Classic Rock
Deep Purple have postponed, until further notice, every show left on this autumn’s European and UK tour. Ian Gillan announced it himself on 2 November on the band’s social media, two days after the group called off the Leipzig and Hamburg nights because the singer was in hospital.
“I had a medical problem whilst in Leipzig which required urgent attention at the hospital,” Gillan writes. “I was hoping that I would get the all clear to hang on until the end of the tour, but there are very serious risks involved in me doing so.” On the advice of his medical team and management, he says, they’ve called off the rest. Gillan turned 81 in August. He hasn’t said what the problem was.
According to Ultimate Classic Rock, more than a dozen shows were still to come in Germany, the Netherlands, France and the UK. In their first statement, on 31 October, the band had already said existing tickets would be valid for the rescheduled dates.
The tour is in support of “Splat!”, the album the band released on 3 July on earMUSIC. The band also have December dates in Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Mexico, and haven’t yet said whether those will go ahead.
Text by Enric Vilaplana