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That’s how good it was
Our long time contributor Stathis Panagiotopoulos reminisces about what happened 40 years ago in Knebworth, England.
It was 40 years ago today – Knebworth 1985 remembered
I was 11 years old in 1974 when I heard Deep Purple for the first time, and it was a defining moment, one that changed my life in ways more profound than I could explain in a short article.
There were no concerts happening in Greece back then, let alone by a group as big as Purple, and I was too young to be allowed to travel abroad to see them.
And then they split up. And all I wished for was for them to get back together, so I could see them live just the once, I thought I’d die happy after.
And just then they did, and it was announced that they would play their home turf at the Knebworth festival on June 22, 1985, 40 years ago today.
I worked through the winter of 84 to collect money to be able to travel. I got my ticket. And then I took the train from Thessaloniki, Greece to go to London. I got there a couple of days later, and on the day of the concert I took another train and travelled to Stevenage with a few good penpal friends, some of whom had seen Purple in the 70’s and some that would see them for the first time.
It was the UK, it was the summer solstice, and, needless to say, it was pissing down with rain. I was up to my knees in mud. I didn’t care. I got inside early, immediately when the gates opened, I watched all the bands. Enjoyed myself immensely.
And then 10 p.m. came around, the lights went down and the taped Bach intro came on.
Cut to the same day, June 22, 2025. Driving back from the morning’s dive, I blasted the Knebworth CD on the car stereo at a dangerously high volume. And relived that day, and it felt as if time had stood still.
When the song about the football team that got kicked out of the league for drinking came on, I was moved to tears. This is the defining Purple song for many of us who weren’t there in the “halcyon days” but joined a bit later. This is what it was all about. Can you remember, remember my name? Can I? Fuck, better than my own name, for sure. For the first time, I was one of the thousand warriors.
Going to Knebworth I knew what to expect. Pre-internet there were double vinyl bootlegs from Australia and the US, so I knew which songs they would play, the solos, the running order, everything. What I didn’t know was, would I be disappointed? Would it be up to what my mind had created during thousands of hours of listening to records and tapes?
In short, was it as good as I expected? No. It was much, much better. Indescribably better. In hindsight, Knebworth might not have been one of the best reunion gigs, but the feeling, the emotions, the sense of being THERE when and where it happened, when and where those five extraordinary musicians threw the naked thunder to the crowd, that feeling was incomparable to anything else, and I was surprised to get it all over again driving back from the five today.
The songs, the musical ability, the sound, the vision, the majesty of Purple, there was never a band that could even come close – there still isn’t and as far as I’m concerned there never will be. What made them DEEP PURPLE (and I can’t put THAT into words, Lord knows I have been trying and failing for years!) is still there, and it will be until the last concert.
From the opening of Highway Star to the fireworks after Smoke on the Water, five minutes passed, it seemed. And when Gillan said “we’ve heard the weather report, the sun is coming out in ten minutes”, I think I believed him.
I was drenched, dog-tired, and indescribably happy. That very morning I thought I’d see them once and die a happy man. After midnight, I wasn’t so sure. I went back, again and again, for another 120 times. Still, if Knebworth had been my first and last Deep Purple concert, I could have died a happy man. That’s how good it was.
Stathis Panagiotopoulos
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Those early reunion years, 1984/1985 were very wonderful times.
June 24th, 2025 at 02:35Your words about those great songs and exciting concerts bring happy tears to my eyes.
I was able to see them three times in 1985, and twice more in 1987.
Truly some of the best nights in my life.
Deep Purple, thank you.
Best band in the World.
Hello, I read the story of Stathis about Knebworth. Wauh, great story. I saw Deep Purple in 1973 in december in Brussel, Belgium for the first time. Till now I have seen Deep Purple 45 times. Its the best band in the world. I don’t know if it is possible to get in touch with Stathis. Some 40 years ago I got his “Purple Press” fanclub magazine frequently. It would be nice to have again contact with him. Is there someone who has a e-mailadres of him so I can reach him. Thanks a lot.
June 24th, 2025 at 10:35Greetings John
I was there. It rained. I missed Alaska due to traffic into the site. Did I mention it rained. Meatloaf was a mistake. The rest were OK. It was my first ever Purple outing (I was 20) and I can’t honestly say it was monumental but I’m glad I went. It didn’t just rain water though. A big portion of chips landed on my head during the Scorpions so it also rained potatoes, salt and vinegar which was nice.
June 24th, 2025 at 11:15On the way out I spotted a drunk metal head pushing his girlfriend into the giant piss trough. I wonder if they’re still a thing?
I borrowed the works van without asking and it was spotted in the car park by a customer. Oops.
Nice story happy for you. I to saw DEEP PURPLE in 85′ also for first time @ Philadelphia Spectrum and having to listen to the early albums for many years prepared me for a lifetime experience that i will never forget, and the album Perfect Strangers, the title song just made the show more enjoyable hearing live. Cheers !
June 24th, 2025 at 12:02A moving read, Stathis. You had to take a few days ride to witness that show – for me it was just an hours drive to Mannheim – but the feelings sure were similar.
June 24th, 2025 at 14:48DP came to my attention just shortly after they had split up. And I was so sad I’d never seen them and never would. After all reunions weren’t heard of then. Years later almost every band seemed to.get back and cash in together – but back in the day I never thought they would reunite. I remember the day a buddy and his girlfriend came by at my work to tell me they had heard on the radio DP were back together… I treasure this friendship to this day! 😀
From Thessaloniki to Stevenage/Knebworth by train for the lure of Deep Purple? 🤯 That is a Jules Verne-type, no, what am I saying … a truly Odyssean trip, Stathis! Με εντυπωσιάζει!!!
https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/format:webp/0*hzWYJSRrXNqNVabd.jpg
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June 24th, 2025 at 16:46Dear Stathis,
the summer of 1985 will also stay in my mind, in my memory for the rest of my days, as I was waiting for this return even a little bit longer than you: The very first concert I was ever allowed to go to was the one of Deep Purple on January, 21st 1973 at the Olympiahalle in Munich – and at the same time this was the very first concert that ever took place in this hall, just a few month after “our Munich” olympic games !
So, in my case, exactly two weeks after Knebworth, on July 6th, 1985 I drove to the Zeppelinfeld in Nürnberg, 12 years later, and everything else that needs to be said has already be written down by you in your absolutely wonderful report and description from the Knebworth day ! I totally agree with you !
And: No rain in Nürnberg …
Greetings from Munich
June 24th, 2025 at 20:22Bernhard Huebl
My word, this takes me back to my first DP concert which was two days later in Genk Belgium. As a 17 year old, a mate and I caught the DP fan bus from Holland. As soon as we got off the bus the crowd was pushing to get into the concert hall. We got separated and I didn’t see my mate until we got back on the bus after the show. This was one month after the Heizeldrama (so nothing learned there). The show was loud and I had been a fan for seven years by this point, even though they didn’t exist during these years. Seeing them cemented my belief that this is indeed the band-almighty and I have remained loyal to them ever since.
As posted previously I am off to see them in Dubai because I am just grateful that they are still playing all these years later. I am beginning to think that they are missing me and that the only way they can see me is if they do a concert 🎵 ha ha.
June 25th, 2025 at 06:25Thanks Stathis
June 25th, 2025 at 09:45Great review and brought back some great memories…wow, you have been to a lot of gigs …a true superfan! ( no wonder we have both been at the same gigs )
Yes, it was a magical night …you had to be there to understand it.
Wasn’t it exciting and spine tingling when those songs started up ? …and don’t those buses in your photos look old ! Lol
Nice read!
He should have mentioned though that he’s in one of the photos in the CD from Connoisseur that was released after the concert.
To see your favorite band and be immortalized that way…
June 25th, 2025 at 17:09@2 John, long time no hear! I’m not sure I ought to post my email address here, for fear of bots and such, but I will try to do it in a roundabout (nice name for a pop group!) way : it’s : skylos at skylos dot suffix for Greece. Hope this makes sense and I’d love to hear from you again!
June 25th, 2025 at 17:2840 years. Wouldn’t it be a great time to give In The Absence Of Pink a reasonable sonic clean up ?? I would happily retire my Connoisseur Collection double CD. The discs have changed colour over the years! What was once silver now has a sepia tone.
June 27th, 2025 at 18:07Stathis Panagiotopoulos’ review is simply fantastic!
It certainly wasn’t technically the best performance of Purple MKII bis, but I can imagine the incredible emotion of taking part in a unique event of such magnitude, which will remain in the history of music forever.
reading words like these I always regret having been only 8 years old when MKII reunited and made their second masterpiece, Perfect Strangers.
June 27th, 2025 at 22:54It was better than Mannheim ‘85 which I saw as my first Purple gig. But I knew by then from bootlegs and post-split live releases that not all DP performances are created equal. Nürnberg was supposedly quite a bit better.
June 28th, 2025 at 13:47