Deep Purple

British rock band Deep Purple has already played in Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa this month, and its members have now reached Kyiv. After that, they will travel to Cherkasy and continue their world tour with eight concerts in Russia. Such active touring activity is not unusual for the band. Deep Purple is known as one of the toughest touring bands in the world. They have done 26 tours during their career. The latest one is dedicated to band’s 40th anniversary. The band was formed in 1968, and was first called Roundabout. The same year, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore suggested the name Deep Purple, which was his grandmother’s favorite song.

Іince that time the band has gone through many lineup changes and an eight-year hiatus. The band’s second lineup, featuring Ian Gillan on vocals, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, keyboardist Jon Lord, bass guitarist Roger Glover and Ian Paice on drums, is considered classical. With this lineup, the band gained world recognition, commercial success and released three albums “In Rock,” “Fireball” and “Machine Head,” all of which became hard rock classics. This lineup was active through 1969-1973 and was revived in 1984-1989 and again in 1993. The current lineup, including guitarist Steve Morse instead of Ritchie Blackmore, has been much more stable, though Lord’s retirement in 2002 has left Paice as the only original member.

Deep Purple, along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, are considered to be the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock although some band members refuse to admit belonging to any single genre. They were once listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s loudest band. With worldwide sales of more than 100 million albums, their popularity is undeniable.

PALATS SPORTU (Palats Sportu metro station, 246-7405). Oct. 15, 7 p.m. Tickets Hr 200 to Hr 500.

Oksana Faryna for "Kyiv Post"