise John’s goal.

“The good news is the nursing home has sponsored and installed a plaque on their front wall for all to see. And let me design it,” he told Guitar World. “We hope to have a full unveiling ceremony on Ritchie’s birthday in April.”

Apparently, the Allendale Nursing Home is now called Beach Lawns Residential and Nursing Home and its address is 67 Beach Road, Beach Front, Weston-super-Mare BS23 4BG.

Thanks to John Cadwallader for his efforts, and to Music Radar and Yvonne for additional info.

German edition of the Rolling Stone magazine is celebrating 50th anniversary of Smoke on the Water with a cover story in their March 2022 issue. Continue Reading »

Paicey remembers Gary Brooker, who passed away on February 19, 2022, at the age of 76. Continue Reading »

Deep Purple managed to play one show on board of the rock cruise before it went sideways. Here’s a clip from it with a rising rendition of Perfect Strangers Continue Reading »

The following message has been posted on the band’s official site:

Due to three members of the band testing positive for Covid-19, we are hugely disappointed to have to share the news with everyone that we are not able to play the remaining shows aboard the Rock Legends Cruise. It’s a terrible shame ….

Stay well.

Deep Purple

We all here at The Highway Star are wishing to everyone involved to get well soon.

Deep Purple live at Hard Rock Live (Hollywood, USA 2022-02-10)

All my life, I had only known the radio hits from Deep Purple. But when I saw they were coming to town, I figured “Why not?” I like the older stuff as well as the Purpendicular album. And with all the bands that made real, rocking, driven music from days gone by eventually disappearing, I knew it was time to s**t or get off the pot.
Wow! These guys delivered. The only disappointment was that I hadn’t seen them years ago. If they come back around, I’m there. You could see the life, love, and energy these guys have for what they do and the music they play. Put your doubts aside and go to a DP show. Steve Morse was fantastic. Roger Glover was smiling and moving about with a young man’s energy. And you could see he loved what he was doing. Ian was his usual energetic, on point drumming self. Don Airey, the keyboard aficionado, was the transmission that kept the engine in gear. And of course, Ian Gillan tied it all up nicely on every tune. Truly a legend.
I am a lifelong convert now. What else have I been missing? 🤔

review by Robert Lubbers

Everett Post (which hails from Washington state) has a short piece based around an interview with Ian Paice on the occasion of the band visiting across the continent state of Florida.

About the Rock Legends Cruise that departed on February 14:

I’m not trying to get any pre-formed ideas about it. I’m sure it’ll be very nice to spend a week in Florida in the middle of winter on a boat where I don’t have to work too hard, and I can wander off to a bar whenever I feel like and have a nice exotic tropical drink.

On the prospects of a full blown US tour:

[A]ssuming that everybody is fit and healthy and still wants to do it…then [the band will tour the States in] 2023.

Thanks to Everett Post for the info.